The Golden Compass [Audiobook] - Philip Pullman

Pullman, P. (1999). The golden compass. (P. Pullman, narr.). [Audio Recording]. New York: Listening Library.

Summary 
Lyra lives in Oxford University, surrounded by scholars, but longs for adventure. However, when her friend is kidnapped by the Gobblers, her adventure becomes all too real, as she must figure out who she can trust. Along her journey, she learns to use a very special instrument that was given to her, a golden compass, which she alone can read.  

Evaluative comments 

The Golden Compass is the first book in a trilogy. It is compelling from the very beginning, and keeps the audience interested throughout the series of adventures. The audiobook is narrated by the author, and the characters are performed by an entire cast. This is a smart choice, as the characters come alive without becoming caricatures. Though the music at the beginning of each chapter sometimes seems jarring, fortunately it does not continue into the actual narration.

Suggested audience 
Grades 7-12

Reader’s advisory notes  
Appeal terms - Action-packed, world-building, mystical, thought-provoking, stylistically complex
Read-alikes - The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman & The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman (trilogy continuation)

Booktalking hook 
Play the beginning of the audiobook

Reason for inclusion
A very popular fantasy trilogy; narrated by the author

Category 
Audio Recording, Controversial/Challenged/Banned, Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror

Banff Library Teen Site

Banff Public Library. (n.d.). Banff Library teen site. Retrieved from http://www.banfflibrary.ab.ca/teen/

Overview 
The site, on first impression, is not overly attractive. The colours are fairly dull and the images sparse. However, the interface is designed in such a way that it is very easy to navigate back and forth between the different pages on the site. The site does an extremely good job with readers advisory, but there is little else on the site.

Features
Recommended Books: On a sidebar, there are three recommended books. This is a smart way to feature some books, but the images and titles are not linked to the catalogue or any further information. Having these kinds of links would render this feature much more useful.
Reviews: The website has reviews written by both teens and the library staff. This section is well-organized, dividing books into fiction and non-fiction, and then further dividing these by genre. This is a very useful feature for quickly getting some book suggestions and ratings.
Events: This feature is currently empty. Whether this is due to a lack of programs or simply because it has not been updated is unclear. As it is shown right now, this feature is misleading and useless.
Reading Lists: This section contains some readers advisory lists made by the library. These lists include such titles as "Finished Harry Potter? Try these other fantasy quests" and "Girls Who Kick Some Serious @#&!." The lists are robust and have a wide variety within each one, but like the "Recommended Books" section would benefit from linking the books to the library's catalogue.
Links: This section provides some useful links for resources that might be useful for teens, from readers advisory, to university information, to zines.

Suggested Improvements
As mentioned above, providing links from book information to the catalogue would be helpful for teens looking to retrieve these books. Additionally, it would be a good idea to expand the focus of the site beyond readers advisory to such things like community involvement and programs.

Suggested audience 
Grades 7-12

Category
Library Website for Teens

Teens@VPL

Vancouver Public Library. (2013). Teens@VPL - Home Page. Retrieved from http://teens.vpl.ca/

Overview 
The interface of this site is quite sophisticated, but still easy to navigate. Colours are used sparsely, but are clear and attractive. Most importantly, the site is very well organized. Links are obvious, and entries are tagged in such a way to make lists searchable and easy to browse. Finally, links are provided to the library's main page and catalogue where appropriate and useful.

Features
Reviews: This section contains book, movie, music, and game recommendations from the library's teens. It also has reviews that are written by teens. While some of the information contained within is sparse, it is a good idea to have feedback and recommendations directly from other teens.
Homework Help: This feature provides a list of resources, retrievable by subject, as well as a list of databases available through the library that would be helpful for teens.
Community: This section provides a link to the teen Facebook page, the Teen Blog, and the Teen Advisory Group.
Events: The VPL Teen Events Calendar, found in this section, is currently empty. It is doubtful that there are no teen events in the upcoming months, so this section should be updated.

Suggested Improvements
Though it is important to have reviews and resources provided by teens, complimenting these with readers advisory tools from librarians would be helpful, especially to ensure that there are some more robust entries. Additionally, while the site seems to be fairly up-to-date and regularly monitored, sections like the Events Calendar should be updated.

Suggested audience 

Grades 7-12

Category 
Library Website for Teens

Warm Bodies

Hobweman, D., Lieberman, T. & Papandrea, B. (Producers) & Levine, J. (Director). (2013). Warm bodies [Motion picture]. USA: Mandeville Films.

Summary 
R is a zombie who can't remember his name or his former life. He goes through each day the same way, barely moving, and barely communicating with his fellow zombies. When he saves Julie, a human girl, from his fellow zombies, though, he begins to fall in love with her. As they spend more time together, R begins to develop more human characteristics, but to all of the humans except Julie, he is still seen as a threat.

Evaluative comments 

This movie is extremely hilarious and entertaining. In addition to this, parts of it are also very sweet, as the romance between R and Julie begins to develop. It preserves a lighter tone for the most part, and its twist on the traditional zombie genre is refreshing and captivating. Balancing romance, horror, humour, and the paranormal, this movie has a wide appeal.

Suggested audience 
Grades 7-12

Reason for inclusion 
Recent popular movie

Category
Video, Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Smith, R., Halfon, L. & Malkovich, J. (Producers), & Chbosky, S. (Director). (2012). The perks of being a wallflower [Motion picture]. USA: Summit Entertainment.

Summary 
Based on Stephen Chbosky's novel of the same name, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about Charlie's first year of high school. Charlie is very shy, and still recovering from his friend's suicide. At his new school, he makes friends with Sam and Patrick, who take him under their wings. As Charlie grows closer to his friends, especially Sam, he begins to come out of his shell.

Evaluative comments 

This is an excellent movie, and an impressive adaptation of Chbosky's widely popular book. Chbosky's own involvement in the movie was a very smart choice, and his influence clearly shows. The performances are all extremely well done and nuanced. Especially impressive are the three actors playing Charlie, Sam, and Patrick, who successfully carry the movie. Though this movie does delve into some more disturbing issues, it ultimately balances this with an inspirational and uplifting tone. I would highly recommend this movie to any teen.

Suggested audience 
Grades 9-12

Reason for inclusion 
Based on a very popular YA novel; critically acclaimed

Category
Video, Realistic

"Crash Course: English Literature" - John Green

Green, J. (2013). "Crash Course: English Literature" [Youtube channel]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse/videos?view=0

Summary 
"Crash Course" is a Youtube channel run by John and Hank Green with a series of videos on subjects like History, Chemistry, Biology, and Ecology. The English Literature series is written and performed by John Green, and covers Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, and Emily Dickenson's poetry.

Evaluative comments 

This series of videos is extremely engaging and informative. The style is compelling, and has enough features, like the "open letter" segment and the animated "thought bubble" segment, to keep the videos dynamic. While the videos contain humour and irreverence, they do not shy away from delving into fairly deep literary analysis, including both textual analysis and broader philosophical questions about each work. I would highly recommend this particular series of videos, especially for those people who have difficulty being engaged in literature, as well as the other subject series found on this channel.

Suggested audience 
Grades 9-12

Reason for inclusion 
Educational Youtube channel from a popular YA novelist

Category
Video, Youtube Channel