Corpse Bride

Today, 12 teens came after school to watch Corpse Bride and eat candy. It was a great way to spend Halloween! Thanks for coming, and don't forget to sign up for all the November programs now!!

Final Totals from the Yard Sale

Thanks to Maria, Arwa, and Caitlin C., the TAB was able to staff the yard sale last Saturday. It was a yucky day, so thanks for coming to help! The yard sale raised $111, so the TAB gets $55.50 from your hard work.

Overall, we got $135.50 for teen programs and materials from two Saturdays' work at the yard sale. Huge thanks to everyone who worked and who purchased our stuff!

Anime Club

Yesterday, 12 members of the Anime Club met for our second-ever meeting. We made fake sushi, which was messy and fun. And it actually tasted good! Thanks to Kara, we watched a screener DVD of Last Exile, which is very cool Steampunk anime. Everyone agreed that it was a great show and we wished we had more of it! We also watched a clip of Battle Doll Angelic Layer thanks to Caitlin C.

If you want to join the Anime Club, sign up at the children's desk. There is plenty of room for new members!

Party Time! Excellent!

This afternoon, 9 teens came out to watch the crazy movie Wayne's World after school. It was one of our humorous events celebrating Teen Read Week, plus it was a totally excellent part of 90s pop culture. We ate food and laughed at the outrageous antics of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey!

Thanks for coming, and don't forget that we are showing Corpse Bride next Wednesday (Halloween) at the same time!

Book Review: London Calling

London Calling by Edward Bloor

Click on the book cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: John Martin Conway feels out of place at his exclusive prep school, where he is constantly reminded that he is a scholarship kid. After a confrontation with Hank Lowery, the great-grandson of the school's founder, he requests to work at home on an independent study project. The World War II-era radio that his grandmother left him brings him into contact with Jimmy, a boy who lived during the war and who needs his help. He takes Martin back to the time of the London Blitz. In his own time, he focuses his research on the things Jimmy shows him and the people he encounters, discovering the truth about General Hank Lowery and his own grandfather and discovering how he can help put Jimmy's soul to rest. (adapted from the School Library Journal review)

OPINION: This time-travel mystery is full of suspense and tension, as Martin tries to solve both modern and historical problems. At first, the issues don't seem to be related: bullies at his prep school and a boy who lives during the London Blitz of 1940. But as Martin enters into the past, he realizes that Jimmy can show him the truth about his grandfather and his school's founder. History is usually told by the winners, but Martin separates truth from fiction just in time to stop the lies that have been going on for 60 years. It took me a little bit of time to get into this story, but once I got over the whole time travel thing I really enjoyed it. The author incorporates historical information without being obnoxious, which is a quality I admire. If you like a little history with your fantasy, or a little fantasy with your history, this book is for you.

WEBSITE: Check out Edward Bloor's website--http://www.edwardbloor.net/

LOL with Vicky Town

Last night, 25 teens came out to our LOL Storytelling event with Vicky Town. It was a lot of fun, with jokes, stories, improv, and even Mad-Libs! We also had silly food, including cheese with cheesy jokes, Laffy Taffy, cow pie cookies, and kitty litter cake. Even though Vicky was worried that no one would laugh, everyone seemed to enjoy the program. The staff said they could hear us laughing downstairs! It was a great way to end Teen Read Week!

Pimp My Bookcart

Members of the Teen Advisory Board are entering the Pimp My Bookcart contest with a project based on the Knight Bus from Harry Potter! Pimp My Bookcart is a contest run by the online library comic Unshelved. Here are some action shots as the TAB began work on the their entry earlier this month! We've got to get it done...pictures of the final product are due on October 31!

Making a list of supplies by the purple bookcart!

Designing a chandelier.

Fresh From Processing

Be the first to check out one of our new books!

FICTION

• November Blues by Sharon Draper
• Slam by Nick Hornby
• What I Meant by Marie Lamba

NONFICTION

• On the Rocks: Teens and Alcohol by David Aretha
• Strike a Pose: The Planet Girl Guide to Yoga by Karen Birkemoe
• Frequently Asked Questions about Online Romance by Ann Boger
• Frequently Asked Questions about Cyberbullying by Teri Breguet
• Snowball Launchers, Giant-Pumpkin Growers, and Other Cool Contraptions by Tom Fox
• Crafty Bags for Stylish Girls: Uniquely Chic Purses, Pouches, and Pocketbooks by Elizabeth Ingrid Hauser
• Frequently Asked Questions about Identity Theft by Michael R. Wilson

Book Review: Eulalia!

Eulalia! by Brian Jacques (Redwall series)

This book was just released on October 4. Click on the book to see which libraries already own it.

SUMMARY: Across the seas come Vizka Longtooth, with a scurrilous crew of Sea Raiders bound for plunder and conquest. Aboard, a young badger lies captive. The aged Badger Lord of Salamandastron sends forth a haremaid, questing for his successor. A young thief is exiled from Redwall. A Brownrat Chieftain, with his savage horde, ravages Mossflower Country. The fate of all these creatures, both good and evil, is caught up in this saga of war and destiny. Over the cold Northern Isles, across the heaving seas, sweeping through forest and plain, from the legendary badger mountain to the ancient stones of Redwall Abbey, the warcry thunders out...Eulaliiiiiiaaaaa! (from the inside flap)

OPINION: This is another solid entry in the Redwall series, which now numbers 19 books. I have read every single one of them! Many of the stories have dealt with attacks on Redwall Abbey, and this one follows that pattern. Some people might see this as being formulaic, but Brian Jacques has a gift for inventing engaging characters that make each story unique. Maudie the fighting Salamandastron haremaid and Rangval the rogue squirrel are my particular favorites from this book. And, of course, the food is legendary! Reading these books always makes me hungry. It has been two years since the last release, so enjoy your return to Redwall!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.redwall.com/

MY FAVORITES: I particularly love The Legend of Luke, The Bellmaker, and Loamhedge from the Redwall series.

It's Teen Read Week!

October 14 to 20 is Teen Read Week, so come to the library and see what's new! This year's theme is LOL, and we have purchased a bunch of humorous teen books to celebrate. Look at them in the display case, and don't hesitate to ask us if you want to check one out! There are also more books and a complete LOL book list at the entrance to the teen area.

Book Review: The Crow

The Crow: The Third Book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon

Click on the book cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: Hem is a weary orphan whose struggle for survival ends when he is reunited with his lost sister, Maerad. But Maerad has a destiny to fulfill, and Hem is sent to the golden city of Turbansk where he learns the ways of the Bards and befriends a mysterious white crow. When the forces of the Dark threaten, Hem flees with his protector, Saliman, and an orphan girl named Zelika to join the Light’s resistance forces. It is there that Hem has a vision and learns that he, too, has a part to play in Maerad’s quest to solve the Riddle of the Treesong. As The Crow continues the epic tale begun with The Naming and The Riddle, Alison Croggon creates a world of astounding beauty overshadowed by a terrifying darkness, a world where Maerad and Hem must prepare to wage their final battle for the Light. (adapted from the back cover)

OPINION: A lot of people at our library started reading this series because of Marissa, and now we're hooked! This book is different from the first two, in that it focuses on Maerad's brother rather than Maerad herself. Despite that, it is a heart-wrenching adventure story that will keep you engrossed until the end. Hem (aka Cai) finds out the strength of his bardic powers on an epic journey to find out exactly what the Dark is up to. As he joins the ranks of child soldiers directed by Hulls, Hem has to hide his powers and curb his attitude...two things that are very difficult for him! Find out how Hem infiltrates the Dark and tries to remain part of the Light, even as older Bards are losing their lives for the same deception.

WEBSITES: Check out the new Books of Pellinor website! It has an excerpt from the final book, The Singing, which is scheduled to be published next summer! Also, check out Alison Croggon's personal website for lots more info on the series.

Our Shelves Overfloweth

The shelves are seriously going to fall off the wall from the weight of all the new teen fiction we're getting. Please come check something out!!

• Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison (third in the Gilda Joyce series)
• The God of Mischief by Paul Bajoria
• Notes on a Near-Life Experience by Olivia Birdsall
• Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac
• Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
• Split Screen by Brent Hartinger (finally!)
• Silent Echoes by Carla Jablonski
• The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones
• Mississippi Jack by L. A. Meyer (fifth in the Bloody Jack series)
• Now You See Her by Jacquelyn Mitchard
• Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb by Kirsten Miller
• Pressing Hard by Stephanie Perry Moore (second in the Perry Skky series)
• At the Firefly Gate by Linda Newbery
• Hallway Diaries by Felicia Pride, Debbie Rigaud, and Karen Valentin
• Harmelss by Dand Reinhardt
• How to Get Suspended and Influence People by Adam Selzer
• Montmorency's Revenge by Eleanor Updale (fourth in the Montmorency series)
• It Had to Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Book Review: Keeping Corner

Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth
Review by Meg

This book will be released on October 30, 2007.

Occasionally, you come across a book that grabs you and transports you to another time and place. Keeping Corner is definately one of these books. The vivid detail and descriptions of India, including the scents, sights, and smells, make you feel like you're actually there. The plot is interesting, with enough twists and turns to keep your attention, but at the same time refreshingly simple in the way it twines one girl's quest for freedom from tradition with the story of Ghandi's rise to fame. Overall, a great book and one I would highly recommend!

Visit the author's blog: http://kashmirasheth.typepad.com/

Book Review: Project 17

Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Review by Alexa

This book will be released on December 1, 2007.

From the author of Blue of for Nightmares comes an exciting new novel. Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz is fresh and brilliant. I've never read anything like it. At first it may seem that there are just these six kids who want to break into Danvers State Hospital for the fun of getting spooked--because, face it, that what teenagers do. As you get deeper into the novel, though, you'll find out that you were deeply, deeply mistaken. For Derik, it's an opportunity to turn his future into something worthwhile. For Mimi, it's a way to conect her family's past to herself. Project 17 is full of nonstop action and love, where six people form bonds no one ever suspected. And it's anything but a project to read!

Visit the author's website: http://www.lauriestolarz.com/

LOL @ the Movies

On Friday night, 14 teens came out to watch the zany comedy Rat Race. This movie has a great ensemble cast that gets into all kinds of random situations in their pursuit of a $2 million prize. Everyone had a great time, and enjoyed snacks and soda (of course).

This was the first of two humorous movies we will be showing this month in celebration of Teen Read Week, whose theme is LOL @ Your Library. You can sign up now to see Wayne's World on October 24 after school!

Lots of Drama

Yesterday was the first meeting of our six-week comedy improv workshop with Vicky Town. It was great! Eleven teens came out to play theater games and work on their improv skills. We had so much fun playing games like "What Are You Doing?" and "Rumble"! I can't wait until next week.

There are still spaces available in this program. If you are in grades 6 to 12, sign up at the children's desk if you want to participate!

Avalon High...More Than Just Fluff

Book Grub, the library's high school book discussion group, is reading Avalon High by Meg Cabot for their meeting on Friday. I was preparing for that meeting this morning, and I ended up giving myself an English lesson! In Avalon High, all of the main characters have names that correspond to people in the Arthurian legends, but Elaine was one I was not familiar with. Apparently, Elaine had a relationship with Lancelot, although he was in love with Guinevere.

Every chapter of Avalon High opens with a related quote from The Lady of Shalott, a narrative poem about Elaine by Alfred Tennyson first published in 1832. Tennyson also wrote a 12-poem cycle later in his life about events at Camelot called The Idylls of the King. It includes a different story about Elaine in a poem called Lancelot and Elaine. If you want to read these poems, you can use LitFinder from the Access PA POWER Library. If you are at home, you will need to enter your library card number to do this. You could also look for the poems using a search engine.

Shiny and New

We have bunches of new fiction books cluttering up the shelves. Come get them out of here!!

• Beige by Cecil Castellucci
• Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn
• Shrimp by Rachel Cohn
• The Crow by Alison Croggon (Pellinor series)
• Deadline by Chris Crutcher
• The Problem with Paradise by Lesley Dahl
• Choices by Deborah Lynn Jacobs
• Eulalia! by Brian Jacques (Redwall series)
• Schooled by Gordon Korman
• The Last Girls of Pompeii by Kathryn Lasky
• Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers
• What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myers
• Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates
• Tide of Terror by Justin Somper (Vampirates series)
• Extras by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies series)