Teen Blog

In case you haven't heard, Stephenie Meyer has released a new book in the Twilight universe, dealing with the newborn vampires we read about in Eclipse. For a limited time, Stephenie has made this book available to read for free at this website: http://www.breetanner.com/

Head on over and read this great novella. I read it in a few hours, and it really made me excited to re-read Eclipse, and now I can't wait until June 30th when the movie comes out.

The library is in the process of buying copies of the book as well, so be sure to place a hold on it if you'd rather read the paper version.

The next Teen program at the library is coming up very soon. We will be playing Silent Library in the Bronte Room for a chance at prizes. Teens will form 2 teams and perform raucous stunts while trying to remain as quiet as possible. This should be a lot of fun and I hope to see you there. Refreshments will also be served.

You only have a few more days to turn in your quizzes for a chance at our two amazing grand prizes. All those teens who have submitted a completed quiz with the most correct answers will be entered in the drawing for either 2 movie passes or a pair of cool vampire fangs.

Our next Gaming Guild is this Monday, November 9th from 4-5:30pm. We'll have several video games and maybe some board games as well. Refreshments will be served. I hope to see you all there.

To celebrate Teen Read Week, we are having a cupcake decorating program on Monday, October 26th from 4-5:30 at the library. We will be making alien cupcakes that are out of this world. This is a free program for teens only. I hope to see you there!

The votes have been cast, and the numbers have been tallied. It is official. The ALA Teens' Top Ten books of 2009 are listed below. I have to say I am actually pleasantly surprised by the #1 book: Paper Towns by John Green. I have read and enjoyed this book. John Green is a cool author who has made himself very well known not only through his excellent teen books but also through his hilarious vlog website: http://nerdfighters.ning.com/. This site promotes all things nerdy, which is great for bookworms like me. I also had the pleasure of meeting John Green at the last Texas Library Association conference, and he was totally down to earth and very friendly. The rest of the Top Ten books include some that you've definitely heard of, and maybe some that you haven't. The library owns all the books, so stop on by and check out 1, or 2 or all 10. You won't regret it!

ALA Teens' Top Ten Books of 2009

1. Paper Towns by John Green
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
5. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
6. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
7. Wake by Lisa McMann
8. Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Our first teen program of the new school year is this Monday, September 28 from 4-5:30pm. We will be playing "Library Survivor." Teens will form teams and embark on a mission through the library to try to solve clues in the hopes of collecting the most puzzle pieces. The team with the most pieces will win a prize. I hope to see you all there!

The link to vote for your favorite teen books of 2009 is now open. Head on over to the link listed to cast your vote for your three favorite books. There are a lot of great contenders this year. I particularly loved "Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott, "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer. So cast your vote and let your voice be heard. Voting lasts until September 18, so you have plenty of time to still read some books. There is a display of nominated books in the teen area of the library. Stop by, grab a book and come say hi to me at the info desk. I always love to chat about new books!

It's not too late to register for the 2009 Teen Summer Reading Program. It's totally free and open to all incoming 6th-12th graders. The more you read, the greater chance you have at winning one of the 31 gift cards we're giving away on August 3rd. So stop by the information desk to pick up your reading log!

We're also having some fun teen events this summer. We kicked things off with an amazing sword fighting demonstration on Monday, and we are having fun programs only for teens every Monday at 2 pm throughout the summer. All you have to do is show up. Next Monday, June 15 is our Henna Tattooing Program. Every teen who comes will get a free henna tattoo!

I hope to see you all there!

There's only a few days left to submit your library scavenger hunt worksheets for a prize and chance at a gift card. The contest runs until April 30th!

Aislinn is a 17 year old girl who is one of the few humans in the world that can see faeries. She has learned how to avoid them, as they are pretty horrible creatures who like to reek havoc on anyone who crosses their path. But when two faeries begin following her, she is forced to become part of an age old battle between the Summer King and the Winter Queen. Will she choose to help the Summer King, or will she follow her heart and abandon her destiny? Find out in Wicked Lovely.

I just finished Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, and it was excellent. Melissa paints a very vivid picture in this book. You find yourself lost in the world she has created. Melissa has also written 2 other books in this series, Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity (comes out April 21). I am in the process of ordering both books to add to our collection here at the library. I also got to meet her at the TLA library conference last week. She was extremely well spoken and a really cool person. Check out her website to see just how awesome she is:
http://www.melissa-marr.com/

I would love to hear from you guys what books you are reading and enjoying. Feel free to post your comments below. Let's get a discussion going!

There is a lot of stuff happening this month at the library!

All month long you can pick up a scavenger hunt form. It is incredibly easy, so be sure and fill one out. When you turn it in, you get a small prize and a chance at a gift card.

On April 20th from 6-7:30pm is Battle of the Books. Team up with your friends to swiftly answer easy questions based on popular books. It's gonna be fast paced and a lot of fun, so check it out! Oh, and the winners get prizes. Refreshments will also be served. Free food and prizes.....how can you say no?!?

For those of you without a library card, bring in a guardian sometime in April and you will get a free library bag just for signing up for your very own library card. There are lots of goodies in the bag, and everyone who signs up has a chance at a really awesome book bag filled with even better stuff.

If you have any questions, comment below or call 361-485-3302.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Rock Band 2 free play we had on Monday. We had about 12 teens coming in and out and everyone had a lot of fun. I hope to have some more gaming programs in the future, but wonder if a different time would be better for people. Comment down below and tell me what time(s) you would prefer for programs.

I also wanted to remind everyone about the Internet Scavenger Hunt going on right now. When you complete the form you can get prizes, and a chance at a gift card from Hastings.