New to You

The teen section is expanding like crazy, so come in and check out these new items:

FICTION

• The Silenced by James DeVita
• Top 8 by Katie Finn
• Memory Boy by Will Weaver
• Mind Rain by Scott Westerfeld

NONFICTION

• Ripley's Believe It or Not: Totally Bizarre!

Book Swap

On Saturday, 12 people came to the Book Swap and Disney event. Some people dropped in just to trade, others came just for the movie, and still others did both! A total of 18 books were swapped. We sang along with Mary Poppins, but the real action started with Disney Scene-It. There was some serious competition, so much so that next time we have a book swap we may just play different versions of Scent-It! Look for another book swap in October.

Nintendo Night Report

Last Friday, 41 teens showed up for our summer Nintendo Night! We do this event three or four times a year, but the summer one is always the largest. Our Brawl tournament had 37 participants, and our DS Pokemon tournament had 15! In Brawl, the final match was among Ranier, Andrew, David, and Edgar. In Pokemon, the final match was between David and Katie. And, as luck would have it, David won both! He completely deserves it, not just because he is a great player, but also because he has put a lot of wear and tear on his own equipment by bringing it to our club over the years. David won a total of $35 in Game Stop gift cards. All of the other finalists got candy as a consolation prize.

The event was not without its technological issues, so huge thanks goes out to library employee, Ben, who went above and beyond to help the event happen. With 15 minutes to go before starting time, he sprinted home to get some speakers. And when the one Wii wouldn't read disks, he dealt with that while I started the tournaments. And he worked out the controller issues when we were getting cross-interference. We couldn't have done it without you, Ben!!

More Love

Today, 17 more letters were turned in by teens for our state legislators! About half were from people who came to the event yesterday. The rest were written during Anime Club this afternoon. Instead of our usual thematic drawing contest, we had a letter-writing contest while we watched anime. At the end, though, I decided that everyone who wrote a letter should get a prize, so I have to round up more prizes!! Anyway, that makes a total of exactly 29 letters from teen library users making their way to Harrisburg. Thanks everyone!

If you haven't written yet, take time to handwrite or email a note of library appreciation to your legislators. Look them up on the Pennsylvania General Assembly website.

Library Love

Yesterday, 8 teens came out to write letters to our state legislators to support library funding during the state budget process. Five members of the Teen Advisory Board and three other teens made a great effort. During the program, we wrote 12 letters, and everyone took home extra supplies to keep writing! If you love our library and the services it offers, please take a minute to write, call, or email our representatives. Just go to the webpage for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and use the box in the upper right to look them up.

Teen Reading Winners

61 people participated in teen summer reading this week, and I just did a random drawing for two winners:

Ananya H., grade 11
hardcover copy of The Loser's Guide to Life and Love by A. E. Cannon and a set of Express Yourself pins

Mohamad N., grade 7
flame bag with soda, candy, and a set of Express Yourself pins

Nintendo Night tips

Hello everyone! It's me Tommy with some usefull tips on the Super Smash Bros. tornument. Now here is what i belive the rules are from my memorie of past tornaments.

5 stock
4:oo miniutes each round
no items
random stages from a select few that are dubbed fair
you may change your character each new round but the name you choose must be the same

Here are some helpfull tips,
(The stakes are high your wholife has been about video games and you lose the first round listen to this and you can prevent this.)

First the fairly dubbed stages will probally be flat with little to none possibilty of being stuck no trap doors or anything. So who would you use on these stages here is a list of possibilitys but it always depends on what type of gammer you are.

These stages are dupped fair by me and are not a defenet choice for the tornament. To learn more about stages check my reviwes or goto the smash bros. dojo a link is in all of my previus post.

Finall destenation
Picked because its a one level flat stage it was also chosen because of the fact it looks awsome.
some characters to choose is
Kirby
Kirby can easily float under above and alomst anywhere around the stage because of nothing blocking its range you can also use kirbys down b in air with confidens you wont hit anything.

Ike,fox,falco,wolf
Like I said for kirby there is plenty of room for there side B's and up B's with Ike's strong impacts in a wide area it will be easy to smash someone outta the way and with fox, falco and wolf with there speed and agility you can rule the battlefield.

Ill update more as we get closer to the tornament.

Teen Outsmarts Doctors

This is a great story of science class ingenuity! Basically, this girl took it upon herself to investigate her illness in her AP class because, despite years of suffering, her doctors hadn't been able to figure it out!!

Ra and Jamar Redux

Last Wednesday, about 20 people came out to see The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar at Sellers. This is the second time they have come, and we were happy to have them back to promote their positive spin on hip hop culture! We set up in the adult library, so we had a lot of walk-through traffic for the program in addition to the teens who officially attended. Ra and Jamar know a lot about different styles of music, and it was fun to hear Jamar talk about samples and looping. Ra spat out some amazing rhymes, including one freestyle verse about me and the library. It was an excellent start to our Express Yourself summer programming, and we hope to have them back again soon.

Ra working the crowd.

Jamar and Ra performing.

A performance shot with the audience.

Hanging out after the program.

Advocacy Facebook Page

Marissa made a Facebook page to advocate for Pennsylvania's libraries! It's is called Library Funding for PA. Go join it now!!! And don't forget to drop in for our letter-writing party at Sellers on June 25 between 1:00 and 4:00.

Thanks Marissa!

Love Letters for Your Library

Like Marissa mentioned in yesterday's post, the Republicans and Democrats in Harrisburg are both proposing state-wide library budget cuts which will dramatically impact the services we offer in Delaware County. It doesn't matter what your political beliefs are...everyone in state government seems to think libraries are an easy target. Let's show them we're not!

Why does this matter to you?

• Lack of full funding means no money for Pennsylvania's library summer reading program. The theme materials, programs, and prizes are all affected by this cut. Imagine summer with no library summer reading programs!!!! :(
• Severe cuts to van delivery and inter-library loan would take away our ability to get books for you from other libraries. In addition to personal use, this service helps us get materials for our book groups.
• Draconian cuts to the POWER Library of online databases would greatly decrease your ability to do research from the library or from home.
• The Upper Darby Libraries alone would lose $200,000, which means fewer materials, computers, hour, or programs at our locations.

Here's what we're going to do:

On Thursday, June 25, stop by the library between 1:00 and 4:00 pm to handwrite letters to our Senators, Representatives, and Governor. We will be upstairs in the Board Room. Whether you're voting age or not, we need you to show up and write! Of course, there will be food. Bring your friends!!! The State Representatives and Senators are supposedly voting on the budget on July 1, so our letters will arrive just in time to help make a difference.

If you cannot attend, please stop by the adult library anytime to pick up information, stationery, and addresses to write your own letters. If you cannot afford the postage, the Friends of the Library will mail the letters for you if you drop them off here. We can't make it any easier for you!

Guitar Heroes

Yesterday, 23 teens came out for our Guitar Hero III Jam Session. Everyone hung in there with a few technological issues, and we ended up having a great time. We set up one game on the Wii and one game on the Xbox 360 to maximize everyone's playing time. Special thanks to Augusto, who ran home and got his Xbox 360 hard drive when mine didn't have all the songs!

Exactly 16 people entered the tournament, which made for perfect brackets. We upped the difficulty through each level. Martha, Chris N., Greg, and Alex made it to the top four, and each of them got an awesome yellow inflatable guitar. The final round between Alex and Chris was amazing to behold, as they battled it out on the expert level. And I mean battled. Alex had a thin edge through most of the song, but Chris hung in there and really gave him a run for his money. It was fun to watch! In the end, Alex emerged victorious by a small margin and won a $10 gift card to Game Stop. We are doing a lot of gaming programs through the summer, so be sure to check the schedule! We'll definitely do another Guitar Hero event in the fall.

Favorite School Year Blog Poll

In the past two weeks, exactly 30 people responded to my blog poll about favorite year of school. Poor third and fourth grades got no love, but all the other grades had a few fans. Second, sixth, and eighth grades tied for first place with four votes each! Check out the complete results below:

Kindergarten--1 (3%)
First Grade--2 (6%)
Second Grade--4 (13%)
Third Grade--0 (0%)
Fourth Grade--0 (0%)
Fifth Grade--3 (10%)
Sixth Grade--4 (13%)
Seventh Grade--1 (3%)
Eighth Grade--4 (13%)
Ninth Grade--3 (10%)
Tenth Grade--2 (6%)
Eleventh Grade--3 (10%)
Twelfth Grade--3 (10%)

New to Our Shelves

As usual, the new additions to the teen section have got to get checked out because there's no place to shelve them! Come and get these new books this week:

FICTION

• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (finally!)
• Trouble in Timbuktu by Christina Kessler
• Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
• Crowned by Julie Linker
• Dead Is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez
• In Mike We Trust by P. E. Ryan

GRAPHIC NOVEL

• Pitch Black by Youme Landowne and Anthony Horton

Book Grub Grad Party

Yesterday, almost all of the members of Book Grub showed up to celebrate the end of the school year. Former group members Sara and Marissa showed up to hang out with us, too! Seven members of the group are graduating this year, which is our biggest number ever. Our grads are David J., Arwa E., Meg G., Koumudi N., Jeff B., Nitha S., and Katie B. We will really miss them! At the meeting, we had a build-your-own-cupcake table, as well as a table of favorite Book Grub foods like Cheetos, Fanta, and Pirouettes. We talked about memorable Book Grub moments, favorite/not favorite books of the year, and what we've been reading. Of course, we got off topic a lot, but it was fun!

I didn't write down who said what, but here are some books suggested by members of the group:

• Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez
• Little Brother by Corey Doctorow
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
• Hero-Type by Barry Lyga
• All We Know of Heaven by Jacqueline Michard
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
• Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
• Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
• Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti
• Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (coming out on June 16)

Browsing in the teen section

Upstairs at Book Grub

Squish!

Cupcake!

Book Review: What I Saw and How I Lied

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

(Click on the book to see which libraries own it.)

SUMMARY: In this sophisticated thriller, 15-year-old Evie grows up quickly when she discovers her adored parents are not the people she thought they were. While on vacation in Palm Beach in 1947, Evie’s parents, Joe and Bev, get involved in a shady business deal with the Graysons, another couple on holiday. Meanwhile, Evie begins a flirtation with Peter, a handsome ex-GI who served with Joe and just happens to be staying at their hotel. Evie soon learns that Peter’s presence is no coincidence and that he threatens to uncover a terrible secret that Joe has kept since the war. When Bev, Joe, and Peter go boating, only two of them return, and Evie must sort through secrets, lies, and her own grief to find the truth. (from the Booklist review)

OPINION: What I first loved about this book was that I could see a glamorous black-and-white movie playing in my head while I read it. The atmospheric language and descriptions perfectly capture the time period, and the mystery has the feel of film noir. This book defies categorization as simply historical fiction or mystery. The plot drew me in, as it became apparent that all was not as it seemed. This book has surprising depths, and an even more surprising ending. Evie's testimony in the inquest after the boating incident was shocking, but her attitute toward her life afterwards is even more revealing. This is a completely worthwhile read for anyone who has ever loved and lost.

INTERESTING FACT: Judy Blundell has written over 100 series books and movie tie-ins under pseudonyms, but this is the first book she ever published under her own name. None of her previous work could be considered great literature, yet this book won the National Book Award! Read more about her story in this interview.

Summer 2009 Program Schedule

The summer program schedule is available now, and you can already register for several programs! The theme this year is Express Yourself, so a lot of our programs relate to creativity and the arts. We hope to see you often through the summer!!

TEEN SUMMER READING

Teen Summer Reading Club
June 8 through August 14
Read for school, read for fun, read whatever! Fill out a sheet for every five age-appropriate fiction or nonfiction books, magazines, audiobooks, or graphic novels you read. They can be from the library or from home. Get a book and a free food coupon every time you turn in a slip. Every slip will also be automatically entered to win bigger prizes in our weekly and end-of-summer drawings. You can even keep track of your reading online! Go to http://www.delcolibraries.org/ and join the teen online summer reading club. Just make sure to visit the library to get prizes throughout the summer.

Express Yourself 2009 Teen Summer Kick-Off
The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar
Wednesday, June 17, 7:00 to 8:00 pm
By popular demand, The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar are coming back to Sellers Library! Join us to find out what it takes to be a hip-hop performer or DJ at this positive, interactive performance. Whether your thing is music, rap, slam poetry, beat-boxing, or dancing, learn how to present yourself and your skills to an audience. The summer theme is Express Yourself, so Ra might even invite you to try your skills on the mic! Registration begins May 26.
Funded by the Delaware County Library System through a Fit for Life grant sponsored by Libraries for the Future, the program division of Americans for Libraries Council, and MetLife Foundation.

Teen Summer Reading Prize Party
Friday, August 14, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Everyone who participates in Sellers Library’s teen summer reading club is invited to enjoy free food, fun activities, and prizes! Every five books you report on a slip or online earns you one chance at a prize, and we have a lot of great stuff to give away. The more you read, the more you can win. Everyone will go home with something. Can’t make it? If your name is drawn, you will still get the prize. No registration.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Anime Club
Fourth Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
June 26, July 24, & August 28
Our anime club meets once a month to watch and discuss great shows, as well as do anime-related activities. If you like to watch or create Japanese-style animation, this club is for you! Permission slip required. Club size is limited. Registration is ongoing.

Book Swap and Disney Sing-Along
Saturday, June 27, 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Trade in your old books for new reads, sing along with Mary Poppins (G), play Disney Scene It?, and eat food! Stop in just to swap, or come and hang out for the whole event. Swap books should be intermediate or young adult fiction in good condition. Registration begins May 26.

Dance in Egypt as a Celebration of Daily Life
Wednesday, July 29, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
The traditional dances of Egypt reflect experiences of groups like the Fellamin, Bedouin, and Nubian peoples. Through discussion, demonstration, and by encouraging the audience to participate, dancer Barbara Siegel will explain the dances and movement styles of three Egyptian groups and reveal something of the character and the essence of these peoples. Registration begins July 6. This special Outreach Lecture Program is funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Winter in July
Friday, July 31, 3:00 to 8:00 pm
Just when summer is heating up, you can chill out at the library! We will crank up the air conditioning, drink hot chocolate, and watch a double feature of ice-cold movies. Enjoy hot soup and other wintry foods for dinner, make cool crafts, and win winter-themed prizes. Registration begins July 6.

PASSION FOR FASHION

Accessory Swap & Fashion Movies
Wednesday, July 15, 3:00 to 6:00 pm
Trade in your old accessories and leave with a whole new look! Get one ticket for every item you bring, then choose that number of new items. You can stop by to swap, or stay to watch fashionable movies! No hair items, hats, or shoes. Swap accessories must be in good condition. Registration begins June 15.

Project Runway
Friday, July 24, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Learn about fashion design and drawing from a fashion student, then enter our design challenge competition with your friends. No sewing skills required. Registration begins June 15.

Special Book Discussion: So Yesterday
Wednesday, July 22, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
So Yesterday is Scott Westerfeld's intriguing thriller featuring 17-year-old Hunter, who paid by corporations to comb his native Manhattan in search of street style that could become the next new trend. The first 15 registrants for this event will get a copy of the book to read and keep. Registration begins June 15.

GAMING

Gaming Club
Mondays, June 29 to August 31, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Bring your Yu-Gi-Oh! deck, DS, PSP, or any other game stuff you’re into. We'll also hook up the Wii or Xbox for multiplayer gaming. Players provide their own gaming materials. Permission slip required. Club size is limited. Registration is ongoing.

Guitar Hero Jam Session
Wednesday, June 17, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Get in touch with your inner God of Rock! Just play for fun, or get serious and enter our tournament. Registration begins May 26.

Nintendo Night
Friday, June 26, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Bring your DS and Pokémon game (Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum) for a tournament, enter a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament on the big screen, play games on an original NES, and more! Players provide their own gaming materials. Permission slip required. Event size limited to 36 participants. Registration begins May 26.

Dance Dance Revolution
Wednesday, July 1, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Dance for fun or enter a tournament at our Xbox DDR event. Permission slip required. Registration begins May 26.

Board Game Blast
Wednesday, July 8, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Bring your own or use ours, hang out in the air conditioning, eat snacks, and win prizes! Registration begins June 15.

Rock Band Jam Session
Wednesday, August 5, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Try out our new Rock Band 2 game for Wii! Come by yourself or with your band members. Registration begins July 6.

CRAFTS

Outdoor Art
Wednesdays, July 1 to August 5, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Genni is earning her Girl Scout Silver Award by running outdoor art projects for teens at the library! Every week, a new project will be set up on the lawn just for people entering grades 6 to 12. Stop by to make tie-dye shoe laces, a message in a bottle, bubble-painted wrapping paper, a splatter-painted picture frame, and more! Each week’s project will take about 1/2 hour. Dress for a mess, or borrow a t-shirt smock from us. Projects will be available until
materials run out. In the event of rain, the week’s project will be cancelled and made available on August 12 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. No registration, just drop in each week.

Craft Closet Cleanout
Wednesday, August 12, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
After all the craft projects we’ve done, there are tons of leftovers. Stop by to make something you missed, or do something totally new. No registration, just drop in!

BOOK GROUPS
Get free books and free food! Every month, the group votes on a book, and the library buys them each a copy to discuss at the next meeting. These groups meet throughout the year.

Read and Rant Book Group
Third Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
June 19, July 17, August 21
Open to students entering grades 7 to 9, this group is accepting a limited number of new members.

Book Grub Book Group
First Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
June 5, July 2 (Thursday), August 7
Open to students entering grades 10 to 12, this group is accepting a limited number of new members.

Primos Branch Young Adult Book Group
Third Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm
June 15, July 20, August 17
Open to students entering grades 6 to 12, this group meets at the Primos Library at 409 Ashland Ave. in Primos, PA, 19018. Call them to register: 610-622-8091.

New Moon!!!

For any of you who have not heard: The New Moon trailer is out, and it looks good! There are also some pretty cute werewolf pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwnidftwZ_M

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259571/

Hope you enjoy!

TAB Grads

Yesterday, the Teen Advisory Board met for our last regular meeting of the school year and celebrated our graduates! This year, five seniors are leaving the TAB and heading to college: Meg, Maria, Koumudi, Katie, and Arwa. We will really miss them!!! They have all been on the TAB for many years. Meg was actually at the very first meeting back in November 2004! At our celebration, we ate KFC and ice cream cake, signed cards, and gave the grads pictures and book store gift cards. So, congratulations grads, and best of luck!

The graduates and their ice cream cake.

Waiting for the seniors to get their picture taken.

Almost all of the TAB

Of course, we had to do a silly picture!

Blog Poll Results: Vampire Books

The most recent blog poll asked readers to choose their favorite vampire series books, besides Twilight. What I learned is that our blog readers aren't huge vampire fans! The winning category was "I don't read vampire books" with 10 out of 25 votes! Here are the complete results:

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber--2 (8%)
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan--2 (8%)
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead--2 (8%)
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer--2 (8%)
Night World by L. J. Smith--4 (16%)
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz--2 (8%)
House of Night by P. C. Cast--1 (4%)
Den of Shadows by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes--0 (0%)
Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine--0 (0%)
Evernight Novels by Claudia Gray--0 (0%)
I like another vampire series.--6 (24%)
I don't read vampire books.--10 (40%)