HELLO…ARE THERE ANY TEENAGERS OUT THERE THAT LIKE CHRISTMAS MUSIC?

Looking for gifts for my two teenage children and I thought Christmas CDs would be a great gift for my daughter to play at her college. As soon as Thanksgiving Day officially ends I am playing Christmas music. There is also a radio station 95.5 FM FISH of the same mindset. They continually play holiday music 24/7 and beyond Christmas. Even Sirius stations are totally devoted to playing several genres of holiday music.
I know I am not the only one out there that loves continuous Christmas music, but my daughter tells me getting a Christmas CD for a teenager is not great gift idea. Here is a list of upcoming popular music she made me to prove what teenagers are listening to and would like as a present either as a download or a CD rather than a holiday songs.
List by my daughter:

1. Taylor Swift’s album “Speak Now”
2. Rihanna’s album “Loud”
3. Kanye West’s album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”
4. Katy Perry’s album “Teenage Dream”
5. Nicki Minaj album “Pink Friday”
6. Mumford and Sons “Sigh No More”
7. Kings of Leon “Come Around Sundown”
8. Bruno Mars “Doo-Wops & Hooligans
9. Kesha’s album “Cannibal”
10. Ne-Yo’s album “Libra Scale”

Now I noticed that our “Glee: the Christmas Album” has 22 holds for 3 copies. With the popularity of Glee, I am going to assume that there are teenagers that would like to have this album. So I checked this out and played it for my daughter. She loved it! Surprising since many of the songs are old-fashioned, before-my-time music. The kids modernized the songs a little, but still retain the original score, bringing back girlhood memories. The album is mostly perky and fun, however there are two songs that will tug at your heart and bring a tear to your eye: Rudolphs’ Misfit Toys “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year” and “O Holy Night.”
It was fun to spend time with her and listen to an album, sharing some of my favorite Christmas music. So I guess this is one Christmas album teenagers would like. Check out Glee’s nonfiction book: Filled with glee: the unauthorized Glee companion
What is great about libraries is you can check these albums out and see if you really like them before you or Mom and Dad purchase them. Review our catalog and request one of these popular CDs and place a hold.
Checking Out,
Mrs. V

The tragedy of loss and learning to move on

Growing apart is probably one of the hardest parts to growing up. But having your best friend die when you’re both only 13 is one of those great tragedies most of us luckily don’t have to face. In Dear Anjali, by Melissa Glenn Haber, Meredith cannot believe that her best friend Anjali could possibly be dead, so she decides to write her letters every day. Through these letters we get glimpses of depression, anger, and confusion. The letters are written on a typewriter, and also by hand, so there are different fonts in the book to give it a realistic journal-like feel. As Meredith struggles through the months after her friend’s death, she starts talking to and hanging out with the boy she’s had a crush on for years. Through this new friendship it is revealed that Anjali was keeping secrets from Meredith. The secrets aren’t nearly as dramatic as I hoped as a reader, but they were realistic and nonetheless shattering for Meredith. Yet, through these realizations, Meredith is finally able to move on with her life. Dear Anjali was a touching read, and was helped along by its unique format—who doesn’t like a book written entirely in letters. For all you scholars out there, when a book is written in this way, it’s called an epistle style novel. If you want a dramatic story about friendship and moving on, I would give Dear Anjali a try.