Last night, 14 teens attended the TAB's vampire party, and almost everyone wore a costume. It was a small group but lots of fun! We watched movie clips from The Lost Boys and Blade Trinity (thanks to Alexa) and Interview with the Vampire (thanks to Kara). We also decorated cupcakes to look like Dracula and did some vampire Mad-Libs. But the best event of the night, IMHO, was the contest where people had to eat goblets of clotted blood (black cherry jello and grapes) while wearing vampire teeth!
This event was planned and produced by our Teen Advisory Board, who are the coolest. The TAB worked hard to make decorations for the room, so there were lots of appropriate posters of vampirish items. Tyria and Kaitlyn came early to set up and Tyria, Laura, Julie, and Kara helped tear everything down at the end. Kara provided a sufficiently creepy vampire soundtrack for the party, too.
Sorry to everyone who missed this event! Check out our photos below...
10.28.2006
10.25.2006
Book Review: Crooked
Crooked by Tom McNeal and Laura McNeal
SUMMARY: Clara Wilson, 14, has a crooked nose, a best friend who deserts her, and parents who argue all the time. When her mother accepts a teaching job in Spain, Clara feels abandoned and resentful. Fellow ninth-grader Amos MacKenzie has parents who embarrass him, and keep secrets from him. He enjoys a newfound popularity after being attacked by the town bad boys, Charles and Eddie Tripp, but is lost and confused when his father unexpectedly dies. His budding relationship with Clara is his only consolation. When the Tripp brothers vow revenge on Amos for reporting them to the police, he and Clara face intimidation, which draws them even closer together. In a dramatic climax, the Tripps break into her house and corner her in the attic. The characters' actions and reactions ring true as they try to cope with all of the changes that life has dealt them and still maintain a grasp on who they are. (excerpted from Library Journal)
OPINION: I hadn't heard of it before, but this book was recommended to me as one that might be good for a book discussion group. The sprawling, atmospheric story is told in chapters that alternate between Amos and Clara's points of view. I liked the complexity of Amos and Clara's lives, and the way their stories intertwined. The unique storytelling style and the compelling characters kept me interested even when the plot seemed to be dragging. In my opinion, the dramatic ending of the book was far too short for the length of time I was reading to get there. I don't think I will use it for our book discussion groups, but I think it would be a good book to curl up with for an afternoon of reading and hot chocolate.
SUMMARY: Clara Wilson, 14, has a crooked nose, a best friend who deserts her, and parents who argue all the time. When her mother accepts a teaching job in Spain, Clara feels abandoned and resentful. Fellow ninth-grader Amos MacKenzie has parents who embarrass him, and keep secrets from him. He enjoys a newfound popularity after being attacked by the town bad boys, Charles and Eddie Tripp, but is lost and confused when his father unexpectedly dies. His budding relationship with Clara is his only consolation. When the Tripp brothers vow revenge on Amos for reporting them to the police, he and Clara face intimidation, which draws them even closer together. In a dramatic climax, the Tripps break into her house and corner her in the attic. The characters' actions and reactions ring true as they try to cope with all of the changes that life has dealt them and still maintain a grasp on who they are. (excerpted from Library Journal)
OPINION: I hadn't heard of it before, but this book was recommended to me as one that might be good for a book discussion group. The sprawling, atmospheric story is told in chapters that alternate between Amos and Clara's points of view. I liked the complexity of Amos and Clara's lives, and the way their stories intertwined. The unique storytelling style and the compelling characters kept me interested even when the plot seemed to be dragging. In my opinion, the dramatic ending of the book was far too short for the length of time I was reading to get there. I don't think I will use it for our book discussion groups, but I think it would be a good book to curl up with for an afternoon of reading and hot chocolate.
10.22.2006
Our First Ever Book Swap!
Yesterday's TRW Book Swap and Read-In was attended by 13 ____________ (plural noun) . About 40 ____________ (plural noun) were swapped. The teens spent time __________ (verb ending in ing) and eating __________ (noun) . Marissa brought some __________ (plural noun) for the group to listen to. Megan read aloud a/an __________ (adjective) story. But the group spend most of the time playing a/an ___________ (adjective) game where you fill in the __________ (plural noun) with random words. We should do this again sometime!!!
10.19.2006
New Teen Nonfic!
Several new books are now in our teen nonfic section, and I think they will be very popular! Here are the titles:
- Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You Crazy by Annie Fox and Ruth Kirschner
- I Wanna Make My Own Clothes by Clea Hantman
- I Wanna Re-Do My Room by Clea Hantman
- Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens by Margaret O. Hyde and Elizabeth H. Forsyth
- Immersed in Verse: An Informative, Slightly Irreverent, and Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet's Life by Allan Wolf
10.12.2006
Get Active...Check Out a NEW Book!
Guess what this post is about!? Here's the latest...and a lot of them can be found on display in the teen corner!
FICTION
FICTION
- Mercy, Unbound by Kim Antieau
- The Shakespeare Stealer (replacement copy) by Gary Blackwood
- Wild Orchid by Beverley Brenna
- The Freedom of Jenny by Julie Burtinshaw
- Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
- Ingo by Kelen Dunmore
- Bass Ackwards and Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
- Four Things My Geeky-Jock-of-a-Best-Friend Must Do in Europe by Jane Harrington
- The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes
- The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon
- Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
- Magic or Madness and Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier (FYI--wife of Scott Westerfeld)
- The Two Loves of Will Shakespeare by Laurie Lawlor
- The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
- Pirate Curse by Kai Meyer
- In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber by L. A. Meyer
- Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller
- After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates
- Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
GRAPHIC NOVELS
- Castle in the Sky, volumes 1 to 4
- Howl's Moving Castle, volumes 1 to 4
- My Neighbor Totoro, volumes 1 to 4
- Spirited Away, volumes 1 to 5
10.02.2006
Book Review: The Last Days
The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld
**a sequel to Peeps**
SUMMARY: Strange things are happening: old friends are disappearing, angels are clambering on the fire escapes of New York City. But for Pearl, Moz, and Zahler, all that matters is the band. As the city reels under a mysterious epidemic, the three combine their talents with a vampire lead singer and a drummer whose fractured mind can glimpse the coming darkness. Will their music stave off the end? Or summon it? Set against the gritty apocalypse that began in Peeps, this story is about five teenagers who find themselves creating the soundtrack for the end of the world. (adapted from the inside flap)
OPINION: This book will draw you into a decaying New York City landscape, covered with garbage and infested with rats. But that's not the only thing...vampirism is spreading faster than the Night Watch can handle, and giant worms are surfacing from the depths of the earth. It could be the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it. At the same time, the main characters are busy composing strange songs and discarding names for their band. If you love music, vampires, or both, you will be intrigued by this paranormal, creepy story. It's fawesome!
TRIVIA: Every chapter in this book is named after a band. An endnote explains them all. Very cool!
AUTHOR: Scott Westerfeld's blog is a great read, so go there and visit!
**a sequel to Peeps**
SUMMARY: Strange things are happening: old friends are disappearing, angels are clambering on the fire escapes of New York City. But for Pearl, Moz, and Zahler, all that matters is the band. As the city reels under a mysterious epidemic, the three combine their talents with a vampire lead singer and a drummer whose fractured mind can glimpse the coming darkness. Will their music stave off the end? Or summon it? Set against the gritty apocalypse that began in Peeps, this story is about five teenagers who find themselves creating the soundtrack for the end of the world. (adapted from the inside flap)
OPINION: This book will draw you into a decaying New York City landscape, covered with garbage and infested with rats. But that's not the only thing...vampirism is spreading faster than the Night Watch can handle, and giant worms are surfacing from the depths of the earth. It could be the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it. At the same time, the main characters are busy composing strange songs and discarding names for their band. If you love music, vampires, or both, you will be intrigued by this paranormal, creepy story. It's fawesome!
TRIVIA: Every chapter in this book is named after a band. An endnote explains them all. Very cool!
AUTHOR: Scott Westerfeld's blog is a great read, so go there and visit!
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