millicentlibraryteens

THANKS FOR A GREAT SUMMER!

2010-08-17T13:47:00.001-07:00

I want to take a minute after this BUSY summer to thank all of the Millicent Teens who pulled together and helped out with Summer Reading, from signup to the Teddy Bear Parade! I was so proud to see you all come out and lend a hand. We'll continue on with our "MillieWizards" TAG group this fall. Have a great first day of school, too!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Seasons Greetings, Teens! Hope to see you at our upcoming programs over school vacation weeks! Remember, we have knitting and other fiber crafts, holiday card making, Winter Solstice celebration, Teen Vacation Tuesday, and more. I'd love some help with the Fancy Nancy Almost New Year's Eve party on 12/28 and the Monster Maker StoryPlay with Jason Edwards on 12/30.

Thanks to all of you for your help and participation this fall, and I look forward to an exciting, fun and productive 2010 with all of you! Happy Holidays.

Jane

Teen Read Week Celebration!

2009-10-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Please join us on Tuesday, October 20 from 3-5 p.m. in the basement auditorium at the Millicent Library! We'll celebrate Teen Read Week with games, books, fun and food. RVSP to Jane!

New librarian is here!

2009-09-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, Millicent Teens! My name is Jane Murphy, and I'm your new Youth Services Librarian. Please stop by and introduce yourselves, and we'll make plans for Teen activities. Teen Read Week begins October 18th!

Must-read book of 2009

2009-07-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I can't remember the last time I finished a book and immediately wanted to read it again from the beginning. When You Reach Me is a mystery that will confuse the reader up until the last ten pages when all will be made clear. Miranda, a young latch-key kid living in NYC in the late 1970s, is generally a good kid. She helps her mother prepare for her turn on her favorite TV game show, loves re-reading her favorite book (A Wrinkle in Time) and is beginning to figure out how to really be a good friend. When she starts receiving strange letters that don't make sense, though, she is confused and somewhat scared. The letters ask her to write a letter of her own and tell her that if she does, her friend's life will be saved. The slow unfolding of this mystery is never boring. I liked everything about this book from the characters and their development down to the chapter titles, which I usually don't pay any attention. Every detail was just right and every word belonged. Kudos to the author for making this novel work even with the time-space complications. Highly recommended for all readers.

View all my reviews >>

New Flickr pictures!

2009-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Check out pictures from Teen Tuesdays this summer!

We've been having lots of fun doing craft days (Henna! duct tape crafts! hardware jewelry!), as well as Karaoke, Game Days, Improv and more. Here are some pics from days when Ms. Laura remembered her camera... :)

Five stars...no lie!

2009-07-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Song of the Lioness Quartet is an inspiring series about Alanna, the girl who became a powerful knight-sorceress by dressing as a boy for over five years and working her tail off. Tamora Pierce has written tons since then, but this was her first series and her first of four series about the land of Tortall. (can't wait to read the rest!) The series is VERY romantic with lots of adventure. If you liked Graceling, you'll love the books of the Song of the Lioness quartet. The series follows Alanna from the time she goes to court to become a squire until she is a full knight in her twenties. Books in the series include: Alanna: The First Adventure; In the Hand of the Goddess; The Woman Who Rides Like a Man; Lioness Rampant. The world that Pierce has created in these books is full and rich. Characters are fully developed and grow on the reader over time. I especially liked how Pierce handled the love triangle that emerged between three of the characters. This is an incredibly told tale that you'll probably want to reread again and again. (thanks, Gabi for recommending it!)

View all my reviews >>

New book!

2009-07-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mia is a talented cellist who loves her family and her rocker boyfriend. Her life is great...before. After the car accident that kills her family she must decide whether life is worth living or if she should join them. Through flashbacks and memories, readers learn all about Mia's relationship with her friends, boyfriend and family members.

Fans of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones will love this book. If you like to be moved to tears, this is the book for you. Make sure you have kleenex nearby! This book is available in our new YA fiction section.

View all my reviews >>

Carbon Diaries 2015...a little too realistic

2009-07-13T06:36:00.001-07:00

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've read quite a few futuristic/we ruined the environment and the world books, but this one scared me the most...probably because this possible future isn't too far off. The year is 2015 and London has had a Great Storm that devastated the infrastructure. Now England is rationing energy in the form of individual carbon cards. All Laura wants to do is play in her band and hopefully score a date with her next door neighbor, Ravi. Her diary from the year 2015 shows, though, that the reality of her life is anything but typical for a middle class teenager. She and her family must cut back on all luxuries (including showers! and vacations!) severely and necessities like water and food are suddenly in very short supply. Laura's family has never been close and the crisis is making things even more difficult. Survival as a family and survival in general is now on the line.

I recommend this to anyone who cares about the environment and likes learning about the consequences of global warming/wasteful humans. I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes reading books about teenagers with family problems. I would love to read this with teenagers as part of a discussion about global warming and ways we can personally be "greener" and our responsibility as citizens to help our country adopt greener policies. The book seems to argue that we won't do anything about the crisis until it really is an immediate crisis...at which point it may be too late. We should definitely take preventative action!

View all my reviews.

The Roar...dystopian sci-fi thriller...

2009-07-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Roar by Emma Clayton

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mika is a twin living in a futuristic world where all of humanity lives in the northern hemisphere of Earth behind a Wall due to an Animal Plague that has made the rest of Earth uninhabitable. Mika is twelve years old and is part of the first generation born since the Plague took hold over 40 years ago. Life is uncomfortable and unpleasant for most people (i.e. the poor people) who have to live in confined spaces, eat colored mold, are terrified of the idea of animals and barely ever see the sun. Mika's twin, Ellie, is missing, but Mika senses that she is not dead, as their parents presume. When the government begins offering Mika and all his classmates FitMix and encourages them to play arcade games after school, Mika is suspicious. Once he learns that playing the game is the only way to get closer to Ellie, however, he is determined to win...no matter the cost.

I'm completely creeped out by Clayton's take on the future we're headed towards if we continue to trash our world. (I like to be creeped out by dystopian future Certain elements of the book were confusing and seemed not to fit with the story. The ending was pretty open and left room for a sequel, but I've found no indication that there will be one. I wouldn't mind having to imagine my own ending in this case. Clayton is a first-time author and I look forward to reading more. I wish I could give this 3.5 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who liked The Hunger Games by Collins, Unwind by Wasserman or Carbon Diaries 2015 by Lloyd

View all my reviews.

Fire in the basement!

2009-07-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

I wasn't here yesterday because it was my random Thursday off, but apparently I missed an exciting day at the library. A light fixture in the basement auditorium caught on fire and burned through the cover. The fire department came and the library was closed for about two and a half hours while things got cleaned up.

What does this mean for library programs? The only programs that will be canceled are today's movie (and possibly next week's movie) and the Teen Game Day scheduled for next Tuesday the 14th at 3 p.m. (booooo!!!) All other programs will either be outside or in the Town Hall auditorium depending on the weather and the program.

Specifically:

Pajama Storytime Monday, July 13 will be upstairs in the kids room

Toddler Storytimes on Tuesday, July 14 (9:30 and 10:15) will be either outside or in the Town Hall auditorium (depending on weather)

Summer Escapades with Diane Edgecomb (storyteller with harp! awesome!) on Wednesday, July 15 at 10 a.m. will be in Town Hall auditorium

Crafternoon/Gamernoon Wednesdays 3 - 5 p.m. will be upstairs in the youth room

Art with Sara Thursday, July 16 from 10 to 11 a.m. will be in Town Hall auditorium

Big Kid & Baby Storytimes on Fridays 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. respectively will be either outside or in the Town Hall auditorium (depending on weather)

It stinks, but thank goodness for beautiful Town Hall right across the street!!

2009-07-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier (who is married to Scott Westerfeld!! of the Uglies series!!) is about a girl named Charlie who is sick of her fairy. She goes to an all-sports-school and lives in New Avalon, a place where some people have specific-good-luck fairies that help them with things. i.e. a shopping fairy or a parking fairy like Charlie. Charlie hates her parking fairy and wishes she had a all-boys-like-you fairy like Fiorenze. Charlie has been walking everywhere in an attempt to freeze out her fairy, but it's taking forever. Is there a quicker way? And will she survive it?

This book is very clever and the dialogue is fast and snappy. I couldn't really predict what would happen next and it was fun to see the consequences of Charlie's choices. A good read!

View all my reviews.

2009-07-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book takes place in a fundamentalist community where Kyra has three mothers, lots of siblings and has just been promised to her uncle as his seventh wife. The Prophet in their community, Prophet Childs, has instituted new rules that involve burning all outside influences (including books!) and keeping to a strict set of social rules. The author does an amazing job showing how desperate Kyra has become to escape her world. As the plot escalates, Kyra's emotional state becomes more and more unhinged and the reader must just go along for the ride. I read the last fifty pages of the book while walking around the house because I couldn't sit and read this book...it was just too intense. Overall, I'd say this book is horrifying, very sad and impossible to ignore.

View all my reviews.

Book Challenge Update

2009-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I said I'd read for over 20 hours and finish 5 books. In total I actually read only 15 hours and only finished 4 books within the 48 hour time limit. I did finish The Actor and the Housewife the next day, but that obviously doesn't count.

Am I disappointed in myself? A bit. Will was out of town and it rained all weekend so I really should have been able to read more. I did run a 10K, help a family member pack for a move, have dinner with a friend and watch a movie, though.

I'm looking forward to participating in the "official" 48 hour book challenge next year, but in the meantime I'll continue to add to goodreads and see if I can make it to 1000 books read in less than 5 years. Since I've been on Goodreads for two years already and have already read 402 books, I'll wager that I'm going to make

Teen Tuesday: KARAOKE PARTY!!

2009-06-25T09:44:00.001-07:00

Next Tuesday is our Karaoke party.
I can't wait!!!! See you here from 3 - 5 p.m.

2009-06-23T13:04:00.001-07:00

Exclusively Chloe by Jonathan Yang

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Chloe-Grace is a celebrity child who’s led a life in the tabloids thanks to her adoptive parents. Her mom is an Oscar award-winning actress and her dad is a rock star. Chloe has led a pretty awesome life of shopping and being famous up until now, but now she’s starting to question everything. Would it be better to be anonymous? And how will she ever know if people really like her for the right reasons? When Chloe gets a make-under and goes undercover at a public school she discovers love, friendship and herself. I liked it!

View all my reviews.

2009-06-21T15:36:00.001-07:00

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
"I went away for the summer, fell in love, and everything changed. It's the oldest story in the world." (p. 337)

It may be the oldest story in the world, but of course Sarah Dessen makes it feel fresh and new. Auden grew up too fast thanks to parents who fought all the time and the academic drive she inherited from/did to please her mother. Visiting her father (and his new wife and baby) during the summer before college in the small beach town of Colby, she meets Eli, a boy haunted by his past. Eli and Auden, both insomniacs, begin to spend their sleepless nights together wandering the town of Colby and eventually helping Auden complete childhood experiences she missed the first time around. Sub-plots abound and are all richly explored. Another fabulous book by Sarah Dessen! A must-read for teens who have ever enjoyed one of her other books or for anyone who likes teen romance books that are fully developed.

View all my reviews.

48 hr personal challenge UPDATE: 12.5 hours read/listened
# books finished: 4

2009-06-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cammie Morgan is back in her most exciting adventure yet. Roommate Macey McHenry's father is running for vice-president and Macey is a target. After an incident on the campaign trail when Cammie and Macey barely manage to escape an attack on their lives, a new operative is brought to Gallagher Girls Academy to watch out for Macey. Cammie, Liz and Bex are told not to worry, but when have they ever followed the rules before? And why does Cammie keep seeing Zach in strange places? Does he still like her or was their kiss in book 2 a one-time thing?

I loved this book just as much as the first two, I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You and Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. I highly recommend this series for middle and high school students. Ally Carter writes books that are fun to read; I can't wait for book 4 in the Gallagher Girls series! Put this one on hold today...the Millicent Library owns two copies, but it will be very popular!!

View all my reviews.

48 hr personal challenge UPDATE: 7.5 hours read/listened
# books finished: 3

(I've got some major reading to do the rest of today!!)

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

2009-06-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a tough book to listen to, but I'm glad I did. Hannah is dead; she killed herself. Now Clay must listen to her voice on the seven tapes (13 sides because "there are 13 sides to every story") he receives in the mail to find out why and what his role was. This book emphasizes how small actions can have large, devastating consequences and highlights the importance of reaching out to others with compassion. I recommend this book for older teens. If possible, listen to this one; Hannah's voice is haunting.

View all my reviews.

48 hr personal challenge UPDATE: 5.5 hours read/listened
# books finished: 2

3.5 hours in: finished FIRE!

2009-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fire is the companion novel or prequel to Cashore's debut novel (which I LOVED), Graceling. In case you haven't read it yet (go get it!! now!!), Graceling is about a world of seven kingdoms where some people are born with special gifts, graces. The main character, Katsa, has the gift of killing people, but is tired of being manipulated by the king to inflict harm on others. She and Prince Po, another Graceling who is almost her match in a fight (and other ways!), much work together on an adventure that reveals the most dangerous Grace of all.

Fire is loosely related to Graceling. I don't want to say too much since this book won't actually be released until September. Speaking generally, I'll say that I've fallen even more in love with the way Kristin Cashore builds new worlds and for her ability to create kick-butt female characters who are complex and real. What made so many teens here at the Millicent Library swoon over Graceling, though, was the romance. Fire is even more romantic. I promise!

I wish I could say more about this one, but I'll hold off until after September 9. !!
If you want to know more about Kristin Cashore, visit her blog/website. She lives in Massachusetts!

(many thanks again to my friend Nicole who lent her ARC from BEA to me!)

48 hr personal challenge UPDATE: 3.5 hours read/listened
# books finished: 1 (almost done with 2nd)

2009-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago a blogger that I read hosted a 48 hour Book Challenge. The idea is to read as many books as possible and blog about them, too. I couldn't do it at that time, but now I'm totally game. I've got a free weekend, it's RAINING and I have a huge stack of good books I can't wait to read.

My goal: to read for at least 20 hours and finish at least five books (including ones I've already started)

Here are some of the titles I may or may not get to this weekend:

YA SciFi/Fantasy

ARC (advanced release copy!!) Fire by Kristin Cashore (almost finished)
Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
NEW Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

YA Fiction

NEW Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
NEW Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
NEW Exclusively Chloe by J.A. Yang

Audio (great for still getting other things done like housework! and walking the dogs!)

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (halfway through already)
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Graphic Novel

NEW Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang

Adult

NEW The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale (YA connection: Hale wrote The Princess Academy, The Goose Girl series and Rapunzel's Revenge, a fabulous graphic novel!!)

Be on the lookout for lots of reviews over the weekend!!

CONTEST!!

2009-06-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

Want an ipod Touch or a signed audiobook from a favorite author?? Enter this video contest!

Here's the contest:

If you could go on a fantasy road trip with a character (or characters!) from your favorite series, where would you go? What would you do along the way? How would you travel? Create a VIDEO and show us!

You can do a video on the Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray, the Percy and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan or the Legend of Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce.

Forest of Hands and Teeth video

2009-06-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Go check out Jackie & Sylvia's response via YOUTUBE to zombie thriller The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It's ridiculous!!

DULL BOY by Sarah Cross

2009-06-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Avery is not normal. He has superhuman strength and the best superpower ever: he can FLY. It's a lonely life as a superteen, though...until he meets some other teens with cool powers and an adult named Cherchette who has powers and claims to also have answers AND solutions to his fears. Now Avery faces a difficult decision: who does he trust? There are some good twists in here and the ending was definitely unexpected for me. I'm looking forward to the sequel! Wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars...

View all my reviews.

Catching Fire!!!

2009-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

So I have a confession to make. I got a copy of Catching Fire in the mail from a friend of mine who went to Books Expo America (BEA for short) and I read it. In one sitting. While chewing my nails down to nothing. I wish I could share it with some of you, but I have to send it back to my friend. You can read it yourself starting September 1st, but in the meantime, just know that IT IS AWESOME. I didn't believe it possible, but it may actually even be better than Hunger Games. !!

While you're waiting for the book to be released, here's a little trailer to keep you excited:

2009-05-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Do you love Generation Dead?? Two pieces of news related to that book:

1. There's a NEW book in the series:Kiss of Life came out May 12!! Whoo!! Our copy is on the way. :)

2. Author Daniel Waters is looking for places to stop on his Zombies Across America tour. Go to his blog and tell him in the comments that he should come to the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, Massachusetts!!!

Blog address again: http://mysocalledundeath.blogspot.com/

Let's get an author visit!!

Zoinks visiting the library

2009-05-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

I was sick today so Zoinks (from the planet Zarbboff) went to Rogers & East Fairhaven Elementary schools in my place to promote the summer reading program, Starship Adventure at your Library. She's cute, huh? She's living in the Millicent library tower this summer and reading books like a maniac.

I'll be visiting Hastings Middle School next week. Zoinks can't make it, unfortunately. She has a dentist appointment. :)

The CW is picking up Vampire Diaries!

2009-05-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Vampire Diaries, the books by L.J. Smith are being made into a new TV show!!

It starts this fall on Thursdays at 8 p.m. I know I'll be DVRing this one for sure.

Here's the link for more info: http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries

2009-05-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Talia has been asleep for 300 years, ala Sleeping Beauty. Jack is bored on vacation in Europe and stumbles across her sleeping village, the beauteous Talia...and can't help kissing her. Although Talia has been wakened by what she believes is "true love's first kiss," the witch/fairy Malvolia is still threatening Talia in her dreams. Told in alternating chapters, A Kiss in Time follows what happens next. Although Talia's transformation in the book is a bit less believable than Jack's, I had great fun reading this book. It was fun seeing Talia figure out the 21st century, especially the behavior and dress of young adults (in modern-day Miami no less!). People certainly don't wear ball gowns anymore! Her diplomatic skills came in handy with Jack's younger sister and mother; Talia managed to bring out the best in everyone and eventually that's what draws Jack to her. (I want to be able to give this 3 1/2 stars.)

View all my reviews.

New blog for Writing Club

2009-05-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Check out our new teen writing blog! We have a new poll up plus updates on the stories we're writing individually. We also post the silly chain stories we write as a group.

2009-05-18T11:35:00.001-07:00

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Zombies are the new Vampires! well, probably not. But this book certainly kept me on edge and gave me crazy zombie nightmares. Mary lives in a small fenced-in village in the middle of the Forest with Unconsecrated (read: ZOMBIES) moaning at the fences all day long. The Unconsecrated want to eat human flesh and create more zombies. In the first chapter Mary's mother is infected and Mary must watch her mother transform into a zombie before being released into the forest. ugh...bad day. Mary's existence is ruled by the Sisterhood, a religious order that governs over the village. While living with the Sisters, however, Mary discovers that there may be life outside the village. This reignites her hope in some day seeing the ocean, a mythical place that her many-greats grandmother is rumored to have visited. When Mary (and some others including the two men who love her--yes, it's also a romance) escape from the village after a zombie attack, she must convince the others that there is hope and there may be a world without the Unconsecrated.

This book is being optioned for a movie--it will definitely be a horror film (which mean I probably won't see it!!). I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes suspenseful books, romance or action scenes where zombie heads are being whacked off left and right.

View all my reviews.

Newest Airhead Novel!!

2009-05-07T08:32:00.001-07:00

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked Airhead a lot, but I like Being Nikki even better. This sequel follows Em Watts now that she's in supermodel Nikki Howard's body. Em is getting used to being a supermodel, but still misses spending time with her family and her best friend/crush Christopher. It's apparently not easy to be a runway model and have to wear a ten-million dollar diamond bra for New Years. I expected more drama like what happens in the beginning of the book, but then the book took a fun twist and everything suddenly changed. The ending had me wishing I could read the third book right away.

View all my reviews.

New favorite website

2009-05-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

MorphThing--morph together celebrity faces to find out what their child would look like!

Here is my morph of Harry Potter, Shrek and Ashley Tisdale

2009-04-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Science Fair by Dave Barry

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hilarious!! I'll read just about anything Dave Barry writes after the Peter (Peter Pan prequels) series. I think he does a fabulous job of stretching the believable. This book is about a boy named Toby who is desperate to win the school science fair (and the $5000 prize!) to pay off Star Wars enthusiasts who are blackmailing him, but gets caught up in an international terrorist attack from the Republic of Krpshtstan (population 4 million including goats) instead. Just enough tech info to make geeks happy, but also enough action and humor to keep everyone else happy.

View all my reviews.

Cliff and I go head to head in Wii Boxing!

2009-04-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is from the staff meeting/party last Thursday. :)

Fun websites for teens

2009-04-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

I was browsing around on a slow Friday afternoon and found these. Enjoy!

Harper Teen Books
Contests, author info, quizzes, videos and browse inside info for a lot of favorite books.

Bookleads Wiki
Tons of great info here on recommended teen reads, book blogs, author blogs and more.

Upcoming teen events!

2009-04-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

EVENTS

Teen Game Days Fridays: April 17, May 15, June 19 from 3 - 5 p.m.

TAG Meetings Tuesdays: May 5 & June 9

(the May 5 TAG meeting will have a Cinco de Mayo theme!)

Writing Club Thursdays: April 9, 30 & May 7, 21 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

VOLUNTEER

Letterboxing Thursday, April 23 from 2 - 3 p.m.

Fancy Nancy Party (including a fashion show!) Wednesday, May 27 from 6:30 - 7:15 p.m.

Or see Laura to cut, color, laminate, or photocopy!! She always needs help.

All these events are held at the Millicent Library in the auditorium. Please see Laura to sign up for the volunteer opportunities. See y'all soon!

2008 Printz Award Winner!

2009-03-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was incredibly confused in the beginning of this book, but kept on anyway. I'm so glad I did. Taylor Markham's character was so well developed that by the end of the book I was almost going crazy hoping that things would "work out"...as well as they can when so many people in her life had already died. I completely fell in love with the boy she fell in love with along with her. The story within a story enchanted me completely. This book is definitely for sophisticated teens who can handle the necessary development in the beginning of the book.

View all my reviews.

New book!

2009-03-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

Max is here! We have two copies available at the library. Stop by, call or go on sailsinc.org to place a hold. See you in the library!

2009-03-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now I know what all the hype is about! So many teens have told me to try this series, but for some reason I put it off. Now that the 5th book is being released tomorrow, though, I thought I'd better finally give it a try. WOW. Maximum Ride is an unbelievably awesome character with wings, incredible leadership abilities and a pretty difficult destiny (save the world)...plus she's only 14. The rest of the flock: Fang, Gasman, Iggy, Angel and Nudge are mutants, as well, on the run from the Erasers and the rest of the Whitecoats from the School. Really all Max wants is information and the ability to live free...

I can't wait to read the second book! I'm actually glad to be reading this series now because I can blow through all five without waiting. :)

View all my reviews.

2009-03-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Katsa lives in a world with seven kingdoms and seven Kings where some people are Graced, meaning they have special powers (and two different colored eyes). Katsa's Grace allows her to fight with incredible skill and at incredible odds. She never loses and she never tires. When Katsa meets Prince Po, a Graced prince from a nearby kingdom, she finally gets to fight someone with skills that rival her own. This book is full of adventure, romance and suspense. Katsa is one of the strongest heroines I've ever met (and I can't believe this is the author's first book!).

View all my reviews.

Hooray for youtube!

2009-03-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all 19 of you who came out to watch videos! I promise there will be a next time since this was SO popular. Here are the videos we watched:

Hip Hop Treadmill Fail
Charlie Bit my Finger—Again!
Exercise Ball to the Face
Kittens Inspired by Kittens!
Bizkit the Sleepwalking Dog
Charlie—Candy Mountain
The Evil Eye
Evil Strawberry
The Llama Song
Insane Driver
Funny Farm
Tokyo Dance Trooper
Very Angry Talking Cat
Talking Dogs
Bears Begging for Food
American Idol: Worst Singer Ever
Dog Bites Own Leg
Funny Cats
Bigfoot and Snasquatch
Home Invasion on Tape!
Sneezing Panda
Top 15 Worst Soccer Bloopers
Charlie’s Gift
Charlie the Unicorn 2
AAA amazing basketball shots

Next time, be sure to send all your video recommendations to lgardner at sailsinc dot org!!

2009-03-05T12:00:00.001-08:00

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Read this in less than 24 hours! Savannah's older sister Jane steals her boyfriend and Savannah is devastated. In walks her fair (not fairy, but fair b/c her grades aren't that hot) godmother, Chrissy Everhart with three wishes for Savannah and a cranky leprechaun as an assistant. The chaos that ensues when Chrissy messes up Savannah's three wishes is pretty funny. Savannah ends up in the Middle Ages as first Cinderella, then Snow White and finally herself (but she has to help her classmate become a prince). I'm a fan of the reimagined fairy tale, so all of this was interesting, but certain sections of this book are too rushed. I found the end especially disappointing.

View all my reviews.

Happy Snow Day!

2009-03-02T05:13:00.002-08:00

It's actually my day off, so no bonus day for me... I hope the rest of you enjoy the snow day, though! We have a TAG meeting tomorrow at 4 p.m. and lots of fun events next week:

YouTube Viewing Party
Wednesday, March 11 6:45 p.m.
Send me your favorite YouTube videos (comments after this post is great!).
We'll watch them all and vote on the best.
Popcorn will be served. :)

Teen Game Day
Friday, March 13 3 - 5 p.m.
Mario Kart, Guitar Hero (World Tour? JP?), DDR, etc.
also classics like Twister & Catch Phrase. I know you guys love those!!

2009-03-02T05:13:00.001-08:00

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I did not know what to expect when I saw that Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan was releasing The Demigod Files before the fifth and final book of the series. While not essential to understanding the storyline of Percy Jackson and his mythical adventures, The Demigod Files is definitely worth the read. Besides containing interviews with the main characters, a few puzzles and a map of Camp Half-Blood, the book has three mini-quests involving Percy that take place between book four and the upcoming book five. In each, Percy narrowly avoids death. In one, he almost kisses Annabeth! Fans of the series should not miss this companion novel.

View all my reviews.

2009-03-02T05:11:00.000-08:00

Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cecilia has grown up knowing that she is the "one true princess" despite the fact that she lives hidden away in a small village disguised as a poor orphan. Sir Stephen, a knight, teaches her in secret and tells her of a future as queen. When tragedy strikes, though, Cecilia must immediately make way to the castle to claim her destiny. This book was clever! The twist near the end caught me completely off guard. I read Just Ella quite a long time ago, but was pleased to see Ella make an appearance in this book. I wouldn't call this a sequel but maybe a companion novel to Just Ella.

View all my reviews.

Books about Bullying

2009-02-09T12:40:00.001-08:00

Poison Ivy by Amy Goldman Koss

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ivy has been picked on all her life, especially by Ann, Benita and Sophie. She also has the worst nickname ever: Poison Ivy. When her teacher suggests bringing a mock lawsuit against her three tormenters during a unit on the judicial system, however, the whole class will learn important lessons. The relationships are believable and the not-so-happy ending will make perfect sense to anyone who actually lived through high school (and barely survived). This book is told from multiple perspectives...eight! Compare with Koss' other book, _The Girls_ and _Carlos is Gonna Get It_ by Kevin Emerson.

View all my reviews.

2009-01-28T07:43:00.001-08:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This modern-day re-imagined fairy tale follows Kyle Kingsbury, a beautiful shallow teenager who is cruel to the wrong witch. She casts a spell on him and makes him a beast. He's forced to live in hiding, which isn't too uncomfortable thanks to his father's wealth (think live-in maid and tutor plus all the entertainment you could wish for). The only way out of the spell is for a girl to fall in love with him and kiss him. The love story that results is a bit rushed, but otherwise this book is a definite winner. The IM messages between BeastinNYC, SilentMaid (the little mermaid), a frog (the frog prince), etc. are pretty funny, too.

View all my reviews.

Impossible

2009-01-27T09:41:00.001-08:00

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wonderfully romantic and impossible to put down! Lucy has inherited a curse that she will give birth by age 18 and go crazy unless she can complete the impossible tasks of her family's version of Scarborough Fair. Lucky for Lucy and unlike the women before her, she has her loving foster parents and her best friend (and more), Zach. But can she complete the impossible tasks of making a shirt with no seams, and sowing an acre of land with only a goat's horn and one grain of corn? I read this book in almost only one sitting and then wished I could read it all over again. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews.

New Random videos!

2009-01-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

Random Video #1

Random Video #2

Don't ask me what it all means. I'm sure it's much deeper than it seems.

one more crazy story

2008-12-22T12:41:00.001-08:00

Written by the writing club for 11 - 15 yr olds that meets most Thursdays from 3 - 4 p.m. Join us on January 15 or 29. We always have yummy snacks...

Laila couldn’t believe Tom decided to talk to her that day—he’d never noticed her before! From that day on, Laila knew her life wouldn’t be the same…

She got a whole new confidence she never knew she had. After that day she talked to Tom all the time. Before class, during class, after class! Her life was finally going the way she wanted it to. After a week, Tom actually asked Laila on a date! She was so excited she couldn’t help herself…

Finally the date had come. I couldn’t wait. Tom was there at a table so I went to the table. We talked and I ordered one of everything on the menu. I was eating everything and then I ate Tom. He tasted good. I’m sooooo fat!

Then I wanted to know where Tom went. Then I didn’t feel so good. I barfed and there was Tom. I was about to say sorry when he ran out of the restaurant screaming, “Mommy!” A few months passed and I decided to lose weight. When I got to a size 3, I decided to apologize to Tom. When I saw him he looked…

Yummy. “I’m really, really sorry for eating you” I said.

“It’s okay,” He actually forgave me! “You wanna try this again?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, yes!” I said.

“This time don’t eat me please,” he said.

“Okay, I won’t,” he said. I didn’t know if I could promise that.

“Oh, so tonight at 8 okay?” he asked.

I nodded, “I can’t wait!”

That night when he picked me up, I looked hot. Smokin’ in fact. He said so right away. I was feeling okay and wasn’t even all that interested in eating him until he moved a little during the movie and I saw a bit of his neck from under his turtleneck.

“ohhhh” I moaned, biting my hand.

I knew that by the end of the night, I’d probably eat Tom. Anyone have any Grey Poupon??

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, everybody! I hope you had fun out in the snow last weekend...and that you enjoy your days off! Come see me in the library and I'll give you candy...(we got a ton and if I eat it all I'll weigh 20 lbs more in January than I do now). :)

writing club crazy stories

2008-12-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

We've been writing collaborative stories in our Thursday Writing Club and I thought I'd share one here. This story was written by Erin, Tessa, Andrew, Isaac, Tori, Hanna and me! You can see when it changes writers by the text (bold/regular/bold).

collaborative story 2

All of a sudden he was trapped!

The rocks had filled the entrance. There was no way to move them. How was he going to get out? Tim decided to try and explore the cave. Maybe there was a way out. He kept walking on and on. After a while he started to get bored and then worried.

What if he never got out? What if no one realized he was gone!? All of a sudden he heard a shrill shriek!

“What was that?” he said aloud. He was terrified. What if it was a monster…

From around the corner came a small, timid white mouse. A mouse! Tim couldn’t believe he’d gotten so scared over a mouse! Its squeak must have echoed in the cave.

Tim knew his classmates were somewhere up ahead—but where? How would they ever find him? He felt his hands around the cave and shone his flashlight into every crack to see if he could find a way out…nothing. With a sigh he sat down and started to cry. Just as soon as the first tear hit his nose, he stopped with a jerk. How could he just sit there? He needed to think. He needed to conserve his energy and the flashlight’s energy. He turned off the flashlight and began to shout…

All that he heard was an echo in return. He started to run, but there was nothing but blackness. Tim was shaking now when he heard something. The mouse again? No, a voice, that wasn’t his own…

“Try to find a way out!” said the voice, but then, THERE WAS THE MOUSE! It came over and turned into a banana! Then it choked me until my teeth exploded!

Then the mouse turned into a man with a white beard.

Muffled (since my teeth had exploded), I said, “Are you a wizard?”

“No, I’m a dude, guy, what are you talking about?” said the man. “I am a surfer. I can surf like no tomorrow, Dude.”

“How do you get out of here?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

I looked around me and it was a beach and surfer music was playing.

“Let’s go surfing, radical dude,” the man said.

where have I been?

2008-12-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...long time no blog. We've been busy at the library anyway with Writing Club meetings for teens every Thursday from 3 - 4 p.m. and TAG meetings once a month. This month we frosted sugar cookies (pictures coming) and then ate them all. I thought about making them for shut-ins or something else like that, but it would involve making way more cookies than I actually had time for. Maybe next year.

Last night, Hailey, Kelsey & Molly were my personal heroes and helped out at the American Girl Tea Party for ages 5+. It was tons of fun!! We decorated headbands, played "Toss a Smile" and read a little from Happy Birthday, Samantha. Kelsey, Hailey & Molly were very posh and passed out lemon-ahhd to all the little party-goers (20!!).

So what's coming up, you ask? Teen Game Day on December 18th from 1 - 3 p.m.! Invite your friends, bring your favorite game and come rock out to Guitar Hero. We've also got a volunteer opportunity this Saturday from 10 - 2 p.m. TAG members are invited to come help little kids make crafts for the Old Time Holiday Fair in Fairhaven. We're making paper doll chains, paper airplanes and snowflakes. fun!!

National Book Award winner announced tonight!

2008-11-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight the National Book Award for Young People will be announced! Here are the finalists:

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

So far I've read two of these and I'm dying to read the rest.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks is a hilarious look at an exclusive boys-only secret society at a private high school and Frankie's (a girl) attempt to take it over.

The Underneath is a touching, poetic story of an old hound dog, two kittens, a thousand-year-old snake and a bitter, angry man. I couldn't put it down.

I'm off to read The Spectacular Now next. I'll post the winner tonight!

EDIT: The winner is What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. Come get it at the library today!

Election Day is tomorrow!

2008-11-03T13:53:00.001-08:00

Election day is tomorrow. If you're under 18, you can't vote, but you can still be involved and you are still a part of this exciting election no matter who you support or don't support. Here are a few interesting websites where your favorite YA authors and teens in general show their support for the candidates:

YA for Obama

YA for McCain

Also, don't forget about our teen events later this week!

NaNoWriMo Writing Club
Thursdays from 3 - 4 p.m.
WRITE A BOOK IN A MONTH! I'm 1000 words in so far; this is tougher than I thought it would be. Join up with fellow writers every Thursday to give each other support, play fun writerly games and brainstorm together.

TAG Meeting
Friday, November 7 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
We'll play games, make plans for future teen events and talk about books, movies, etc. See you there!

Like to write?? Join our writing club!

2008-10-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Calling all 6th - 9th graders!! The Millicent Library is starting a Writing Club in November to celebrate National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo). We'll be using resources from the Young Writer's Program at NanoWriMo where you can sign up for an account. We'll each set a word count goal for the month of November and try to each write a short novel/graphic novel/comic book/manga book, etc. Sounds fun to me!

I'm writing a book, too. So far the working title is:

How I fell in love, made friends and conquered the world: A user's guide
by Laura Gardner

What do you think??

Hope to see you at our first meeting on November 6th at 3 p.m.!

HAPPY TEEN READ WEEK!!

2008-10-15T18:42:00.001-07:00

It was great to see so many of you at our Movie today, The Little Vampire. Don't forget to show up tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. for our COMICS + MANGA WORKSHOP with Andy Fish and Veronica Hebard.

SEE YOU THERE!

2008-10-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Go here to vote starting Sunday, October 12!

Live chat with authors all next week!

2008-10-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

Watch this video to find out what authors you can chat with during Teen Read Week, October 13 - 17!

All chats are at 9 p.m. EST on the Readergirlz Myspace forum

Online Resources!!

2008-10-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you don't even have to come to the library to use our great resources? Visit our online resources from HOME! You can sit in your pajamas on the couch, use the library and get your projects done all at once. :) All you need is your precious LIBRARY CARD.

Resources for high school students
There is so much here! Biographies, articles about literature and authors, science experiments and much more.

Resources for middle school students
We have resources for country projects, mythology projects, science experiments, the entire World Book encyclopedia and much more. We pay for the resources, you use them!

Resources for elementary school students
(tell your little brothers and sisters! there's fun stuff here, too)

Or you can go to our website and click on Student Resources.

Happy searching!

Meeting on Thursday!

2008-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

I hope to see all of you at our TAG meeting on Thursday, October 9th at 4:30 p.m.! We'll be finishing plans for our Vampire Party next week and also getting ready for the Sustainability Fair (10/18).

:)

Brisingr!

2008-09-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

The newest book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini was released on Saturday! I recently read Eragon and Eldest, so I'm pretty excited to read Brisingr, too!! I'm dying to know if Roran and Eragon defeat the Ra'zac, rescue Katrina and defeat Galbratorix. Aren't you?

Here are some Brisingr related websites to keep you happy while you're waiting for the book:

Alagaeisa
Main website of the books

Vroengard Academy
Virtual reality site where you can pretend to be Eragon

Eragon on Myspace

Alagaeisa Adventure Game

CNN article about the author

Websites of the Week!

2008-09-17T13:28:00.002-07:00

The election is coming, and even if you're not 18 yet, you're probably thinking about who you want to vote for. Try out these election websites for fun games and polls!

270towin
It takes 270 votes to win the electoral college. On this website you can look at electoral college maps through history and even play a game to figure out the fewest number of states it takes to win.

Living Room Candidate
Search TV campaign ads from the 50s through now. These are very interesting!

eLECTIONS multimedia game
You're running for president! Play the game to see if you have what it takes to win.

For more websites that have to do with the election, click on election in the delicious tags to the right. We're only a month and a half from the big day, so get ready!

Teen Read Week is coming!

2008-09-17T13:28:00.001-07:00

Mark your calendars! Teen Read Week: Books with Bite is coming in only 1 month! Here are the events that the Millicent Library has planned...

Wednesday, October 15 from 4:30 – 6 p.m....we’ll show The Little Vampire, a fun movie (based on a book!) about a young boy who befriends a vampire (rated PG).

Thursday, October 16, which is an early release day for Fairhaven public schools, the Friends of the Library group is sponsoring a Comics + Manga Workshop at 12:30 p.m. If you like graphic novels and manga, come learn from two real graphic novel artists, Andy Fish and Veronica Hebard. You won’t want to miss it so sign up!

Friday, October 17 at 4 p.m. we're having a Vampire/Halloween Party! We may have a mystery murder theme, too if our TAG members get it together. Fun times... :)

Don't forget our regularly scheduled TAG meeting next Tuesday, September 23 (a.k.a. Nadine's birthday!). I also hope to see some of you this Saturday at our Harry Potter movie at 1 p.m. We're showing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. oooh...

Rock the vote!

2008-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of my readers are over 18, but even if you're not eligible to vote, you should encourage your older friends, siblings and others to do their part!

Here's a website with all the details on how to register to vote here in Massachusetts. Check out all the links down the right side of the page, too for more cool links related to voting.

REVIEW: Boys that Bite by Marci Mancusi

2008-09-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

This book was recommended to me by Sylvia...and I loved it! Sunshine and Rayne are completely identical twins. They are so identical that their mom can't tell them apart and neither can the vampire that is supposed to turn Rayne. He turns Sunny instead, instantly giving her Vampire Scent (irresistible to all human males and some females) and a taste for blood. She wants a reversal, but is it possible?

What follows is a funny, light book about vampires, love and legend. The conversational tone along with the fun twist on vampire life kept me reading along. This book is a cross between Sweet Valley Twins and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both have cultish appeal and I think this series could, as well. There are two sequels: Stake That! and Girls that Growl. Check out the author's website, too.

These books are available through Inter-Library Loan. You can place a hold using the SAILS website and your library card or call the library!

Websites of the Week!

2008-09-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Make your own comics with these awesome websites. For more websites that involve COMICS, click on COMICS to the right in my delicious tags. Have fun!

GoAnimate
You can create animated cartoons using standard cartoon characters or even political figures using this nifty website. Make your characters talk to each other, shake hands and more. waaay fun.

ToonDoo!
Ever want to become a cartoonist? Now you are one! You can also read and comment on other people's Toons. Here's one below...

Bubblr
Create comic strips using your Flickr photos. :)

Midnight Sun--260+ pages!

2008-09-02T14:19:00.001-07:00

Maybe you've read the "first chapter" that was floating around. Well here is a much longer excerpt--about half the book!

Stephenie Meyer has released a first draft of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward's perspective. Find it here for FREE!

Websites of the Week!

2008-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Websites that will help with homework (ugh!)

Math How-to library
Advice on everything from algebra to geometry. If you left your math book at school or just need a different explanation, look here!

Greek Mythology Website
Find some great facts here and also short, funny "myth of the month" stories.

FactMonster Homework Center
Useful stuff like the conversion calculator, an interactive periodic table and much more make this site very useful.

Click on the word HOMEWORK in the tags to the right to get more great homework sites! If you know of one that you like to go to, please add it in the comments.

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!

2008-08-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

Fairhaven students returned to school this week. It's been quite a bit quieter in the library ever since.

So how was it?

I want to hear all about it at our first TAG meeting of the 2008 - 2009 school year on Tuesday, September 9 at 4 p.m. I'll have some special snacks to celebrate your return to school. We're going to plan out our fall events (including Teen Read Week!) and talk about our ideas for helping out in the library.

see you there!

Book Review: My Most Excellent Year

2008-08-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

I laughed, cried and loved this book. Told completely in letters, IM transcripts, emails and memos, My Most Excellent Year is a story of magic, love and still more magic. And it all takes place in Boston! Red Sox Nation, unite!

I loved all the characters even down to the minor characters of Mom, Dad, Pop and Lori. The three main characters, T.C., Augie and Alejandra (Ale) are particularly lovable. T.C. and Augie are best friends and even declared themselves brothers at age 7, the year after T.C.'s mom died of cancer. Ale is new in town and is somehow immune to T.C.'s charms (but not for long). Hucky, a 6 year old deaf kid who knows how to read signs and gives T.C. very helpful batting tips, works his way into everyone's heart, including the reader. I don't want to give any of the magic away, so I won't say much more other than that I promise you'll fall in love with this book!

I read this book very quickly because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

This book is located in the YA section of the Millicent Library with the new books!

Just when you think you've got a handle on things...

2008-08-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

they change!

We're holding a Harry Potter Movie Series here at the library to get ready for the 6th movie's release on November 21, 2008 but then the studio went and changed the release date to July 17, 2009! (don't worry, we're still showing the movies starting September 6th at 1 p.m.)

Why the change, you ask?

One rumor is that studio execs were worried about the Twilight movie release eclipsing the release Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. see mtv article for more

Another rumor is that producers don't want viewers to be put off by Daniel Radcliff's other starring role, a Broadway play which involves nudity.

But the most likely reason is simply that somebody wants to make more money and summer blockbusters are the best bet for $$$$. how annoying.

Oh, well. We'll be watching all 5 HP movies on Saturdays this fall anyway.

In the meantime, here's a preview for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. enjoy!

Musings on kissing a goat...

2008-08-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

So today I kissed a goat. It really wasn't so bad! It reminded me a bit of kissing my dog, Fielder. The goat's name was S'more. He tried to get away, but I planted one on the side of his face anyway. Why did I kiss a goat, you ask? The answer is that I was keeping a promise. I promised the children of Fairhaven that I would kiss a goat if they read over 2000 hours...and so far we have 2023 hours recorded! I also got to announce that we are getting a WATER BUFFALO for a family through Heifer International thanks to all your reading. Good work

Today was the Teddy Bear Parade and there were over 150 children and 100 adults there to march around town with their teddy bears. Do I have the best job in the world or what?

A BIG THANK YOU to all the TAG teens who helped out today. You were great! Bria, Nadine, Hailey, Kelsey, Tori...I really couldn't have done it without you. Also, big thanks to Alderbrook Farms for bringing the goats and sheep (yes, there were sheep, too!). Wow, what a great day!

Summer!

2008-08-08T04:29:00.001-07:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starting to get sad about the approaching end of summer. :( Things have been crazy at the library all summer with the summer reading program, but I'd really like the summer to last a bit longer.

This week on Teen Tuesday we had our GAME DAY at the library, which was lots of fun. We played Guitar Hero on the big screen and had a few intense matches of Frogger, as well.

Next week is our last Teen Tuesday and we'll be making duct tape wallets or cell phone holders! I have all different colors of duct tape...should be fun!

Here are a few links on duct tape crafts:

http://www.ducttapecreations.com/

http://ducttapefashion.com/

And a YouTube video in case you can't make it next week:

Pictures from the Twilight Party!

2008-08-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

We ironed on our "team edward" or "team jacob" letters. Tori decided she liked them both!

Bria got creative with the back of her shirt, too!

Here are the fabulous t-shirts we created!

To see more pictures from this party, go to my Flickr set.

Twilight Party!

2008-07-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who came to our Twilight Party celebrating the upcoming release of Breaking Dawn! We made Team Edward/Team Jacob t-shirts and a couple tried out making Cullen Body Glitter (or Edward's Sunscreen as Nadine so aptly put it!). We listened to music that inspired Stephenie Meyer to write the books and watched a few of the previews on the big screen. Oh, and we ate bleeding cupcakes and drank Bella's Blushing Punch.

Fun times!

Pictures to come...

Website of the Week: Wordle

2008-07-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wordle is a pretty fun website where you can paste in any amount of text or a link (like our blog here) and it will come up with a word cloud. Here's a wordle for this blog below. The bigger words are the ones used a lot (like BOOK, duh) and the smaller ones are the ones I don't use as often. Go try your own!

Teen Tuesday: PARTY!!!

2008-07-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday, July 29th join Laura at the Millicent Library at 3 p.m. for a party celebrating the release of the newest book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer! Breaking Dawn is the 4th book in the series and will be released on August 2nd. Fans of the book, vampire fans or anyone who's interested in having a good time is invited! We'll be making t-shirts (are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?), Cullen body glitter and duct tape roses. We'll listen to music that inspired Meyer to write the book and we'll eat Bleeding Cupcakes and Blushing Punch.

Don't miss it!

Interview with Laura (umm, me)

2008-07-24T05:06:00.001-07:00

What do you think?

2008-07-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have read some of the Twilight series, what do you think of Edward and Bella? (I have my own opinions, but I'm staying silent for now...)

Don't forget to put the Twilight/Breaking Dawn release party on your calendar!! It's July 29 at 3 p.m. Breaking Dawn comes out on August 2nd. Twilight the movie will be released in December...just 5 months from now.

Summer Reading!

2008-06-27T10:42:00.001-07:00

Summer Reading!
Originally uploaded by millicentlibraryteens

Stop by the library to sign up for the Summer Reading Program! We have lots of great programs lined up for teens, including Teen Yoga, Duct Tape Crafts and more.

You even get a free book when you sign up, so stop by soon... All our reading is helping people this summer, too. We'll get an animal for a family in another part of the world that can help them increase their income. Check out http://www.heifer.org for more information. (and check out our cute summery animals above) :)

Also, if you read lots this summer, Laura will kiss a goat!! Who wants to miss that??

Being silly

2008-06-27T10:39:00.001-07:00

Being silly
Originally uploaded by millicentlibraryteens

Thanks to everyone who came to our game night last night! We had a really great time playing Guitar Hero, Frogger, Mancala, The Game of Life, Cranium and TWISTER! We'll have another one again soon!

Click on the link above to see more pictures from the game night!

Interview with the Millicent Library Director, Carolyn Longworth!

2008-06-25T05:12:00.000-07:00

TAG meeting minutes

2008-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came to Friday's meeting! If you missed it, we missed you. :)
We did the following...

did a scavenger hunt around the library
planned our first GAME NIGHT for this Thursday, June 26th! (3 - 5 p.m.; members show up at 2:30 p.m. Tell your friends!!)
helped me prepare for the Pokemon party (next Saturday the 28th at 10 a.m....if you know Pokemon, please come help me! I'm clueless...)
interviewed the library director, Carolyn Longworth (video forthcoming!)
stuffed more summer reading program bags

I look forward to seeing all of you at the game night! I'll be calling you today and tomorrow to see if you can bring some equipment. :)

Happy Summer Break!

2008-06-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of school here in Fairhaven...CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you all enjoy your summer lots and lots...and that you come see me at the library for TAG meetings, Teen Tuesday events (Movies, Game Night, Breaking Dawn release party and more...see the Millicent Library calendar for more details) or just to come in and check out a book.

If you come in anytime in the next week, though, you might be sad to see that I won't be there. I'm on vacation from June 12 (today) and won't be at work again until Friday, June 20th. Hopefully I'll see all of you at the TAG meeting on the 20th at 2:30 p.m.

In the meantime, enjoy the sun, have some fun and don't forget to keep reading! I want to hear all about what you read at our next meeting. Oh, and the next time you're in the library, be sure to check out the awesome Wild Reads display that Kelsey and Bay put together. Thanks so much, girls!

Pen pal letters coming!

2008-06-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Our pen pals at the Sturgis Library are having a game night this Friday the 13th and they plan to respond to us then. Check out the blog post from the Sturgis TAG here and feel free to comment on how much you are looking forward to pen pal letters!

We should have the pen pal letters by our June 20th 2:30 p.m. meeting.

TAG interview

2008-06-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the TAG group interviewing Erica, a circulation assistant at the Millicent Library. It's pretty silly!

Website(s) of the week

2008-06-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Create your own avatar!

Here's an avatar I made on Meez:

Umm, yes, I'm a body-surfing librarian.

Also check out what I made on Mr. Picassohead here.

You can find other great avatar makers by clicking on the word "avatar" over in the delicious tags. Check out all the delicious tags to find lots of cool stuff!

TAG meeting minutes

2008-06-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who made yesterday's meeting such a success! 15 teens were present to eat food, play a fun game, talk about books, music and movies and plan our upcoming Game Night.
Here are some things that happened at the meeting in case you couldn't come:

Laura gave out jobs so she doesn't go insane. Jackie will be taking attendance; Rachel is the new phone junkie calling people about upcoming events; Tori and Shay are in charge of keeping noise under control (somewhat) and we even have awesome volunteers to help set up and clean up.
Teens also signed up to help out at the Pokemon Party that the library is holding on Saturday, June 28th at 10 a.m. If you weren't at yesterday's meeting and you want to help out with this, email Laura!
Our second Interview video was recorded! Bay, Hailey, Matt and Adam interviewed Erica, one of our library's fine circulation assistants. I promise to upload the video tonight!
Rachel and Bre started creating a Game Night flyer; our FIRST GAME NIGHT is planned for June 26th from 3 - 5 p.m. in the library auditorium (downstairs). I really need all of your help in planning and promoting this!
We also looked at all the new books and a bunch of them got checked out

Our next meeting is Friday, June 20th at 2:30 p.m. I'll be on vacation from June 12 - 19; see you when I get back!

Breaking Dawn first page!

2008-06-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

For all you Twilight fans out there, here is the first page of Stephenie Meyer's newest book! Breaking Dawn isn't coming out until August 2nd, but you can get a sneak peek here.

I can't wait to read more about Bella and her engagement to Edward! (I'm personally hoping she realizes her HUGE mistake and ends up with Jake).

UPDATE: Check out the cover!

2ND UPDATE: a fan blog took pictures of the whole first chapter of Breaking Dawn from the Eclipse Special Edition...see it here!

Interview with Doreen!

2008-06-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry this took so long to upload, everybody. Here it is, though, our first interview video! Here is Courtney interviewing Doreen Skidmore, circulation supervisor at the Millicent Library. The giggling girl in the background is a bit of a distraction, but no matter! :)

Website(s) of the week

2008-05-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Think you have a pretty amazing life story? Why not write your story for all the world to see! Ourstory.com is a great service that makes your life story into a timeline complete with pictures, videos and more. You can even have your friends and family members help you tell your story. Check out my simple and short story below. If you're into it, try the delicious tags to the right to find more fun tools.

Start your own timeline at OurStory.com

Website(s) of the week

2008-05-22T07:30:00.001-07:00

Website of the week: online mixtape sites
(for more music sites, click on the word 'music' in the delicious tags to the right)

When I was a kid, making a mixed tape (especially off the radio) was a painstaking process involving lots of stop, record, rewind...ugh. By college, things had gotten easier with mix CDs and in the past few years CDs have all but disappeared and now we make playlists for mp3 players like ipods.

Meet the newest evolution of the mix tape: online mix tapes.

Muxtape.com and Mixwit.com are sites that allow you to create your own 'mixtape' and then share it with your friends through MySpace, Facebook or even here on Blogger. Of course you can also just send your friends a link to your mix (muxtape allows you to do this). So far mixwit is considered legal (they've worked out licensing deals), but muxtape is a bit murkier.

Here's a short mixtape from Mixwit:

First TAG Show Podcast!

2008-05-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

It took me a few tries to get it right; sorry it was messed up before!

Drum roll please...here is the TAG Show!

Or go to the Switchpod page to hear our podcast!

Here's how we made it:

1) Download Audacity
2) Download LAME (instructions here) so you can turn your .aup file into a .mp3
3) Create an account on Switchpod (click 'Register' and register for a Podcaster account)
4) Go to your 'Control Panel' and click 'Upload Now' to upload your .mp3 file
5) Use the tools on Switchpod to 'Get a List Player' like ours above or publicize the podcast to iTunes, etc.

It's really pretty easy!

New books!

2008-05-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

J Fiction:

Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes
Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

YA Fiction:

Me, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine
Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
How to be Bad by e. lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle
The Market by J.M. Steele

Science Fiction:

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
The Gravity Keeper by Simon Bloom

Surfing the Web video

2008-05-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Our first TAG video! Watch it here or go to YouTube to watch it.

New books!

2008-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Fiction and SciFi
First Shot by Walter Sorrells
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Lucky by Rachel Vail
Skin Hunter by Kathleen Duey
FrostBite (A Vampire Academy Novel) by Richelle Mead
Borderline by Bonnie Rozanski

Graphic Novels
A Nightmare on Elm Street by Dixon/West/Almond
Laika by Abadeis

The Host by Stephenie Myers

2008-05-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Stephenie Myers is best known for her Twilight series for teens. The love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob (go Jacob!!) is exciting and engaging. I've loved all of her books so far and often find myself reading late into the night to finish them.

The same has so far been true for her newest book. The Host, which is marketed to adults, but is definitely appropriate for teens (so far) is Myers' first book outside of the Twilight series. In the book an alien species called 'souls' has taken over earth and possessed almost all humans body-snatcher style. The souls are implanted in the brain and completely take over the body...most of the time. The book is told from the perspective of Wanderer, a soul who has already traveled to nine planets. Wanderer has been implanted in Melanie's brain, but Melanie hasn't disappeared. In fact, Wanderer and Melanie are co-existing and Melanie slowly exerts her control. Eventually they find their way to an enclave of humans who have escaped implantation and are living underground out west. The humans, who know Melanie, immediately know Melanie is no longer herself. But they are merciful and although there is conflict, Wanderer/Melanie becomes a part of their world. Besides all of this, there is also a bit of a love triangle...but I don't want to give anything more away so I'll save that for you to find out on your own.

So far (page 265 out of 600 as of now), this book is completely absorbing the same way all the rest of Stephenie Myers' books have been. If you want to read it, be sure to put it on hold as soon as possible!

UPDATE: It only took 48 hours to finish the book and I loved it. I think I liked it more than any of the books in the Twilight series. It really was that good!

Meeting minutes

2008-05-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

Great meeting today, everyone! I'll get those pen pal letters out and we should have responses soon. We're coming along with our podcast and vodcast scripts...let's try to start recording at our next meeting! Also, get ready for our first game night in June. Hooray!

See you next Thursday, May 15th at 4 p.m.!