Farmingdale Library Teens

  Cobra Kai  Netflix, TV-14 Out Now In this reboot of the 1984 Karate Kid movie, Johnny Lawrence has grown up and opened his own dojo to train Miguel Diaz. The show originally appeared on YouTube Red but was acquired in 2020 by Netflix, which released the third season this January. Teen and nostalgic adults are watching. READ-ALIKES Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson. Gr. 4-8 Written in both verse and prose by two superstar authors, this biographical novel focuses on Muhammad Ali's childhood and his drive to become a champion. Middle school readers who enjoy character-driven sports fiction will like this spotlight on a boy challenging himself to rise to the top. The Berlin Boxing Club by Rob Sharenow. Gr. 7 & up In pre-WWII Berlin, 13 -year -old Karl Stern takes up boxing after being beaten up by a group of pro-Nazi students at his school. A compelling historical read for young people who relate to the characters in Cobra Kai taking up martial a...

by  Amanda MacGregor   Jan 04, 2021 / SLJ         As I Descended.  Robin Talley. HarperTeen. 2016. Something wicked comes to Virginia’s elite Acheron Academy in this modern retelling of  Macbeth , one of Shakespeare’s darkest works. A séance reveals cryptic prophecies and opens the door to spirits, leaving the characters unable to control their actions. A tale about fate and ambition that addresses racism, classism, and homophobia. Exit, Pursued by a Bear.   E.K. Johnston. Dutton. 2016. A gripping take on  The Winter’s Tale , this is an intensely emotional look at cheerleader Hermione Winters, who is drugged and raped, and the aftermath of this horrific crime. An empowering story of support and female friendship. Foul Is Fair.   Hannah Capin. Wednesday. 2020. Macbeth  meets #MeToo in this brutal, rage-filled, bloody tale of sexual assault and vengeance. A sisterhood of girls plays out an over-the-top revenge fantasy as they sch...

To Teach or Not To Teach: Is Shakespeare Still Relevant to Today’s Students? by  Amanda MacGregor    Jan 04, 2021 SLJ Here’s a sentence we couldn’t write without William Shakespeare, who invented or introduced nine of these words: Ask if Shakespeare’s time-honored works and syllabus fixtures should be bumped to embrace the multitudinous other writers and you get hostile, fretful, quarrelsome, or sanctimonious reactions. Shakespeare was a genius wordsmith who created engaging works that spoke to the human condition, psychology, and identity. His masterful wordplay, creative use of language, biting wit, puns, and innovative characters and plots have delighted generations of readers and made a lasting impact on literature and the English language. The plays, sonnets, and poems the Bard wrote in his lifetime (1564–1616) are mainstays of the high school English syllabus. But should all that ensure him a spot in the curriculum in perpetuity? Ben Jonson, Shakespeare’s contempora...

 by Abby Johnson (adapted) Kids may be still stuck at home in this new year, but luckily there are plenty of great shows to stream- and good books to accompany them. Alex Rider IMDb TV via Prime Video. TV-14 After the death of his uncle, 14-year-old Alex Rider, who is British, continues his uncle's secret agent work in this action-packed series by Anthony Horowitz that's just been released as a TV adaptation. The first book, Stormbreaker , was published in 2001, and the latest, Nightshade , was just released in 2020. READ-ALIKES All Fall Down . ("Embassy Row" series). Ally Carter. 2015. Gr. 7 Up Nobody believes the U.S. ambassador's 16-year-old granddaughter's claims that her mother was murdered. But when the murderer shows back up in her life, Grace must prevent him from killing again. This novel combines political intrigue with a high-stakes mystery. Fake ID . L.R. Giles. 2014. Grade 9 Up Nick Pearson (not his real name) is part of the witness protection pr...

  CJ Connor   Jan 20, 2021 In my opinion, cozy mysteries are the ultimate comfort read. There’s something so satisfying about solving the crime right alongside the sleuth. Plus, because cozies don’t contain any graphic or gory details, they’re a great choice for when you just want an enjoyable whodunit. These 15 compelling cozy mysteries are all set to be published during the first half of 2021. With plenty of series debuts and continuations of old favorites to choose from here, you’re sure to find a book you’ll enjoy digging into this year. THE BROKEN SPINE  (BELOVED BOOKROOM #1) BY DOROTHY ST. JAMES (JANUARY 19, 2021) When librarian Trudel Beckett’s place of employment decides to get rid of their books and become a “technological center,” she makes it her mission to save as many books as she can. Soon, she sets up a secret library in the basement for her patrons to enjoy. But when a town councilman responsible for getting rid of the library is murdered, Trudel must find...

By  Tirzah Price   Jan 13, 2021 Lik e so many, I inhaled  Bridgerton  on Netflix  pretty much immediately after its release. I loved the sets, costuming, and the score, and it made me very wistful for all things Regency. Although the show has drawn some valid criticism for its representation of race, consent, and representation , I do hope that it opens the door for more own voices Regency-set YA novels .  DANGEROUS ALLIANCE  BY JENNIEKE COHEN Set in 1817, this fun mystery/romance/adventure mash up is about Lady Victoria, the younger daughter of an earl who is more than content to spend her time helping her father run his estate in between London seasons. Her older sister is happily married, and Victoria doesn’t feel the pressure to marry…until her older sister returns home after fleeing her husband’s abuse and manipulation. Victoria’s parents refuse to send their oldest daughter back to her husband, but sheltering her and securing a separation from he...

  T here’s something in the water in Australia. Among some of the most prestigious award-winning books in the U.S. are books that originally came from the land down under, and publishers in the U.S. continue to bring over talented authors and exceptional YA titles. Perhaps the names Markus Zusak, Melina Marchetta, Justine Larbalestier, John Marsden, or Simmone Howell are already familiar to you. It’d be easy to build a huge list of Australian YA, but we're going to keep titles limited to books that published in the U.S.  Eleven girls went to the park with their teacher, but eleven girls came back to the park without their teacher. What happened to Miss Renshaw is the central question in Ursula Dubosarsky’s  The Golden Day . Did she run off with Morgan, the man who lived in the park because he was avoiding war? Did Morgan kill her? It takes eight years before any of the girls are ready to talk about what they saw that day or what details they remember, but by then, perhaps...