Book Review: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee
Click on the book cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: Lee takes readers on a delightful journey through the origins and mysteries of the popular, yet often overlooked, world of the American Chinese food industry. Crossing dozens of states and multiple countries, the author sought answers to the mysteries surrounding the shocking origins of the fortune cookie, the inventor of popular dishes such as chop suey and General Tso's chicken, and more. What she uncovers are the fascinating connections and historical details that give faces and names to the restaurants and products that have become part of a universal American experience. Readers will learn about the cultural contributions and sacrifices made by the Chinese immigrants who comprise the labor force and infrastructure that supports Chinese restaurants all over the world. This title will appeal to teens who are interested in history, Chinese culture, and, of course, cuisine. (School Library Journal)

OPINION: I heard Jennifer 8. Lee give a humorous and revealing presentation on Chinese food at the Pennsylvania Library Association conference last month, and immediately bought and read her book. Her voice in the book just as entertaining as her voice in person. This is the best kind of nonfiction; it is informative with out being dry or boring. The connections Lee unravels take you through time and across continents, touching on a diversity of issues that you wouldn't normally associate with America's favorite takeout meal! I highly recommend grabbing a few cartons of Chinese takeout (don't forget the fortune cookies) and digging into this book.

Live Online Homework Help

Don't forget that the Delaware County Library System offers FREE online homework help to all library cardholders from any computer with internet access. You can use it at home, at a friend's house, at the library...anywhere!

The service is open Sunday through Thursday from 3:00 to 10:00 pm. It offers help to everyone K-12, and even beginning college students and adult learners! You can get help in your core subject areas: Science, Math, English, Writing, and Social Studies.

All you have to do to use the service is log in with your library card and last name. It operates like a chat room, with some extra teaching features like a two-way whiteboard that you and the teacher can use to illustrate problems. The website is safe and effective, and way cheaper than paying someone!

What are you waiting for?!? It's FREE!!!

November Book Recommendations

If you are always wondering what to read, try the Teen Scene email newsletter from NextReads! Every month, a list of suggestions arrives in my inbox and it is exciting to see what is featured because even I haven't heard of everything. The list includes descriptions of each book and its cover art, so it's like one-stop shopping. This month's newsletter includes new books like Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (two authors that I love!), as well as a themed list of books by Native American authors. Check it out!

More New Books

We just can't stop expanding the teen collection! These are the newest books:

FICTION

• David Inside Out by Lee Bantle
• Paparazzi Princess by Jen Calonita (Secrets of My Hollywood Life series)
• Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita
• Earthgirl by Jennifer Cowan
• Holidaze by L. Divine (Drama High series)
• Keep It Movin' by L. Divine (Drama High series)
• Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
• Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
• Better Late Than Never by Marilyn Kaye (Gifted series)
• Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marilyn Kaye (Gifted series)
• Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez (Dead series)
• The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan (Cirque du Freak books 1-3)
• The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L. J. Smith
• The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by L. J. Smith

NONFICTION

• The Worst-Cast Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
• The Blueprint for my Girls in Love: 99 Rules for Dating, Relationships, and Intimacy by Yasmin Shiraz
• New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz
• Monster Madness: King Kong, Godzilla, and other Classic Creatures of the Silver Screen by Zach Zito, Mel Neuhaus, and Michael Lederman

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Fullmetal Alchemist, volume 2, by Hiromu Arakawa
• The Licensable Bear (TM) Big Book of Fun! by Nat Gertler
• Kasumi, volume 1, by Surt Lim

Women's Self Defense

Today, 27 people came out to our Women's Self Defense class, which was sponsored by the Fit for Life grant. We had 16 teens and 11 adults, which was a good mix for our first-ever joint program. Mark, an instructor from Ageless Exercise, spent about one hour teaching us how to evade various attacks. We talked about everything from being aware of your surroundings to various pressure points on the neck and face. Mark showed us how to break certain kinds of attacks, including someone putting an unwanted arm around you, having your arms grabbed, or being choked. We also learned some moves that would inflict enough pain to give us time to escape from an attack. We (gently) practiced all of the moves he showed us using each other for partners. It was a great class and I think everyone learned something useful.

We worked in pairs to learn how to avoid being grabbed.

We learned how to escape from someone grabbing our wrists...

...and then knee them!

Mark taught everyone to hit with hammer fists because it is more effective and less painful than a knuckle punch.

Teen Read Month Contest Winners

We celebrated Teen Read Month during October at the library. This year's theme was Read Beyond Reality, so we did programs and book displays to promote the theme all month long. Every time teens checked out books or attended a special program, they got to put an entry slip into our drawing. The Teen Advisory Board contributed three Barnes & Noble gift cards as prizes and I randomly selected the winners today:

• $25--Sarah B., grade 10, entered at book checkout
• $15--Tyaisha B., grade 6, entered at Nintendo Night
• $10--Eric D., grade 7, entered at Anime Club

Overall, 93 teens entered while attending programs and 63 teens entered while checking out books, for a total of 156. Congratulations to our winners, and thanks to everyone who participated!

Beyond Reality Zine @ Your Library

We published our Beyond Reality edition of the library teen zine* last week, but I didn't have a big chance to hand it out since I was sick. So, I am just reminding everyone to make sure you ask me for a copy of the zine and see the great work that our contributors did. The zine pages have a variety of formats, from collages and comics to short stories and book reviews. There's something for everyone! Thanks to all of our writers (Genni, Kaitlyn, Stephanie, Nikki, Nitha, Martha, Sarah, Katie, and me) for making this zine one of our best!!

* A zine is a self-published magazine. Ours is written by several teens and myself, and we publish it two or three times a year on a different thematic topic using the library's photocopier!

Manga Donation!

If you have noticed an increase in our manga collection this year, it's because I've been doing some creative collection development. Traditionally, libraries buy items on a regular schedule from their suppliers. We just don't have the money to invest in a great manga collection, so I've resorted to buying manga at thrift stores, sifting it out of donations to the book sale, and even taking ones that people bring in for book swap. But, our biggest increases have come from donations by older library teens/20-somethings who are cleaning out their collections. Tim M. and Caitlin C. have made some great contibutions to our teen manga section this year, and Tim has come through again! We are going to catalogue 13 installments of Bleach by Tite Kubo and 4 installments of Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda that he just donated. Thanks, Tim!!!

This Week's New Books

Lost of new hardback and paperback books have arrived in our teen section this week, so drop by and get something to read away these rainy days!

FICTION

• Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series)
• Being Nikki by Meg Cabot (Airhead series)
• Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series)
• American Beauty by Zoey Dean (A-List series)
• The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods series)
• Just Another Hero by Sharon Draper
• Invasion of the Boy Snatchers by Lisi Harrison (Clique series)
• Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider series)
• Timelock by David Klass (Caretaker trilogy)
• How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
• Rapture of the Deep: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Soldier, Sailor, Mermaid, Spy by L. A. Meyer (Jacky Faber series)
• The Dating Game by Natalie Standiford (Dating Game series)
• Ex-Rating by Natalie Standiford (Dating Game series)
• Parallel Parking by Natalie Standiford (Dating Game series)
• Speed Dating by Natalie Standiford (Dating Game series)
• 12 Brown Boys by Omar Tyree

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Naruto, volume 20, by Mashashi Kishimoto

Blog Poll Results: Upcoming Books

For the past two weeks, the blog poll asked readers to vote for their favorite upcoming books in series. Only 15 people voted, and Splendor by Anna Godbersen came out as the winner with seven votes. That is the last book in the Luxe series, and it was released today! This is a very timely poll. Anyway, here are the complete results, along with the book release dates:

Splendor by Anna Godbersen (10/27/09)--7 (46%)
Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (10/27/09)--5 (33%)
Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz (11/17/09)--2 (13%)
The Rapture of the Deep by L. A. Meyer (9/1/09)--3 (20%)
The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz (10/1/09)--1 (6%)
Shadow Dragons by James A. Owen (10/27/09)--1 (6%)
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (8/25/09)--1 (6%)
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison (10/6/09)--5 (33%)
Dog Days by Jeff Kinney (10/12/09)--5 (33%)
Holidaze by L. Divine (10/1/09)--2 (13 %)

Help with Shoe Boxes

Hey Guys,
I hope your all enjoying the small stretch of school time between now and the holidays. I need to ask a favor of all you folk at Sellers Library. I'm teaching my first official graded lesson in two weeks. It is on the art of paper cutting. The kids will be decorating their own boxes with cut paper designs. I promise to send pictures!! I have no idea how to get a hold of 30 shoe boxes by then. So if any of you can get some boxes together and email me @ mmgirl100@gmail.com about picking them up I would be eternally grateful!!!
Thanks
If you get a chance check out the paper and textile art by Tord Boontje as shown in the picture above

What You See Isn't Always Real

We all know how easy it is to alter digital images, and it's not always bad. For example, I usually crop my family photos and take out the red-eye before sending them to people. However, sometimes digitally altered images present a false sense of reality.

When we had a special book group about Scott Westerfeld's book So Yesterday over the summer, we had a really interesting discussion about digitally altered photographs of models and celebrities. At the time, the normal-sized Kelly Clarkson had been obviously whittled down to look a lot skinner on the cover Self magazine. ("Slim Down Your Way" and "Total Body Confidence" screamed the cover type...)

Because of this discussion, an online article from last week really caught my attention: Was the Photoshopped Ralph Lauren Model Fired for Being Overweight? The original ad shows an abnormally thin person modeling Ralph Lauren clothing and caused quite a stir among bloggers. Ralph Lauren's company actually released an apology for altering the picture in such an obviously distorted fashion. But the story went on further when the model, the gorgeous Filippa Hamilton, went public with accusations that they fired her for being too fat to fit in their clothes, yet continued to use her image with digital changes. And, for the record, this girl is not fat: 120 pounds is actually considered underweight for her height of 5' 10".

Basically, every picture you see in magazines of both men and women has been digitally retouched. Pores are removed, thighs whittled, arms reshaped. But, how much do you think is too much? Should companies be required to say what changes they have made to the pictures? Should more celebrities and models speak out about digital alterations? Are all digitally retouched pictures a form of free speech? It's something to think about every time you flip through a magazine.

PS--Want to read more? Check out this article about some major digital alteration scandals, including a recent incident when Iran added an extra missile to a publicity shot to cover up one that apparently didn't launch. It's not just people who get Photoshopped!

I Really Miss Y'all

College has been an okay experience so far... and I should probably make this quick since I have to leave for my first class in about 6 hours. I'm disappointed with how my class schedule turned out this semester, since my latter Monday classes prevent me from coming to the Gaming Club (the main event I attended). As a result of my absence, I forget to check the blog often, and ended up missing out on Nintendo Night and DDR. I'm not here to whine and cry, just letting everyone I know at the library that I miss you all. (horror of horrors; Temple has over 220 clubs and organizations, none of which I find interesting!)
Just a side note: I can start scheduling my Spring courses on the 29th, so there's a possibility that I may be able to return for a while. Keep your fingers crossed (and resist sending my fellow Owls viruses to prevent them from taking course slots).

Bake Sale Thanks!

Today's Teen Advisory Board (TAB) bake sale was a great success! We were in the entrance to the main library and got a lot of business. We sold all kinds of cupcakes, cookies, and other delicious treats. Some people just gave us donations of money. Altogether, we made $143.80 to support teen programs and activities.

Thanks to these people for bringing baked goods: Stephanie, Martha and Sarah, Elena, Kaitlyn, Genni, Christine, Emily, Amy, Alexa, and me. And thanks to everyone who worked: Katie, Genni, Emily, Christine, Martha, Busra, Anas, Judy, and Avis.

If you know our TAB members, you may have noticed a few extra names in that list. Martha and Katie are official auxillary members of TAB, since they can't attend our regular meetings. Avis and Sarah were just helping out. Special thanks to these volunteers!

A shot of the beginning of the bake sale.

Super Sentence

What is a Super Sentence? It's basically a sneaky way to teach you stuff! (I borrowed the title and concept from this helpful vocabulary book.)

When Jasmine was reading to Jeff at Book Grub earlier in the month, there was one book summary that kept tripping her up with vocabulary! It seemed like a good excuse to improve everyone's test scores along with their general intelligence, so every once in a while I will post a Super Sentence containing several new vocabulary words in boldface. If you are a teen patron at Sellers, you have one week to respond in the comment section with a translation to normal language along with your first name and last initial. The person with the most accurate translation will get a prize from me!

Bushra won candy and a book for her efforts on the previous Super Sentence, so see if you can do this one. I have a lot of random stuff to give away. Every Super Sentence is a new contest, so she may win again.

From School Library Journal's review of Paper Towns by John Green:

Green's prose is astounding—from hilarious, hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to devastating observation and truths.

(This is actually one of the sentences that really tripped Jasmine up when she was reading!)

It's Officially Teen Read Week

Even though we are celebrating Teen Read Month around here, this week is the official Teen Read Week! The theme this year is Read Beyond Reality, so of course you can take that to mean things like science fiction, fantasy, and comic books. Or, you can extend your own reality by reading historical fiction, biography, or even a realistic fiction book about someone different than yourself.

We've already had several of our Beyond Reality programs this month, but there are a few more. Our Beyond Reality zine publishes tomorrow, so stop by and pick up a copy. There is still time to sign up for the Retro Tote Bag Craft next Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:00. And don't forget to enter the Teen Advisory Board's book store gift card contest every time you check out books from the teen area through October 31!

Take the time to vote for next year's theme. The choices are:

• Books with Beat @ Your Library
• Deal with It @ Your Library
• Find an Alibi @ Your Library

Also, check out the winners of the 2009 Teens' Top Ten!

Book Swap & Beyond Reality

Last Satuday, 14 teens showed up for our fall book swap event and almost everyone stayed for the entire time. A total of 29 books were swapped, but only by 5 people! Everyone else just enjoyed candy, snacks, and a movie double feature of Beetle Juice and Ghost Busters. Everyone also got a free entry in our Teen Read Month contest for attending the program. We'll do a book swap again during winter vacation, so save up those unwanted paperbacks and trade them in then!

National Book Award Finalists Announced

The National Book Award Finalists were announced yesterday, and it is always interesting to see which books are nominated in the Young People's Literature category. The category has a kind of stodgy title that sounds like it might be more for younger kids' books, but most of the nominated titles each year are for teens!

• Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman (biography)
• Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose (biography)
• Stitches by David Small (graphic novel, originally published for adults)
• Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor (supernatural short stories)
• Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia (urban fiction)

We have two of these in our teen section (Jumped, Charles and Emma) and one in our children's biography section (Claudette Colvin), so come in and see what you think of their choices!

New Book Extravaganza

It's very rare that I do three new book posts in just eight days, but that proves how many new books we've been getting! Some are new and some are replacements, but all are crowding our shelves. Please please please come check things out!!

FICTION

• Sense and Sensability and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
• The Mirror of Merlin by T. A. Barron (The Lost Years of Merlin series)
• The Seven Songs of Merlin by T. A. Barron (The Lost Years of Merlin series)
• The Wings of Merlin by T. A. Barron (The Lost Years of Merlin series)
• Perfect Princess by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries series)
• The Roar by Emma Clayton
• The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap
• Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series)
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
• Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses series)
• Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Favorite New Fall TV Shows

For the last two weeks, the blog poll has asked readers to vote for their favorite new fall TV shows. Exactly 40 people voted (voters could pick multiple answers), and the results were very interesting. We had a three-way tie for first place: 13 votes each for Vampire Diaries, Glee, and "I don't like any of these shows."!!! Here are the complete results:

Community--4 (10%)
Vampire Diaries--13 (32%)
Modern Family--8 (20%)
FlashForward--6 (15%)
Glee--13 (32%)
The Beautiful Life--0 (0%)
Eastwick--1 (2%)
Melrose Place--0 (0%)
The Middle--2 (5%)
Trauma--0 (0%)
Stargate Universe--1 (2%)
Glenn Martin DDS--0 (0%)
I don't like any of these shows.--13 (32%)
I don't watch TV.-- 1 (2%)

Crocheting art

For thoes of you who know Katie here's what her potential could become!! This is the art work of a student, Joy Campia, who graduated from my college 2 years before I started attending but she came up with her ideas based off a class that I will be taking this spring (wearable arts).

http://joykampia.com/

Nintendo Night

Last night, 26 teens came out to our fall Nintendo Night program. We did our usual Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, hooked up my old NES, rocked out with the Beatles, and did a small DS Pokemon tournament. The ultimate winner of the Brawl tournament was Jared, who has never won before. Even the losers were happy to see a middle-schooler win because it's usually the older guys who take the prize. Jared got a $25 gift card to Game Stop, and John E. won a $10 card for coming in second. The top four finishers (Jared, John, Samuel, and Edgar) all got candy. We didn't get to finish the Pokemon tournament, so we'll do that during Gaming Club.

Of course, no Nintendo Night is complete without technical difficulties. This time, we did manage to avoid most of the problems from cross-interference with the two Wiis. However, about halfway through the Brawl tournament, the projector lamp died! We turned off Rock Band: The Beatles and moved its projector over to continue the tournament. Thankfully, the library director was working downstairs and she just happened to have a spare bulb in her office! So I swapped out the bulbs and we were able to continue with the Rock Band free play. Whew!!!

Look for another Nintendo Night after the new year.

Everyone enjoyed rocking out with The Beatles.

Our resident knitter and her latest creation: Ash!

Further New Books

More new books are coming through, and we are running out of space in the teen area! I already shifted books onto the display shelf to make more room, and now that is getting used up. We have tons of great new stuff, so get in here and use it!

FICTION:

• Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks
• How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot
• I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series)
• Betrayed by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• Untamed by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• Diva by Alex Flinn
• Totally Joe by James Howe
• Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
• Death's Shadow by Darren Shan (Demonata series)
• Black Heart by Justin Somper (Vampirates series)
• Cruise Control by Terry Trueman

GRAPHIC NOVELS:

• Vampire Knight, volumes 5 and 6, by Matsuri Hino

Book Review: In a Heartbeat

In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
Review by Genevieve N. <3

The book In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth opens your mind to a special theory about heart transplants. In this story, sixteen-year-old Eagan Lindeman who is a very talented figure skater, makes a slight mistake during one of her figure skating competitions. In a jump, she is off by a mere half inch, and it costs her her life. Meanwhile a 14-year-old girl named Amelia has a bad heart and is in need of a heart transplant. She ends up obtaining Eagan’s heart. The story, during each chapter, changes from Amelia to Eagan. Eagan is in her own version of heaven looking back on all her previous memories when she was alive. And Amelia is trying to adjust to a new heart. It feels very weird to her and she begins to act differently and like different things. Then, a little boy named Tomas, who also had a heart transplant, talks to her about his experiences. And how he started to like things his donor likes. Amelia then decides she wants to meet her donor’s family. Ever since the transplant she has been learning more about her donor, which is always kept very secretive. This book was a great book. It was sad, fun, and informative. I never even thought you would be able to acquire personality traits from a heart transplant. That theory is still being tested and seems like nothing like that would ever be able to happen, but there can always be that chance. What I loved about this book was that I learned something from it and it opened my mind, but it didn’t bore me. This book comes out in February of 2010, and is very worth reading. <3

Newest New Books

We are getting a lot of new and replacement teen items, so drop by and check them out!

FICTION:

• Demon in my View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• The Fires of Merlin by T. A. Barron (The Lost Years of Merlin series)
• The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron (The Lost Years of Merlin series)
• The Compound by S. A. Bodeen
• Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls)
• Chosen by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• Marked by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
• Enna Burning by Shannon Hale (Books of Bayern series)
• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (Books of Bayern series)
• Best Friends for Never by Lisi Harrison (Clique series)
• Revenge of the Wannabees by Lisi Harrison (Clique series)
• The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
• Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels
• Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series)
• Chasing Boys by Karen Tayleur
• Dishes by Mike Wallace
• The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

NONFICTION:

• Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

GRAPHIC NOVELS:

• The Merlin Prophecy by Meg Cabot (Avalon High Coronation series)
• Blood Relatives by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses series)

New Feature: Super Sentence

When Jasmine was reading to Jeff at Book Grub last Friday, there was one summary that kept tripping her up with vocabulary! It seems like a good excuse to me to improve your test scores along with your general intelligence, so I am going to add a new vocabulary feature to our blog. Every once in a while, I will post a Super Sentence containing several new vocabulary words in boldface. If you are a teen patron at Sellers, you have one week to respond in the comment section with a translation to normal language along with your first name and last initial. The person with the most accurate translation will get a prize from me!

Here is the first one:

After receiving a macabre invitation, Robert Langdon uses his esoteric knowledge of historical minutia to elucidate clues in The Lost Symbol.

Book Review: The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Click on the cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: Summoned to Washington, D.C., for a supposed presentation, Robert Langdon reaches the Capitol Rotunda just in time to receive a macabre invitation. Tattooed with five symbols, it starts him on a journey deciphered only by his esoteric knowledge of the Freemasons, Washington D.C., religions, and ancient peoples. In a race against time to save his mentor from a brutal captor, Langdon must unravel hidden secrets, evade the CIA, and figure out who he can trust.

OPINION: There is some amazing factual information behind this fictional story, and it is really cool to look at the real art of The Apotheosis of Washington or find out that noetic science actually exists. I found all of the interconnected minutia to be fascinating, especially the intricacies of the Freemasons' beliefs, rituals, and buildings. I also loved the role played by the Library of Congress in one big escape scene. The gripping plot kept me reading anxiously through the whole middle section of the book, but the pace did not sustain me until the end. A common piece of fiction writing advice is "show, don't tell," and I was annoyed by repeated long conversations that were clearly just an excuse for "telling." The end of the book really dragged, coupling heavy-handed discussions with some fairly obvious revelations. Overall, I would say it is worth reading if you are already a fan of The DaVinci Code or if you have an interest in American history.

ONLINE: Play the Symbol Quest game or visit Dan Brown's website.

The Cover of Liar

At our Book Grub meeting on Friday, I put out a table of new books for everyone to browse. We started talking about Liar by Justine Larbalestier, and I mentioned some issues surrounding the original cover image. On the Advance Reading Copy, there was a white girl on the cover who looked nothing like the black main character of the book (even though the cover was very appealing otherwise). Early readers mounted such a fuss over it that the publisher created a whole new, more appropriate cover for it before the real publication date.

Anyway, I just wanted to link you to Justine's original blog post in case you wanted to read more about the cover of Liar that was itself a lie. It's also an interesting look into the publishing world. And to read a bit more about the new cover, read this post.

PS--You may be interested to know that Justine Larbalestier is married to Scott Westerfeld, who we love because of books like Uglies and Peeps! Read her personal FAQ page for more info on that.

Robert Is Bothered

Thanks to the magic of DVR, I get to watch all the late night television I love without having to stay up late! I am enjoying Conan's move to The Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon's take on Late Night.

Anyway, I mentioned to a few of you that Jimmy Fallon has done some amusing impersonations of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen on a segment called Robert Is Bothered. I think it's hilarious because I hate Robert Pattinson as Edward. Jimmy Fallon's imitation is spot-on!

It's Teen Read Month!

This year, I decided to expand Teen Read Week and celebrate for the entire month of October! You can register now for all of our special programs this month: Zine Workshop, Nintendo Night, Book Swap & Movies, and Embellished Tote Bag Craft. Also, every time you attend a special program or check out books this month, you will be able to enter our contest to win one of three book store giftcards. Stop in and get something to read!!!

Dance Dance Report

Yesterday, 15 teens came out to our after-school DDR program. We did free play and a tournament, and I also got out the cards and board games. We always have people who come but don't dance, so they enjoyed playing Taboo and just watching DDR. As for the dancers, 11 people played in the tournament, and it came down to Owen, Laurel, and Jamie in the final three. Jamie was the ultimate winner (no surprise there) and got a $10 gift card to Wawa for his efforts. We won't have a DDR program again until after the new year, but there are plenty of other gaming opportunites on the fall schedule.

From Jazz to Hip Hop

Last night, The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar returned to our library to do a program for Upper Darby's Big Read. The book for the Big Read is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, a classic of the Harlem Renaissance era. We brought Ra and Jamar back to talk about the connections between jazz and hip hop, and about 40 people of all ages came out to hear them.

Ra and Jamar approached the topic from a variety of angles, so they kept it interesting! Ra talked about some jazz performers (with help from a vintage hip hop record), freestyled over Jamar's mix of jazz music, and talked a little history. Jamar played some hip hop songs and then showed where the samples came from, and also did a contest where he played the original and asked audience members to name the artist and song that sampled it. Ra finished up the presentation with a performance and then Jamar showed people how to spin records on his turntables. I hope we can find a reason to have them back again soon!!

Jamar and Ra had prizes for a "name that sample" contest.

Ra looked debonair in his fedora!

The One Sun Lion Ra, DJ Brother Jamar, DJ Hot Blast, and me.

Title Wave

With new purchases, replacement copies, and donations pouring in to our tiny teen space, our collection is overflowing. I'm begging you to get in here and check some books fast!

FICTION

• Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• One Wish by Leigh Brescia
• The Rule of Claw by John Brindley
• Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman
• My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
• Liar by Justine Larbalestier
• Bloodline by Katy Moran
• The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
• Blood Captain by Justin Somper (Vampirates)
• Inside Out by Terry Trueman
• Raven by Allison Van Diepen

NONFICTION

• Confessions of a High School Word Nerd: Increase Your SAT Verbal Score while Laughing Your Gluteus Off edited by Arianne Choen and Colleen Kinder
• Is it Still Cheating if I Don't Get Caught? by Bruce Weinstein

From Jazz to Hip Hop

As a part of Upper Darby's Big Read program (9/21 to 10/16), The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar are returning to Sellers Library to talk about the influence of jazz music on hip hop. The program is Wednesday night, September 30, from 7:00 to 8:00 in the main library. This is an all-ages program, so bring anyone who wants to come! Parents, siblings, neighbors, friends...everyone is welcome. You do not need to have read the Big Read book to attend. You know Ra and Jamar are always interesting!

If you are not already participating in the Big Read, you can pick up a free copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston at Sellers Library. Look for signs and bookmarks to find out about our other Big Read programs happening in the next few weeks, especially a visit by author Omar Tyree!!

new in town

hello all,
m name is writerlady and iam a new teen contributor to the library blog. i have no prefence as to what i write about so anything that comes to mind, or ticks me off, you're going to know about. i also will be reviewing any stories that i read and liked.
peace

New TAB Members

Last Sunday, the current members of the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) met to vote on new members for the 2009-10 school year. They had eleven applications, and ended up adding five new members. They also asked three other people to become auxiliary members.

The TAB plans many programs and raises money to help fund them. For the current schedule, they are sponsoring the prizes for the Teen Read Month contest and planning the New Moon Release Party. So, be sure to thank the TAB for helping us have better programs at the library!

2009-10 Teen Advisory Board members:

• Kaitlyn Barney, grade 11
• Amy Daley, grade 12
• Anas El-Sayed, grade 10
• Georgia Fortunato, grade 9
• Ranier Gran, grade 8 (new)
• Emily Kaplan, grade 10 (new)
• Judy Lam, grade 11
• Genni Naklicki, grade 9
• Elena Nasto, grade 9 (new)
• Busra Ozdener, grade 12 (new)
• Alexa Perotti, grade 12
• Christine Sangco, grade 11 (new)
• Stephanie Sarkodie, grade 12
• Nitha Viswanathan, grade 11

Happy Feet

Yesterday, nine intrepid teens came out to our Teen Tap class in the barn! It was great fun, and everyone learned something. We went from doing just basic heel and shuffle steps to actually performing a little routine during the 45-minute class. Maryann, the instructor, was really great and kept us moving the whole time. Now you know why tap is so enjoyable, and also such good exercise. (That was actually the point--the program was paid for by a Fit for Life grant with the goal of exposing people to easy ways to incorporate exercise into their lives.) I brought my tap shoes and participated too, since tap is one of my favorite things! There are no pictures of me, but here are some of the rest of the group:

And the Award Goes to...

Back in August, our Teen Advisory Board and friends gathered to eat pizza and vote on the winners of a video contest that Bucks County Libraries ran for their teens this summer. The contest was to make a one-minute public service announcement (PSA) for next summer's reading theme Make Waves @ Your Library. They had over 20 entries and we had fun watching them all. It was hard to pick a winner, but luckily we were able to award some smaller prizes along with the grand prize.

Anyway, on Monday night I drove out to the Yardley-Makefield Branch for their awards ceremony. They decorated their program space like it was the Oscars, with a red carpet, movie snacks, balloons, and swag bags for everyone. Some people even got dressed up, which was fun. The best part was that I got to present the grand prize of $2500 to the winner we selected! Tim said that he made over 600 separate frames of animation to create his winning video, which is just amazing. It took him almost the whole summer to complete it. He definitely deserved the grand prize! I also enjoyed meeting the "towel guys," who were really funny and personable. They offered to send autographed pictures to their fans at our library. It was a lot of fun to meet all the teens who created the videos!

Here are the winners we selected:

Grand Prize--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2vlQScdOOA
Honorable Mention--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k94PIlxHkGw
Most Humorous--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JECVRNHVsqc
Most Professional--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhhB1tTxPcs
Best Use of Theme--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8ZqcBRyDoQ
Best Costumes--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=842EkeopVaM

They had a bunch of swag bags leftover from the event, so I got to bring home one for each person who helped judge the contest. I will give them to you as I see you in the next few weeks. All the librarians up there were grateful for our help in judging because they thought the decisions would have been too hard for them!

This is our voting group, including members of the TAB, book groups, and gaming club.

It is a rule that any serious group picture should always be followed by a silly one.

Book Roundup

I have not had time for much book blogging recently, so I am going to give a roundup of several titles in one post. These are all books recently read by our three teen discussion groups. (Click on the book covers to see which libraries have them.)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Read by Primos Young Adult Book Group and Sellers Read & Rant Book Group

In a future society based on appearance, everyone undergoes massive plastic surgery when they turn 16 to become a "pretty." Tally has been eagerly looking forward to her 16th birthday, but a budding friendship with Shay has introduced her to a whole new idea: staying ugly and joining an outpost of others who have refused the surgery. In this dystopian novel of escapades and escapes, friendship and betrayal, it becomes increasingly clear that looks aren't everything. And once you've read this one, you'll want to find out what happens to Tally and Shay in Pretties, Specials, and Extras. This is a series that I have read, enjoyed, and recommended to a lot of people over the years. Also, take time to visit Scott Westerfeld's blog...he always has interesting things to say, plus he has a new book coming out!!

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Read by Sellers Book Grub Book Group

Josephine has always been surrounded by strong women and has grown into her own feisty personality. Now in her senior year of high school, Josephine's worldview is severely challenged when her biological father returns to town. Throw in two very different guys vying for her attention, long-held family secrets, and a dash of racism and politics, and it's obvious why Josephine is determined to express her indepence. Some of the cultural references in this book are funny since it was orginially published in the early 1990s in Australia, but the characters and their complicated relationships are more than enough to keep you interested in the story. You could also track down the movie, released in 2000. Melina Marchetta also wrote Saving Francesca, a previous Book Grub favorite, and Jellicoe Road, which won the 2009 Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson
Read by Primos Young Adult Book Group

Eleven-year-old Tom has explored all around the mountain where he lives in a strange house chained to the top of a rock. But, riding a piece of styrofoam down the river, he is sucked down an underground waterfall deep into the heart of the mountain. Injured and fighting for his very survival, Tom grows less and less hopeful of finding a way out. A dead body, a dog, some crawfish, and mysterious stranger prove key in keeping him alive, and
what they discover in the mountain could change American history forever. In the tradition of many other survival adventure stories from the classic Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe to the more recent Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, this book is full of edge-of-your-seat moments as you root for Tom to make it out alive.

Alice, I Think by Susan Juby
Read by Sellers Read & Rant Book Group

Homeschooled by her hippie mother and preoccupied father, 15-year-old Alice realizes that her family has in no way prepared her for real life. She has no friends, no boyfriend, no job, and no social skills. Alice doesn't even know how to use the internet! What's a girl to do? Create a list of life goals and try to accomplish them, of course. Told from Alice's point of view, this book hilariously chronicles her attempts to overcome 15 years of social poverty and take the world by storm with her sense of fashion and ironic cultural criticism. If you liked this book, look for the sequels: Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last and Miss Smithers. And, look for the TV series based on the books, which aired in Canada for one seasion of 13 shows in 2006.

Harry Potter Theme Park!!

Yesterday, Universal Studios announced more details of their plans for a Harry Potter section of their Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando! OK, so it's obviously more connected to the movies, but I still think we should celebrate amusement rides and attractions that are based on a series of books.

This will be an amazing immersion experience for fans of the books and movies, with the centerpiece being Hogwarts castle. Called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the area will draw on parts of all the stories to create a comprehensive experience. Click on the "Map" link on the website to open a cool Marauder's Map that will show you all the planned attractions. Also, check out this "first look" video to see some of the buildings and get a preview of the rides.

The only thing I think is missing is some kind of Quidditch experience, and that may be included in the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Of course, I would have loved to see some of the shops of Diagon Alley, but the setting for this world is Hogwarts and its surroundings, so that wouldn't make sense.

It's opening in the spring of 2010, so who wants to plan a trip?!?!

Blog Poll: Favorite Summer Program

Our blog poll recently asked readers to select their favorite special program that we held over the summer. Only 16 people voted, but Nintendo Night was the clear favorite! Here are the results:

The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar--0 (0%)
Dance in Egypt--0 (0%)
Winter in July--1 (6%)
Nintendo Night--5 (31%)
Outdoor Crafts--0 (0%)
Accessory Swap--0 (0%)
Project Runway--2 (12%)
Rock Band/Guitar Hero/DDR--2 (12%)
Board Game Blast--0 (0%)
Summer Reading Prize Party--1 (6%)
I didn't attend any of these programs.--2 (12%)
I don't live near Sellers Library.--3 (18%)

Teen Fall 2009 Schedule

SPECIAL EVENTS

Dance Dance Revolution
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Show your moves at our Xbox DDR program! We will project the game onto the wall so four people can dance at a time. Dance for fun, or enter our contest. Permission slip required. Register now.

New Moon Release Party
Friday, November 13, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Get ready for the second movie in the Twilight saga at our special event! Enjoy games and activities related to the books and movies. Sponsored by the Teen Advisory Board. Registration begins October 12.

Accessory Swap & Fashion Movies
Wednesday, November 11, 1:30 to 5:00
Trade in your old accessories and leave with a whole new look! Choose one new item for every item you bring to swap. Just stop by, or stay to watch 13 Going on 30 (PG-13) and Confessions of a Shopaholic (PG). UD students have the day off, and everyone else is welcome come after school. No hair items, hats, or shoes. Swap accessories must be in good condition. Registration begins October 12.

Rock Band Jam Session
Wednesday, November 18, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Rock out on the Wii with Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band! Come by yourself or with your band members. Registration begins October 12.

Drop-In Craft: DIY Tie Dye
Wednesday, November 25, 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Give new life to a boring white 100% cotton item! Bring something from home, or use something small from us. No registration, just drop by anytime.

Teen Movie: Shall We Dance? (PG)
Friday, November 27, 1:00 to 3:00 pm
In this cute romantic movie, a successful but unhappy Japanese accountant finds the missing passion in his life when he secretly takes ballroom dance lessons. Since it is in Japanese with English subtitles, it’s perfect for viewing before monthly anime club meeting! Registration begins November 2.

Craft Closet Cleanout
Wednesday, December 23, 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Make something you missed or make something totally new. You never know what we’ll pull out of the attic! Registration begins November 30.

Book Swap & Jane Austen Movies
Wednesday, December 30, 1:00 to 4:30 pm
Trade in your old books for new reads, watch Emma (PG) and Clueless (PG-13), and eat food! Stop in just to swap, or hang out for the whole event. Swap books should be intermediate or young adult fiction in good condition. Registration begins November 30.


FIT FOR LIFE
These wellness-oriented teen programs will have 45 minutes of instruction followed by healthy snacks. Fit for Life programs in Delaware County are sponsored by Libraries for the Future, the program division of Americans for Libraries Council, and MetLife Foundation.

Tap Dancing
Wednesday, September 23, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
No tap shoes required! Tap dancing is a fun, low-impact form of exercise that you can enjoy with just a few basic steps and patterns. This class will be held in our barn. Register now.

Women’s Self Defense
Wednesday, November 4, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
Open to both teens and adults, this class will help you learn to stay safe in the neighborhood. Registration begins October 12.

NIA for Teens
Wednesday, December 2, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
NIA is a wellness program that incorporates dance arts, healing arts (Yoga and Pilates), and martial arts. Registration begins November 2.


READ BEYOND REALITY
Teen Read Week isn’t long enough, so this year we’re making all of October Teen Read Month!

Teen Read Month Contest
Every time you check out books from our teen section or attend a special Read Beyond Reality program during October, you will receive one entry for our book store gift card drawing. At the end of the month, you could win a $25, $15, or $10 just for using our library! This program is sponsored by the Teen Advisory Board.

Zine Workshop
Wednesdays, Oct. 7, 14, & 21, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Are you a writer or artist? Join the underground magazine movement! Get creative with your work and get published in our library zine. In celebration of Teen Read Month, the theme for this edition of the zine will be Beyond Reality. Participants must attend all three sessions. Register now.

Nintendo Night
Friday, October 9, 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 our new The Beatles: Rock Band game, and try out an original NES game system! DS players provide their own gaming materials. Permission slip required. Event size limited to 36 participants. Register now.

Book Swap & Altered Reality Movies
Saturday, October 17, 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Trade in your old books for new reads, watch Beetlejuice (PG) and Ghostbusters (PG), and eat food! Stop in just to swap, or hang out for the whole event. Swap books should be intermediate or young adult fiction in good condition. Registration begins September 21.

Embellished Tote Bag Craft
Wednesday, October 28, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Change your reality by using fewer plastic bags. Embellish a cute retro tote bag with beads, then use it when you shop or check out library books! Registration begins September 21.


RELATIONSHIP CLASSES
These programs are provided free of charge by the Delaware County Domestic Abuse Project. Registrations begin on November 2. For more info on the topic of dating violence, visit http://www.chooserespect.org.

Building Healthy Relationships
For students in grades 6 to 8 ONLY
Wednesday, December 9, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
It seems like everyone wants a boyfriend or girlfriend, but what exactly does that mean? Find out about the qualities of healthy and unhealthy relationships.

Love Is Not Abuse
For students in grades 9 to 12 ONLY
Wednesday, December 16, 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Learn about the forms and warning signs of dating abuse, how to help a friend who is being hurt, and how or when to call someone out if they are using harassing behaviors.


CLUBS

Gaming Club
Mondays, Sept. 28 to Dec. 28
3:30 to 5:00 pm (no meeting Oct. 19)
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. Hang out, relax, and play whatever you want! Permission slip required. Club size is limited. Registration is ongoing.

Anime Club
Fourth Fridays, Sept. 25, Oct. 23, Nov. 27
3:30 to 5:00 pm (no Dec. meeting)
The anime club meets once per month to watch and discuss great shows, participate in a drawing challenge, and learn about Japanese culture. Permission slip required. Club size is limited. Registration is ongoing.


BOOK DISCUSSION 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.

Read and Rant Book Group
Third Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Sept. 18, Oct. 16, Nov. 20, Dec.18
This group is accepting a limited number of new members in grades 7 to 9. Registration is ongoing until spaces are full.

Book Grub Book Group
First Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6, Dec. 4
This group is accepting a limited number of new members in grades 10 to 12. Registration is ongoing until spaces are full.

Primos Branch Book Group
Mondays, Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 16, Dec. 21
7:00 to 8:00 pm
Open to students in grades 6 to 12, this group meets at the Primos Library at 409 Ashland Ave., Primos, PA, 19018. Call them to register: 610-622-8091.

What's New

Here are the latest additions to our teen fiction shelves:

• Hunted by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (sequel to The Hunger Games)
• Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Missing series)
• The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
• Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger
• Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka
• Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
• Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
• Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

Come in and check out something new!

Book Review: Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

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

SUMMARY: Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden has missed out on in the past 17 years. Even before her parents' divorce, she was cast in the role of little adult, never making waves, focusing on academics to please her demanding mother and missing out any kind of a social life. Now she's spending the summer before college in a tiny beach town with her father and his new wife and baby. A job at a trendy boutique introduces her to the world of girls, and their friendships, converstations and romances. And friendship with Eli, an intriguing loner, begins a quest for Auden to recapture the fun she missed in her childhood and teenage years. It may be true that anything can happen at the beach in the summer. (adapted from the inside cover)

OPINION: This book made me want to have an IHDP (Impromptu Hot Dog Party), and maybe a food fight to go with it! Sarah Dessen always manages to create believable characters that I would like to get to know (and I don't just mean Eli). As a night owl, I think Auden and Eli's late-night ramblings sound like a perfect way to pass the time. The cover is cute, but misleading because this story is not just fluff (and Auden would never be caught dead in a pink polka dot dress). There are plenty of family issues explored, especially as Auden has a front-row seat to her father and stepmother's struggles with a new baby in the house. And the idea of finding a balance between academic and social life affects everyone in high school and college. The book did wrap up a little too neatly at the end (lots of relationships), and the epilogue from college seemed unnecessary, but over all I would say this is an easy read with plenty of substance. Whether you are already a Sarah Dessen fan or picking up her books for the first time, this one is worth the effort.

Summer Stats

I could tell it was a busy summer here just by looking at the teen shelves. They are usually bursting at the edges, but all summer long there was plenty of space. I even brought extra books out of storage to fill them up! And what books were on the shelves were always a mess, which means people were in there looking for things. Now I have proof of what a busy summer it was.

Guess how many books were checked out of our teen section from June 1 to August 31, including fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and audiobooks. Come on, just guess.

More than 1000.

More than 2000.

More than 3000.

The total is 3205!!!!

This is about 600 more than last summer and almost 1000 more than summer 2007. With 151 teens reading 2687 books in our summer reading club, it's good to know that a lot of them came from here! You are amazing readers.

Please don't stop coming in just because school is starting. We are always getting new books, so drop by and check something out every once in a while!

Catching Fire Releasing Today!

Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, is in bookstores today!!!

NPR had an interesting article today about violence in teen books, featuring Suzanne Collins talking about Catching Fire. And, if you scroll down on the page, you can listen to chapter two of the book.

Also, check out the website that Scholastic created for the series. It has some great video clips, including two promos for Catching Fire! (And, just like YouTube, you can click on an icon to watch them at full-screen size.

Shiny and New

Yup, more new books have arrived. Hurry in before they're all checked out!

FICTION

• The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
• Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti
• Another Faust by Daniel Nayeri and Dina Nayeri
• Libyrinth by Pearl North
• Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker (Young Spenser series)
• Emily the Strange: The Lost Days by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner
• Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor (replacement copy)
• I Like it Like That by Cecily von Ziegesar (Gossip Girl series; replacement copy)

NONFICTION

• Tell the World: Teen Poems from Writerscorps

GRAPHIC NOVELS (all donations)

• Naruto, volume 21, by Masashi Kishimoto
• Bleach, volume 21, by Tite Kubo
• InuYasha, volumes 1 and 2, by Rumiko Takahashi
• Fruits Basket, volumes 1-5, 8, 10-12, and 14-16, by Natsuki Takaya (from Caitlin C.!)
• YuYu Hakusho, volumes 1-4, by Yoshihiro Togashi
• Rurouni Kenshin, volumes 1-3, by Nobuhiro Watsuki

More Upcoming Titles

Here are some futher upcoming titles that are either sequels to popular books or by popular authors/imprints. I know you are looking forward to some of these:

• 9/1/09--Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (sequel to The Hunger Games)
• 9/22/09--Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• 9/22/09--Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and Keith Thompson
• 9/22/09--Riot by Walter Dean Myers
• 10/1/09--Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
• 10/1/09--Patterson Heights by Felicia Pride (Kimani Tru imprint)
• 12/1/09--Decision Time by Earl Sewell (Kimani Tru imprint)
• 2/1/10--Scarlett Fever by Marueen Johnson (sequel to Suite Scarlett)

Thanks to Our Summer Sponsors

I just wanted to give one last public thank-you to our teen summer reading program sponsors for 2009. We couldn't have had such a great summer without their support!

We gave away a lot of books this summer. We stocked our prize cart with paperbacks and used hardbacks for weekly and end-of-summer prizes. Four publishers provided donations of books:

• HarperCollins Publishers (they sent us five boxes!)
• Candlewick Press
• Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
• Random House Children's Books

Several local businesses provided us with food for prizes and programs:

• Drexel Hill McDonald's donated the free hamburger and free McNugget coupons
• Drexel Hill Dairy Queen donated the free cone coupons
• Swiss Farms donated six gallons of lemonade and iced tea for our Prize Party

Finally, we had a lot of other support:

• Delaware County Library System provided us with the iPod Shuffle for our Prize Party, as well as a lot of summer reading materials like bookmarks, pins, and posters
• Six Flags Great Adventure gave us two tickets for our Prize Party
• The Brandywine River Museum gave us two tickets for our Prize Party
• Wynnewood Lanes gave us six tickets for our Prize Party
• Nancy Hallowell, director of Sellers Library, let me exceed my summer budget when we needed more books to give away on the prize cart
• The Sellers Library Teen Advisory Board contributed $50 to our Winter in July program
• Genni planned all of our summer crafts
• Kara, Marissa, and Caitlin ran our Project Runway fashion program

Book Review: Raven's Gate

Raven's Gate: Book One of the Gatekeepers by Anthony Horowitz

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

SUMMARY: When Matt, a 14 year old orphan, is arrested for breaking into an electronics warehouse, he is given a choice of juvenile detention or participation in a country foster program. He goes live on a remote farm, and soon discovers that his caregiver Mrs. Deverill and her neighbors are not just ordinary country folk. There is something sinister happening in the village of Lesser Malling, leaving a trail of blood that brings Matt closer and closer to an evil place called Raven's Gate.

OPINION: We read this book a while ago in my Book Grub book group, and I didn't really like it. But Chris, a member of my Primos teen book group, has been hounding me to re-read it, so I gave it another shot. Raven's Gate is an action-packed contempory fantasy thriller with one narrow escape after another, and it definitely is a page-turner. I liked how Horowitz forged a connection between ancient ritual and modern nuclear power, but I found a lot of the other fantasy ideas pretty generic. I mean, couldn't modern-day witches do better than reciting the Lord's Prayer backwards? Overall, I would say this book is good for people in grades 5-8 who are looking for an easy and exciting read. If you like action/adventure series like Alex Rider or action/fantasy series like Cirque du Freak, this is a series you will get into. I did promise Chris that I would read all four of the books because he claims that they get better, so we'll see.

SERIES TITLE: This series is published as The Gatekeepers in the U.S., but in England it is know as The Power of Five. They are the same books.

AUTHOR WEBSITE: Visit Anthony Horowitz online at http://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/

Upcoming Series Releases

Are you anxiously awaiting the next installment in a series? Here are some upcoming series books for you to look forward to:

• 8/25/09--Blood Promise by Rachel Mead (Vampire Academy series)
• 9/28/09--The Rapture of the Deep: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Soldier, Sailor, Mermaid, Spy by L. A. Meyer (Jacky Faber series)
• 10/6/09--Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series)
• 10/27/09--The Shadow Dragons by James A. Owen (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series)
• 10/27/09--Tempted by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• 11/17/09--Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider series)
• 2/1/10--Paparazzi Princess by Jen Calonita (Secrets of My Hollywood Life series)
• 2/23/10--The Sable Quean by Brian Jacques (Redwall series)

Prize Party Winners

On Friday night, 53 teen summer reading participants came out to our Express Yourself prize party! It was a madhouse, but lots of fun. I'm glad we didn't have more people there because they wouldn't have fit in the room. This year, our teen program had 151 participants who read 2687 books, way more than any other summer since I've been here!! During the program, we watched a slide show of photos from summer events, booktalked some great fiction and graphic novels, and, of course, gave away a lot of prizes.

We gave away everything from small to large, and everyone who attended won something small. We started by giving everyone a pin, a bookmark, and a water bottle with a little prize inside, and then a lot of people won drawstring backpacks. Then we gave away things like glow bracelets, triangle games, and keychains. I also had some Sellers Library mugs that I filled with school supplies.

We took a break for snacks, and then I put every single slip from the summer in a box to do the rest of the drawings for the medium and large prizes. Our medium-size prizes included hardcover books, kits, and DVDs. Then, it was on to the big stuff: tickets to local attractions and the iPod Shuffle. I have some phone calls to make, but the person who won the biggest prize happened to be at the party, which always makes it more fun. Katie E. was this year's winner of the iPod, and she was super-excited! Sarah E. won two tickets to Six Flags Great Adventure, Christelle won tickets to the Brandywine River Museum, and several other people won local bowling tickets.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the teen summer reading program this year. You made it our best year ever!!!

The Craft Closet Is Cleaner

Last Wednesday, 11 teens dropped by for our end-of-summer Craft Closet Cleanout event. I put out materials for two crafts from this summer, Message in a Bottle and Scratch-Painted CD Magnets. Everything else was too messy to do indoors! People did a lot of older projects, though, such as the Washer Zipper Pull, Toaster Pastry iPod Cozy, Funky Beaded Tiara, and Necktie Belt. We even had a few people do last summer's Flower Power paper flower project. Everyone went home with at least one completed craft, and several people made three or more! Look for another CCC on the fall schedule.

Join the Teen Advisory Board!

Fall is approaching, and now is the time to join the Teen Advisory Board! The TAB is for students entering grades 8 to 12, and it's a great way to have your say at the library. The TAB plans and presents programs, reviews books, makes displays, raises money for teen projects, and generally has a lot of fun. Plus, you can count our meetings as volunteer hours for school, scouts, or other organizations. The TAB meets one Sunday afternoon a month from 2:00 to 4:00, and other days as needed for specific projects.

Interested? All you have to do is grab an application from the children's circulation desk, fill it out with thoughtful answers, and give it to the staff to give to me. Applications are due by Monday, September 14. The current TAB will vote on new members based on the strength of the applications, without names attached. We have six open seats, so we are looking for a lot of great new people to join us!

If you would like to join the TAB but know you can't attend Sunday meetings, please talk to Gretchen about other ways you can be involved.

Last Week for Teen Summer Reading!

This is the final week for our teen summer reading program, so turn your slips in by Friday! Our summer prize party will be held this Friday, August 14, from 6:30 to 8:30. Anyone who has turned in at least one slip all summer is eligible to attend. You can bring slips with you to the party, but I'd appreciate getting them earlier in the week if you are able.

Don't worry if you can't come. If you win something, I will save it for you and give you a call! Of course, people who attend get more free stuff, food, and fun activities, so plan on being there if you can!!

Movie Food Blog Poll

The blog poll for the past two weeks has asked readers to select their favorite movie food, and 43 people responded. Not surprisingly, popcorn was the winner! I put carrot sticks on there as a joke, but it got a vote, too. Here are the complete results:

sugary candy--9 (20%)
chocolate candy--4 (9%)
nachos--4 (9%)
popcorn--18 (41%)
soft pretzels--3 (6%)
hot dogs--2 (4%)
chips--2 (4%)
carrot sticks--1 (2%)

We Made Ice Cream!

Today was our last and most delicious outdoor craft...we made ice cream! Genni and I prepared for 30, but only 18 people dropped by to do it. It worked out, though, because everyone who stayed until the end was able to make another batch if they wanted to! We did it like the classic school science experiment: ice/rock salt in a big bag, whole milk/sugar/vanilla in a small bag, place small bag in big bag, roll/squeeze for a few minutes, and voila! We had toppings like sprinkles, chocolate syrup, and M&Ms to make it taste extra good.

Here are a few tips if you decide to do this at home:

• Use freezer bags instead of regular bags. The added thickness helps prevent either bag springing a leak. Alternately, you could place the bag of ice cream mixture inside a can with a lid.
• Wipe off the inner bag, especially around the closure. Eat the ice cream out of the bag. Both of these things help keep salt out of the ice cream.
• Double the recipe provided in the link. More ice cream is better!

Getting ice from the coolers. (Thanks for bringing the coolers, Genni!)

Squishing and rolling are the best techniques for making the ice cream.

Some creative mixing!

Adding toppings to the finished product.

Enjoying the ice cream!

The speaker penguin provided us with some musical ambiance.