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JANUARY 31, 2012
New Teen Librarian, Pam

Meet Pam, the new teen services librarian at Standley Lake!

Favorite Teen Book: Too many to count! I love fantasy, dystopians, and anything paranormal. Graceling by Kristin Cashore, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Fell by David Clement-Davies, and the Hunger Games triology are at the top of my list.
 
Favorite TV shows: The Walking Dead, A Game of Thrones, Once Upon a Time, and Vampire Diaries.
 
Favorite all time movie: Hmm. I really don’t have a favorite, but I love psychological suspense, paranormal, and fantasy movies. I like Underworld, Paranormal Activity, The Ring, Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter movies. I also really enjoyed the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Music I like: Lately, I’ve been listening to Mumford and Sons, but I like all types of music and I’m building up my Pandora channels.  Send me some suggestions!
 
Favorite sport to watch: I loved watching the Broncos this year!
 
Favorite sport to do: Hiking, yoga and snorkeling – when I can get to a beach!
 
Favorite food to make: Lentils! Lentil Dal, Lentil & Broccoli Casserole, or Lentil Burgers. Tofu is good too! I try to avoid meat, but I’m not a purist.  If I really want a hunk of meat, I’ll go for it!
 
Favorite food: Bread, especially if it has some herbed cotswold cheese on it!
 
Places I have lived: Colorado, Florida, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Places I have traveled: China, Virgin Islands, Aruba, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Oahu, Costa Rica, Mexico, Malaysia, and Singapore. Sensing a theme?

Where I want to go next: Curacao!  Eventually, Europe too!

Favorite place to hang out:  A Beach!  Or in Colorado, a Mountain with lots of Pine trees and moss! I love moss!

Do I have a pet? Yes, 4 cats – Kirby, Trouble, Midnight and Star!  Someday, I’d like to have a dog too!

Welcome, Pam. We're so happy to have you here!

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posted by Pam, Standley Lake Library

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JANUARY 30, 2012
Ender's Game: Book to Movie

CoverEndersGameI'm sure many of you have read Orson Scott Card's book Ender's Game, the story of an intense military training camp for kids preparing to fight the invading Bugger race. (If you haven't, it's awesome! The kids are trained using video games and zero-gravity challenges.)

Apparently, Ender's Game is also being made into a movie due to be released in March of 2013. Asa Butterfield, from Hugo and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, is going to play Ender.

Are you looking forward to this book being made into a movie? I love the book but I'm not sure I can picture it as a movie. Although, I am very excited to see how they create the battle room with zero-gravity. That sure would be a fun part to film!

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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JANUARY 29, 2012
Lakewood Teen Time!

Come in and make a bread tag monster!  We will be making monster faces with 'found' items and recycled bread tags.  Also, you may share what you are currently reading with the group. All supplies will be provided.

Wednesday, February 1st. 
4:00 PM
Lakewood Teen Room

Lakewood Teen Time meets the first Wednesday of every month from 4-5 PM

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 28, 2012
Science Saturday - Pollen

It's not just bees that help flowers spread their pollen.  Wind, other insects, bats and hummingbirds also drink the nectar of flowers and can spread pollen from flower to flower.  There are two main types of pollination, wind and insect.  Insects use their proboscis, that's a really long insect tongue, to get nectar from flowers.  Nectar is a mixture of sucrose and water made by the glands of the flowers called nectaries at the base of petals. 
Film maker Louie Schwartzberg has made an amazing documentary with time lapse video capturing different animals and insects collecting pollen from flowers.

Want to learn more about pollination?  Check out our online databases: 
Science Online and Science in Context

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 27, 2012
Music Video Made Entirely out of Toast

It sounds ridiculous, but it's somehow amazing...

 

Want more music from OK Go or other artists? Put the group's name under "Author" in your catalog search. If you're looking for a solo artist search "last name, first name," such as "Perry, Katy."

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 26, 2012
Year of the Dragon

Celebrate Chinese New Year, Jan. 23rd, with some good dragon reads:

Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley: When Jake Mendoza, who lives in the Smokehill National Park where his father runs the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies, goes on his first solo overnight in the park, he finds an infant dragon whose mother has been killed by a poacher.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey: At a time when the number of Dragonriders has fallen too low for safety and only one Weyr trains the creatures and their riders, the Red Star approaches Pern, threatening it with disaster.

 

Eona: the last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman: Facing the ultimate battle for control of the land she calls home, Eona finds herself waging an internal battle every bit as devastating as the war threatening to break out across the kingdom.

 

Diviner by Bryan Davis: As Elyssa discovers new aspects of her diviner gifts, Koren questions her ability to save her fellow slaves, and Randall decides to join with Magnar and Arxad in preparations for a battle with the dragon king's followers.

 

Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey: In 1145 A.D., as foretold by Merlin, fourteen-year-old Rosalind, who will be the twenty-first Pendragon Queen of Wilde Island, has much to accomplish to fulfill her destiny, while hiding from her people the dragon's claw she was born with that reflects only one of her mother's dark secrets.

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn: In a parallel world where humans and dragons live in a state of cold war, seventeen-year-old Kay and her dragon friend, Artegal, struggle to find a way to show that dragons and humans can co-exist.

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posted by Pam, Standley Lake Library

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JANUARY 25, 2012
World Book Night

April 23 will be the first ever World Book Night in the United States. 50,000 volunteers will give away 20 books each, totaling one million free books. The idea is to put a book in the hands of a person who doesn't usually read for fun. It could be kids who just don't go to the library, adults who have forgotten how much fun reading is, or anyone else you can think of!

And these aren't just whatever the publishers couldn't sell this year, some of the titles are The Hunger Games, Wintergirls, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Lovely Bones, and My Sister's Keeper.

To be one of the lucky people that gets to hand out books, check out the World Book Night website. You must apply by February 1 and you must be 16 to be eligible. They'll want to know which book you'd like to give away, where you'll give it away, and why. I applied, and it took me less than five minutes.

I want to give away Ender's Game because the story is so exciting (Earth was attacked my aliens and now the army is recruiting kids to learn to be commanders that will kill the Buggers when they return). It's a great book to read if you love The Hunger Games and I think people who don't usually read might like it because the story is so intense, like a good end-of-the-world action movie.

Which book from the list would you want to give away, and why?

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 24, 2012
Sharks and Boys

Sharks and BoysI didn't read the description of the book on the book jacket before I read the book. So a book that I thought was going to be mainly about a boy / girl relationship ended up being so much more. This is really a story about survival and how people deal with loss. If you like survival stories and you want something that is quick to read between homework projects, then Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy might be for you.

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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JANUARY 23, 2012
Movie Monday - The Lorax

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax will be in theaters March 2, featuring the voices of Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, and Betty White. Read it again before the holds list hits triple digits.

 What was your favorite Dr. Seuss book as a kid?

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 22, 2012
Tasty Titles

Check out these books with mouth watering book covers:

Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland

  Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald

Huge by Sasha Paley

A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy

The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy

The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

Donut Days by Lara Zielin

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 21, 2012
Science Saturday - Dam!

How do you take apart a 210 foot tall dam?  One chip at a time.  The Elwah River Dam located in Olympic National Park is being removed in order to restore the river for salmon spawning.  A large barge mounted caterpillar notches out 13 foot wide and 6 food deep sections of the dam wall.  These notches then let 580 cubic feet of water per second out of the reservoir.  In the end around 800 acres of land will be exposed in the former reservoir.  Already the damn is half as tall as it used to be.  There is a lot to consider in damn removal, how to replant the newly exposed earth, how to account for the amount of silt added to the rivers from the deconstruction and also how the increased flow will impact communities and ecosystems downriver of the damn. 

Want to know more? 

Check out our online database Science in Context

Check out the National Park blog about the Elwha Dam Removal

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 20, 2012
Belmar Teen Time

Teen Time starts at Belmar next week!

There will be an event the last Wednesday of every month, 6 pm.

January's project will be making a survival cuff -- it is stylish, but there's more! If you should find yourself in an emergency situation where you need 8 feet of lightweight rope strong enough to hold your body weight, just take it apart.

It might just save your life if you ever find yourself in need of a tourniquet, a collar for your escaped dog, or an emergency belt.

All the materials will be provided. There's no sign-up required, just show up!

Wednesday, January 25, 6pm
Belmar Library

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 19, 2012
The magic of books

I like to believe this happens at the library after we all leave...

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 18, 2012
Music and me (and Lady Gaga and Sugarland)

The 2012 Grammy Nominees CD comes out on Tuesday, January 24. There's already holds on it so get on the list today!

I was half-watching the 2011 Grammy Nominations Concert while doing laundry when I found myself glued to the screen and speakers. I love this duet by Lady Gaga and Sugarland and I'm crossing my fingers that someone will sell the recording of it so I can listen to it over and over and over... 

I'm still new to JCPL so out of curiosity I searched the catalog for the Grammy Nominee CDs and the library owns all of them!

Do you follow music awards? How do you find new music to love?

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 17, 2012
Can you RUBIK?

Ocean, one of the Edgewater Teens, dropped in to show me what he had learned to do over winter break---AMAZING!!!!

The library actually has a few books about solving the Rubik's Cube:

The cube : the ultimate guide to the world's bestselling puzzle : secrets, stories, solutions

Speedsolving the cube : easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for many popular 3-D puzzles

Can you figure it out?

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posted by Amy, Edgewater Library

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JANUARY 16, 2012
Movie Monday - Incarceron

 Incarceron is a futuristic prison, where the descendants of the original prisoners remain locked up; it's reached a point where nobody new comes in and nobody ever escapes. Finn is imprisoned there, but he feels like he remembers a time when he wasn't. Claudia's dad is the prison warden, and she discovers a crystal key that allows Finn and Claudia to begin communicating. And plotting an escape...

 

An Incarceron movie is in the works. And who's going to play Finn? Taylor Lautner. Yes, this guy.

The female lead hasn't been chosen yet but according to Deadline, the three actresses being considered are Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games), and Emma Watson (well, you know). Have you read Incarceron yet? Who do you think should play Claudia?
 

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 15, 2012
Western Reads for Stock Show

Get in the saddle for the National Western Stock Show with these teen titles:

Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams.

When his older brother, a bull-riding champion, returns from the Iraq War partially paralyzed, fourteen-year-old Cam takes a break from skateboarding to enter a bull-riding contest

 

 

A Certain Strain of Peculiar by Gigi Amateau.

Mary runs away from home to her Grandmother's farm in rural Alabama in order to escape the troubles at home including being an outcast at her school. 

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself

 

 

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell.

Genevieve's family is staying the summer at a frontier family history camp in Laramie, Wyoming.  Luckily she snuck in her cell phone and can still be connected with the outside world.

The A Circuit by Georgina Bloomberg & Catherine Hapka

A billionaire heiress, a working student, and the daughter of a famous rock star compete on horseback riding's elite A Circuit.

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 14, 2012
Science Saturday - ???

E=mcor F=ma or (i D - m) v) = 0 or a double helix strand or set theory.  All these and more appear in the new book "Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed" by Carl Zimmer.  My favorite is Entropy.  Carnot, a French engineer, wanted to develop a steam engine that was more efficient than the British engines.  He found that there will always be a loss of energy that cannot be used.  His acceptance of the idea that you cannot build a perfect engine turned into a measurement of disorganization.  "In a closed system...entropy always increases.  Eggs never unscramble themselves."  - pg. 26

Check out this book  at your local library.

 

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 12, 2012
Teens: We want to hear from you!

We're starting to put together the events for the 2012 Teen Summer Reading Program and we want to know what you think. The descriptions are pretty rough—we don’t know exactly what the events will look like yet but this should give you a general idea. Please vote for the event that you are LEAST excited about. That's right, the program that you would never go to. Voting will be open through Monday, January 16.

 Monster Movie Make-Up: Learn how the pros create monster and horror movie special effects with make-up

Night Animals: Visit with 3-4 nocturnal animals from the Denver Zoo

CSI Forensics: Use forensic science to solve a crime

Become a Comedian: Watch a stand-up routine and learn how to create your own No-Cook Food: Create some fun new no-cook snacks

Dancing: Learn a new style of dance. Could be swing dancing, line dancing, or something else!

Teens: Click here to Vote!

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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JANUARY 11, 2012
A librarian when (and where) you need it

Burning the midnight oil? Don’t have the car? Blizzard? Just because you can’t get to the library, that doesn’t mean you can’t get help from a librarian. AskColorado is run by Colorado librarians, including your own Jeffco research-masters, and is available 24 hours a day, every day (except for some holidays). It’s like chat or IM, and the librarians can help you research just about anything, from Auckland to ZhuZhuPets.

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 10, 2012
Time is running out…

Cast your vote for Colorado’s favorite Teen book and nominate titles for next year.  Voting for the Colorado Blue Spruce Award ends Friday, Jan. 13th. Ballots are available at public and school libraries. Ask your teen librarian if you have any questions!
 

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posted by Pam, Standley Lake Library

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JANUARY 9, 2012
Snow White vs. Snow White

We're starting a new feature on the Crazy Readerz blog. Every Monday we'll be featuring a book that will be turned into a movie. We're starting with a book that has been turned into many, many movies: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There are two Snow White movies coming out in 2012:

Snow White and the Huntsman features Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen and Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman is scheduled to come out June 1, 2012. 

Mirror Mirror features Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen and Lily Collins (who was in the Blindside) as Snow White. It is scheduled to be released March 16, 2012. 

Which one are you more excited about?

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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JANUARY 8, 2012
Winter Reads

When it started snowing yesterday I wanted to stay home and curl up with a good book and a cup of cocoa.  Here are a couple of titles I was contemplating for a good winter read:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

In this paranormal werewolf romance the humans change to wolves as the temperature drops.

Need by Carrie

Sent to live with her grandmother in a small snow covered town in Maine Zara is pursued by the evil pixie king.

Frost by Wendy Delsol

Kat's boyfriend Jack conjures up a record breaking snow storm with dangerous consequences.

What is your favorite winter read?

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 7, 2012
Science Saturday - Soap the Answer

Did you try our experiment from last week?  Want to know the science behind what you saw?  This experiment was an example of emulsification.  Milk contains proteins and fats.  When we added the water / soap it changed how these fats and proteins worked together.  The soap weakened the surface tension of the milk creating the swirling colors you observed.  Dishwashing soap is similar to the bile in your small intestine.  This helps you break down fats that you eat.  Dishwashing soap brings together grease and water making it easier to clean your plate.  Tune in next week for more exciting science facts!

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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JANUARY 6, 2012
Song Challenge

This has been making the rounds on Facebook, but I'm curious as to what songs were popular when you were born!

CHALLENGE...
1) Find out the #1 song the week you were born
2) Post the name and artist of the song in the comments

Readers, I challenge you to post the name of your song, and teen librarians, you too!!

Here's mine:

Don't You Want Me by Human League

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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JANUARY 5, 2012
Columbine Teen Time



The first Columbine Teen Time of the new year is next week! Come make an Angry Bird and then test it's angry powers by launching across the room. All supplies will be provided.

Monday, January 9
4:00 pm
Columbine Library

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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JANUARY 4, 2012
Animal Farm

CoverAnimalFarmYou must read Animal Farm. No matter who you are, what age you are, or what you like to read. It's a fairy tale with a killer twist plus a history lesson. The pigs talk, and take over the farm making all the other animals slaves to their communist rules.

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posted by Tori, Evergreen Library, Teen Advisory Board

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JANUARY 3, 2012
Teen Time at Evergreen Library!

Calling all Teens in the Evergreen area!
Come to Evergreen Library on Wednesday, January 11th from 4-5 for Evergreen Library's first Teen Time!
We will be participating in some fun "minute-to-win-it" activities!

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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JANUARY 2, 2012
New Year's Resolutions

Not sure what you want to resolve to do in 2012?

Try this Resolution Generator. My resolution is to get a passport and then use it! I used a library computer to find out how to get an application for a passport and I've been checking out Budget Travel magazine for ideas on where to go. What's your 2012 goal?

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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