Heartland: Coming Home

Photo Credit: Fanpop

Lauren B. (creator). (2007). Heartland. [Television Series]. Canada: CBC.

This show is a Canadian drama that was originally books and was made into a TV series. It follows a girl, Amy who is struggling to get back to normal after the sudden and tragic death other her mother. Her sister Lou has to move back from the city in order to help out around the ranch. This ranch was run by their mother and their grandfather. The ranch is struggling to make money and they need to reorganize it a bit in order to make sure they don't lose it. In the first episode you see how compassionate Amy is when it comes to horses, there was a horse being abused she had convinced her mother to save it. This is when they get into a car accident and her mother doesn't survive.  Throughout the series you meet a bunch of people that from the small Albertan town where Amy and her family lives.

This show is directed towards girls would be at least 12 years old, but would also appeal to older ages too. While the show is set on a ranch in rural Alberta and concentrates on horses mainly however the relationships that develop in the show are interesting and diverse and would appeal to a wider audience than just people who are interested in horses. One limitation that might affect the appeal of the show is the fact that many of the shows that are made in Canada are seen as not as high of quality as other shows.

Rating: 4/5

Pretty Little Liars

Photo Credit: Pintrest

King,  M. (creator). (2010). Pretty Little Liars. [Television Series]. USA: ABC Family.

This is a series about four girls who are still dealing with the loss of their best friend and the leader of their group. One of the girls has recently moved back to town after being gone for a year with her family, they moved away almost immediately after the disappearance of Alison. The four girls, Aria, Emily Hanna and Spencer start to reconnect after they each get anonymous messages from a mysterious person who only goes by "A". This person seems to know all of the secrets that they had told to Alison before she went missing. In the first episode they discover Alison's body and have a funeral for her where they decide that they should stick together. However along with dealing with the mysterious "A" each of the girls have their own issues at home to deal with as well as their school work.

This show would be appealing to almost any girl that is above the age of 14. The show deals with something that not many girls would be able to relate to (the mysterious stranger texting them threatening to reveal all of their secrets) however the sides stories of all their different family issues could be relatable to the teens watching. They might have to deal with their parents being separated or divorced, or a sibling that makes them look inferior for example. However the way that the characters deal with the situations are not the best but they do end up having to face the consequences for this.

Rating: 4/5

Teens at VPL: Vancouver Public Library

Photo Credit: Vancouver Public Library

Vancouver Public Library. (2015) Teens at VPL. Retrieved from http://guides.vpl.ca/teens.

The teen website for the Vancouver Public Library looks very similar to the course guides here at Dalhousie University. It has the main page with links across the top, "What's Happening", "Community Service Opportunities", "Books and More", "Resources", "citizenU" and "TeenRC". In the "What's Happening" link there is a section for programs and contests which leads you to the Events Calendar. In the "Community Service Opportunities" there are the, Teen & Tween advisory group, the manga group, reading buddies and another link for community service opportunities. THe "Books and More" link has lists that help you figure out other things to read if you like certain titles or authors. The resources tab has things like health, education, and relationships. CitizenU is a program to combat bullying, and TeenRC is the teen reading club website. The reading club is for people who are 12-18.

The Vancouver Public Library Teen section doesn't look like it would be appealing to the teens. However the resources that are on there look like they would be very helpful. They have a wide variety of resources that the teens might need, from  reading advisory, to heath and homework help. The age group that would find this appealing would be wide because of the variety of resources available.

Rating: 4/5

Teen Zone - Annapolis Valley Regional Library

Photo Credit: Annapolis Valley Regional Library

Annapolis Valley Regional Library. (2015). Teen Zone. Retrieved from http://www.valleylibrary.ca/teen-zone.

The Annapolis Valley Regional Library has a sections for teens called the "Teen Zone" the main page has quick links to "My account", "Ask Us" as well as "Get a Library Card". There are also links for "Teen Council", "Girl Power", and "March Break 2015" as well as a list of other activities and latest news for the library. Along the side of the main page there is a small list of new teen books. I clicked through to the Girl Power page to see what it was about. It is a program for any girl that is age 10-15 they do a variety of things, they talk, they do crafts, write, surf the web bake play games among other things. I don't understand why it wouldn't just be marketed to all teens instead of making it just for girls however. The Teen Council is for teens who are 13-17 years old who meet at the Kentville Library on Sunday afternoons. From the looks of their website they hold parties for the teens as well as other things throughout the year.

The main page of the teen section doesn't seem like it would be appealing to anyone much less to a teen. When you click through to some of the sections of the website you get taken off of the library's website and to wordpress sites. These look like someone made an effort to make the sites more appealing to teens. The Girl Power site is clearly directed towards girls but it doesn't look like they are targeting the younger end or the older end of the age bracket. The Teen Zone website looks like they tried to be neither too "girly" or too boyish. They chose to stick with black and grey with red accents and the pages look like loose leaf. The fact that they made it so it wouldn't seem to be leaning toward either group as well as posting pictures of both on the site might
make new teens wish to join in.

Rating: 3.5/5

Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Sheinkin, S. (2012) Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--The World's Most Dangerous Weapon. [audiobook] New York: Roaring Brook Press.

This is book is a non-fiction story about the story of the building of the worlds first atomic bomb. Sheinkin does this by using the lives of the scientists, spies and saboteurs. The material is from archival material and government documents. There are tales from the Norwegian spies that wanted to sabotage the efforts to make the atomic bomb. Within the story there are also pictures that help the readers (or listeners) to understand what happens when an atomic bomb goes off. There are also many first person accounts of the making and researching of the bomb which allows the reader to get into the heads of those researchers and scientists. As well as those who experienced the aftermath of the bomb. The way that he ends the book is very thought provoking, “The making of the atomic bomb is one of history’s most amazing examples of teamwork and genius and poise under pressure. But it’s also the story of how humans created a weapon capable of wiping our species off the planet. It’s a story with no end in sight… And like it or not you’re in it” (Sheinkin, 2012). 

This book might not appeal to as many as some of the other books in this reading blog. However it gives a wonderful look at a monumental moment in history. With the explanations and diagrams to go on with them the young readers would be able to understand just what goes on in an atomic bomb. The fact that there are first hand accounts of the aftermath would let them connect to people that went through this terrible thing. The audience of this book would be between the ages of 12 18 for the YA age groups but could also appeal to adults as well. 

Rating: 4/5

See you at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Knowles, J. (2012). See You at Harry's. [audiobook]. Summerville, MA: Candlewick Press. 

This story is about a 12 year old girl who is starting to go to jr high (or middle school) and finds that her parents are super embarrassing. He even made them be in a super cheesy commercial for the family restaurant. Fern feels like she doesn't matter much in the family she feels like she is invisible to the rest of her family, everyone else seems to be busy all of the time. Her youngest brother Charlie was not planned and seems to be the only one who cares much about Fern and is always stuck to her. She also always seems to be the one to be stuck taking care of Charlie because her mom is always so busy. Fern does have a best friend that is always there to offer her reassuring words and and a shoulder to lean on. However things only get worse for Fern when a tragedy strikes and Charlie passes away. This happens while Fern is supposed to be looking after him and she feels responsible for it. Now she feels even more alone and isn't sure how her family could ever return to normal. Throughout the rest of the story you see these realistic characters deal with the loss of a family member. 

While this book is aimed at the lower end of the YA age group (age 10) it could still appeal to the older ages as well. There is a chance that parents might want to remind their children what sort of language is appropriate as there is some language in the book that might not be seen as appropriate. This book shows realistic characters dealing with something that anyone might have to deal with, and might allow teens to relate. With the side story of the older brother coming out and his family not embracing him in his choices could resonate with members of the YA community. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Seventeen Magazine

Photo Credit: Seventeen Magazine

Seventeen Magazine. (2015) New York: Hearst Communicaitons INC. 

This magazine has articles related to fashion, what are the trends, what to buy and how to wear it. It also has articles about how to dress for certain situations. There is also a beauty section that gives you beauty tips and how they can try the newest makeup trends and fit them into their everyday lives. There is another section where they can learn different fitness tips, or read articles related to positive body image. As with many magazines that are targeted toward women there is a section about with articles related to relationships and understanding the opposite sex. What was surprising to me was there is a section related to personal development strategies, increasing confidence or selecting the right college. There are also interviews with celebrities talking about various things like their upcoming projects or their latest releases.

This magazine is for the higher end of the YA group, the high school (grades 10-12) age group. Some of the articles discuss sex and relationships which might be deemed inappropriate for some of the younger members of the YA age group. Some parents might not realize this is the case until they bought it and allowed their children to read it. There are some articles that deal with what teens have actually dealt with and would be more relatable to the reader.

Rating: 2.5/5