The End of the Year is For Countdowns

After everyone has opened their presents and overeaten, a new countdown will begin: the countdown to January 1st. My favorite part about the end of the year is all the year end lists which highlight the best of the best . . .

The best movies:
Stark Trek - Seriously, it was awesome.
The Vampire's Assistant - I loved how campy fun this movie was
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Appealed to this Sci Fi fan girl

New Moon does not make my list . . . but it was an improvement over Twilight. Sorry Twihards.

The best books:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- What would you do if you were forced to compete in a competition where you must quite literally take out your opponent?

Fallen by Kate Lauren - Suspected in the death of her boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Luce is sent to a Savannah, Georgia, reform school where she meets two intriguing boys and learns the truth about the strange shadows that have always haunted her.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia - Ethan Wate meets the girls of his dreams, literally - she has been haunting his nightmares for months.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Kind of like The Lovely Bones, Mia finds herself outside of her body after a terrible car accident where she must examine her life and decide if she is going to fight to live.

Shiver by Maggie Steifvater - Twilight brought us vampires, and shiver bring us werewolves. Grace is fascinated by a wolf that has saved her from being attacked by his pack. Sam is that wolf. Soon Sam may lose the ability to turn human again, just as Grace is falling in love.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld - First off, Westerfeld is one of my favorite authors. If you are not reading his stuff, you should start. ASAP. This is the story of World War I, but re-imagined by this great sci fi/fantasy author. Enemy lines become blurred, teens are involved in epic conflict, a war machine that walks on two legs and a girl who is hoping it is not discovered that she is, in fact, a girl.

Other books to look into . . .
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X

Here are some links to other Best of 2009 Teen Fiction Lists:
NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121173632
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&plgroup=1&docId=1000446581

Tell me, what are your picks for the best teen books of 2009?

Book Buzz: When You Reach Me

Have you ever read the book The Time Traveler's Wife? Or maybe you
saw the ads for the movie? When You Reach Me may remind you of this. It is the story of Miranda - named after the Miranda rights by her mom who wanted to be a lawyer. One day Miranda mysteriously gets a note - which turns out to be the first of four - that asks her to write a letter giving specific information. As the story progresses, Miranda loses a friend, gains some friends, gets a job . . . and learns that the future can affect the present and the present can affect the future. In the end, she will discover what the mysterious notes mean and help save a friend's life.

I loved loved loved this book. (Thanks Kim for recommending it). This is a great read for Middle School students.

The Teen Scene on Facebook

The Teen Scene @ Marion Public Library now has a Facebook page and you can become a FAN!! Get the latest news on upcoming programs, contests, books and more. You can also participate in discussions. This month's discussion: What do you think of the Twilight series?

In other news, there are only 3 more Teen CoffeeHOuses left in 2009 - we'll see you on December 1, 8 and 15 from 3:00-4:30 PM.

Yet Another Gratitious Twilight Shout Out - Shark Boy Fun!

Each day we get closer to the New Moon movie premiere and learn new, interesting facts. Today I learned that Jacob (Taylor Lautner) was Shark Boy in the Adventure of Shark Boy and Lava Girl. Seriously, I have seen this move a lot (not for me, for my 7 year old) - and as soon as I heard this, of course he is. Duh. You can see him in a promotion clip for the movie (http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/11/11/taylor-lautner-new-moon-2005-interview/) demonstrating his martial arts skills.

And the other night I was watching some heist movie on Disney channel and there was Kristen Stewart. After a brief IMDB search (really, this is the go to spot to find out what movies someone has been in) it turns out the movie is called Catch That Kid. In fact, she has kind of been in a lot of movies - see here http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829576/. But I still think she comes across as a terrible (no really - seriously bad) actress in Twilight. I really would have liked them to cast someone else. Don't hate me for that.

And you do know that Rob Pattison was in the Harry Potter movies, right? Okay, good.

Books and Movies, Movies and Books

So I go everyday and look at Popwatch (the Entertainment Weekly blog about popular culture) and lo and behold, it turns out The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is being made into a movie (get more info here http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/30/first-look-diary-wimpy-kid/). Everywhere you look, books are being made into movies. In January, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is being made into a movie. Well, more technically, it is being made into a movie right now and it will be released sometime next year.

Sometimes it is awesome to see a book made into a move - I loved loved loved The Vampire's Assistant movie that I saw last Saturday (2 thumbs up I say). I did not, however, love love love Twilight. In fact, I kind of thought that Kristen Stewart and, dare I say it, Robert Pattison were not that great of actors. First off (please don't stone me) - I think Edward should be way hotter. Seriously. I will, of course, be going to see New Moon and hoping that somehow they have improved in their abilities. But I probably won't be holding my breath. I don't look good in blue.

But back to the Vampire's Assistant - maybe it helped that I hadn't really read the books (gasp, it is true - I have read every vampire book in our teen collection EXCEPT for this series). Anyhow, because I hadn't read them, I had no pre-conceived notions of what I expected. However, having seen the movie, I really want to go back and read the books and see what they are like. The movie is a lot of fun. The actor playing Cresley was PERFECTLY cast (unlike Bella and Edward, cough cough). And in a brilliant meta moment, the first scene in the movie is a bucket of popcorn - thus you know what you are in for, a fun, campy, popcorn movie. And it did not disappoint. If you asked, I would totally go see it again - but you are going to have to buy the popcorn :)

Random Facts About Your Favorite Books->Movies

I would be a negligent Teen Services Librarian if I did not tell you that there was an awesome New Moon trailer available for your viewing pleasure at Fandango.com (http://www.fandango.com/hdmovietrailers/exclusivetvspotevent-1303163152/)

And I am going tomorrow night to see Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant so I can give you my review. This popular vampire series has in fact been made into a graphic novel series which is being processed right now as we speak. So be sure to come in soon and check it out.

In fact, lots of teen novels are being made into graphic novels right now: Vampire Kisses, Cirque Du Freak, Maximum Ride and even Avalon High by Meg Cabot. I'll work on getting a more complete list to you next week.

Keep enjoying Teen Read Week 2009. Join the Read, Read, Revolution.

Dance Dance Revolution 2009

Hey Everybody, thanks for coming and hanging for the Dance Dance Revolution - as demonstrated to the left by one of our Teen Read Week 2009 participants.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is the final day for entry ballots to be turned in. I'll be calling a winner next week.

Teen Read Week is Next Week

Teen Read Week is October 19-24th - and you can win!!!!!

For every 15 minutes that you read, fill out an entry form and place it into our prize drawing box for your chance to win a $50.00 gift certificate.

Also, try to guess the number of pieces of candy in our Candy Guess Jar for your chance to win all of the candy. Just in time for Halloween.

Join us Tuesday at 3:00 for Dance, Dance, Revolution at the Teen CoffeeHouse.

Ellen Schreiber Came, Conquered

Yesterday was an awesome day for teens in the Marion area - Ellen Schreiber (author of the Vampire Kisses series) came and talked about her books and sign copies. Ellen was a lot of fun. Teens in the audience, including one Marion teen whom Ellen knew and described as her "biggest fan", asked really great questions about the characters, the storylines and the art work. Ellen talked about making her books into manga and reported that her Vampire Kisses number 3 manga was on the New York Times manga best seller list - it is the only U.S. title on the list.

Thanks Ellen for such a great event, and thanks to all the teen fans for coming out and showing her the love.

Ellen signed pretty much everything - backpacks, jackets,

school i.d. cards and yes, copies of her books.

Ellen's #1 stalker, I mean fan :) --->

Guest Teen Blogger - Connie

At the Marion Public Library writer Ellen Schreiber spoke about her books Vampire Kisses, as well as her previous books. In my own opnion she is a very interesting, talented writer.
Since I am in journalism I came here to see her speak about her books. During her talk she described her life and why she wrote Vampire Kisses. When I talked with her afterwards she took the time to talk with me about her writing and her inspirations. Unlike what I had expected she was very enthusiastic and open to answer my questions. Originally her books were released in Belgium and then spread to the U.S. If anyone is interested in her writing I suggest to do so, she is a talented author. Another thing, if she is doing a book signing near you, I suggest you go. It is a great time to find out about her writing and the background to the stories.

9th grader, Harding

Ellen Schreiber to Visit Marion Public Library

Don't forget - Ellen Schreiber, author of the Vampire Kisses series, will be visiting Marion Public Library on Tuesday, October 6th at 3:00 PM. You'll want to be sure and be here to meet her and get signed copies of her books. Copies of the books will be given away as door prizes.

Ranger's Apprentice

15-year-old Will is selected to become a ranger's apprentice where he learns ranger skills such as archery, knife-throwing, horse riding and tracking. He soon finds himself on the quest to help save his kingdom by taking on the creatures called Kalkara. It is in battle that Will must prove himself as a ranger in the this first book of an awesome fantasy series.

Ranger's Apprentice series:

#1 Ruins of Gorlan

#2 The Burning Bridge

#3 The Icebound Land

#4 The Battle for Skandia

#5 Sorcerer of the North

#6 The Siege of Macindaw

For complete book information, visit www.rangersapprentice.com

Last Chance to Vote in Teen Top Ten

Hurry, hurry - Friday is your last chance to vote in the ALA/YALSA's (American Library Association and the Young Adult division of said organization) Teens Top Ten list. You can go here and vote: www.ala.org/teenstopten

Because Zombies Make Everything Better

Okay so we are going to take a break from vampires today to talk about (dun dun dun) - Zombies!!!!


Pride and Prejudice is an awesome, classic work of fiction by Jane Austen where people attend balls and follow the proper rules of society. So wouldn't it be awesome if you took this classic work of fiction and threw some zombies into the mix. That is what has happened - and it totally rocks. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies maintains 80% of the original content - and adds zombies into the mix. (And I tell ya, I just can not say the word zombies enough - what a fun word!). So while everyone is attending the ball and doing their waltzes, some unique party crashers show up. Awesome.


Now in all truth, Pride and Prejudice is actually a really good book in its own right. Really, even though it does show up on high school reading lists - it is good. So read the original, and then pick up the zombie-fied version and compare notes.


Then you can read Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. And Sense and Sensibilities and Sea Monsters. And War of the Worlds Plus Bloog, Guts and Zombies. All coming soon.


So I leave you today with this awesome piece of Zombie flair . . .

This Just In: Ellen Schreiber - author of Vampire Kisses - is coming to Marion Public Library

I am so excited to announce that Ellen Schreiber, the author of the Vampire Kisses series, will be coming to Marion Public Library on Tuesday, October 6th at 3:00 PM. She will be here to talk about her books and she may have a few moments to sign a copy for you if you would like. I can not wait to meet her. Stay tuned for info.

Kinda Like Facebook + Love of Books = Shelfari!!

If you like to use social networking tools like myspace and Facebook and you love books, then you might also like Shelfari. Shelfari creates a virtual bookshelf of all the books you've read, are reading, and want to read and allows you to share it with your "friends". Here you can review books, give them a rating, and comment/discuss with other readers.

You can view my Shelfari bookshelf on the right side of this blog. This is a great way to get book reviews and suggestions for titles to read.

There are other bookshelf sites - such as Good Reads - that you may want to check out. Both sites allow you to put a widget on your myspace of facebook page to share your reading list with others.

You can find out more information at www.shelfari.com or www.goodreads.com

If you do get a Shelfari account, be sure to friend Teen Services Marion Public Library - I'd love to hear what you think about the books you read.

Because There Are Just Not Enough Vampires on this Blog

When I first started as a Teen librarian (How long ago? I won't say) there were these vampire books that were very popular - The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith. They have remained popular, and certainly now that people everywhere can't get enough vampire books they have been re-released. Well, they are being made into a show on the CW. Truthfully, I will totally be watching to see what it is like (and if you haven't already - be sure to check out Supernatural on Thursday nights. I love that show.)

The Vampire Diaries follows Elena, who finds herself drawn to the mysterious Stefan. At a bonfire, one of their friends shows up bleeding from a horrible neck wound. Stefan thinks he knows who did it . . . his long lost brother Damon. Soon Stefan and Damon are fighting for Elena's soul as well as for those of her friend's and family.

The show debuts Thursday, September 10th at 8:00 PM. You can check out the books today at Marion Public Library.

An Awesome Gratuitous Twilight Shout Out of the Day

Okay, so In Style magazine (which you can check out here at the library) has asked 10 designers to design the wedding dress they think that Bella would wear based on descriptions from Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. You can see the dresses here http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/general/photos/0,,20241149_20299475_20661914,00.html

Not all of them are great, but what a cool concept for a story. And some of the sketches are very . . . um, bizarre.

And Now for Something Not Twilight - Or Even Vampires

Sarah Dessen, Author Extraordinaire

If you want to read a good book. You remember a good book - something that just tells a good story. No vampires. No werewolves. No magic, except of course the kind that happens when normal boy meets normal girl and sparks just fly (although sometimes they just kind of kindle and simmer and grow). Well - let me introduce you to Sarah Dessen. Sarah Dessen writes the kind of story that stays with you.

Her most recent book - Along for the Ride - debuted at number 1. That is something exciting to celebrate.

Along for the Ride is about Auden and the summer before she starts college. She decides to spend it with her father . . . here she becomes involved with a fellow bike riding insomniac Eli and together the face the facts about who they are and what they have been through.

Read it today. In fact, read all of her books today. In my opinion, you won't regret it.

From Along for the Ride: "I don't know. It's like, we're headed out somewhere. You never know what's going to happen. So you stop for supplies."

For more about Sarah Dessen: http://sarah-land.ning.com/ and http://sarahdessen.com/home

Gratuitous Twilight Shout Out of the Day

Okay, for the record - I am not a Twilight maniac. Or a "Twifan" as I recently heard. I mean, I have the soundtrack (and the score). I've read the books (but I vehemently hated, loathed and was extremely irked by Breaking Dawn). But I know that some of you - well you are Fans - with a capital F I tell ya. So I thought you would appreciate hearing that there is in fact going to be a line of Edward and Bella Barbie dolls. You can read more about it at http://twilightguide.com/tg/2009/04/22/edward-bella-twilight-barbie-dolls/

And for the record, when I was a huge X-files fan - well, I was deeply upset that I could not afford the $80.00 Mulder and Scully Barbies. So I understand fandom, that is why I am here for you.

For Twilight Fans Who Just Want More . . .

The awesome folks at Kanawha County Public Library have put together a great resource that allows you to read more, do more and hear more related to Twilight. (Technically it's called a reading map, but I know you don't really care.) Anyhow, if you just need more - you'll want to go here. They have some reading lists, a list of songs you might want to listen to if you are in the Twilight mood (including Here With Me by Dido, one of my favorites) and a list of online communities where you can meet with other Twilight fans. For more, go here http://kanawha.lib.wv.us/readingmaps/twilight/

By the way, did you see that Twilight won something like 11 Teen Choice awards last night? And what was Kristen Stewart wearing? Okay, I half way apologize for that shallow moment. But only half way.

And finally . . . what do you think of the New Moon recasting? Learn more about that at Twilight Central at Popwatch http://www.ew.com/ew/package/0,,20234559,00.html

The Vampire's Assistant Movie Trailer

So I went this weekend to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (didn't like it) - but I did see trailers for some other great teen books that are being made into movies.

Like The Vampire's Assistant (movie trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMME_Af7fBM&feature=player_embedded) and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

And I did get to see the trailer for New Moon. It looks okay - hope the movie is better than the trailer makes it look.

But the one I am really looking forward to Is Where the Wild Things Are. Admit it, you love that book too. Right? Come on, don't leave me hanging.

The Second Best Vampire Series

Just to be clear . . . you know the #1 vampire series is Twilight, right? Okay. Thought so.


But there is another popular vampyre* series, House of Night by P C Cast.

16-year-old Zoey Redbird is marked . . . she will either become a vampyre, or if her body rejects the change - she will die. The House of Night is the school where marked individuals go to make the change. In a world where vampyre's exist, Zoey must now wait to see if she will become one . . .

#1 Marked
#2 Betrayed
#3 Chosen
#4 Untamed
#5 Hunted
#6 Tempted (coming in the fall)

These books are always checked out, so you'll have to put a hold on them. We also have them on audio cd so you can listen to them while you drive or work out or whatever.

You can visit the House of Night website and get your own vampyre tattoo (http://www.houseofnightseries.com/)
You can get a sneak peek by reading chapter 1 here http://www.houseofnightseries.com/pages/markedxrpt.html

* And yes, really, that is how they spell vampyre in this series. I'm not making a big ole typo I tell ya.

Flights of Fantasy (and Science Fiction), Part II

Wow - I am so proud of you guys. You read a lot. So here's even more Science Fiction and Fantasy reviews by you . . .

Dead Girl Dancing by Linda Joy Singleton

"Almost all the books I've read this summer have been by this author." - Abbey, 8th grade

"The seer series is a really great series it sucks you in and you can't stop." - Abbey, 8th grade

The Giver by Lois Lowry

"I loved this book. I was horrified at the society of the future so beautifully described. Could life really become this way?" - Aulbri, grade 10

Gilda Joyce - The Dead Drop by Jennifer Allison

"The mystery was great! I love those series too!" - Hannah, grade 7

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke (this is the sequel to Inkheart)

"I loved the book. It was amazing but I absolutely hated the ending." - Allison, grade 8

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

"Absolutely amazing" - Allison, grade 8

The Faire Path by Frewin Jones

"Can't wait to read the next!" - Jennifer, grade 8

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

"The book is amazing" - Allison, grade 8

Tithe by Holly Black

"Love faeires. This book was awesome." - Megan, grade 9

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle (part of the Time Quartet series)

"I loved it! It was really interesting." - Amy, grade 8

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flannagan (part of the Ranger's Apprentice series)

"Amazing, can't wait for the next book." - Allison, grade 8

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

"This is now my favorite author." - Eric, 6th grade

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

"Absolutely amazing" - Allison, 8th grade

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

"This book made me want the second book in the series as soon as I finished it." - Kierra, 8th grade

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

"What an awesome book! I love her take on vampires! This is the most entertaining book I've read in a long time. I absolutely love this." - Aulbri, 10th grade

Next time, all the other books.

Flights of Fantasy (and Science Fiction)

And now on to our continuing saga . . . vampire books are not the only thing you read this summer. Science Fiction and Fantasy (two of my personal favorites) were abundantly reviewed by you. Here's what you read and what you had to say about it.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
"I love the futuristic setting and the mysterious plans and schemes" - Kayla, 9th grade

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld*
"At first it seems boring but the the time I got to the second chapter I was hanging on to every word." - Kayla, 9th grade

*If you want to read a really good vampire book, read Peeps by Scott Westerfeld.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
"It had a whole bunch of mysteries and twist in the plot, I could barely put it down!" - Amy, 8th grade

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (one of the all time best ever in my opinion)
"An excellent book full of metaphors, ironies and interesting eerie predictions of the future" - Nick, grade 12

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
"Great book, action packed" - Cheyenne, 10th grade
"It was really good" - Amy, grade 8 on School's Out Forever
"I love this series, and a lot of other people must too because I had to wait forever to get this book!" - Amy, grade 8 (sorry about your wait Amy).

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
"A good romance story for anyone." - Kimberly, grade 9 (Twilight fans will probably like this one).

Evernight by Claudia Gray
"A girl goes to Evernight Academy and meets Lucas who turns out to be a vampire hunter. They become separated but their love is strong." - Abbey, grade 8
"This book is one of my favorite." - Abbey, grade 8

Evermore by Alyson Noel
"Great. I am speechless." - Brittany, grade 11
"This book is one of my favorites." - Abbey, grade 8

Fanging Around

I'm back with another look at what you read during this year's Teen Summer Reading Club . . . . and vampire fiction was very popular. Yes, yes it was. Here's a look at what you had to say:

Vampire Academy series by Rachel Mead
"I loved the story line." - Jacob, grade 9
"Awesome book"
"Really exciting book" - Alex, grade 12, talking about Frostbite
"Awesome book" - Alex, grade 12, talking about Shadow Kiss

The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
"The beginning of the book was slow in the dorm room but Claire makes things seem more interesting" - Kierra, grade 8, talking about Glass Houses (book 1)

(editor's note: this is an interesting series about a college that is next to a town where vampires not only are abundant and "out", but rule the town.)

Cirque Du Freak series by Darren Shan (and I am surprised by how popular this series still is)
"It was a great start to a really good series. I *heart* vampire books" - Jacob, grade 9
"This book was very interesting and once I started reading it I could barely put it down" - Robert, grade 9, talking about Killers of the Dawn
"This is the best book yet" - Aulbria, grade 10, talking about The Vampire Prince
"My favorite so far" - Aulbri, grade 10, on The Vampire's Assistant

Blue Blood series by De La Cruz
"I like the plot in the series. I'm ready for the 4th book after reading the 1st 3" - Kierra, grade 9

House of Night series by P. C. Cast (we now have this series on CD)
"Really good. Read all of series." - Bianca, grade 9
"Great twist and different outlook on vampires" - Brittany, grade 11
"This is the best House of Night novel so far. Not only is the style of writing cool but there is so much meaning. I think the main message is acceptance of those who are not like you because nobody is ever what you expect." - Aulbri, grade 10, on Untamed
"I love this series" - Aulbri, grade 10
"This is definitely the best yet of the House of Night series. It drew me in from page 1, and I finished it in only a few hours. I can hardly wait for the next one." - Kathleen, grade 8, on Hunted

Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber
"I've always liked books that involve vamps. This one is among my favorite." - Kierra, grade 9

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klauss (one of the original, and the best)
"I really liked this book. I think the one downside is that it doesn't have a sequel." - Sierra, grade 11
"It was really good through most of the book but I was a bit disappointed with the ending" - Brittany, grade 11

The Vampire's Beautiful Daughter by S. P. Somtow
"Very good" - Taylor, grade 6

Salem's Lot by Stephen King (going old school)
"A wonderful vampire book. The vampires are vampires not pretty glittered up dolls. The disasters brought unlikely people together. It is revealed the victims are just as horrible as the monsters that drain them." - Aulbri, grade 10

We Have a Winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right folks - we have a winner for the Teen Summer Reading Club 2009. Cheyenne, 10th grade, is the winner. She chose the iPod Touch.

Keep coming back for more opportunities to win. We have contests all year long.

Teens Take on Twilight in TSRC

I've been going through the reading ballots for the Teen Summer Reading Club, and a lot of you read the Twilight series. Here's what you had to say . . .

Twilight
"Vampires are awesome! TEAM EDWARD"
"Not your typical vampire book. :) an excellent read - BETTER than the movie 10 fold."
"It starts one of my fav. series"
"Best book ever!"
"Excellent book, I really enjoyed it."

And one naysayer says, "Well I'm not sure I appreciate all the screaming teen girl fanatics. The original story is good. Bella makes Washington seem cool :)" Aulbri, grade 10 (Wait 'til you hear Aulbri's take on Breaking Dawn)

New Moon
"A really good book and sequel"
"My favorite of the Twilight series. It's absolutely depressing in an exciting way. I love that werewolves are introduced into the series (there's kind of a foreshadowing of this in Twilight when Bella was talking to Jacob on the beach). I respect this book more than the others." Yes, it's Aulbri again.

Eclipse
"I love it"
"Loved the book"
"I like the Twilight series . . . until book 3. This is just a filler book to me and it's not as romantic as the 1st two. The only interesting part of this book is the vampires vs. werewolves conflicts." From my hero, Aulbri

Breaking Dawn
"Great ending to the Twilight saga"
"Another amazing book by Steph. The Twilight series rocks!"
And my favorite review ever, from my new BFF Aulbri - "What is this crap? The birth part was the only good part. Ew this book is terrible. Breaking Dawn completely destroyed the Twilight series. She's writing as if she is running out of time from her publishers. What's worse is everyone loves this one the best."

So there you go, some mixed reviews on the Twilight saga (you go Aulbri). Next post: Just Fanging Around with Vampire Fiction, your thoughts on other vampire fiction that you read during this year's Teen Summer Reading Club.

What Does the Library Mean to You, Part IV

You may have heard me mention it, but public libraries in Ohio may have to reduce hours and services due to state budget cuts. In an effort to help everyone know that even teens love libraries - we took a poll: What does the library mean to you?

And you answered . . .

It's a place for you to get on the Internet since you don't have access at home (33%)

I can't get my homework done without it (surprisingly 0% of you chose this answered, even though I personally have helped you do your homework. What is up with that I say :) )

I can't get the books I want to read without it (33%)

I love to rock out at the Teen CoffeeHouse (0% - come on people, I am not feeling the love here :) )

All of the above (33% - thankfully, this means that some of you do love the Teen CoffeeHouse, which I really already knew since you ask often if we can have it more than one day a week.)

Thanks all for voting and letting us know what Marion Public Library means to you.

It's the Final Countdown

Today is Thursday, July 9th - that means you only have 3 more days to get your ballots in for the Teen Summer Reading Club. All reading ballots must be turned in by 5:30 PM on Saturday, July 11th. I will be working on doing the grand prize drawing next week. I hope that YOU are the lucky grand prize winner who will get their choice of either a Wii or an iPod Touch.

Check back next week to pick up a survey and let us know how you think we are doing. You get to tell us what to do - and win. Check back here next week for more info, details and all the hub bub. (What is hub bub? I do not really know, but I'm a gonna say it 'cause I want to.)

Tick tock - what are you doing still reading this? Finish your book and turn in your ballot already :)

What Does Your Library Mean to You, Part III

Check out what these teens did to express what their library means to them - Chalk Drawings. How cool is that? An article appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal, which you can read here Teens Chalk to Save Our Libraries (http://www.ohio.com/news/48983171.html)

Once Again, We Have Winners!!!!

Wow - I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by (sorry to mention that). We have now completed 4 of our 6 week Teen Summer Reading Club. Once again, we have 10 gift certificate winners and 1 contest winner. They will be receiving $10 and $15 gift certificates to Subway, Kroger, Wal Mart, etc. There are just 2 more weeks to read and participate in this year's TSRC. If you haven't yet - YOU WILL WANT TO get a ballot turned in for your chance to win either a Wii or an iPod Touch. That is right - we are giving away awesome prizes this year.

ALL ballots for the Teen Summer Reading Club MUST be turned in by July 11th - so get reading :)

What Does the Library Mean to You, Part II

The library is more than just fun and games . . . well, we do have a lot of fun. In fact, last year 1,636 teens (that means you - and you are cool) attended programs or participated in contests. There were 704 ballots turned in as a part of our Teen Summer Reading Club, which means that in just 6 weeks you guys got together and read 704 books. And one lucky teen won our Grand Prize - a personal DVD player. (This year's Grand Prize is your choice of either an iPod touch or a Wii).

And you say you don't like to read - but there were 5,959 books checked out of our teen area. If you figure the average cost of a book is $10.00* - well, that means that Marion Public Library saved the teens in our community $59,590.00. You don't have that chunk of change just sitting around in your piggy bank, do you? And really, we all know that you read more than that because you check out books from the J area - and lots of adult fiction (Stephen King, Dean Koontz, vampire books, Danielle Steel, and more vampire books.)

Plus, you have the cost of free food at our programs (free to you, not us), prizes! prizes! and even more prizes! - and well, that all adds up like this:

Cost of Books for Teens: Over $100,000

Cost of Programs and Services**: A lot (and paid for in part by the Friends of the Marion Public Library).

Marion Public Library in the life of Teens: PRICELESS***

Thank you all for your support. I hope we can keep rocking out in the future.

* Okay, in truth - the cost of a paperback is anywhere from $5.99 to $15.95 and the cost of a hardback book is anywhere from $15.95 to $29.95. But $10.00 is a very easy number to multiply by (what - I rock at a lot, but not necessarily math.)

** Last year's program highlights include a special Twilight screening, Free Comic Book Day, Teen Read Week, the Teen Summer Reading Club, craft programs, and of course - Teen CoffeeHouse, where about 70 of us hang out each week to eat and play games.

*** And yes, I ripped off the MasterCard add. It's not like you haven't done it before, at least in your head.

What Does the Library Mean to You?

Have you been to one of our after school Teen CoffeeHouses? Have you visited the library for help completing a school assignment? Do you visit the library to get online - whether it be to use MySpace, to do online schooling, to keep up to date with the latest news (come on - you know you are looking at your favorite celebs blog or twitter?) or any of the other millions of things you can do online? The library has lots to offer - and our teen services program really rocks (if I do say so myself - and I am totally not biased in any way :) ) But the truth is, it has been awesome sharing the fun of the Harry Potter and Twilight saga, giving aways tons of free prizes, and getting together to play Guitar Hero and Rock Band. So tell the adults in your life what the Marion Public Library means to you, and ask them to contact the Governor and local representative. And hey, even though you can't vote, let them (you know, the Governor) know what the library means to you, to your personal life and education. Together we can help SAVE OHIO LIBRARIES.

www.olc.org/SaveOhioLibraries.asp#library

We Have Winners!!!

The first 2 weeks of our Teen Summer Reading Club - Luau @ the Library - are done and we have 10 lucky winners. They will receive $10 and $15 gift certificates to Subway, Cold Stone Creamery, Wal Mart, Kroger and more . . .

In addition, Kaitlin is our winner of the Shark Attack contest. She wins a $10 gift certificate to Wal Mart.

There are still more chances for you to win. There are 4 more weeks to read and 2 more contests. The current contest is Teen Book Title Bingo, and entry forms can be picked up in the teen area. While you are there, be sure to pick up reading ballots for your chance to win.

All of the reading ballots will go into the Grand Prize Drawing. One lucky teen will win their choice of either a Wii or an iPod Touch. You don't want to miss your chance to win a $250 prize.

Congrats to all our winners, and good luck.

The Teen Summer Reading Club is Here!!!!

This is your chance to win an iPod Touch or Wii

How you ask? Simple - READ!!!

For every book you read from now until July 11th, fill out a ballot and place it into our prize drawing box in the teen area or one of the branches. Each entry is your chance to win.

There are prize drawings every 2 weeks for gift cards to Subway, Burger King, Kroger, Wal Mart and Cold Stone Creamery. There are 10 winners every two weeks (for those of you who have already forgotten your math, that's 30 winners.) Then all of the entries will go into the Grand Prize Drawing. One lucky winner will get their choice of an iPod Touch or a Wii.

We also have fun activities every Tuesday from 3:30 - 5:00 PM

June 9 - Guitar Hero

June 16 - Movie and Snacks

June 23 - Guitar Hero

June 30 - Movie and Snacks

July 7 - Rock Band Luau

See you there . . .

Most Awesome Book Awards Ever

Recently, School Library Journal (February 2009 edition) put together the most awesome awards list . . .

• Most Likely to Get Married - Twilight of course by Stephenie Meyer


• Best Declartion of Love - Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner


• Best Budding Relationship - Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork


• Headiest Falling in (and Out of) Love Scenes - Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan


• Most Likely to Break Your Heart - The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman


• Best First Kiss - Suck It Up by Brian Meehl


• Most Romantic Gestury - I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak


• Best Romance Under Duress - The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld


• Most Likely to Melt Your Fingers While Reading Because It's So Hot - Graceling by Kristin Cashore - according to the author of the article, this romance puts Twilight to shame

Draw It! Contest for Teens

If you like to draw, here’s your chance to shine! Help us produce the publicity posters for this year’s Teen Summer Reading Club, Luau @ Your Library and you could win a $25.00 gift certificate to Wal-Mart and have your artwork appear throughout the Marion community and on the Marion Public Library’s teen blog. To enter, simply follow the directions below.

Rules:
Contest is open to all teens grades 6-12.
Teens may enter as many original 8 1/2 x 11 drawings as they would like, but each entry must be submitted with an official entry form (photocopies of entry forms are acceptable).
All entries must represent and display the phrase, “Luau @ Your Library”.
Please use no more than four colors, one of which must be black.
Please do not put your name or any identifiable information on your drawing.
The Marion Public Library reserves the right to disqualify any entries that display or promote objectionable material or language.
Original, digital artwork that meets the above requirements will be accepted.
Deadline for entries to be turned in to the Reference desk is closing time on March 31st.

Click to download and entry form and contest guidelines --------------->

Good luck :)

This One's For the Guys

Well, I did a post earlier just for the girls so now it is the guys turn.

<----------------------- GuysRead.com

You know you like to read, you don't like to read a lot of the stuff people are always telling you to read. Like seriously, they make you read Pride and Prejudice or Romeo and Juliet.

John Scieszka (rhymes with Fresca) is a funny guy (really, he wrote a book called The Stinky Cheese Man - can't get much funnier than that). He launched a project called GuysRead.com. Here you can put in a favorite author or title or subject - and it will let you know other books you may like.

Also, you can check out this collection of short stories that will absolutely make you want to read -------------------------------------------------->

You may also be interested in the horror stories from Anthony Horowitz (who also rides the Alex Rider series, a kind of teenage James Bond), the Cirque Du Freak and Demonata series by Darren Shan, or authors like Chris Crutcher, Christopher Paul Curtis, Will Hobbs, Gordon Korman, Gary Soto and Rich Wallace.

FYI: Whale Talk (for older teens) by Christ Crutcher is definitely on my list of Top 10 books

Are You Having a Boo Radley Moment?

Marion Reads: To Kill a Mockingbird

There is always one book that changes your life (and hopefully sometimes more). For me, it was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I just really love this book, and I loved my 11th grade teacher who made me read this book (she rocked!!!!). If you haven't read it - well, what is your problem? Anyhow, there is a character in the book named Boo Radley - he is a quiet presence. And whenever I space (What? I space? - No, not me) I always think, "Oh, I'm having a Boo Radley moment." I would like to take credit for this ingenious expression, but really it comes from the movie Benny and Joon starring the incomporable Johnny Depp (No seriously - he does rock!!!).

Why - you may ask - are you talking about To Kill a Mockingbird? Well, soon the Marion Public Library will be working with several area locations (including the Palace Theater and OSUM) to host a big community reads event called Marion Reads. We are going to ask all of Marion to read To Kill a Mockingbird and we will be having several cool events to coincide with the reading. In fact, we will wrap it all up with a presentation of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Marion Palace Theater on April 23rd.

You never know, maybe this book will change your life like it did mine . . .

Here's a bonus pic - Benny and Joon

"Having a Boo Radley moment, are we?"

Bonus Benny and Joon quote (just for fun - a discussion about raisins):

Sam: You don't like raisins?

Joon: Not really.

Sam: Why?

Joon: They used to be fat and juicy and now they're twisted. They had their

lives stolen. Well, they taste sweet, but really they're just humiliated

grapes. I can't say I am a big supporter of the raisin council.

Sam: Did you see those, those raisins on TV? The ones that sing and dance

and stuff?

Joon: They scare me.

Sam: Yeah me too

Love Your Library

For Valentine's Day we invited teens to tell us why they lurve the Marion Public Library and this is what you said:

This is why I love my library . . .

"because I can check myspace since I don't have a computer in my house"

"it has a bunch of good books and movies that I pick out"

"because I can get free movies and the librarian is very nice" (I'm going to pretend the librarian this teen is talking about is me :) )

"because they are always helpful"

"I can find any book - novel, mystery, how-to, biography - and if I can't find it there is Inter Library Loans . . . What's not to love?"

"there are so many books!!! Awesome inspirational section"

"because it's cool" (simple and to the point this teen is)

"I love to read"

"I love to get on the computer - It is fun to come here and hang out with friends. and I learn a lot of things when I read books here"

"because there's always something to read and a quiet place to work, study and on Tuesdays there's the Teen CoffeeHouse that give us teens something to do when school work piles up. That's why I love my library." (Yeah - someone mentioned Teen CoffeeHouse, Tuesdays 3:30-5:00 PM when there is school so come hang with me)

"the staff is really nice and is always willing to help"

"because it has my favorite books"

"I love that there's so much to do: there's fun contests, there's lots of books to choose from & I can study there too! I also love how the librarians are so friendly."

"I can always come here for whatever I need. It is a great place to have in the community and also is wonderful because of the fact that it keeps the community united." (I don't know who this teen is, but wow!!)

So there you have it, teens everywhere agree - Marion Public Library rocks!!!!!