Did you know that every branch of the San Jose Public Library has a youth advisory group of teen volunteers called teensReach? In addition to earning community service hours for participating in library activities, members also attend monthly meetings at their local library branch and act as advisors and advocates for the library. If you would like to learn more about what teensReach does and how to become a member check out the teensReach link from our website: www.sjpl.org/teensReach.

At a recent teensReach meeting held at the Dr. King Library, teensReach members were asked for their favorite books and movies that they would recommend to other teens. This is what they came up with…

Maximum Ride 

This popular teen series by James Patterson was listed twice by members of the teen group. The library has copies of the novels in print, e-book, audio book, and manga versions available for check out now.

Breaking Dawn

The fourth and final book of the wildly popular vampire series the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer.  All of the books in the Twilight Saga series have now been made into movies and half of this last volume is in theaters now as Breaking Dawn Part One.  The book and the movie soundtrack are available now in the library.

Redwall

This classic animal fantasy tale was first published in 1987 and still holds its appeal today. It was also the first of the now 22 volume series by author Brian Jacques, with volume 22 – The Rogue Crew just published in 2011. If you are already a fan, you can place a hold in now and be one of the first to get a copy of the latest volume when the library’s shipment comes in.

Blood Red Horse

A historical fiction title by K.M. Grant set in the Middle Ages during the Third Crusades. If you like tales about the age of knights and would like to learn a little about what it was really like during those times, you might enjoy this book… the first of three in the  De Granville Trilogy.

Sucker Punch

It was not clear if this recommendation was for the fantasy film Sucker Punch released in 2011 about a girl in a 1950’s mental institution who creates an alternate reality and the quest she goes on to escape that world or if the recommendation was for the book Suckerpunch by David Hernandez about two teenage brothers who drive from Southern California to Monterey to confront the abusive father who walked out on them a year ago and now wants to return. Either way, library patrons are in luck as both are available for check out.

Easy A

Another teen film available at the library. A summary from the library catalog: After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in 'The Scarlet Letter, ' which she is currently studying in school. Hoping to become popular, she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.