Welcome to the Tween Scene @ West Milford Township Library!

WMTL’s Tween Scene

What is Tween Scene?  It is a blog that we have created here at WMTL that is dedicated to a specific age group that is usually referred to as "tween." We feel that this age group includes kids between the ages of 9 and 14.  Are you a tween?  If the answer is yes, then this is the spot for you! Your next question might be, What is a blog?  Well, it's a place where you can find out about materials that we have here at West Milford Township Library that are just for you. Books are only one of the options since our blog includes movies, magazines, as well as popular websites for tweens.  We will also let you know about any tween programs that we will be hosting here at West Milford Township Library as they are scheduled.

A blog is also a place for you to be able to comment on or suggest books that you have really enjoyed.  We are open to hearing your suggestions and recommendations and welcome them! This is a place where your voice can be heard. 


In order for you to comment, you will need to set up a blogger account.  Please check with a parent before doing this to make sure that it's ok with them.  If you aren't able to set up an account, don't worry, you can still use the blog to find reading ideas!


The format of our blog from this date forward has changed.  Instead of including just summaries & reviews of our materials, it will have so much more.  The blog will keep you updated on what's new here at the library, including important new book releases.    Please feel free to browse through our archives (listed in a menu on the right hand side of the blog)  to see reviews on 70+ library items.  There are quite a few cool book trailers as well~check them out!

Once again, welcome to our blog.  We look forwarding to hearing from you! :)

Julie Bramley
Library Associate
West Milford Township Library

Closed for the Season (2009) by Mary Downing Hahn

Plot Summary:  Moving into a creepy old house in Virginia that is falling down is not Logan’s idea of a summer vacation.  To top that, the kid next door, Arthur, is kind of weird and won’t leave Logan alone.  Arthur tells Logan that he is happy that he has moved in since the house has been sitting empty since “poor old Mrs. Donaldson” was murdered.  Logan can’t believe that his parents have him living in a house that was once a crime scene!  Wanting more information, Logan and Arthur go to the local library in order to read the articles about the murder.  The boys find out that Mrs. Donaldson worked at the Magic Forest, an amusement park that has been closed for years.  They also discover that Mrs. Donaldson had been suspected of embezzling money, and whoever killed her must have been looking for the cash.  Intrigued, the boys decide to investigate further and at Arthur’s urging, they ride their bikes out to the run down amusement park that is scheduled for demolition.  What they find is a place that is overgrown with kudzu vines and extremely creepy.  It seems that there are a lot of other people in town who are urgently trying to discover the missing money, especially since the park will be bulldozed.

Together,  Arthur and Logan must put together clues to figure out where the money is hidden and who killed Mrs. Donaldson.  This investigation puts their lives at risk because out there somewhere lurks the killer.

Genre:  Mystery

Subjects/Themes: Friendship

Awards: Edgar Awards (Edgar Allen Poe Awards) Won award 2010

Reviews:  Positive reviews from Voice of Youth Advocates and School Library Journal

Age Group:  Grades 5-8

Other Mary Downing Hahn titles available at West Milford Township Library:

All the Lovely Bad Ones
Deep and Dark and Dangerous
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
The Old Willis Place
Stepping on the Cracks
A Time for Andrew:
Wait till Helen Comes:

Hooper Finds a Family: A Hurricane Katrina Dog's Survival Tale (2011) by Jane Paley

Plot Summary: Jimmy is a happy one year old yellow labrador living with his owners Mama and George until Hurricane Katrina forces his owners to leave their home.  George is planning on coming back for Jimmy, but when Jimmy wakes up from his nap and the storm is wreaking havoc all around him, he realizes that he is on his own and must fight to stay alive.  This story, told from Jimmy's point of view and based on a true story, follows this puppy through trauma and survival. 

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Reviews:  Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, & Booklist

Age Level:  Grades 4-6

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (2010) by Tom Angleberger

*Please note that WMTL also has Tom Angleberger's recent release in the Origami Yoda series, Darth Paper Strikes Back. Please call or come in if you are interested in checking it out!

Plot Summary:  According to Origami Yoda, “Rush in fools do.”  Sixth grade isn’t easy.  Just ask Tommy and his friends Dwight, Harvey, and Kellen.  These middle school kids are just trying to fit in, find their way, and figure out how to talk to girls.  Enter Dwight and his finger puppet, Origami Yoda.  It sounds bizarre, right?  Well, Dwight is a dweeb as it is, always doing something stupid like picking his nose or wearing the same clothes day after day, but it gets even worse when he shows up to school one day with an Origami Yoda finger puppet that he made himself.  When Dwight starts telling people to ask Yoda for advice and then he answers in that weird not even Yoda sounding voice, Tommy can’t believe it.  And to make matters worse, it seems like Origami Yoda really does know what he is talking about.

How can it be possible that Dwight is so clueless, and yet Yoda is the voice of clarity?  How does Yoda know things that haven’t happened yet?  And if Yoda is so smart, why doesn’t Dwight himself take the advice so he doesn’t always look so ridiculous?  Why is the whole school listening to some stupid finger puppet when making decisions about their lives?  Is Origami Yoda real?  Read the case files of Yoda—all of his advice and how things turned out, according to Tommy and all of his friends.  Doodles by Kellen.

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Subjects/Themes:  Advice, friendship, middle school

Reviews:  Great reviews by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal.

Age Group:  Grades 3-6

High Interest Annotation:  This laugh out loud story will grab all readers, especially Star Wars fans.