December Events and Book Review

Wow--didn't realize I haven't updated the blog in almost three weeks!

First of all, library business:  we'll close at 6 this Wednesday (November 26th) and then be closed Thursday the 27th for Thanksgiving.  We'll reopen Saturday at 10 with regular hours (until 5).  We'll also be closing at 6 next Tuesday (Dec. 2) for the Rome Christmas Parade--which leads to.....

"Utterances" (the teen creative writing workshop hosted by Berry College students).  The original date for the final workshop was Tuesday the 2nd--but since it doesn't start til 6:30, the library's closing at 6, and traffic downtown will be awful, we've rescheduled to Wednesday, December 3rd--still 6:30-8PM, still in the Coosa Room :)

The following day, Thursday, December 4th, will be our next TAB meeting--7PM in the Children's Department office.  We'll have some type of snack (I'm open to suggestions!) and do things like:

*Choose a logo design contest winner (if you want to enter, there's still time--just make sure your submission is in by closing on Saturday, November 29th).

*Finalize the plans for our Teen Christmas Party on Saturday, December 13th (from 2-4 PM in the Oostanaula Room).  So far we've got an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest, White Elephant gift exchange, and cookie decorating.  We were going to do classic Claymation cartoons in the background, but the screen and projector are in the Coosa Room, which is already booked.  At our last meeting, we also talked about doing cards for soldiers--I'll look into that and see what I can do :)  Any other ideas you have, bring them on!




Now for the book review--this one comes courtesy of Hailey, age 12.  Her review is on 'The Fault in Our Stars'.  She gave it 5 stars.

"The book was about a girl who had cancer and she meets a guy and they become best friends. I liked it because it had a lot of detail to it and it was sad at the same time."

I had to take a line out of her review because it's a huuuuuge spoiler--but she recommends it for a sixth grader :)


I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving!

'Utterances' and TAB

The second 'Utterances' workshop is tomorrow, November 4th, from 6:30-8 in the Coosa Room.  If you didn't make it last week, no worries--come this time and join in the fun (and work toward your NaNoWriMo goals!)  Can't make it this week?  Next week's workshop will be next Thursday November 13th, since the library will be closed Tuesday the 11th for Veterans' Day and staff inservice day.  Same time, same place, different day of the week :)

Our next Teen Advisory Board meeting is this Thursday, November 6th, at 7PM in the Children's Department office.  We'll have a hot chocolate bar and make plans for a possible December activity, as well as an entry for the Summer Reading Program's nationwide video contest.  Come and bring a friend :)

1st 'Utterances' tomorrow!

The first 'Utterances' creative writing workshop presented by Berry College will be tomorrow from 6:30-8 in the Coosa Room.  It's for students in grades 9-12, and all materials are provided at no cost.  If you can't join tomorrow, no worries--it's a drop-in thing that you can come to once or as many times as you'd like.  The other meetings will be on November 4th (next Tuesday), November 13th (it's a Thursday, since we're closed on Tuesday the 11th for Veterans' Day/staff in-service).

To get to the Coosa Room, you can either a.) come to the Children's Department and cut through the theater or b.) take a left when you first come into the library--then another left and a right--the Coosa room is straight ahead and to the left.

In other news, our next Teen Advisory Board meeting is next Thursday, November 6th at 7PM in the Children's Department office.  We'll be judging entries for our logo design contest (if we have any by then) and possibly making plans for a national summer reading program organization's Teen Video Challenge--the theme is 'Unmask' (since the program theme is superheroes).  Bring your ideas and join us for a hot chocolate bar and other goodies!  

Teen Read Week celebrity endorsement!

Teen Read Week starts Monday!

Remember that next week (Mon. Oct. 13-Sat. Oct. 18th) is Teen Read Week--here's what we've got going on

*Candy for all teens who show their library card at the desk in the Children's Department

*A scavenger hunt throughout the library--I've decided to do it more like the reference/internet scavenger hunts we do during the summer, so grab your answer sheet on the bulletin board in YA, answer the questions, and put your name in our drawing for a prize of....food!  Okay, not actual food, but coupons and gift cards from places like LaScala, Bojangles, Chick-Fil-A, and Panera.

*Mystery book check-out--they'll be wrapped up with only the barcode showing, with just a few basic facts on the cover--check one out and then unwrap it for a fun surprise :)

Hope to see you all (and some new faces!) next week!

Berry writing workshop--Utterances!

The video didn't want to embed, so here's the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqGDHIkAuQc&feature=youtu.be

The flyer at the end is blurry (and I couldn't get my PDF in a format that the blog platform would accept)--so here's what it says:

A workshop for young adults on finding your voice and
exploring the genres of creative writing.
9th-12th grades
Sara Hightower Regional Library – Coosa Room
6:30 – 8:00 pm
(Materials provided)
For more details go to:
www.facebook.com/utterancesworkshop
Utterances
A young writers workshop
Tuesday, October 28 --- Tuesday, November 4 --- Thursday, November 13
Tuesday, November 18 --- Tuesday, December 2
(Join us for one session or come to them all!)

All of the meetings are on Tuesday evenings, except November 13th, which is a Thursday (since the library will be closed on the 11th for Veterans' Day/staff in-service day).  I think their plan is to have a party and reading on the last day.  And we didn't plan it that way--but November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)--so it's a great opportunity to participate and get some feed back on your work!

Event Success, Design Contest, Teen Read Week

Our luncheon on Thursday was a huge success!  We had 25 participants at the pizza lunch, and 12 at the Teen Advisory Board Meeting!  We got some great ideas for future events sponsored by TAB, and several things to add to our Teen Read Week happenings--as well as something that starts right now!

That would be our Teen Advisory Board logo contest.  It starts today (Monday, Oct. 6) and will run through Saturday, November 1st.  I'll be sending the details out to all the high school middle and high school art teachers, and will put up posters at the library.  TAB members will vote on the winner at our meeting on November 6th, and we'll use the winning logo for TAB social media, print materials, and hopefully T-shirts at some point :)  The winner will also get a prize (I'll give the specifics when I know more.....)

As far as Teen Read Week, since this is such a busy time of year for sports, band, etc., we're not going to do any events at a set time.  Instead, we're doing a drop-in scavenger hunt that can be done at any time during the week (Oct. 13-18).  It's similar to our Summer Reading Program scavenger hunt in that we'll have clues that will lead you to different places--but they'll be around the library instead of around town. Everyone who participates will get a smallish prize, and be entered to win a yet-to-be determined bigger prize......

The Berry group didn't show on Thursday (most of them had classes at 2) to talk about their Creative Writing class, but my director is supposed to email me a flyer--and I'll post it here (and in the library) as soon as I have it :)

Activity on Thursday, more book reviews

For anyone who's not on Twitter or Facebook, the Teen Advisory Board is hosting a pizza lunch in the library garden (weather permitting) this Thursday, Oct. 2nd, at 12PM.  We'll eat, play games, and then have our monthly TAB meeting at 1:30--anyone 13 and up is welcome to join us and see what TAB is about :) The meeting will last until 2:30, and we'll be turning part of the second half over to some representatives from Berry College, who will be holding a Teen Creative Writing class that should start later in October.

Because we'll be limited on time at our meeting, here are the things we most need to discuss:

*Teen Read Week (starts Oct.13--theme is 'Turn Dreams Into Reality @ Your Library').  At our last meeting, we had a few ideas
             -Books about dreams as a display
             -Candy for young adults who bring their library card to the Children's Department desk
             - Some kind of riddle-based scavenger hunt
             -Covered books with only the barcode showing--so you check it out and get a surprise :)  I might try to pull some of these before the meeting so we can personalize them on Thursday.


*Improving our publicity methods

*Next event--what, when, etc.

*Ideas for our bulletin board

*****

Last but not least, I'm really behind on posting book reviews--so here are some recent ones :)


********************

Madilyn, age 13, had this to say about John Green's book (now also a movie!) The Fault in Our Stars:

"Hazel Grace Lancaster, a terminally ill teenager, thinks there is no hope for her anymore.  Until she meets Augustus Waters.  I liked everything about this book!  It's so raw, and it doesn't sugar-coat anything about what the characters go through."

She gives it 5/5 stars and recommends it to anyone.

********************

Jacob, age 15, reviewed Airman by Eoin Colfer:

"A young boy that loves flying, grows up to be an inventor, but is betrayed when he discovers a conspiracy against the King.  I pretty much liked everything about this book.  It has action, adventure, a dash of romance, and the story is just awesome.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone from 12-17.  It's a great read.

********************

TAB member Phoebe, who is 13, had great things to say about Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series:

"A twelve-year-old genius, criminal mastermind, millionaire that starts to mess with fairies.  But not Tinker Bell kind of faries, SWAT team kinda fairies.  Nuf said?  PLEASE don't get me started on how much I liked.  LOL.  The only thing I didn't like, was that there were only 8 books :)  I recommend the whole series, and ANYONE should read it."

No wonder she gave it 5 stars--I know this series is on my to-read list!

******************

Shannon, 16, another TAB member, gave 5 stars to P.C. Cast's House of the Night series.  It's about a vampire high priestess, and she liked everything about the plot, writer, and ending.  She recommends it to anyone who likes vampire fiction.

*****************

Lauren, 16, who--you guessed it--is also on our Teen Advisory Board--reviewed one of my favorite reads of the past couple of years, Divergent by Veronica Roth.  She gave it 5 stars and had this to say:

"Divergent is about a girl named Beatrice 'Tris' Prior, who lives in a dystopian Chicago. The city is composed of different factions, and after taking her required faction initiation test, Tris is in for some shocking news.  She must decide who she wants to be--while trying to survive.

I liked that this book was constantly exciting.  I also really liked the characters.  I enjoyed reading the entire trilogy, but Divergent was by far my favorite of the three books.

I definitely recommend this book!  If you like books such as The Hunger Games or the Matched series, then you would most definitely enjoy Divergent as well."

She encourages you to read the book before seeing the movie (which is out on DVD now)

***********

Chloe gave another 5-star review to Richelle Mead's book Shadow Kiss, the third  title in the Vampire Academy series

"It was about a world with the Moroi, an ancient vampire race that is not evil and does die, and Dhampirs who are half humand and Moroi and are guardians for the Moroi.  Lastly there are Strogoi, who are the unnatural product of either a Moroi killing when it feeds, or a Strogoi exchanging blood with a Moroi, vampire, or human.

I loved the writing style, but my absolute favorite thing about this book was the character development from Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Christian and Adrian.  The ONLY thing I disliked about this book was that it was so short!  I wish it was just a tad more descriptive as well.

Of course I would recommend this book!  I don't really know what kind of reader would enjoy it, I only know that I loved it!"

************

16-year-old TAB member Aleya reviewed two books--here are her reviews:


City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (5 stars)

Clairy Fray, a sixteen-year-old New Yorker, has her life turned completely upside down when she finds out that her past and her self are not what thought.  Along the way, she meets potential love interest Jace Wayland and his adopted siblings, Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, when she is propelled into a world she never knew existed.

I loved everything, from the gripping plot to the amazing characters!  Equal parts action, romance, and humor, this book will not let you down!

I think anyone would enjoy this.  However, the series contains some mature content.  Also check out the prequel series, The Infernal Devices!"


The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (4 1/2 stars)

"Puck Connolly decides to enter a dangerous race involving 'water horses', a dangerous sea creature, and men.  There's just one problem:  she's a girl, and girls have long been excluded from the Scorpio Races--that is, until she meets Sean Kendrick.

It was so different from anything else I'd read!  Very original!  It also has quite a bit of romance thrown in with action!

Definitely, if you're into fantasy, read this!"

***********************

Want to add your own review?  We've got forms at the end of the Young Adult computer counter--just review your favorite book or series and we'll hang it up and add it to the blog!

2nd TAB on Thursday!

Join us at 7PM this Thursday (the 11th) for our next Teen Advisory Board meeting--we'll have snacks (if you have suggestions for this, let me know!) and exchange ideas about several upcoming events:

*Banned Books Week (week of Sept. 22)

*Possible activity the week of city/county Fall Break

*Teen Read Week (Week of Oct. 13--Teen Read Day is Thursday the 16th).  The theme for this year is "Turn Dreams Into Reality @ Your Library"

*Voting for award books

*Logo design contest

Hope to see you all then!

Thinking ahead

All folders and scavenger hunts are due today, and we'll do our final weekly drawing on Monday, to give everyone a chance to get their tickets in by 8:30 tonight.  It's been a great summer--we've already broken our number for last year, and there are always a few who come in at the end to register :)

Remember, our first Teen Advisory Board is Thursday, August 7th at 7PM in the YA department.  But, since I'm on vacation the first week in September, we'll have the meeting for that month the next week, on the 11th, same time.  Come and bring your ideas for teen programs, events, and materials--we'll do what we can to make them happen :)

Catching Fire, End of Summer, and TAB

Only one more day of Summer Reading after today!  Our movie today is Catching Fire--and it's free!  Drinks and popcorn are 50 cents each--come join us in the Coosa Room at 10am to watch Katniss battle it out in the Quarter Quell!

All folders and Scavenger Hunt clues (as well as the Internet and Reference scavenger hunts) are due tomorrow (Thursday the 17th)--make sure you get everything turned in before we close at 8:30!

Our first Teen Advisory Board meeting for this year is Thursday, August 7th at 7PM.  We'll meet in the Young Adult area and then have snacks afterwards. Come help us make plans for Hobbit Day, Teen Read Week, and Halloween!

Juggling Workshop and Library Closing

Can't believe we're already into week 6 of SPR--it's really flown by this year!

Our last scavenger hunt clue is out, and you have until July 17th to tell us all six in order to get your prize :)

The juggling workshop is Wednesday at 4PM--it's only $5.00, and should be a lot of fun.  We only have 15 available spaces, so the sooner you sign up, the better your chance of getting in!

We'll be closed this Thursday, July 3rd, in observance of Independence Day, but will be open regular hours (10-5) on Saturday, and then it's business as usual on Monday the 7th.


Hope everyone has a great week, and an enjoyable holiday weekend :)

YA stuff for summer

We're starting in on Week 4 of the Summer Reading Program, and things are going great.  We've already registered over 3,000, with about 500 of those being teens--and we're only halfway through the program!  If you haven't signed up, there's still plenty of time--we'll register until the last day of the program on July 17th.  You can keep up with your reading time on paper and just show it to us when you come in to register--anything you've kept track of since May 27th will count :)

We've still got several teen movies/programs going on--our movie this week is Ender's Game (rated PG-13).  Admission is free, and drinks and popcorn are 50 cents each.  Movies don't count on your time sheet, but they're a great way to beat the heat (the air conditioning actually works in the meeting rooms!)

We also have two teen workshops left that will be taking place the following two weeks.  Science Behind Cooking will be at 4pm on Wednesday, June 25th, and our juggling workshop with Todd Key (one of the Zucchini Brothers from the Georgia Renaissance Festival) will be the next Wednesday, July 2nd, also at 4pm.  Each workshop is $5.00 (no partial refund), and all you have to do to register is let a staff member know you're coming and pay.

Our movie for the last week of the program will be Catching Fire, the second in the Hunger Games series--we'll show it at 10am on Wednesday, July 16th, also in the Coosa Room.  Time sheets will be due the next day, July 17th, before closing at 8:30 pm.  Entries for the coloring contest, design contest, essay contest, and photo contest will be due on July 10th--the Scavenger Hunt and Guess How Many will go through the 17th.

We're excited at the prospect of beating our total for next year--we had 3,513, and are within 400 of beating that.  Come help us break our record, and get some goodies (and maybe even weekly drawing prizes) for reading you probably have to do anyway for school :).



  

Tonight's Meeting

Don't forget that our last TAB meeting for this school year will be tonight at 7PM--it should only last about 20 minutes, since we're just throwing around a few ideas for next year to think about over the summer.  Some things to consider:

*Hobbit Day is September 22

*Fall movies coming out (The Maze Runner, Mockingjay pt.1, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)

*Random holidays listed here

If you can't make it tonight, our next meeting will be on Thursday, August 7th--time TBA :)

2014 Teens' Top Ten

YALSA has posted their Teens' Top Ten nominees here--check them out (and start reading) so you can vote for your favorites beginning in August!

"Reading for fun?  But I've got a summer reading list for school to do!"  you may say.  Never fear--so do we.  I spent part of yesterday and today going through the book lists for two of our area schools, figuring out which ones we have in the collection and writing their location on the sheets we'll keep in our Summer Reading List binder behind the circulation desk.  Some of them are repeats from years past that we have multiple copies of--others we might have to request from other libraries.  So far, I have the lists for Rome Middle and Darlington (all levels), and will update as I find out what's in store for everyone else.  The earlier you start requesting, the better--sometimes there are just a few copies in PINES, and if everyone in your grade needs to read it.....well, it could take awhile (and that's not even considering if other schools around the state are reading them as well).  We'll do everything we can to get you what you need--and of course, you can always count it on your time sheet and get some goodies (and enter our weekly drawings for even more!)

Last TAB for until August!

Our last TAB for the school year will be this Thursday, May 8, at 7PM.  Come help us make plans for next year--we'll take the summer off and start back in August, but it's always good to start planning ahead :)

Also, there's still time to let us know if you want to volunteer this summer--it looks great on college and job applications, and will help you to meet your requirements for groups like National Honor Society--just let us know your schedule (and when you might be on vacation) and we'll work with you :)

Speaking of summer--we've got our display stocked with prizes (for kids and teens), our schedule of movies and workshops is set, and we'll start signing up at 8:30 am on Tuesday, May 27th.  You can sign up anytime between then and the end of the program on July 17th--and if you're out of town during any time, just keep up with your reading time and redeem for prizes when you get back into town.  Here are some of the things you might enjoy:

*All of these will be held in the Coosa Room*

Presentations--free of charge, no registration needed

Thursday, June 5th @ 2PM:  Out{Cast}, a local anti-bullying group with teen performers, will present "Hear Me Roar"



Workshops--$5 per person, must sign up (we'll have a waiting list, and also call to confirm a day or two before)--may get a partial refund)

Wednesday, June 11th @ 2PM:  Laughter Yoga workshop for ages 5 and up--there will be younger kids in this one, but it'll be a good time to have some laughs and let off some steam :)

Wednesday, June 25th @4PM:  Science Behind Cooking workshop

Wednesday, July 2nd @ 4PM:  Juggling workshop with Todd Key



Movies--all are at 10am, drinks and popcorn will be 50 cents each 

Wednesday, June 18th:  Ender's Game

Wednesday, July 16th:  Catching Fire

Teen Lit Day, summer volunteers, and new releases

Remember that tomorrow is Teen Lit Day and we'll have Spine Poetry and sweet treats for cards all day, and will be showing 'I Am Number Four' at 6PM in the Coosa Room--free drinks and popcorn included :) Teen Advisory Board members (or other teens) who help set up or take down (probably around half an hour before and after the movie--so either 5:30-6 or 8-8:30) can earn volunteer time as well :)

We've been busy gearing up for summer in the Children's Department--contacting sponsors, picking up prizes, planning programs, and (finally!) getting our brochure ready for the printer.  If you're interested in volunteering, drop by the Children's Desk and ask us for an application.  We choose volunteers on a first come, first served basis, and will look over applications (and times available) and get back to you with your schedule around the middle of May.

Even though summer takes up a lot of time and energy at this time of year, we're still ordering and getting new books all the time.  Here's a list of recent books that are new to the Rome Branch:

March

John Lewis (graphic novel)

Y 741. 5  Lewis Bk. 1

The Lost Books

Infidel

Ted Dekker

Y Dekker Bk. 2

The Lost Books

Renegade

Ted Dekker

Y Dekker Bk. 3

Slated trilogy

Fractured

Teri Terry

Y Terry Bk. 2

Witch & Wizard

James Patterson

Y Patterson Bk.1

Witch & Wizard The Fire

James Patterson

Y Patterson Bk. 3

Slayers

C.J. Hill

Y Hill

Slayers Friends and Traitors

C.J. Hill

Y Hill

Alice in Zombieland

Gena Showalter

Y Showalter Bk.1

If you'd like to put some of these on hold, you can do it from home using your library card and PIN number, or give us a call and we'll be glad to help you :)

Spine Poetry and Teen Lit Day

I started doing a monthly display of YA books back in the fall--and since April is National Poetry Month, I decided to do something a bit different (and more interactive)--spine poetry!

Spine poetry?  What?  

No, it's not poems about the miraculousness of the human spine (though it is pretty amazing)--spine poetry is the art (if you want to call it that) of stacking or shelving books so that the titles listed on the spines somewhat make sense to create a poem.  Here are some examples I found online:

And here are a couple I made myself with some of our own YA titles:

 

Want to create your own spine poetry?  We'd love to see it!  You can either create your own at home or school and post them on our Facebook or Twitter pages--or when you come into the library, use the computer counter to make some (of course we want to see them too--so you can either post them or let us know and we'll snap a few pictures to add).  We'll be doing this throughout the month of April--it'll be cool to see what you come up with :)

And speaking of coming into the library.......next Thursday would be a good time to do that.  Why, you may ask?  Because it's Teen Lit Day, and we'll be celebrating all day long!  Young Adults (12-18) can bring their library cards to the desk in the Children's Department for a goody throughout the day, and then we'll be showing I Am Number Four at 6PM that evening, with free popcorn and drinks.  Floyd County schools are out the next day, so it's the perfect kickoff for your Spring Break!

And the winner of Book Madness is......

Lord of the Rings!

I think we'll make this an annual thing--and maybe next year we can add in another aspect of the competition with creating possible brackets at the begging, and have prizes for those who guess the whole thing--I'll have to think of something good :)


Speaking of something good......Teen Lit Day is coming up on April 17th--which works out nicely for us, since Floyd County Schools have the next day off--so be on the lookout for something to celebrate that evening :)


One final reminder--I'll be off on May 1st so our last TAB meeting until August will be on Thursday May 8th--same Bat time (7PM) same Bat place (Children's Theater--or possibly the office if we need computer access).

Link to Final Round

Here's the link to the Final Round voting:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TdYuTS5SYIzQGmazGUjnGBwSn2nmsPD3tnK0aAcPEsw/viewform

We'll post the winner next Monday, March 7th, at noon.

Final Round Starts Today!

The results are in for Round 4--the odds were not in the favor of The Hunger Games, and even with a Greek god for a dad, Percy Jackson didn't make the cut.  The last two series in the competition are a couple of classics--Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.  Voting will go until noon next week, since we lost a bit of time with the tie-breaker last week.

Also, remember TAB this Thursday at 7PM--I'll leave at 6 to go pick up some stuff, but will be back in time for the meeting.  Bring your ideas for Teen Lit Day on April 17th :) 

Round 4 Survey Is UP!

The results of Sudden Death are in--Harry is out, while Katniss, Percy, Aslan, and Frodo will advance to Round 4.  You have until next Tuesday at 8:30 to vote for two of these worthy series.  You know the competition is getting tight when Harry Potter gets eliminated--I know I can't wait to see how this all pans out!

Here's a link to the Round 4 survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yZwcjwEM6CkSnj9bGj9FnMwvcaIWsXiwwbKZO8TsdYE/viewform

Round 3.5--Sudden Death!

I was out a workshop yesterday, and then everything has been crazy busy today--so imagine my surprise when I (finally) went in to make the new survey for Round 4 and we have a tie!  Lord of the Rings has 7 votes--but Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Percy Jackson are all tied with six votes--and being the Final Four, that's one too many.  So, I've created a new survey here to break the tie--you have until 3:30 PM tomorrow, March 26th, to vote for three of those series--which will be really tough because they're all fantastic!

I'll post Round 4 tomorrow after 3:30, and since we lost a day, we'll extend voting until next Tuesday, April 1st at 8:30 AM.

In other YA news, our next TAB meeting is next Thursday, April 3rd--one of the things we'll do is decide if we want to meet over the summer or take a couple of months off.  We'll also figure out what to do for Teen Lit Day on April 17th.  Come join us at 7PM on that day and bring your ideas and opinions!

Round 2 Results and Round 3

Well, the results for Round 2 are the same--so these series will be advancing to Round 3:

*A Series of Unfortunate Events
*Harry Potter
*The Hunger Games
*The Chronicles of Narnia
*Percy Jackson
*Eragon
*Artemis Fowl
*Lord of the Rings

The competition is really getting intense--we've got some real classics, old and new, here, and choosing only four of them for the next round is going to be tough!  You can cast your vote here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fNTlaTtouV5i0Dn3d8K_xVzWq_rTbNlPmvEU6AtLLuk/viewform

4 days left in Round 2--Percy in the lead!

We've had a few more voters in this round--as it stands right now, Percy Jackson has 6 votes, followed by The Hunger Games, Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings--all have 5.  A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, Eragon, and Artemis Fowl each have 4 votes--so the way it's looking right now, these are the series that will advance to Round 3.

Not happy with those choices?  Want to make sure your favorite makes it to the next round?  Well follow the link and vote!  You've got until 8:30 Monday morning--there's still time!

Here's the link, in case you missed it:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lyOwlWw1do2LbuNI6XYer0AJF1zJnlPPOocb99Mt0yE/viewform

Round 2 Starts Today!

Voting for Round 1 is closed--these 16 YA series advance to Round 2:

*A Series of Unfortunate Events
*Harry Potter
*The Hunger Games
*Twilight
*The Chronicles of Narnia
*Divergent
*Percy Jackson
*Eragon
*Artemis Fowl
*Ruby Red
*Seven Realms
*Maximum Ride
*Ranger's Apprentice
*Pendragon
*Pretty Little Liars
*Lord of the Rings
*White Rabbit Chronicles

Cast your vote here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lyOwlWw1do2LbuNI6XYer0AJF1zJnlPPOocb99Mt0yE/viewform
--or use a paper ballot next time you're in the library--just give it to someone in the Children's Department and they'll make sure it gets recorded :)

Book Review & TAB

TAB meets tonight at 7 in the Children's Department.  We'll be making plans for National Poetry Month and next week's Teen Tech Week activity--come join the fun!

This book review is brought to you by Margaret, who's 16.  She gave 4 1/2 stars to Pendragon:  the Merchant of Death (the first of  the series).  Here's what she had to say about it:

" The book is about a boy named Bobby Pendragon who travels through space and time to a realm called Denduron.  I love how imaginative this book is and how it literally took me to new worlds.  Any fantasy/sci-fi lover will find this series to be fascinating".  

Paper surveys available

I'll be printing some paper ballots for this week's Book Madness voting--pick one up if you come in and give it to anyone who works in the Children's Department, and we'll add your responses to the online.  Voting goes through Saturday, and we'll have next week's ballots out on Monday.

Next week is also Teen Tech Week--our QR Code Scan-venger Hunt will start Monday and go through Saturday.  More information to come Monday morning.

Round 1 begins today!

It's finally here--the first round of our Book Madness! Go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UiH2Fu_z4NBvSmiEvoVjVv4_zT1r6dtKuIQkYpMHdUk/viewform to vote for 16 of the 32 choices listed. Voting goes through next Monday morning at 8:30 AM, and the surviving teen book series will advance to Round 2 :)

Book Madness!

Only 5 days until the madness begins!  Our Teen Advisory Board members chose 32 Young Adult book series (or series of interest--some are in other parts of our library) at our last meeting, and starting Monday, March 3rd, I'll post a link to a Google Form for that week's voting.  You'll chose your favorite of half the titles (16 the first week, 8 the second, and so on) and the choices with the most votes will advance to the next round.  Each round will start Monday at 8:30 am and go until the same time the next week.  Don't get to vote for your favorite series each week!

Round 1:  March 3-10
Round 2:  March 10-17
Round 3:  March 17-24
Round 4:  March 24-31
Final Round: March 31-April 7

The winner will be announced/posted on Monday, April 7th at noon.  We'll post it here on the blog, on Twitter, and on our Facebook page.  We'll also have a 'live' version of our bracket on the wall over the Young Adult computers that we'll update each week, so you can keep up with the results when you come to the library.

In other news, the week of March 10th is Teen Tech Week--we're planning something that's been a big hit at other libraries--just a hint, go ahead and download a QR code reader for your smartphone--you can get them for free by searching on your phone's app store ;)

TAB next week, YA book review

Our next TAB meeting will be next Thursday, March 6, at 7PM in the Children's Department.  We'll be making plans for our Poetry Night in April and our Teen Read Week activity in March.

Speaking of March.....next Monday starts our YA Book March Madness--we'll start with 32 books (or series) and vote each week to find the champion!

Starting this week, I'll be posting book reviews written by our teen volunteers--if you want to add one of your own, the forms are on the YA fiction shelf right next to our Book Nook.  Here's what Lauren, 16, had to say about John Green's book Looking for Alaska:

"This book is about a teenage misfit who changes schools.  He makes many new and interesting friends that challenge him and help shape him into who he will be.  One of these friends is the reckless and beautiful Alaska Young

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the overall story of the book.  Although it is quite sad, John Green uses humor in all the right places.  I also liked how the novel was divided up with 'Days Before" and "Days After."

I would definitely recommend Looking for Alaska. If you enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower or any other John Green books, you would like this one as well."

TAB next week

Our Teen Advisory Board meeting for February will be next Thursday, February 6th, at 7PM--we'll plan our March Madness activity, get a jump on the Poetry Night for April (since it's National Poetry Month) and give you an opportunity to plan some things for next summer--any teen between 13-18 who is enrolled in school (or a homeschooler) is welcome to come :)

First SRP workshop and TAB

Just booked our first Summer performer for teen--juggler Todd Key will be joining us on July 2 at 4PM--mark your calendars and come learn how to juggle!  I couldn't find a video of his teen workshop, but if the videos on his website are any indication, we're in for a treat--you can check them out here http://www.toddkeyjuggles.com/video.htm

The timing on TAB just didn't work this time, with the days off of school for weather after already being out for a few weeks--so our next meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7PM, and then the same time on the first Thursday through May--so that will be March 6, April 10, and May 8.  At February's meeting will be planning our Library March Madness--you won't want to miss it!