Plymouth Library : March Teen Newsletter

Press release from Plymouth Library:

2022-03-09

March Teen News And Reviews

By Teens

For Teens

Free Audiobooks, Comics, and E-books!

Easy sign-up with your library card to access and enjoy virtual reading!

Ad by Tahim^^^^

You can sign up on the Plymouth Library Calendar Page

https://plymouth.librarycalendar.com/events/month

When – Monday March 7th, Monday March 14th, Monday March 21st, Monday March 28th

Conversation Group

From 10-11 am

Adults can meet virtually through zoom and practice their English conversation speaking skills in an informal, non-judgement, friendly environment!

Reading Group

From 11am to 12pm

Adults can meet virtually to practice pronouncing words in high beginner level books and improve their vocabulary in a relaxed environment!

Book Club

From 3-4 pm

Adults can meet virtually and discuss a book

NHS Tutoring

National Honor Society students from the Plymouth Canton Park will be at the Plymouth Library in the Teen Zone. 3rd – 12th graders are welcome to come for free homework help.

When-

March

2nd

5th

9th

12th

16th

19th

23rd

26th

30th

Teen News and Reviews cover, ELL ad, and NHS tutoring ad by Ella

Teen Volunteer Leadership Meeting:

Teens interested in learning more about library programs and services and volunteering their time and talents to help us make them better are invited to attend this session. Our next meeting is on 4/7/2022 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The first half will cover an update on current and new projects and then we’ll have the rest of the time to ask any questions. So now you can book your spot at https://bit.ly/3HMdGbG

By Isha Shah

Become A Teen Volunteer Today

Help support the library through a wide array of in-person or virtual opportunities today! Volunteer at creative events such as the monthly newsletter options, leadership opportunities, and much more!

Join @ Plymouth District Library

-Nabeela

Plymouth District Library presents

Dungeons and Dragons

Teen virtual event

Monday, March 14, 2022 from 6-9 PM

https://plymouth.librarycalendar.com/events/teen-dungeons-and-dragons-16

-Nabeela

Plymouth District Library

Digital Library App

Libby

Download countless number of your favorite books and audios!

Sign up @ https://libbyapp.com/

-Nabeela

Among Us Game Night

Join virtually through zoom to play Among Us on Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 7-8 PM

Register at https://plymouth.librarycalendar.com/events/among-us-ages-10-17-0

-Nabeela

-RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE

-Mission: Donators that attend the Blood Drives will get to be of service to not only their communities, but also people all around the world. Donators will be guided by Volunteers and Employees upon arrival at any location.

-*Schedule your appointment today at redcrossblood.org*

-Save A Life / Be Kind / Be a Hero

-Time(s): March 1, 2022 (1-7pm) March 2, 2022 (2-8pm) March 3, 2022 (8am-2pm) March 4, 2022 (6:30am-2:45pm)

-Location(s):35475 Five Mile Road Livonia, MI 48154 / 3855 South Sheldon Road Canton, MI 48188 / 47650 North Territorial Plymouth, MI 48170 / 36650 5 Mile Rd. Livonia, MI 48154

– By: Aditya Tambe

Liv and Maddie

A TV show review by Ella

Olivia and Madison Rooney grew up in Wisconsin with their mom Karen, their dad Pete, and their brothers – Parker and Joey. Olivia (more commonly known as Liv) gets offered a spot on a show in Hollywood called “Sing It Loud”. She leaves for Hollywood and finally returns when she is fifteen.

Liv and Maddie seem to be getting along just fine when they first return home but Maddie starts to feel that Liv isn’t caring about what Maddie has to say when she doesn’t let Maddie finish telling her about the boy she likes and interrupts to show Maddie her “Sing It Loud” finale song.

At school Liv tries to help Maddie get a date to the dance with Diggy, the boy she likes, by pretending to be Maddie when asking Diggy out.

Diggy rejects her and when Liv breaks the news to Maddie that Diggy doesn’t actually like her, the two sisters get into a big fight.

Liv decides that she should move back to Hollywood and feels she isn’t wanted in Wisconsin at home.

Will Maddie and Liv make up or break up as sisters?

Liv and Maddie has four seasons each of which bring their own hilarious twists. Join Liv on numerous acting adventures in shows like “Sing It Loud”, “Space Werewolves”, “Voltage”, and “Linda And Heather” and join Maddie on numerous sport and basketball games. Join both of the girls on their adventures through HighSchool and watch as they make their way towards college.

Liv and Maddie is a hilarious, family friendly tv series. Each episode is sure to make you laugh!

We Hunt the Flame is a story about hope and finding out who you are that takes place in a well thought out fantasy world.

Zafira is posing as a man in a society that downgrades women. She hunts to feel her village because food has run out since the sudden disappearance of magic. When she get invited to a once in a lifetime opportunity to restore magic to Arawiya, she knows she can’t pass it up; she has to help her people.

Nasir is known as the Prince of Death. He is a hashashin, an assassin for his father, the Sultan, who seems to be growing more vicious as time goes on. His father sends him on a mission to kill the Hunter and bring him the Jarawat, the means of restoring magic to the land.

Nasir and Zafira’s paths are bound to cross, though in a way neither of them would have thought. As they get closer to recovering the Jarawat, they realize that there’s more to the story of their land’s lost magic than anyone has ever known.

This story is the perfect balance of world building and character development. It was wonderful watching Nasir grow and become more than the hated Prince of Death and Zafira prove that women are more than capable of success. I would definitely recommend this book to people who love beautiful writing and character development.

-Nikola

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a dystopian novel written in 1953, and was set in the year 2049.

Montag is a fireman. In his world, usually television rules and anything that has to do with reading or literature is going to be gone forever, firemen in this time start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy illegal commodities, printed books and where the houses keep the printed books.

Montag never questions the destruction that he produces, he returns home from work to his bland wife and his bland life. Mildred spends all day spending time with her “television family”. Then he meets his young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people did not live in fear and where the present people see the world through ideas in literature and books instead of television.

When Mildred attempts suicicde and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag starts to question a lot about his values of television and books. He starts hiding books in his home and when he is caught the fireman has to try and run for his life. I would recommend this book to people who really like suspense in books because this book is really suspenseful.

How I Built This with Guy Raz is a podcast that looks at how some of the most iconic companies were created.

Guy Raz hosts the How I Built This podcast, where he weekly speaks with entrepreneurs about their journey to success. Founders of popular companies, such as Chipotle, Lululemon Athletica, and Clif Bar, speak with Guy Raz about the initial idea to begin their company, the struggles and failures that set their company back, and the perseverance it took to become what they are today.

This podcast is a great listen for almost anyone. I like hearing the insight into what it took to build such successful companies, and Guy Raz is a great host who makes the podcast easy to enjoy every week. If you are interested in learning more about entrepreneurship, or are just curious how popular companies have become successful, then this podcast is for you.

Teenager Therapy is a podcast hosted by teenagers that looks at some of the common problems that every teen faces.

 Teenager Therapy is a podcast that talks about the teen struggles that occur frequently, but do not get addressed nearly enough. It is hosted by five teenagers, who share stories about personal growth, common mistakes, and everyday dilemmas that come with being a teen. The teens touch on various topics, such as mental illness, stress from school, and fights with a friend, talking through the issue and giving their advice on how they would solve it.

This podcast is great for many teens to listen to. It makes you feel like you are not alone in the problems you face in your teenage years, and the advice the teen hosts give is always helpful. I would recommend this podcast to anyone who would like to hear about solutions to problems that all teenagers have.

Encanto Review

By Ayush Patel

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto was a major hit and has broken many records since its initial release on November 24, 2021. It tells the wondrous and exciting story of the Madrigal family. This family lives in an area known as the Encanto. Furthermore, the magic of the Encanto has granted magical gifts to each of the Madrigals. However, our main character, Mirabel, was not granted a gift, and when she discovers that the Encanto itself is in great danger, she realizes that she is the only one who can save this miracle. Through her journey, she unravels the mysteries and the secrets of the Madrigal family. I enjoyed this movie due to the colorful and mesmerizing animation, the attention to detail, the catchy songs, and the attention to Colombian culture. If there was one complaint I had about this movie, it would be that songs occur a bit too often at certain parts within the movie. However, despite this, I believe that Encanto is a movie to be enjoyed by many families of all ages.

By Ayush Patel

Scythe is a novel written by Neal Shusterman in 2016. This book takes place very far in the future, where humans have learned of the secret to immortality. The only beings who can end the life of humans are known as the Scythes. They do this to maintain the population, and their subjects are said to be chosen at random. The story follows Citra and Rowan, two teenagers who are one day recruited to become a Scythe. Through their time with the Scythes, they solve mysteries and uncover the secrets of their modern world. This book is so good because it keeps you engaged, interested, and constantly on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. However, the book does start to ease down on the suspense near the middle. This may be true, but the book is still an exciting and action packed book with mysteries at every corner.

Lost in Space Review

By Ayush Patel

Lost in Space is a science fiction television series that follows the Robinson family on their journey through space. The story begins when we learn that the Robinsons are going to a planet which has been subject to future colonization by humans. In hope of a new life and a fresh start at a new planet, something mysterious happens to their spaceship and they become stranded on a frozen-over planet with no other survivors in sight. This all changes when Will Robinson, the youngest of the family, finds a being that bears a resemblance to a robot. This being has also taken a liking to him and obeys his command. I enjoyed this show because of all its plot twists, suspenseful moments, characters, nearly unsolvable situations, and much more! I recommend that you watch and enjoy this show as a family to unravel the secrets of space in the Lost in Space universe.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Review

By Ayush Patel

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the newest 2022 addition to the pokemon franchise, and possibly the most fun as well. This new game is available on the Nintendo Switch, and I highly recommend playing it if you own one. Pokemon Legends: Arceus differs from the other pokemon games. This is because it’s an open world game and allows you to freely explore vast areas while battling and catching pokemon. In this game, you have been sent back in time by a mysterious pokemon and join a research team. Your main goal is to collect information on the pokemon of the past and eventually fill up the first pokedex, which is a database which contains data on every pokemon available in a game. I really enjoyed this game because of the colorful graphics, the different game mechanics, the entertaining storyline, and the interactive playstyle. I definitely recommend trying this game out to explore the various types of pokemon and discover the truth behind them and the region itself.

Clash of Clans

By Brian Gury

Clash of Clans is a free-to-play strategy game on all mobile devices created by Supercell in 2012. Even with being 10 years old, Clash of Clans is still one of the most popular mobile games with varying age groups enjoying it. The game focuses on upgrading your base with loot you earn from raiding other bases. You have to choose which troops and defenses to prioritize since your resources are limited and hard to come by. Certain bases require different troops to use and different styles of attacks so it takes a very long time to learn all of the strategies. If you want, you can spend some money to buy boosters to help you progress faster. There are also clans that you can join to learn from and play with others. Many events take place to engage the players and there is always something to do.

Clash of Clans can be a great way to pass time and play with your friends or a way to take time to strategize your attacks and grow your base faster. Clash of Clans takes years to max out your base so it will take a long time for you to run out of things to do. This game is definitely one of my favorites due to the strategy it takes but also the ability to play at your own pace. I would recommend Clash of Clans to anyone who likes strategy games.

The 100

By Brian Gury

The 100 by Jason Rothernburg is a 7 season long science fiction show. It takes place in space, on earth, and on various other planets. They first start off in space because the earth wasn’t habitable due to a nuclear war. After 97 years, 100 kids get sent down to earth to see if it is safe for the rest to follow. They soon find out there are others that have been living on the ground since the nuclear war. This causes a conflict between the sky people and the grounders. After several months they resolve this conflict and work together to escape another nuclear radiation wave that will wipe everyone on earth out. After they escape this radiation wave, they need to find another planet to live on as theirs isn’t fertile and is uninhabitable.

Once they find another planet, their troubles don’t stop. There are other people on this planet that escaped the first nuclear radiation wave. On this planet there is an advanced device that people use to travel throughout planets. This group of humans is very advanced and are on the brink of ascending, which is when a superior race decides if the human race is worthy of joining them in a paradise-like dimension.

Overall, this is one of the best shows I have ever watched and if you are into sci-fi you will enjoy it as well. The plot is amazing and there is always a well thought out obstacle that the main characters Clark and Bellamy have to overcome.

Graphic Novel Reviews, Charlotte Pavlic

Since this is the one-year anniversary of the newsletter, I wrote some additional reviews to celebrate!

I would like to mention at the top that both Passport and Delicates deal with themes of suicide (Delicates in particular), so if you are sensitive to those topics, give those two a pass and try out the other three graphic novels instead.

 T-Minus: The Race to the Moon by Jim Ottaviani, Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon, winning the Space Race for the United States. But what about the missions before the mission? What about the Soviet space program? What about the scientists and pilots and engineers? These are the questions T-Minus: The Race to the Moon undertakes to answer.

This graphic novel is incredibly informative about both sides of the Space Race and the steps before the giant step. Facts and definitions are woven in between and beside the graphic novel’s panels, much to a history-lover’s delight. However, the density of information conveyed does make the story hard to follow. Distinguishing between the two global superpowers is never difficult, though–the graphic novel cleverly alters the font depending on whether the characters in the scene are speaking English or Russian.

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon’s look into the history of the Space Race and smart use of the structure of graphic novels makes reading it a stellar experience.

Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe

Sadie Wildhack has a severe peanut allergy, so severe that a mote of peanut could send her into life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Or at least, that’s what she tells the kids at her new high school. Faking a deadly peanut allergy is a great way to make an impression and meet some new friends, right? Sadie’s deception goes about as well as you’d expect–the false foundation her friendships are built on ends up crashing down around her ears.

This graphic novel does a great job of illustrating how harmful lying for attention from peers can be. Sadie’s desire to stand out is carried over into the art as well; her pink shirt brightly contrasts the rest of the graphic novel’s blue-gray tones. Apart from this main theme, however, the graphic novel doesn’t flesh out much. The characters, especially Sadie, tend to be flat, leaving the reader wondering if Sadie truly realizes what she did wrong and how she hurt the people around her.

If you love stories about tragic decisions, insecurity, and deception, you’ll go nuts for Peanut.

Delicates by Brenna Thummler

Delicates is a sequel to the graphic novel Sheets, which I reviewed last April. While Sheets didn’t necessarily need a sequel, I’m glad it has one!

Delicates focuses on Marjorie Glatt’s interactions with the popular clique at her school and a new character named Eliza. Eliza is an avid photographer and a fierce believer in ghosts; since only Marjorie knows that ghosts really do exist, Eliza is treated like a crazy person by her classmates. Marjorie’s new friends are some of the worst bullies, but it feels so nice to Marjorie to fit in, finally. She can’t ignore the ghosts forever, however.

With an insightful dissection of bullying and teen social dynamics, Delicates has a heavy-hitting, emotional story. Paired with the beautiful backgrounds first present in Sheets, this story makes Delicates an absorbing read. The ghosts deepen the thematic value of the plot, although ghosts like Wendell don’t have nearly as much presence in the story as in Sheets. This isn’t inherently a bad thing; it just makes Delicates ad different type of story than its predecessor.

Delicates tells a haunting story about life and the impact of bullying on others’ lives in a beautifully illustrated package.

Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale

When you hear the name Rapunzel, do you think of a lonely, pining princess at the top of a tower, rescued by a prince? Or does an outlaw wanted for “horse thieving, kidnapping, jailbreaking, and using her hair in a manner other than nature intended” pop into your head instead? In Rapunzel’s Revenge, the titular Rapunzel is a bold, braid-wielding young woman with a fierce moral compass and a vendetta against the woman that executed her father, imprisoned her mother, and established tyrannical rule over the people of the Reach.

I’ve read a decent number of fairy-tale-inspired stories, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read a story that took a fairy-tale and ran with it quite like Rapunzel’s Revenge. This graphic novel not only manages to reimagine the story of Rapunzel in a fantastically creative way but establish an interesting and dynamic world around that story. Just as lively as the Wild West world of Gothel’s Reach are the characters who inhabit it–Rapunzel herself is a compelling heroine, and supporting characters like the sly criminal Jack only add to this graphic novel’s captivating tale.

With charming characters, a clever premise, and a hefty dose of wit, Rapunzel’s Revenge is sure to lasso you in.

Passport, by Sophia Glock

Like its subject matter, Passport is in a bit of a disguise. The apparent central premise of this story is Sophia, a teenage American going to high school in Central America, and her world-shaking discovery that her parents are spies. However, Sophia’s feelings of alienation and questioning of herself take a primary role.

Passport is a graphic memoir, which contributes to both its strengths and its weaknesses. Because it’s written by the person who experienced them, Passport immerses the reader thoroughly in Sophia’s feelings and struggles. Some of these struggles are exemplary depictions of typical teenagerdom–disobedience, peer pressure, balancing school and friends, navigating love–but some are specific to Sophia’s experience, like a toxic relationship with her friend Beth that preys on Sophia’s insecurities, political unrest and natural disasters, and personal grief. That’s a considerable number of conflicts! Consequently, the graphic novel feels unfocused at times. As a memoir of the author’s life, Passport doesn’t have a streamlined story like a typical graphic novel might.

If you’re especially enraptured by emotional, character-driven stories, eye-catching color schemes, and inconspicuous espionage, you won’t want to pass on Passport.

This press release was produced by Plymouth Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.