YouTube Viewing Party

Today, 19 teens came out to our YouTube Viewing Party, and that's even after I forgot to make reminder calls! We broke out the pillows and the snacks, then watched one video submitted by each person in the room. The rules were simple: it had to be "appropriate" and it had to fit into one of our categories. The categories were: humorous, sad, scary, political, musical, and animated. We saw a lot of humor, covering everything from Klay World: Pancake Mines to Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch to Jeff Dunham's crazy puppet comedy. After everything, six people went home with boxes of movie candy for winning in their categories.

To set up the event, I dragged my desktop computer, mouse, and keyboard upstairs and hooked it up to the projector and the speakers. Then, I connected it to the wireless internet. It was crazy looking, but it totally worked! Even though it was a lot of work to set this up, I totally want to do it again. Everyone was mad when they had to leave and they were all begging me to show more videos. So, look for another, longer YouTube Viewing Party again in the future!

Nintendo Night Suggestions

Some people at our Teen Tech Week Nintendo Night filled out a survey, offering their opinions on the event and ideas for future gaming events.

What they liked...

• Friendly gaming environment
• Evening program
• Having fun
• Doing well in a tournament
• Meeting new people

What they didn't like...

• Loudness
• Crowdedness
• Not doing well in a tournament
• Rudeness

Suggestions for another gaming event...

• Classics from the Wii virtual console
• Guitar Hero
• F-Zero GX
• Mario Galaxy
• Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
• Pokemon Battle Revolution

It's Teen Tech Week!

Teen Tech Week (TTW) is a celebration of teens and technology (duh!) that runs from today until March 14. We kicked off TTW at little early with our Nintendo Night last Friday, but there are still several ways to celebrate this week.

1. Come to our YouTube Viewing Party on Wednesday, March 11, from 3:30 to 5:00. Show us your favorite *appropriate* video and win prizes!

2. Enter our Favorite Websites contest. You can enter every day this week by filling out a slip and putting it in the green box by the audiobooks. Daily winners will get candy, and everyone has a chance to win a gift card at the end of the week! Some sites will also get featured on the blog.

3. Visit the TTW book display in the teen area, where you can also get bookmarks and a list of suggested audiobooks.

Huge thanks goes to YALSA and the Verizon Foundation for their support of our TTW activities!!

Our TTW book display is on top of the graphic novel area. Check it out!

Teen Advisory Board

The 15 members of the Sellers Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) just got this year's t-shirts! Anas did the artwork, and we all signed the back. Look for us in our shirts at TAB-sponsored events, fundraisers, or any library program.

Some TAB members model their new shirts.

Nintendo Night

Last Friday evening we hosted Nintendo Night, our Teen Tech Week kick-off event! An amazing 32 people showed up to enter our Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament on the Wii, and enjoy free play on another Wii and my original NES. We also organized a Pokemon tournament for DS users during the event! This is the first time we have ever set up two Wiis in one room, so I really appreciated everyone's patience and helpfulness when we had some crossover interference.

After many rounds, Mike emerged as the winner of the Brawl tournament and won a $25 gift card to GameStop. Maher came in second and won a $10 card. Everyone in the final four (Mike, Connor, Maher, and David) got candy. In the Pokemon tournament, David was victorious and won a $10 GameStop card. The final two in this tournament, Katie and David, also got candy.

Thanks to a Teen Tech Week Mini-Grant sponsored by YALSA and the Verizon Foundation, we were able to purchase new games and accessories for our Wii system to make Nintendo Night amazing!

Guitar Hero was a big hit with everyone.

Anyone can rock!

Some guys playing in the Brawl tournament, playing DS, or just watching.

A group tries out Mario Party 8.

Tournament and DS play happening in the same space!

Katie brought her crocheted Pokemon to display at Nintendo Night. Aren't they cool?

TTW Sunday Contest Winner

Connor S. is today's winner of the Favorite Website Contest candy drawing. Connor recommends Halopedia because it has "Halo stuff aplenty." This is a comprehensive encyclopedic site with over 5000 articles on various aspects of Halo gameplay, so check it out.

Our Hip Hop Program!

Last Wednesday, we hosted The One Sun Lion Ra and DJ Brother Jamar for an after-school hip-hop program. It was amazing! Although we got off to a slow start, once people downstairs heard the music they started wandering up to the program room. We ended up with 28 teens and 3 moms! Ra talked about how to present yourself as a performer in a positive manner and did several interactive performances. Jamar brought a full DJ set-up, complete with turntables and laptop. My favorite part was when Ra challenged Jamar to lay down a beat he couldn't flow to...and Jamar eventually came up with a song from the Charlie Brown Christmas album that caused Ra some pause. Thanks to the Delaware County Library System and a Fit for Life grant from Libraries for the Future for supporting this event! I hope to have Ra and Jamar come back this summer for another program.

Ra points at someone to add a word to his song.

The One Sun Lion Ra and D.J. Brother Jamar doing a performance.

Another shot of Ra interacting with the group.

Yet More New Books

We just can't stop getting new stuff! Here are the latest additions to the shelves:

FICTION

• A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
• The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
• Babylonne by Catherine Jinks
• Suite Scarlett by Marueen Johnson
• Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
• Amiri and Odette: A Love Story by Walter Dean Myers
• The Boxer and the Spy by Robert B. Parker
• Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

NONFICTION

• The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
• Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

We Won a Mini-Grant!

I applied for a Teen Tech Week Mini-Grant to help buy supplies for Sellers Library's upcoming Nintendo Night...and I just found out that we won!!!! We will be receiving $450 to buy Wii games and accessories to help us have better programming. Amazing! More info to follow.

Celebrate Teen Tech Week at Sellers Library with these three events:

Favorite Websites Contest
March 6 to March 14
Fill out a slip telling us the name of your favorite website (besides YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace), and enter it to win prizes!

Nintendo Night
Friday, March 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Bring your DS and favorite games, enter a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament on the big screen, play games on an original NES, and more! Permission slip required. Register now.

YouTube Viewing Party
Wednesday, March 11, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Come share your favorite YouTube videos and win prizes! We will hook a laptop up to a projector so that everyone has a great view. Come prepared with ideas *appropriate* for the whole group. Register now.

Book Crush!

Last Friday, 17 people came out to celebrate their love for fictional characters at the Teen Advisory Board's Book Crush party! It was so much fun to hear everyone's crushes, opinions, and reactions. We played book crush bingo (really an excuse to eat chocolate), made beaded bookmarks with a crush's name on them, wrote personal ads for our crushes, and decorated heart balloons. Of course there was lots of food, and lots of discussion of book boys! We even had one brave guy at the event, who knew a lot about Bella Swan and the whole Twilight series, and was absolutly hilarious about it. Also, Kaitlyn came dressed as a character from the Uglies series, complete with crash bracelets and face tattoo. It was completely pretty-making. At the end, people were reluctant to leave, and I finally had to shoo everyone out at about 8:45. I'd say it was a success! Except that I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Shiny and New

Today, we are processing the rest of the African-American and urban fiction I ordered, as well as some award winners and other new titles. Come in and see what we've got!

FICTION

• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson
• A Little Piece of Sky by Nicole Bailey-Williams
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
• 16 Isn't Always Sweet by Cassandra Carter
• The Fight (Drama High series) by L. Divine (replacement copy)
• Frenemies (Drama High series) by L. Divine (replcement copy)
• Jayd's Legacy (Drama High series) by L. Divine (replacement copy)
• Who Am I without Him? by Sharon G. Flake (replacement copy)
• Imani in Never Say Goodbye by Jackie Hardrick
• Imani in Young Love and Deception by Jackie Hardrick
• The Absolute Truth (Platinum Teen series) by Juwell and Precious
• The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight
• Dymond in the Rough (Platinum Teen series) by Precious
• Hallway Diaries by Felicia Pride, Debbie Rigaud, and Karen Valentin
• The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
• Hollywood and Maine by Allison Whittenberg

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

New Books

We just got a bunch of new urban and African-American teen fiction, plus a few other odds and ends, so here they are:

FICTION

• Kendra by Coe Booth
• Read My Lips by Teri Brown
• Hustlin' (Drama High series) by L. Divine
• Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper (replacement copy)
• Blood is Thicker (Bluford series) by Paul Langan
• Brothers in Arms (Bluford series) by Paul Langan
• The Bully (Bluford series) by Paul Langan
• The Pact (Indigo series) by Monica McKayhan
• If Only You Knew (Hotlanta series) by Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller
• If I Were Your Boyfriend by Earl Sewell
• Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi
• It Chicks by Tia Williams

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Vampire Game by Judal
• Peach Girl: Change of Heart #2 by Miwa Ueda
• Peach Girl: Change of Heart #6 by Miwa Ueda

New Shelf!

In an effort to better organize the teen materials, we have a new shelf! It is located against the doors in the teen corner. I had to move the beanbags upstairs, but I think the sacrifice was totally worth it. The new shelf now has all of the teen magazines, comic books, and nonfiction on it. I even have space on top for a display, and, just for you juniors, I put up books on vocabulary building, college essays, and career advice. The cart that was in the room is now gone, which is very helpful when you are trying to actually enter the area. Come check out the new look!

Book Review: Hero-Type

Hero-Type by Barry Lyga

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

SUMMARY: Everyone is treating Kevin as a hero because he was in the right place at the right time and saved a girl from being murdered. Only Kevin knows the real reason why he was there to save her. Things get even more complicated when Kevin is seen removing two patriotic “Support the Troops” ribbons from his car bumper. Now the town that lauded him as a hero turns on him, calling him unpatriotic. Kevin, who hadn't thought much about it up to then, becomes politcially engaged, suddenly questioning what exactly supporting the troops or even saying the pledge of allegiance every day means. Looking for the depth behind the hype, Kevin wrestles with what it really means to be a hero.

OPINION: This book takes place in the same town as Lyga's other books (Fanboy and Goth Girl; Boy Toy), and a few the characters from those stories make an cameo in this one, which I enjoyed. What I always appreciate about Barry Lyga's writing is the complexity of his characters. Kevin cannot be easily categorized as a hero, or a nerd, or an unpatriotic American, even though he gets labeled as such throughout the story. The reasons for Kevin's behavior are a believable combination of personal, family, and social issues. Kevin's group of friends, the Fools, add some humor to the story with their escapades as the self-appointed town jesters, but their Foolishness also sharpens Kevin's resolve to get to the heart of the issues. If you are already a fan of Barry Lyga, then look for this book at the library. And if you like stories that tackle social issues like Deadline by Chris Crutcher and the Larry books by Janet Tashijan, give this one a try!

Newest of the New

The books continue to flow out of processing and onto our shelves. Come check something out!

FICTION

• The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
• Princess Forever by Met Cabot (Princess Diaries series)
• Princess Mia by Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries series)
• Repossessed by A. M. Jenkins
• The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
• The Magician by Michael Scott (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series)
• The Beduins' Gazelle by Frances Temple
• The Boy in the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (replacement copy)

Book Review: Babylonne

Babylonne by Catherine Jinks

Review by Kaitlyn

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

Babylonne was an amazing book! Catherine Jinks’ unique writing style made it so interesting to read. Jinks wrote in such a way that allows the reader to experience not only what the main character, Babylonne, is doing, but also thinking at that precise moment. It is written as though it is coming straight from Babylonne’s mind! Medieval lovers will love this book because it is set in the Middle Ages, during the time when those of the Cathar faith were persecuted by Catholics. Historical fiction lovers will especially love this book because it isn’t just based on a time period in history; Jinks actually incorporates some real historical figures into her story. The dangerous time period mixed with Babylonne’s own adventures and struggles with her own beliefs in what is right and wrong makes Babylonne an ideal book for adventure and historical fiction lovers alike. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in these types of books, or anyone else who just needs a good book to read!

Book Swap & 80s Movies

Today, 13 teens came through our book swap and many stayed to watch UHF and Teen Wolf. A total of 36 books were swapped and a lot of food was eaten! Everyone seemed happy with their book selections, so happy reading! We will probably do this again in the spring.

One surprise was that Marissa stopped by to swap books and chat with me about her ideas for summer programs. The summer theme for 2009 is Express Yourself @ the Library, and it focuses on the arts. Marissa didn't know that, but her suggestions are perfect. She suggested jewelry making and fashion drawing already, and I'm sure she will come up with many other ideas before summer!

Princesses Forever!

Tonight, 16 teens came out to the TAB's Princess Party! We were technically celebrating the release of the final Princess Diaries book, but it was really just all about getting touch with your inner princess. We decorated cute cupcakes, watched the original Princess Diaries movie, ate sugary snacks (including hot tea in teacups), got our faces painted, and made funky beaded tiaras. It was pretty laid back. Laura won the costume contest and got a copy of Forever Princess, and Denise won the drawing for a tiara. Huge thanks to Mrs. H. for doing gorgeous face painting, to Katie for displaying her dolls, and to the Teen Advisory Board members for sponsoring the event!

Princesses kick @$$

All of Katie's crocheted princesses.

We had a variety of princesses at the party!

Princess practicing their royal waves.

What cute dolls!

Nice tiaras!

A cute picture, and check out the face painting!

Tiaras Fit for a Princess

On January 6, the last Princess Diaries book, Forever Princess, was published. To commemorate this event and raise money for the New York Public Library System, Meg Cabot planned a tiara auction! A variety of people contributed tiaras, including authors Judy Blume and Chris Van Allsburg, TV personality Mo Rocca, and even one by an actual princess. And they're not all traditional...check out Bobbi Brown's makeup tiara! Hurry up and place your bid because the auction ends on January 31.

If you can't afford them, try making your own:
Crystal Tiara
Beaded Tiara
Flowered Tiara

CCC

Today's Craft Closet Cleanout only had 5 attendees, but everyone went home with completed crafts. Among other projects, Shannon made a Pop-Tart cozy for her new iPod, Katie made two cute beaded flowers for her hair, and Genni added beading to a purse. People also made robot key chains, team spirit ponytail holders, magnets, Valentines, and more! We will do the CCC again in March, so check the schedule!