New titles for the week of 11/18/2012

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Here's just a few new titles we had come in during the week!

FICTION

• Lemonade Mouth Puckers Up by Mark Peter Hughes

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Kimi Ni Todoke by Karuho Shiina (vol. 15)

Election Day TAB Bake Sale!

On Tuesday, November 6, the Teen Advisory Board held a bake sale in the lobby of the library to raise funds for future programs. The library was closed that day, but open as a polling place. Lots of TAB members came bearing awesome baked goods, and Sellers' previous teen librarian Gretchen even dropped off some cupcakes the day before (I had one, and they were great). We ended up raising $125.70 for the Teen Advisory Board, and had fun doing it! All in all a successful day!

New Titles for the week of 11/4/2012

A little late with this post, here's the new titles from the week of 11/4/2012, with a few from the previous week as well (hurricane Sandy kind of messed up shipping and such).

FICTION

• Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
• The Turning by Francine Prose
• Time to Shine by Nikki Carter (part of the Fab Life series)
• Ruins by Orson Scott Card
• Revived by Cat Patrick

Vocaloid Day at Asian Culture Club!

The Asian Culture Club met Wednesday with a celebration of all things vocaloid! For those that may not know, vocaloids are programs that allow users to make a voice sing in whatever words you want in any pitch you'd like to make music! The voices are each given names and characters to supply them with personality, the most famous of which has to be Hatsune Miku. Below is a video of Hatsune Miku singing a medley of her songs at a live concert in Japan:

For the Asian Culture Club meeting, we compiled YouTube videos into a playlist ahead of time to watch at the meeting. I had my laptop hooked up to a projector and speakers so we could all see and hear it clearly. While the vocaloid songs were playing, I brought a stack of papercraft sheets to construct of various vocaloids and other anime-related characters (and some not so anime-related, but I really really wanted to make a Companion Cube!). In addition, I brought in my PSP with a Japanese import copy of a Hatsune Miku game I happened to own, a music game called Hatsune Miku Project Diva. I had speakers hooked up to it, plus a large pair of headphones if it was too hard to hear (it being a rhythm game, hearing clearly is important!).

The meeting was a lot of fun, papercrafts were made, and Pocky was eaten. At first I was afraid we wouldn't have enough vocaloid clips to fill an entire hour and a half meeting, so I had also invited people to send their favorite anime music videos (AMVs) to append to the list. That turned out to be unnecessary, as we had enough music to last three meetings I think. Perhaps a showing of favorite AMVs can be its own meeting theme another time. The PSP game also got some play time, so that was good (the headphones were used exclusively, as the game couldn't be heard over the music playing).

There were some opportunities for improvement next time however. With such a huge list of vocaloid clips, I was concerned about the fact that not everyone would be able to get their submitted clips shown. Mixing up the playlist to make sure there were submissions from various people throughout could have helped that. The other big problem was the wifi occasionally deciding to quit while playing a clip. I brought in my own laptop hoping it would avoid that problem, as it's done that with the library's laptop before. This wasn't a huge issue, as usually just telling YouTube to go one lower in the video quality would have it reloading just fine. I don't really know what else to do with this issue anyway, so it's most likely one that we'd just have to live with.

The issue of getting more members was brought up, and that's certainly something we need to consider. Our group of regular members is reliable, yet very small, and it would be great to get more people involved. Obviously this is something we'll need to discuss in the near future. Overall the meeting was a lot of fun, and I'm already looking forward to the next one!

New titles for the week of 10/21/12

FICTION

• Beta by Rachel Cohn
• Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
• Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (additional copy, Maze Runner book 2)
• The Death Cure by James Dashner (Maze Runner book 3)
• The Kill Order by James Dashner (prequel to the Maze Runner trilogy)
• Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn
• Identical by Ellen Hopkins
• Glass by Ellen Hopkins
• Burned by Ellen Hopkins
• My Life & Other Stuff I Made Up by Tristan Bancks
• Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
• Untouchable by Kate Brian (part of the Private series)
• Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
• Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
• The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
• The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini
• Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (book 4 of the Beautiful Creatures books)
• Speechless by Hannah Harrington
• Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick (final book in the Hush Hush series)

New titles for the week of 10/14/2012

FICTION

• Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz (book 2 of The Gatekeepers)
• Revelation by Kate Brian (A Private novel)
• Hidden by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Manga Man by Barry Lyga, illustrated by Colleen Doran

New books for the week of 10/7/2012!

Just a couple of titles added this week. And whereas last week pretty much everything had book trailers, this week it's the exact opposite, with neither having them!

FICTION

• Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
• On The Day I Died by Candace Fleming

Banned Books Week discussion group!

On Wednesday, October 3, I invited people to the library and discuss the books they've read that have been banned or challenged at some point in the past. We began by talking about which books we'd read, then why we think they might have been challenged, and finally looking up the actual reasons. Some of the reasons people give are pretty bizarre, and so I thought it would be fun to match up 10 of the weirdest reasons with the respective books. The teens that participated were really sharp and matched them up in no time flat!

Below is the list of books and the reasons people gave for their removal:

1. “Encourages children to break dishes so they won’t have to dry them.” ( A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstien)
2. “The book contains topless sunbathing and 'on some pages there are dirty things'” ( Where's Waldo, Martin Hanford)
3. “If there is a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?” ( Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown)
4. “Tarzan was ‘living in sin’ with Jane.” ( Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
5. “It is a real ‘downer.’” ( Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank)
6. “The basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol.” ( Little Red Riding Hood, by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm K. Grimm)
7. “One bunny is white and the other is black and this ‘brainwashes’ readers into accepting miscegenation.” ( The Rabbit’s Wedding, by Garth Williams)
8. “It is a religious book and public funds should not be used to purchase religious books.” ( Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, by Walter A. Elwell, ed.)
9. “A female dog is called a bitch.” ( My Friend Flicka, by Mary O’Hara)
10. “An unofficial version of the story of Noah’s Ark will confuse children.” ( Many Waters, by Madeleine C. L’Engle)

Afterwards I invited anyone who was interested to record themselves reading a passage from a banned or challenged book for the Banned Books Week Virtual Read Out. One person along with myself sat down in front of a Flip camera to read a short passage. Both videos are embedded below in a playlist:

The turnout might have been small, but the group was still fun!

new teen books for the week of 9/30/2012

Not sure if it's coincidence or book trailers are getting more mainstream, but out of the 8 new books, 7 have trailers. Pretty cool!

FICTION

• Ten by Gretchen McNeil
• So Close to You by Rachel Carter
• Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett
• Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
• Origin by Jessica Khoury
• The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns)
• Erasing Time by C.J. Hill
• Carnival of Souls by Melissa Mar

New titles for the week (hope you like manga!)

The manga shelf is getting a lot of new titles this week, some new titles and some new volumes of titles we currently carry.

FICTION

• My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Bleach by Tite Kubo (vol. 22)
• Buso Renkin by Nobuhiro Watsuki (vol. 1)
• Gundam Seed Destiny by Masatusgo Iwase, Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino (vol. 1-2)
• Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (vol. 4)
• Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi (vol. 1-3)
• Jing: King of Bandits by Yuichi Kumakura (vol. 2, 3, 5)

New titles for the week of 9/9

FICTION

• The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells with illustrations by Edward Gorey
• Every Day by David Levithan
• Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin book 2)
• Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin book 3)

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto (vol. 58)
• Cardboard by Doug TenNapel

Here's the Fall Schedule!

Since I'm new to this position, you'll have to forgive me for the fall being a bit thin while I get acclimated to my new job.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Banned Book Week Discussion Group
Wednesday, October 3, from 3:30 to 5:00
In celebration of Banned Book Week, pick up a list of banned and/or challenged books and see what you've read (or find one on the list to read!). We'll meet and discuss the books and why you feel they were on the list. Some of them may surprise you!
Register Now

Cheesy Horror Movies and Book Swap
Wednesday, October 17, from 1:30 to 4:30

We're celebrating Teen Read Week this year with a spooky double feature that is sure to get as many laughs as scares (okay, probably more laughs). Join us as we watch Empire of the Ants (1997, PG) followed by Godzilla 2000 (2000, PG). Bring in your middle school or young adult paperback fiction in good condition, and take an equal number of books home with you!
(movie titles may change depending on availability)
Register Now

Disney Movie Marathon
Friday, November 23, from 1:00 to 4:30
Get away from the start of the hectic holiday shopping with a Disney double feature! We'll be watching two animated classics (to be announced shortly). Watch some movies, enjoy some snacks and do some Disney-related crafts!
Registration begins October 15

Nintendo Night
Thursday, December 27, from 6:30 to 8:30
We're celebrating all things Nintendo! Bring in your DS to battle in Pokemon. Compete in a Super Smash Bros Brawl tournament. Go old-school with some gaming on the NES.
Permission slip required. Registration begins November 26

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 read and discuss at the next meeting. These groups meet year-round.

Read and Rant Book Group
Third Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00
Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, Dec. 21
This group is accepting a limited number of new members in grades 7 and 8. Registration is ongoing until spaces are full.

Book Grub Book Group
First Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00
Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 19, Dec. 17
This group is accepting a limited number of new members in grades 9 to 12. Registration is ongoing until spaces are full.

Primos Branch High School Book Group
Third Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00
Sept. 17, Oct. 15, Nov. 19, Dec. 17
Open to students entering grades 9 to 12, this group meets at the Primos Library at 409 Ashland Ave., Primos PA, 19018. Call them to register: 610-622-8091

Primos Branch Middle School Book Group
Second Fridays from 4:00 to 5:00
Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 9, Dec. 14
Open to students entering grades 6 to 8, this group meets at the Primos Library at 409 Ashland Ave., Primos PA, 19018. Call them to register: 610-622-8091

Clubs

Gaming Club
Mondays, September 10 to December 17, 3:30 to 5:00
Bring your Yu-Gi-Oh! deck, DS, PSP or any other game you're into. We'll also hook up the Wii for multiplayer gaming. Hang out, relax, and play whatever you want!
Permission slip required. Club size limited to 35 members. Registration is currently filled, but we are keeping a waiting list.

Asian Culture Club
Every fourth Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:00
Meetings on 9/26, 10/24, 11/28, 12/26
Our club will meet once a month to talk about all aspects of Asian culture. Join us as we watch anime and eat snacks! Each meeting we will discuss things like anime, manga, k-pop and j-pop, Korean dramas and manhwa. Want to be a part of the group? Make sure you're at the first meeting on September 26! Registration is ongoing until spaces are full.

New reads for the first week of September!

Here's the new titles we have ready to be checked out this week:

FICTION

• Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux Novel book 1)
• Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux Novel book 2)
• Happy Families by Tanita S. Davis
• Guy Langman Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk
• Laugh with the Moon by Shana Burg
• The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen 
• Shadow and Bone  by Leigh Bardugo
• My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend 
• Enchanted by Alethea Kontis 
• The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Catellucci & Nate Powell
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
• Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe 
• Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
• Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle
• Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Bleach by Tite Kibo, vol 46-47

And even though it's not technically in the teen section, we got in copies of Drama, the newest graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier, whose previous work was the wonderful Smile. 

Book trailer sign!

There's a new sign up in the teen section that features book covers from newly released titles (or just interesting ones in general). Each cover has a QR code on it. If you scan the QR code from your smart phone, you can check out the book trailer for that book! Hopefully this will be a fun way for people to get introduced to some new titles.

New books to check out!

Just a couple of new things in the teen section this week. Lots of sequels and series in the world of teen fiction! Here's what we got in:

FICTION

• UnWholly by Neal Shusterman (Unwind trilogy #2)
• Vanquished by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (conclusion to the Crusade Trilogy)
• The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman (The Klaatu Diskos book 1)

August's Craft Closet Cleanout!

On the 15th we had 21 people show up for the end of the summer Craft Closet Cleanout, where several tables were set up with a variety of crafts to work on. The domino decoupage magnets, while always messy, was a popular table, as was the duct tape crafts table! I was very impressed with everyone's ability to make cool and useful things from duct tape. I'm pretty sure the best I could hope for would be like, a wadded up ball of duct tape...

decoupage domino magnets

the domino decoupage table was constantly busy

the duct tape table

a duct tape iPod holder, complete with headphone pouch!

a photo holder, made from a rock and wire

New books to check out!

A couple of new titles came in today. Come in to the library (don't forget your umbrella today!) and check them out!

FICTION

• Cool Like That by Nikki Carter
• Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
• Nevermore by James Patterson (the final in the Maximum Ride series)
• Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

NONFICTION

• Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay

And here's the book trailer for Seraphina as a little something extra!

New titles! Mostly Scott Pilgrim.

I'm a huge fan of Scott Pilgrim, from the graphic novels that started it all, to the movie and the video game. So I'm happy to announce we now have the entire six book series of Scott Pilgrim available at the library. There's a few other new titles new to the collection as well:

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Scott Pilgrim vol. 1-6 by Bryan Lee O'Malley

FICTION

• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
• The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies vol. 3) by Pittacus Lore

Teen Summer Reading Winners, Week 10

It's the final week of Summer Reading Winners. : ( But we're going out with a bang, with ten winners this week instead of the usual five!

Monet Allen-Kemp
won a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

Donald Lu
won two passes to Eastern State Penitentiary .

Anna Sheman
won a signed copy of Over My Head by Marie Lamba, and glow bracelets.

Manus Shields
won a hardcover copy of The Smoke Theif by Shana Abe, and a tie-die book cover.

Rosie Long
won a hardcover copy of The Temptress Four by Gaby Triana and Book Sox.

Tu Phan
won a hardcover copy of Secret Society by Tom Dolby and star sticky notes.

Kezia Mathew
won a hardcover copy of True Talents by David Lubar and a tie-die book cover.

Adrian Israel
won two tickets to Wynnewood Bowling Lanes

Jordan Christina Marie Foster
won a hardcover copy of True Talents by David Lubar and glow-in-the-dark alien stickers.

Rachel Ezeamaka
won a hardcover copy of The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston and glow bracelets.

Congratulations to all the winners this Summer and thanks for participating!

New Stuff to Check Out!

I've got a bunch of new titles for you guys to check out! Let's get started:

FICTION

• Maya's Choice by Earl Sewell (part of the Kimani Tru series)
• Monster by Walter Dean Myers
• Can't Hold Me Down by Lyah B. Leflore
• Can't Stop the Shine by Joyce E. Davis (part of the Kimani Tru series)
• Search for Safety by John Langan (part of the Bluford High series)
• Kendra by Coe Booth
• Snitch by Allison van Diepen
• Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper
• Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper
• The Pact by Monica McKayhan (part of the Kimani Tru series)
• Played by Dana Davidson 
• Begging for Change by Sharon G. Flake
• Lady J by L. Divine (part of the Drama High series)
• All the Wrong Moves by Nikki Carter (part of the Fab Life series)

NONFICTION

• The Freedom Writers Diary by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Bleach vol. 44-45 by Tite Kubo