Teens@Random

The Buzz

Archives for Jul 2009

• What’s Your Superpower? Reveal Your Powers to Us and Win a Copy of Meridian!

  Jul 31, 2009

  Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate's tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home-and Meridian's body explodes in pain.
  
  Meridian learns that she's a Fenestra-the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. This is quite a shock to learn as you can only imagine. If it were to be revealed to you that you had super human powers, what kind of power would you have? It's always fun to think about what kinds of powers we'd possess if given this option and we'd love to hear your responses! Let us know what super power you'd like to have and you could be one of five lucky Buzzers to win a copy of Meridian!

  Winners List: Friday July 31, 2009

  Winner	Responses
  MelodyJM	Oh gosh it's so hard to say! Or even think of one... I would love something useful that might help to protect me like freezing time or moving objects, OR transmutation or teleportation! OH OR Communication with animals! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!
  Cassanova	Invisibility. No questions asked. I've been known for my whole life to eavesdrop on conversations and be in places I'm not supposed to be. I'm a curious person, I can't help it! Having the power to go entirely invisible at will would be the greatest thing that would ever happen to me. Not only could I listen to whatever I wanted without anyone knowing, but I could be in places without anyone knowing I was there. I could use it to stay in a bookstore after hours and read to my heart's content (which I really would do, don't think I'm kidding). I could torment my brother by moving his things around. Being invisible would be wonderfully satisfactory!
  dragonlover312	My superpower would be mind reading. I always want to know what really goes on in people's minds.
  duchessten	If I could have any super power I think I would like to have supersonic empathy. Basically, I would like to be able to know how other people are feeling and I could help them if they need it.
  brightwishes	I'd like to fly. It's a typical response and quite predictable if you know me; as a child I have always raised my eyes to the sky and envied the birds that could soar in horizon. What would it feel like to be weightless in the air, to see the world laid before me in what is truly the bigger picture? Imagine all the places I could go, all the people I'd people; the sights of a world that had always been to big for my eyes.

  by HeadBuzzer | 14 comments |
  Filed under: ARC Friday Giveaway

• Adventures at Summer Sports Camps

  Jul 30, 2009

  We know that there are many readers here at Random Buzzers but we also know that there are other hobbies and activities that you have planned for the summer. For some, summer time means going to camps whether sleep away, band, sports, etc and we want to hear all about your experiences and time away from home.
  
  Do you go to any camps? Are you taking any summer classes or courses? If you're working, you can let us know too! We know we've got some avid readers but surely there is more to you than your love for books (even though you have to agree, that's one of the greatest loves ever). Tell us about your summer so far and what fun activities you've been up to - we'd love to hear!

  by HeadBuzzer | 5 comments |

• Random Hour #46: The Dog Days of Summer

  Jul 29, 2009

  We are now almost halfway through summer. I think it's a great time to reflect on how we've spent the first part of summer, and to also plan how we want to spend the second half. With freedom from school, summer can be a great time to have new experiences, make new friends, and hopefully learn and grow.

  My summers were always spent at sleep away camp, and each year I returned home a little wiser and a more grown up. I would come home equipped with millions of stories and even some new skills like the one summer I finally learned to water-ski.

  However you are spending your summer, make sure you are taking advantage of your time and really enjoying yourself, because it will be Fall before you know it.

  How have you been spending summer? What goals do you want to accomplish for the remainder of August?

  by Buzzgirl | 10 comments |
  Filed under: Random Hour

• The Diamonds reviewed by BOOKREADER4

  Jul 27, 2009

  At Long Islands' private Bennington School, the Diamonds rule supreme. They're the girls all the boys want to date and all the girls want to be. And fortunately for Marni, she's right in the middle of them. Best friends with the ringleader, Clarissa, Marni enjoys all the spoils of the ultra popular: boys, power, and respect. But then Marni gets a little too close to Clarissa's ex-boyfriend, Anderson.
  
  Wrong move. The Diamonds don't touch each other's exes. And just like that, Marni is jettisoned from Diamond to lower than Cubic Zirconia. But Marni isn't about to take her ouster lying down. She has dirt on the Diamonds, and she's not about to go down without a fight. Everyone knows the only thing strong enough to cut a Diamond is another Diamond.
  
  The Diamonds was a very entertaining book. It seemed like it was going to be another try to be the next Gossip Girl, but it was much different then I had expected. (I don't think I could have read another wanna be Gossip Girl book...yuck.)
  
  One thing that I LOVED about this book was the author's choice of names. Stephanie Meyers? Really? That is hilarious! She's not a major character but that's still pretty cool. But there was some uber-stupid slang in there to equal out the awesomeness of using that name.
  
  Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It was great, funny, and detective-y.  Read it!

  ---

  This review can also be found at http://bookreader4.blogspot.com/

  by HeadBuzzer | 5 comments |
  Filed under: Buzz Blogger Team

• Face the Blaring Summer Heat & Win a Copy of Days of Little Texas!

  Jul 24, 2009

  Have you ever felt like you were destined to become something or make a grand achievement? In Days of Little Texas, Ronald Earl, becomes an electrifying "boy wonder" preacher known as Little Texas. Now sixteen, Ronald is beginning to have doubts that he is worthy of this calling.
  
  Sometimes you are so sure that you should be following a certain path until you finally take it and start to see that maybe it's really not what you should be doing. It can also be scary because the destination you are trying to reach suddenly disappears and you're not sure what direction to take next.
  
  So Random Buzzers, we pose this question to you - do you think you're destined to do something or do you think fate is completely out of our hands?

  Answer this question and you may find yourself one of five lucky winners to win a copy of Days of Little Texas!  Check back to this post for a list of winners.
  
  
  Make sure to check out Days of Little Texas available today to see how Ronald Earl's story unfolds. For more information on the book and to read a chapter, click HERE.

  Winners List: Friday July 24, 2009

  Winner	Responses
  MusicMania	I believe that my destiny is to become an author. I've always been interested in realistic problems from eating disorders to gay rights and I've always wanted to write. I think I can bring the two together and hopefully help some people out there.
  thaisari	My whole family wants me to become a doctor or a lawyer because they make the big bucks, but that is not what I want! Sometimes I feel pressured about this situation.What I want to be is my decision to make!
  Bree_zy	I think that I am destined to find a new cure for a disease through caving and exploring extremophiles. I will find a new bacteria, or strange things in the depth of the earth, that could lead to developments in science and medicine.
  churchpeppergirl	I believe that I am destined to become a world famous journalist. I love to read books and write. It is a wonderful hobby that I have. Reading helps you to learn new things and words.
  babyhuey121795	These problems range from death in the family to issues you may have with your little brother. I'm destined to be a nurse because I want to save lives.

  by HeadBuzzer | 13 comments |
  Filed under: ARC Friday Giveaway

• Only a few weeks left to enter the Fantasy Road Trip Contest for a chance to win an iPod Touch!

  Jul 22, 2009

  What would you do on a road trip with Gemma Doyle, Beka Cooper or Percy Jackson?

  Make a video telling us where you'd go and what you'd see with your favorite character from Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Tamora Pierce's Legend of Beka Cooper series, or Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians and you could win an 8GB iPod Touch and audiobooks signed by the author.  Contest is open to US residents ages 13-18, complete rules are available at www.fantasyroadtripcontest.com
  

  by HeadBuzzer | 6 comments |
  Filed under: Beka Cooper series Gemma Doyle Trilogy Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians

• Random Hour #45:When I Grow Up

  Jul 22, 2009

  When we're young, we are often asked what we want to be when we grow up. These questions will continue until we reach adulthood, at which point we'll be asked what we do.

  While our childhood career aspirations, such as firefighter, professional baseball player, doctor, princess, often don't materialize into reality, some actually do. There are some people who have always known what they wanted to do, what they wanted to be. They seem to come with an inner compass with a destination programmed in and a clear path by which to get there. I am not one of these people. I wish I was one of these people.

  In my fifth grade yearbook next to my picture is a caption that reads "When Lauren grows up she wants to be: a famous actress". I have to laugh every time I see this, but I truly wonder whether this was what I thought I was going to be.

  While I still cringe when I'm asked this question, I've learned that it's OK to not always know how to answer it. While life may be easier if you know exactly what you want, it can be equally as rewarding to figure it out along the way.

  What about you? Do you know what you want to do? What you want to be when you grow up?

  by Buzzgirl | 14 comments |
  Filed under: Random Hour

• Author Catherine Ryan Hyde of Diary of a Witness Joins Us Monday July 27th!

  Jul 21, 2009

  Random Buzzer's next featured author will be making her way here starting next week on Monday the 27^th and we wanted you to give her a warm Random Buzzers welcome!  Drop by, ask author Catherine Ryan Hyde questions, and leave any comments about her upcoming release Diary of a Witness coming out on August 25^th.
  
  Diary of a Witness is a dark story about two outcasts in high school with common enemies: the school jocks, who seem to find bullying just another sport. Despite the constant pressure of facing these enemies, Ernie and Will are able to take it all in with a stride; that is until one of them snaps.  To read an excerpt from this book, click HERE and let her know what you think! Make sure to stop by her special thread before she arrives and leave your comments and greetings!
  
  Read this special author note for you!

  Sometimes people ask me how much of myself I weave into my novels.
  
  None of it is me. Oh, yeah . . . and, also, it all is.
  
  I never lived on the street like Jordy and Chloe in Becoming Chloe. But I moved to New York alone when I was 17. I spent one whole night "homeless," but a near-stranger from work took me in. Still, I'd felt the fear of the city at night, waiting for me.
  
  I wasn't raised by an alcoholic mom like Cynnie in The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance. But I had my own battle with alcohol and other drugs, starting at a young age. Fortunately, for the last twenty years, I've been winning.
  
  I've never hurt anyone who then committed suicide like Teresa in The Day I Killed James. But I've hurt someone. So maybe I just got lucky.
  
  Now come Ernie and Will in Diary of a Witness. I'm not a teenage boy. Haven't known a teenage boy closely since I was a teenage girl (if then-I was something of a loner and a social loser). But I have something in common with these guys. Something that runs very deep. We all took a boatload of abuse.
  
  And now here I am in this terrific forum (thank you so much for having me here, by the way) where I am very willing to talk honestly about how hard being a teenager was for me. I know I'm not the only one. Let's face it. School can be a rough place.
  
  So, please, I invite you to talk to me. Ask anything. It doesn't have to be about abuse at school. I'd love to hear from you on any subject. I'm starting off on a pretty frank note to welcome you to do the same.
  
  
  This is the part I love, when readers talk to me. So bring it on. And thanks for being readers
  
  
  -Catherine
  
  
  
  

  by HeadBuzzer | 2 comments |
  Filed under: Catherine Ryan Hyde Diary of a Witness

• Another Chance to Win a Copy of Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce!

  Jul 17, 2009

  You might remember the great time we had chatting with author Tamora Pierce when she came to visit earlier this year - check out the questions that fans asked and her answers HERE! We're giving you another chance to win a copy of Bloodhound from the Beka Cooper series to add to your Tamora Pierce collection (or to help start it!).
  
  Let us know one of your favorite books by Tamora Pierce or tell us which one of her books you'd like to read and you could be one of five winners to receive a copy of Bloodhound! Check back here for the winners list.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Winners List: Friday July 17, 2009

  Winner	Responses
  BEHRMAN2	my favorite book is Will of the Empress because in addition to being a great story it also is very well written
  sheba201	I would like to read The Will of the Empress. It sounds like a good book with a lot of twists and turns you would never expect to find. It sounds exciting and like it will keep me on the edge of my seat.
  bball11kt	I'd really like to read Terrier. It's the first book to Bloodhound so after I finished I could move on to the second installment. They both look thrilling and exciting. I've read lots of great reviews of both of them so I'm sure they don't disappoint!
  wdebo5487	My favorite book by her has to be Trickster's Queen, it was just amazing. It grabbed my attention from the very beginning. Her writing is so magical, and everything about the story was awesome, including the romance. [Sometimes, fantasy just doesn't have that good of romance]
  Elaina1293	I would love to read Tamora Pierce's Bloodhound because it seems like an interesting book, and many reviewers are calling it one of the best books of the year. I also like the fact that it features a strong heroine, and has elements of fantasy and real-life.

  by HeadBuzzer | 9 comments |
  Filed under: ARC Friday Giveaway

• Welcome back, Sisterhood fans!

  Jul 16, 2009

  Greetings to all our Sisterhood friends!
  
  Welcome back to Random Buzzers. We are so glad you stopped by to say hi!
  
  We have tons of fun Sisterhood activity going on here including:

  Activities: share your inner-Bridget, tell us how you discovered the Sisterhood and more!
  Activities: Are you the ultimate Sisterhood fan? Tell us in your Sisterhood fan video!
  Trivia: Test your Sisterhood knowledge with our fun Sisterhood trivia!
  Forum: say hi to Sisterhood fans, discuss your favorite characters, topics & Sisterhood moments in our special Sisterhood forum

  Participating in all of these activities also earn you Buzz Bucks that you can use to score awesome gear from the Random Buzzers store.
  
  So stop in and come hang out with usi! To start, comment below and tell us your favorite Sisterhood character (and why!)
  
  Head Buzzer & your friends at Random Buzzers

  by HeadBuzzer | 9 comments |
  Filed under: Sisterhood Central Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants