Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini (0786809957)
Jeremy is a teen who is definitely not cool. He has friends, but he doesn’t have any luck with girls. But then Jeremy hears about a new pill that contains a nanocomputer that will interface with his brain and make him more cool. Stealing from his aunt, he get the money together for the pill and buys his “squip”. Now he has a voice in his mind that leads him through liaisons with girls, dresses him in cool clothes, and helps him remember his lines in the play.
This modern story offers up some real issues cloaked in sex and humor. What happens when society creates something that fundamentally changes you? What is the squip and what is you? Who or what is making the decisions in your life? This book is for teens only, not younger kids. It has a lot of sexuality and swearing as well as some drug use. But for older teens, this is a great look into a future that may be here before we know it.

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce (0-06-073330-6)
What would you do if you found a bag full of money, but only had seventeen days to spend it? A bag filled with over 200,000 pounds falls at Damian’s feet. Damian believes that it was sent by God in answer to a prayer, but discovers that the money causes more problems than it does help.
This is a charming tale about morals, sudden wealth and ethical dilemmas. It is a story that easily leads to discussions about what kids would do if this happened to them. The story has humor and a wonderful main character in Damian. Damian is made even more vivid due to his obsession with saints after his mother’s death and his visions. Share this one.

Arthur’s Buddy Buster Getting Spinoff Show
Starting this week, Buster the rabbit gets his own spinoff show, Postcards. The goal of the show is to show different cultures around the world through Buster’s travels.

Investor’s Business Daily: Breaking News
Cheerios and First Book made a pledge to donate books to low-income children in Kansas City. The number of books was based on how many laps Jeff Green and the Cheerios team completed in Sunday’s NASCAR race. It would be 11,266 books if Green finished the race and then they would double that if he finished in the top ten. Green didn’t finish in the top ten, but Cheerios will be donating the full 22,962 books anyway.

Children’s Corner: ‘Frog and Toad’ still leaps off the page
A nice piece on the 25th Anniversary of Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel.

Bismarck Tribune Online – Bismarck, ND
The North Dakota State Historical Society is republishing classic children’s books from their collections. This year, they are releasing a 1943 version of 3 Little Kittens. In the last two years they have released an 1888 version of Red Riding Hood and an 1896 version of The Night Before Christmas.

Ypulse: Media for the next generation
This blog is subtitled, “Daily news and commentary about Generation Y for media and marketing professionals.” It certainly has information and links to sites of interest to librarians working with teens.

NEWSARAMA
This site offers graphic novel and comic book news and even better, it has a feed!

Guardian Unlimited Books | Special Reports | Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2004
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff has won the 2004 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.