G’day mates! Pack a Vegemite sandwich, because we’re heading to the land down under in our second to the last “You Are Here” summer reading list. There is no shortage of great books coming out for teens from our neighbors across the Pacific, including these titles below. If you’re looking for some laughs, you can also check out Flight of the Conchords, my favorite comedic musical duo from the island nation of New Zealand.

The clock is ticking…Just a few more days left to finish writing your Summer Reading Celebration reviews in order to claim your free book and get entered into our last raffle drawing for a $50 book store gift card!

You Are Here: Australia & New Zealand

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams

When superstitious eighteen-year-old John "Beatle" Lennon, who is dating the best friend of his twin sister, meets Destiny McCartney, their instant rapport and shared quirkiness make it seem that their fate is written in the stars.

Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without losing her identity or sense of style.

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

Young prodigy Cadel Piggot, an Australian antisocial computer hacker, discovers his true identity when he enrolls as a first-year student at an advanced crime academy.

Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman

Undecided about her future after graduating from high school, an Australian girl takes a job caring for a brain-damaged woman.

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Eighteen-year-old New Zealand boarding school student Ellie Spencer must use her rusty tae kwon do skills and new-found magic to try to stop a fairy-like race of creatures from Maori myth and legend that is plotting to kill millions of humans in order to regain their lost immortality.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

High school student Taylor Markham, who was abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

As her beloved grandfather, chief of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, struggles to lead in difficult times and to find a male successor, young Kahu is developing a mysterious relationship with whales, particularly the ancient bull whale whose legendary rider was their ancestor.

Do you enjoy reading and discussing what you read?  If the answer is yes, the Edenvale Book Club is the club for you! Come to the fireplace area of the Edenvale Branch Library on Wednesday August 3, 2011 at 6:00 pm. This month, the Edenvale Book Club will discuss The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland. Everyone is welcome.

This book is available in a variety of formats:

Print

Book CD

downloadable ebook

downloadable digital audio book

The Atlantic has just posted its 2011 Fiction issue online. Great reads! Which story was your favorite? Available in installments through tomorrow, so check it out soon!

In this next installment of our “You Are Here” summer reading lists for teens, we are heading south to the continent of Africa. This list features teen fiction that explores some serious contemporary topics, but I’ve also included an uplifting non-fiction memoir. Stay tuned…There are just two stops left on our international journey before we finally head home.

This is the last week of the Summer Reading Celebration, which officially ends Saturday, July 30. Read some books, write some reviews, and you might just win some prizes!

You Are Here: Africa

Afrika by Colleen Craig

Thirteen-year-old Kim travels to South Africa with her journalist mother and must come to terms with the country's diverse and often shocking history with the realization that she is not as removed from this powerful story as she thought.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

This engaging memoir relates how an enterprising teenager in Malawi builds a windmill from scraps he finds around his village and brings electricity, and a future, to his family.

Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji

In Uganda in 1972, fifteen-year-old Sabine and her family, wealthy citizens of Indian descent, try to preserve their normal life during the ninety days allowed by President Idi Amin for all foreign Indians to leave the country, while soldiers and others terrorize them and people disappear.

The Door of No Return by Sarah Mussi

Heeding his grandfather's dying words, Zac is off to Ghana to track down his family's history. But what did his grandfather mean when he said that Zac had the map to the family treasure? Following every clue he can find and escaping danger at every turn, Zac begins to suspect that the treasure is real.

Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hanna Jansen

The only survivor of her family's massacre, Jeanne witnessed unspeakable acts. But through courage, wits, and sheer force of will, she survived. Based on a true story, this haunting novel by Jeanne's adoptive mother makes unforgettably real the events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide as one family experienced it.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This classic story traces the growing friction between village leaders and Europeans in an African village.

We’re continuing to head east in this week’s installment of our “You Are Here” reading lists. These books span the massive continent of Asia, including India, China, and Japan.

Teens, don’t forget… You still have nearly two weeks to submit your five reviews for the Summer Reading Celebration in order to pick up your free book. We still have drawings left at all SJPL locations for two $50 bookstore giftcards. We also encourage those of you with the time and imagination to submit a video review for a chance to win a NOOK Color! Check these awesome book trailers out for some inspiration if you want to get cinematic, but remember, it can be as simple as you in front of the camera talking about a book you enjoyed.

Chain Mail : Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki

The boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred when four disillusioned Tokyo teenagers, who have never met, collaborate to write an online fictional story--a psychological thriller told from four points of view.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth

Growing up with her family in Mumbai, India, sixteen-year-old Jeeta disagrees with much of her mother's traditional advice about how to live her life and tries to be more modern and independent.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa

On the first day at a Japanese high school, an irrepressible girl announces her lack of interest in "ordinary humans" and proceeds to form a club dedicated to finding aliens, time travelers, and other forms of supernatural life, with the intention of having fun with them.

Subway Girl by P.J. Converse

In Hong Kong, Chan Tze Man, called Simon Chan, leaves high school because he cannot master English, but when he befriends Amy, a Chinese American who knows little Chinese, their unlikely bond gives hope to both.

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai

The setting is Sri Lanka, 1980, and it is the season of monsoons. Life for Amrith seems rather uneventful and orderly, but things change in a hurry when his male cousin arrives from Canada.

Wandering Warrior by Da Chen

Eleven-year-old Luka, destined to become the future emperor of China, is trained in the ways of the kung fu wandering warriors by the wise monk Atami.

Winner of the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel

The story begins in a new dark age, where the pious monks of the Order of Leibowitz have collected and protected the few remaining pieces of writing left since the “Simplification” nearly wiped out all recorded knowledge several hundred years before. Though much of these scavenged writings are incomplete, partially burned, or indecipherable (what are “electronics,” anyway?), these monks dutifully carry out the task of preservation handed down to them by their founder, the blessed Saint Leibowitz, as these manuscripts are the last vestiges of a once-great civilization that has been reduced to ash and ruins by some great hellfire. As the centuries pass and light returns to the world, can these humble monks piece together enough of the world’s history to avoid repeating it? Or will the light of knowledge become brighter and brighter until the mankind is once again burned and blinded?

A must-read classic for fans of science fiction and good literature alike, A Canticle for Leibowitz is one of the first great works of fiction to deal in the post-apocalyptic theme. There is no easy way to characterize this novel; funny and thought-provoking, ironic and chilling, the reader remains haunted by the hopeless, unanswerable contradictions inherent in human existence. Many novels boil down to a battle of light versus darkness, but this story begs the question: does a brighter light only serve to cast deeper shadows?

Warning: Contains Latin

Unfortunately, we only have one copy of this novel available in our library system, but several editions of this book can easily be obtained through Link+.