August 2020 HEGGAN HAPPENINGS FOR TEENS AND TWEENS

The Teen Tween & Teen Advisory Board Heggan Quest! @ Margaret E. Heggan Free Book Club A Zoom RPG Public Library presents: Join us for a Virtual Tween & Teen Book Discussion Group. Are you ready for an TAB Chapter Chat Ella adventure? Join us for a Virtual Teen Book Enchanted Come join the Heggan Adventurers Discussion Group with by Gale Guild and embark on missions and Author Alex Flinn! Carson Levine journeys into the vast unknown! Thursday, We will be hosting pen and paper role Beastly August 13 by Alex Flinn playing games over Zoom. We will at 6:00 p.m. handle all of the preparation, so you Thursday, This reading group meets to discuss do not need any manuals or dice, just access to Zoom in order to participate. popular YA Fiction on ZOOM. August 20 Newcomers welcome, the only thing you at 6:00 p.m. Ella Enchanted is available as an will need to bring is your imagination. eBook on OverDrive, and in book Adventures are episodic, you can drop This reading group meets to discuss and audiobook format from the library in for any session! popular YA Fiction on ZOOM. by using curbside service. If you would like to participate Author Alex Flinn will be Please contact Librarian Barb at in an adventure, please email joining us for this event! [email protected] [email protected] for more information. Beastly is available on Hoopla August Adventures and OverDrive, as well as in book and audiobook format from the library Friday, August 7 by using curbside service. Friday, August 21 The library is now using Beanstack, Please contact Librarian Barb at 3:00-4:00 p.m. an online resource for keeping track [email protected] of both summer reading, and reading Advance registration is required. for more information. all year round. Using either the Please email programs@ Heggan Library Beanstack website hegganlibrary.org in order to join. TAB Teen Summer or the Beanstack app, readers can keep a record of what they’re reading, Online Library Resources Writing Challenge take part in activities, and write book The library’s summer reading program reviews. There is a special Summer are Available 24-7 is centered on fairy tales, folklore, and Reading Challenge for teens in Cardholders can access many library legends. The Teen Advisory Board is grades 6-12 which runs through materials in digital format including challenging you to write your original August 16, 2020. eBooks, audiobooks, movies, music, version of the Cinderella story. Entries comics, TV shows, and more. will be judged by library staff and the If you are interested in The library has begun a subscription Teen Advisory Board members. becoming a member of the to Teen Book Cloud which provides Write or draw your own version of the Teen Advisory Board, please over 1,000 resources especially Cinderella tale and send contact Librarian Barb at for teens, including novels, poetry to Librarian Barb at [email protected] books, short stories, graphic novels, [email protected] for more information. by August 14, 2020. Shakespeare, and many classics.

MARGARET E. HEGGAN FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY 606 Delsea Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 • 856-589-3334 • www.hegganlibrary.org Book Reviews

Mooncakes Ella Enchanted Stamped: Racism, by Suzanne Walker by Gail Carson Levine Antiracism, and You reviewed by F. D. reviewed by H. H. by Jason Reynolds and In Suzanne Walker’s Mooncakes, August’s Teen & Tween Ibram X. Kendi teen witch Nova works at her Book Club pick! reviewed by L. B. grandmothers’ bookshop, learning Take much of what you thought The fairy-given gift Ella received magic and helping keep the town you knew about America’s history at birth – obedience – is more of a safe from the supernatural. All is well and set it aside to explore the facts curse. Anything you tell her to do, until her childhood friend and crush, from a different point of view. This she must obey. When her father a werewolf look at our history remarries a wicked woman, Ella’s named Tam, and our present is new stepsisters learn her secret returns to likely going to rattle and are quick to abuse it. The only town to you. Through the battle a solution Ella can think of is to run lens of Kendi (who demon in away and find the fairy that gave her won the National the forest. this “gift.” While on her journey, Ella Book Award for his can’t help but fall for Prince Char. Unable to original version— call any Unfortunately, until she is free of the Stamped from the one place curse, she can’t marry the prince. If Beginning) and Reynolds, who has any enemies ever found out about home, with an incredible way with words and her gift, they could order her to kill no family to perspective himself, you have one Char or worse. Will Ella find the fairy back her, incredibly powerful book. and with a and get her happily ever after, or will cult pursuing her eager to use her she be stuck under the power of her Add to this amazing writing duo wolf magic for evil, Tam asks Nova stepfamily forever? Jason Reynolds’ performance as the to help her learn to channel her reader for the audiobook and you’ll be powers for good. Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite blown away. It’s rhythmic, it’s poetic, books and I’ve read it more times it’s humble, and it’s real. It’s hard to Set against the backdrop of fall in than I can remember. There’s just imagine anyone else bringing such a cozy small town, Tam and Nova’s something clarity and power to a history that has dormant feelings are rekindled so unique long been misunderstood. Reynolds’ as both girls discover more about about it! voice discussing the differences themselves in the quest to defeat Every time between assimilationists, racists, the demon before the cult can claim I read it, and anti-racists with his unique style Tam’s powers. there’s at makes this book and its audio version I really enjoyed this graphic novel least one an essential book for the present in and would recommend it to anyone scene I which we live. He repeatedly says looking for a wholesome, cozy, and rediscover. this book is not a history, and he’s whimsical read. The art was bright Ella is a right. It is as much about today as it and colorful, and gave dimension strong and is the past. While this book is directed to the enchanting vibes that come distinctive to a YA audience, it’s a must read with witchcraft, keeping the reader main for everyone. Both the book and engaged despite the story not character, audiobook are available from the including a ton of action. The story and I love her story. The book is very library. also includes an incredible amount different from (and much better than) of diversity. Nova is Chinese the movie. For the most part, the “You can’t run away from who you American and wears hearing plots are completely different! The are, but what you can do is run aids, Tam is non-binary and uses book is a retelling of the Cinderella toward who you want to be.” they/them pronouns, and Nova’s fairy tale, while the movie is not. In — From another great Reynolds book grandmothers are in a same-sex other words, just because you’ve Ghost relationship, all of which is respected seen the movie doesn’t mean you “To know the past is to know the and shown in a positive, empowering can’t read the book! This book gets present. To know the present it to way. Overall, this was a fun, quick all my stars and I recommend it to know yourself.” read that I believe many will enjoy. anybody who loves fairy tales. — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped