Aliens are invading the Teen section. Unlike a certain two-hearted bowtie-wearing alien doctor, the extraterrestrial visitors of Margaret Stohl’s Icons and Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave mean us harm. Not only will both titles make you want to build a tin foil hat and prepare your emergency kit, they also release on the same day. How do you choose which one to read first? Icons is Margaret Stohl’s solo debut; it’s the easy first choice for fans of the Beautiful Creatures series. Instead of a complex world in and beneath tiny Gatlin, Stohl builds a complex world in post-invasion Los Angeles. I loved seeing familiar landmarks like the Griffin Observatory transformed. I also enjoyed the insertion of research documents or transcripts in between chapters, as it reminded me of video games where you hunt for scraps of the history as you play through the present storyline. Too many details would give things away, but Stohl has obviously given considerable thought to how the history of her world has shaped its present. The biggest draw of Icons is the concept of the Icon Children. Read a little deeper and you can see their group dynamics as an exploration of how emotions…

"And I'll be Bobo Fett...I'll cross the sky for you." That was the moment that I fell in love with Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park...   So, you know at school when everyone sort of crushes on the same guy or girl? I think that I can safely say that Team Teen is currently crushing on the same book. Here are just some of our deep deep feelings towards it.   Mel:  I want to hold this book’s hand and take it to a Smith’s concert. Nat:  Hand-holding so hot you’ll be weak in the knees. Chandra: I want to hold a boom box up to this book’s window and play it love songs all night long. (Translation for anyone under 20: I want take my iPod and wireless speakers to this book’s house and play it MP3s all night long.)   We wanted to share our love with you by asking the author of Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell, about all the things she crushes on, her favourite kinds love stories, and the sights and sounds of the 1980s.   Indigo Teen Blog (ITB): Who is your favourite book or comic hero and why?  Rainbow Rowell (RR): Hmmm. It's…

It’s hard to say whether Ally Carter or Toronto gives the warmer welcome as she takes the stage at Indigo Yorkdale. "Hello, Canada! I feel like a rockstar," Carter says to a cheering crowd, who have gathered to meet the author of two best-selling Teen series: The Gallagher Girls and the Heist Society novels. Part thriller and part mystery—with a dash of romance—Ally Carter's novels are all adventure. They're the kind of books you pick up and don't put back down; the kind that make you feel like our world is as mysterious and exciting as any found in a fantasy or science fiction title. Carter builds books around the troupe of teenagers taking on more than they can handle, and as a result her plots are driven by smart young women who get themselves in and out of trouble. "I write about teenagers. Those are my people," Carter says. "No one is more underestimated than a teenage girl." The Heist Society series follows the daring adventures of Katarina "Kat" Bishop, whose family business is long cons and expert fakes. Think Ocean's 11 with teens, and you're headed in the right direction. Full of twists, double-crosses, and mysteries, the Heist Society…

Team Teen is made up of some serious lady bloggers. Not only do we blog ourselves here, but we are all addicted to other blogs and Tumblrs that we follow on our own.  On a random Tuesday a few weeks ago, I came across a Top Ten Tuesday post (a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) that asked which 10 authors you would you read anything by.  I immediately got Team Teen talking about authors we are obsessed with. What a fabulous tie-in with our Get Obsessed posts this month!  So each Team Teen lady has put together something for their author obsession. Enjoy! Melanie: Libba Bray All things that Libba Bray writes are made of awesome as they challenge our notions about the big questions related to god, life, sexuality, and love. She enthusiastically supports her peers, adores her fans, and (I know this from personal experience) is super fun to hang out with.  Kate: Kristin Cashore  Kristin Cashore is my Teen author obsession because her books are smart, fast, meaty, semi-profound, and fun. I want to befriend at least one kick-butt character in each book and not only do I remember characters and plots YEARS after reading,…