DPL Teens

Grab some nerds candy and Jammie Dodgers!  Directioners and Nerdfighters are doing insane happy dances all over the world this morning as it has been announced that bestselling author and youtube star, John Green, will be writing an original screenplay about the classic boardgame, Candy Land, with a dystopian twist (Think Wreck-it Ralph + Jumanji + Hunger Games). Few other details about the story have been released, but the BIGGEST news is that John Green is specifically tailoring the script to star THE BOYS OF ONE DIRECTION! :::Sugar Rush Swoon::: We love it when fandoms collide! Check out the announcement HERE!

Candy Land film projects have bounced around Hollywood for the last decade, but most previous efforts focused on slapstick stories aimed at younger kids and families. However, producers have shifted perspective due to teen superstars taking over the A-list and the popularity of YA book-to-film adaptations, and we now look forward to a much grittier, much nerdier Candy Land with cute British accents. Huzzah!

Although John Green, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson are the only official names attached to the project, there is some speculation about who will play their female hero counterparts. Many unofficial sources are reporting that John Green has been constantly listening to a particular J-Pop supergroup in order to get a feel for all 88 of their personalities. Yup, rumor has it that EACH MEMBER of Japan’s sensation AKB48 will have a starring role alongside the One Direction Boys! Remember when you were watching The Hunger Games and you thought to yourself “Gah, if only there were 88 times as many Katnisses…then this might be interesting!”

Sadly, there are no rumors yet on who will be playing Queen Frostine or Princess Lolly. My vote is for Gwen Stefani to play both.

Have you read all of John Green’s books and now you’re wondering what to read next?  Here are some suggestions:

If you liked Looking For Alaska: You might want to try other boarding school novels like Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard (if you’re looking for another guy narrator) and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (if you’d like to switch to a girl narrator). Another great choice is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher; like Alaska, it’s about a guy who is piecing together information about a girl he thought he knew.

If you liked An Abundance of Katherines:  Other road trip stories like The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith and Car Trouble by Jeanne DuPrau could be right up your alley.   Much like Katherines, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler is (as the title suggests) about dealing with a breakup.

If you liked Paper Towns:  Check out some more books about guys falling for and/or getting caught up in the lives of complex, eccentric, mysterious girls.  You might try out The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour, The Amanda Project by Melissa Kantor, and Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King.

If you liked Will Grayson, Will Grayson:  Try some other books told in multiple perspectives, like My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger or Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.   If you’re interested in another LGBT read, Geography Club by Brent Hartinger is a great pick for fans of Will Grayson.

If you liked The Fault in Our Stars:  Moving stories about love and loss like Deadline by Chris Crutcher, The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, and Before I Die by Jenny Downham might be just what you’re looking for.

For more reading lists, be sure to check out our Recommended Reads for Teens page!

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Other books in series or Standalone: Standalone

First Impressions: A friend of mine took the dive and read The Fault in Our Stars before I did. So, I knew going in that this book was going to be great, but extremely sad.  I mean, it’s about a sixteen-year-old with terminal cancer, there’s pretty much no way that’s not going to be sad.   However, once I actually got into the book, I was thoroughly surprised with the attitude of the main character, Hazel. It was nothing like I expected, and I very much wanted to get to know her better.

Last Impressions: Wow, what an amazing book. The Fault in Our Stars is easily my favorite by John Green. The relationship between Hazel and Augustus was at once uplifting and tragic, and I’m a sucker for beautiful contrast. Their story sticks with you long after you put the book down. I’m not going to say I cried, but—if only that truck full of onions hadn’t driven by as I was reading.

Thoughts on the bookcover: The cover is very elegant and simple. While this may not seem so amazing, think back on the cover of any classic you’ve seen. They’ve almost all been elegant and simple! That’s just the publishing company putting their faith in John Green, preemptively believing this novel will be a classic.

Favorite Moment (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT): It has to be, and this scene plays out with the utmost respect, making out in the Anne Frank House. Yeah, I just typed that. But really, that whole scene was perfect.

Least Favorite Moment (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT): I actually don’t have a least favorite moment, per se. But when Hazel says she doesn’t want to be close to anyone in order to avoid “collateral damage” when she dies, her situation really hit me hard. 

People who should read this: All NerdFighters, of course. Anyone looking for a book that’s tragic, yet beautiful. Those not afraid to cry in order to feel fulfilled.

If you like this book, you may also like: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

***Also, there’s a Tumblr for The Fault in Our Stars for those that have finished the book, featuring a direct Q&A between you and John Green. However, it’s password protected (the last word in the Acknowledgements, case sensitive), so make sure you jot it down when you check out the book!

So where can you find all that YAuthor information? RIGHT HERE because it’s YAuthor Stalking Tuesday! Learn about your favorite authors, have a chat with them and then share your YAuthor adventures. This week is the Rad-Reads-writin’ David Levithan!

Author: David Levithan
Books: Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Love is the Higher Law, Geektastic, First Kiss (Then Tell), This is Push, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Boy Meets Boy, and many others!
When he’s not being an Author: He’s being the EDITORIAL DIRECTOR at Scholastic and the FOUNDING EDITOR at Push!
Website: www.davidlevithan.com
Blog: http://davidmusicpoll.blogspot.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/davidlevithan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Levithan/571411252

Click on this link to see an interview with David about LGBT literature and censorship of his books:
http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/2009/09/26/guest-post-david-levithan-on-censorship/

Here is David and John acting out scenes from Chapter 4 of Will Grayson, Will Grayson:

John also gives some more info about the book and his collaboration with David on Vlogbrothers:

Have you met David Levithan? Do you have a YAuthor Adventure to share? Email Amber and we might post it on a YAuthor Stalking Tuesday!

So where can you find all that YAuthor information? RIGHT HERE because it’s YAuthor Stalking Tuesday! Learn about your favorite authors, have a chat with them and then share your YAuthor adventures. This week is the nerdfightinglicious John Green!

Author: John Green
Books: Looking For Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Let it Snow and Paper Towns.
Email: me@sparksflyup.com or thebooks@sparksflyup.com or work@sparksflyup.com
Website: http://www.sparksflyup.com/
Blog: http://www.sparksflyup.com/weblog.php
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realjohngreen
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers
Twitter: http://twitter.com/realjohngreen
And don’t forget to become a NERDFIGHTER!

Amber’s John Green Adventure:
Wherever nerds congregate, John Green will be there! John and his brother Hank were keynote speakers at Leakycon, a Harry Potter conference held in Boston last May. My friend and I ran into Mr. Green while he was having an intense conversation with Dumbledore.

Have you met John Green? Do you have a YAuthor Adventure to share? Email Amber and we might post it on a YAuthor Stalking Tuesday!

In regards to Amber’s post from a few days ago, you know the one where she featured National Novel Writing Month? Yeah, that one. Well, I’ve since discovered this bit from YA author John Green and very much like what he has to say about NaNoWriMo…not to mention the writing process in general…and wanted to share it with you.

Gee. Zoo. He’s great!  Except I really wish he’d hang up those wall hangings that are leaning on the wall behind him. Geesh.

Since today marks the halfway point of November, I think that if you have yet to embark on the supercool madness that is NaNoWriMo why not just start now and try to see if you can write 25,000 words before the month’s end.  (That’s 1/2 a novel to those of you that don’t speak novelese.)

Ready set go!

-Christie

It’s time for a mini-review (in 5 sentences or less) of John Green’s newest book, Paper Towns.  Ready or not, here we go…

Margo is a cool, adventurous chick and her neighbor, Quentin…uh, not so much.  The two are on the verge of graduating from high school and even though they were childhood BFFs they haven’t been close in years.  Margo shows up at Q’s bedroom window one night and pulls him into a wild spree of pranks and sweet revenge on their peers.  Then Margo disappears and no one can figure out if she ran away, committed suicide, or is just gone on another adventure of some sort…except for maybe Quentin, who decides to follow the clues.  Paper Towns is a great quick read, full of suspense to the very end, written in a refreshingly realistic tone, and sure to please oodles of teen readers across the land. 

Done.

-Christie