Participate in the Teen Section!

Every month, I change displays in the teen section--usually there are 2 or 3 different parts to it, and most of the time, at least one of those things, teens can participate in! This month, you can participate in all FOUR activities!

I have the window getting full of hearts you can write on telling us why you love the library! I have had answers from "friends" to "books" to "WiFi" to "Hanging with friends!" Come share, yourself!

You can also go on a "blind date" with a book! The Teen Advisory Board has wrapped a bunch of books in paper and given you just a hint of what the book is.  Don't peek! Check out a book, and be surprised when you walk out the door.

I have a board of book recommendations--I only have about 8 done, so come help me out! Did you recently read a fantastic book you want someone else to read? Just write down a few things about it, and hang up your slip for others to check out!

Lastly, I have made some chalkboards that I use to ask some questions.  This week, the questions are:
"Who is your book crush?" and "What is your famous romance?" Grab a piece of chalk and share YOUR answers!

Come join the fun!

New Books!

I just had to share, today, about all the new books I've been getting in! The Teen Book budget has been raised this year, and I couldn't be happier!

 Fiction, Nonfiction & Graphic novels, galore!

I have a WHOLE ROW of graphic novels! I am almost caught up with every single Marvel Now! and New 52 series! So come on down and check some out-- you won't be disappointed!

New 52 includes:

Batman

BatGirl

Nightwing

Aquaman

Catwoman

Grayson

Green Arrow

Green Lantern

Swamp Thing...

and more!

Marvel Now! includes:

Spider-Man

X-Men

Avengers

Daredevil

Hawkeye

Captain America

Fantastic Four...

and more!

Benedict Cumber-Friday

If you didn't know already, I LOOOOOVE Benedict Cumberbatch!

 

 

He is brilliant in EVERY role I've ever seen him in, and that's been quite a few.

You can find him in:

The Hobbit, as Smaug

Star Trek: Into Darkness, as Khan

Sherlock, as Sherlock Holmes

Penguins of Madagascar, as Classified

The Imitation Game, as Alan Turing

12 Years a Slave, as Ford

Atonement, as Paul Marshall

....and I will just let you look up the rest!

At any rate, I found a GREAT video online from the popular British television show, The Graham Norton Show where Benedict attempts to walk like Beyonce. Classic!

E-Books...too much?

I am always pushing for people to try E-books, and I have, often, been met with resistance, but also a lot have people have been very open to the idea.  I'm always working to improve patron experience with Axis360, as it is a baby company when compared to OverDrive, so if you ever have any questions, please come find me!  In the meantime, this mock book cover describes me well...

 

Download the Axis360 app to read our e-books...

You can check out our e-book catalog here:

http://mdypl.axis360.baker-taylor.com/

and simply log in with your library card number and pin number to check out. 

Let me know if you have any e-book requests!

Young Hoosier Book Club: Sasquatch in the Paint

This week, I traveled to the middle school to meet with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade to celebrate the Young Hoosier book nominee, Sasquatch in the Paint, by Kareem-Abdul Jabbar (the famous Basketball player!).  For the most part, this month was a success! We hit a few snags, especially for 6th graders, but I think they took it in stride, and I very much enjoyed this month!

After eating baked beans and corn muffins (a Monday night staple for the 2 males in the story), we answered trivia, and I hopefully made an exciting enough summary that more of the teens will go check it out!

We ended our time together with a game of Knockout in the gym.  The first shot HAD to be a "Skyhook," the famous shot that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar perfected, especially at long distances...take a look!

I told all grades that if EVERYONE participated, I would start the game...and I'm TERRIBLE. I got out immediately, every grade.

 My loyal 8th graders!

Here comes 6th grade!

And...my 7th graders--who I just adore!

These teens DEFINITELY make my job worthwhile! Can't wait for next month!

Book Review: School for Good and Evil

The next book club at the middle school will be for this book--and so far, it's my favorite Young Hoosier of the year!

The School for Good and Evil

by Soman Chainani

Summary from GoodReads:
The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

Here is a great twist on fairy tales and they are made.  Chainani creates a world where princes and princesses, along with villains, all go to the same school where they learn how to be good or evil in their future fairy tales.

Chainani is a master of character development.  I started reading, and I kind of knew the general idea of the book...clearly the girl obsessed with being "Good" is really the "Evil" one because she is so vain.  But Chainani really works on her character, so you REALLY hate her.  I mean, you know she keeps using her friends, but you keep trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, then realize, Chainani is keeping his characters true to who they are.  

This book DEFINITELY brings on the feels, and who doesn't love a good fairy tale?

String Art--After

I had so much fun with the teens at craft night last night! I love this craft--I've done three of my own, and I'm really happy that the teens decided to do this one.  For anyone interested, it's a VERY easy craft, and this is what you need, if you want to make it like ours:

Supplies:
Small nails
hammer
piece of wood (whatever size you want; we stained some of them)
embroidery floss
printout of outline you want to create

How:
1. Cut out your outline and place it on your piece of wood--we used a little bit of tape to keep it down as  you starting putting nails in.

2. Hammer in some nails all around the border as close or far apart as you'd like. (You'll see the teens spaced them differently from one another)

3. Choose your embroidery floss and tie it around one of the nails.

4. String the embroidery floss across, around, in and out, zig-zaggy, until the picture comes to life how you want it!

Here are some pictures from the teens:

                                        

See you next month for bracelets!