Junior High Computer Instruction starting September 14!

This September, tweens and teens can learn how to type up their reports or give great presentations in class in Powerpoint! I'll be having junior high computer instruction Mondays and Tuesdays from 4-5:30 starting September 14! Mondays, you can learn how to use Microsoft Word 2007 to type up papers and Tuesdays will be Powerpoint to learn how to make slideshow presentations for class. Sign up at the front desk or ask Yanda about it any Monday or Friday from 1-6!

Gaming Ends August 20/ Returns September 3

Gaming is wrapping up its summer session Thursday August 20, but is returning September 3. Come play Mario Kart, Rock Band,and Halo while you can!

Wonder what the world will be like in 2059? Do you want to win a laptop? Enter the Inventors Digest contest!

If you've wondered what the future will be like, here's your chance to write about it! Submit an essay to Inventors Digest this month describing in 500 words or less what you think the year 2059 will be like either online or by mail. Go to http://www.inventorsdigest.comfor more details.

Winner of the iPod shuffle Finally Announced!

Congratulations to Joe, the winner of the iPod Shuffle! Reading really pays off!

iPod Shufffle Winner Announced Tomorrow!

The winner of the iPod shuffle will be announced tomorrow at 2! If you win and you can't make it, you will be notified and can pick up your prize Monday from 1-6. Come for snacks, other small prizes, and good luck winning the big prize tomorrow!

Gaming Tomorrow/iPod Winner announced Saturday!

Gaming's tomorrow and the winner of the iPod shuffle will be announced Saturday at 2!

YA Book I'm Reading Now: Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast

I'm reading the second book in the House of Night series and I'm still interested in my favorite Vampyre, Zoe Redbird and her friends. In Betrayed, it's been a month since Zoe became marked as a vampyre and enrolled in the House of Night. She unseated her rival, Aphrodite, as leader of the Dark Daughters. Now she's battling her to remain as there while some vampyres are suspected of killing humans. On top of all that, she's in a love quadrangle with Heath, her human ex-boyfriend, Loren, her teacher, and Erik, her vampyre boyfriend. If you want to find out what happens as much as I do, check out Betrayed under YA FIC CAST.

iPod Shufffle Winner Announced Next Saturday!

There's only one more week to enter the young adult reading contest! The winner will be announced at the library next Saturday, August 1 at 2 at the library.

Gaming Tomorrow/ Inkheart Next Week!

There's gaming tomorrow and Inkheart is the last teen movie of the summer! Come tomorrow at 4 for gaming and see the last free great movie of the teen summer reading program Monday at 3:30!

Movie Today/Reading Contest Prizes Friday!

Come see Incredible Hulk Monday at 3: 30 and come get your reading contest prizes Friday from 1-6! The winner of the iPod shuffle will be announced August 1 at 2!

Incredible Hulk Monday!

Come see Incredible Hulk Monday at 3:30! If you're under 12, come see me for a permission slip for your parents to sign. See you then!

Gaming Tomorrow/ Incredible Hulk Next Week!

Thanks to all the kids who came to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Monday! I know you all are excited to see Half-Blood Prince today, too! After you pay to see it, see Incredible Hulk for free next Monday at 3:30! There's also gaming tomorrow at 4. See you then!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Monday at 3:30!

Come see the teen movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix this Monday at 3:30! Snacks will be served!

Temporary Tattoos Tomorrow/Harry Potter Movie Monday!

Just a reminder about teen temporary tattoos! Tomorrow from 1 to 2 you can come and get henna tattoos. On Monday, you can watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at 3:30. The tattoo program counts as a hour ( the movie two hours) in the reading program and could bring you closer to winning the iPod shuffle!

Gaming Tomorrow/Teen Tattoos Saturday!

There's gaming tomorrow and teen tattoos Saturday! Gaming's tomorrow at 4 and the henna tattoos are Saturday from 1 to 2. They aren't painful and can last up to two weeks. They can be removed with rubbing alcohol and cold water if you want them off sooner. You have to be 10 and older, there will be snacks, and there's no sign-up required. See you then!

Manga Trivia/Movie Monday

Today is Manga Club and Movie Monday! Come for Naruto and Bleach trivia today at 2 and stay for Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 at 3:30! If the movie's too girly for you, bring a little sister, but sign-up's required for kids 12 and under. See you then!

Read on the Wild Side Prize Pick-Up Friday and Monday!/Manga Club, Movie Monday

Because of the holiday weekend, kids can pick up their prizes on Monday from 12-6 in addition to today from 2-6. Also, there will be manga club Monday at 2 and the teen movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 at 3:30. See you then!

Gaming Tuesdays and Thursdays this summer!/ Reading Program Prizes Friday!

Gaming this summer will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 starting this month! You can also pick up your reading program prizes every Friday from 1-6. See you then!

Manga artist today/ Manga trivia and anime trivia Monday!

Drop in for the "how to draw manga '' session with Keita Browne today at 1! If you want more manga, there's manga club Monday at 2, with Naruto/Bleach trivia and showing of videos from Ghost in the Shell 2. See you then!

Manga Artist Tomorrow!

Tomorrow at 1, manga artist Keita Browne will be at the library to teach kids and teens how to draw manga! Bring pictures or whole manga books to draw from and ask Keita how to draw manga like a professional. No sign-up's required, so drop in with your friends tomorrow!

Read on the Wild Side/ Gaming Thursdays/Manga Drawing Saturday

Read on the Wild Side is off to a great start! One young adult has already read 10 hours to be automatically entered to win an iPod shuffle! Keep the logs coming in and keep reading! If you can't make it to the library to turn in a log, comment below on this blog to tell what you read or e-mail ya_rgpl@yahoo.com. If you're tired from all that reading, there's gaming tomorrow and how to draw manga Saturday at 1!

Teens Go Wild Expressing Yourself All Summer!

Today starts the kickoff of the YA summer reading program! There are fun programs to attend and great prizes to win! Today starts our manga club and teen movies. At 2, come to talk about your favorite shonen and shojo manga, then stay to watch Paul Blart at 3:30!

You can also enter the reading contest. After 1 hour, you win your choice of a hat, wristband, or bumper sticker. After 2 hours, you win a McDonald's gift card. After 5 hours, you win a flash drive. After 10 hours, you win a Brunswick Bowling Pass and you're automatically entered to win an iPod shuffle! You have from June 22 to July 31 to enter, and only 1 prize is awarded daily. Good luck!

YA-like book I'm Reading Now: Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Even though it's almost summer, I'm reading sad books I should have read by now, like Graveyard Book and Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I'll read House of Night vampire school fun after this heartwrenching story about two close boyhood friends in Afghanistan, Amir and Hassan. Hassan and his father are the servants of Amir and his father, but Hassan and his father are like family to Amir and his father. They both love flying kites together, and Hassan helps Amir win a kite-running tournament, which pleases his distant father. What happens after the tournament, however, changes their lives forever.

Hassan is on his way to return Amir's kite home when he's confronted by Assef, a bully who's tormented Hassan because he's a Hazara, a tribe in Afghanistan that is poor and uneducated. Chasing after Hassan, Amir sees Hassan being bullied and later assaulted by Assef, but says does nothing to stop it and says nothing after they get home. Wracked by guilt, Amir avoids Hassan and wants him to go away. After his birthday party, Amir hides money in Hassan's hut and says he stole it. Surprisingly, Amir's father forgives Hassan, but even more surprisingly, Hassan's father says that they are moving out anyway. In the midst of all this, civil unrest breaks out in Afghanistan, causing Amir and his father to flee their home, which further disrupts Amir's chaotic life.

Kite Runner is an adult novel, but has many themes relevant to teens and should be read by teens 14 and over. The anguish of war, guilt, and intolerance are all important to learn about. If you want an emotional, but beautifully written, book to read this summer, check out Kite Runner (after I return it) under YA FIC HOSSEINI.

Gaming Tomorrow/Manga and Movies Next Week!

There's gaming tomorrow and manga club next Monday! Snacks will be served during the club meeting at 2, where there will be Naruto and Death Note trivia! Stick around for the teen movie, Paul Blart at 3:30! The movie's PG, so bring in a permission slip to see the movie if you're under 12. See you then!

YA-Like Book I'm Reading Now : Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I adore Neil Gaiman's creepy and funny stories, and Graveyard Book doesn't disappoint. This book won the Newbery Medal for children's literature, but I think it could cross over for teens, too. Gaiman described this story as Jungle Book in a graveyard and it is, in a way. Nobody ( because he's nobody's child) Owens has been taken in by a graveyard full of ghosts and other dead people after his own family is killed. The graveyard's residents saved Nobody from the man Jack that tried to kill him, and try to keep Nobody safe in the graveyard by forbidding him from leaving.

However, Nobody wanders away from his caretakers, the Owenses and Silas, and ends up in a lot of trouble with living people. He fades into invisibility to escape a shopkeeper who wants to turn him over to the man Jack to kill him. Nobody also runs into trouble when he uses his powers he learns from other ghosts to get back at bullies at school. In addition to all that, he has to keep away from the man Jack and try to live a somewhat normal life as a boy living in a graveyard can. To find out what happens to Nobody, check out Graveyard Book under J FIC GAIMAN.

Gaming Tomorrow!

Join Tom, our resident gamer, and bring your friends for gaming tomorrow!

YA Book I'm Reading Right Now: Marked, House of Night, Book 1

I've finally found a vampire series I can sink my teeth into. ( Sorry for the awful pun). House of Night by mother-daughter team PC and Kristin Cast is a fun, sarcastic, and sometimes eerie look at "vampyres'' that must go to the House of Night school to become full-fledged vampyres.

Zoe Redbird has a vampyre mark on her forehead that means she has to go to the school, but her mark is so unique that even among vampyres, she's an outcast. There she befriends sweet country girl Stevie Rae, Damien, and best friends, Erin and Shaunee. After taking a few classes and speaking to her mentor, Neferet, Zoe realizes she has the power to be head of the Dark Daughters, a powerful group of the vampyres. Her only obstacle is mean girl, Aphrodite, who's head of the Dark Daughters and doesn't want to give up her high status-or the boy Zoe has a crush on and Aprodite's still in love with, Erik. Zoe has to deal with being away from her family, battling new enemies, and still being true to herself as she changes from a fledgling to a vampyre.

House of Night may be similar to Twilight, with vampire teenagers in high school, but that's about all I see the two series have in common. This book has much more mature subject matter ( Damien is openly gay, sex is mentioned quite a bit, and the characters curse). This book is also more matriarchal ( the vampyres worship a Goddess, male vampyres assist female ones, and Native American rituals in the book are performed by powerful women). This series has caused controversy because of that, so if you're more into straight vampires in innocent love, stay with Twilight. If you want an edgier, but still teenage vampire series, though, check out Marked ( after I return it) under YA FIC Cast. The other books in the series will be on the shelves soon!

YA book I Read and Loved: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

I loved the honest writing of Laurie Halse Anderson in the novel, Speak, and I really love her unflinching portrayal of anorexia in her newest book, Wintergirls. In this story, Lia is a troubled anorexic teenager coping with the death of her former best friend, Cassie, who was also anorexic. To make it worse, Cassie called Lia 33 times before she died, but Lia ignored her calls, because they weren't friends anymore.

Wracked with guilt over abandoning Cassie and delusional from the weakness of her disease, Lia thinks she see Cassie's ghost telling her that she has to come over to Cassie's side to be as thin as she wants. Lia drifts further down into anorexia and cuts herself, too. Lia is straining the patience of her family, doesn't feel like anyone understands her, and it seems like the only way she'll ever be happy is if she becomes a "wintergirl'' like Cassie. Wintergirls is a painful, realistic look at the toll eating disorders take on people ( but especially girls) mentally and physically.

Gaming Tomorrow Now Online!

Don't forget gaming tomorrow with Tom at 4!

Read on the Wild Side to win an iPod shuffle!

This summer, starting June 22, reading rocks! For the summer reading contest, one lucky teen can be given the chance to win an iPod shuffle! Reading 5 hours wins you a flash drive. Read 10 hours and you get a free bowling pass from Brunswick Bowling and you're automatically entered for the chance to win the shuffle. You can read anything ( hopefully, including this blog), from comics to Myspace pages to magazines. Get a reading log from and return it to the file on the glass display case. You can also e-mail what you wrote to me at ya_rgpl@yahoo.com. Write down what you wrote and turn it in. Good luck and see you in the library this summer!

YA book I'm Reading Right Now: Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List

I'm back into YA fiction and I'm reading the hip and heartfelt Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan, who wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This book is in the same vein with Cohn and Leviathan writing alternate chapters and star-crossed teenagers with good taste in music. This time, however, Naomi and Ely can never be a couple because Ely's gay. Since they both have similar taste in boys, they devised a Do Not Kiss List of boys that are off-limits, but Ely breaks the rule when he kisses Naomi's boyfriend, Bruce the Second. ( There's a Bruce the First, a likable, if slightly pathetic, character who has an unrequited crush on Naomi).

Naomi deals with the betrayal by cutting Ely and Bruce the Second out of her life, but it's not so easy for her to let Ely go. How does she deal with her own unfulfilled crush on Ely? How does Bruce the Second feel about his changing emotions about who he is? How does Ely earn Naomi's trust again? You have to read this fun and sweet book to find out.

Gaming Tomorrow Now Online!

There's gaming tomorrow online! See you at 4!

Read on the Wild Side this Summer!

This summer, River Grove teens can read and win an iPod shuffle! How? Details coming soon.

Gaming Tomorrow!

Just a reminder about gaming at the library tomorrow at 4!

YA Books I'm Excited to Read!

I know I haven't done my Book of the Week in a while, but I'm really into adult books right now. I'll return to YA books soon, though, starting with manga. I'm starting a manga club Monday, June 22 at 2 and I want to be somewhat familiar with it, so I'll start with Naruto and Fruits Basket, the most popular ones at the library. If there are any good manga you can suggest a newbie like me should read, let me know!

New Tony Hawk Skateboard Controller!

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/tony-hawk-unveils-ambitious-new-skateboard-controller/1314352
Here's a short article about the new skateboard controller Tony Hawk is putting in his new game.

Rock Band Tourney Tomorrow!/Still Time to enter Graphic Novel reading contest

The Rock Band tournament is tomorrow, but there's still time to enter! There's also still time to enter the graphic novel reading contest! Read 10 comics this week and get one for free next week, so come in for a reading log today!

Are there any good YA books about mother-daughter ( or mother-son) relationships?

I wanted to put some books on display in the library for Mother's Day, but I couldn't find any that were YA. I know teens and their parents have volatile relationships, but aren't there any anger-free books about teen daughters/sons and their mothers? I'm sure there are, but I can't find them. Maybe there will will be some great ones written for next year.

Twilight book club this weekend!

There's still plenty of time for Twi-hards to discuss the book all weekend! Come today at 3:30 or tomorrow at 11 AM !

Gaming Tomorrow Now Online!

Come for gaming tomorrow and now you can play games like Halo 3 online!

New Books at the Library!

There are some great new books at the library this week and all month long. We just got Wintergirls and Wolverine Vol. 2 Savior, plus Wolverine Vol. 3, The Swift and the Terrible coming to shelves soon. Already out on the shelves are extra copies of the Twilight series and Watchmen. Come check out a book today!

Rock Band Tourney May 14!

So you think you're the next Beatles, Rolling Stones, or Red Hot Chili Peppers? Prove it at the Rock Band tournament on May 14 at 4! Sign up today!

Gaming Tomorrow!

Here's another reminder to come for gaming tomorrow! I won't be in charge of gaming anymore and I'll miss the joy of kids and teens screaming " I just killed you!'' while playing Halo 3 and I will really miss trying to play " Barracuda'' on Guitar Hero, but I know gaming's in better hands with Tom, the real gaming expert. Hope to still see you there every Thursday from 4 to 6!

Read a Comic! Win a Comic!

Since so many kids are excited about the new Wolverine movie and reading graphic novels, why not combine the two? The week of May 11, kids and teens can pick up a comic/graphic novel reading log in the library. Write down your name/number/e-mail ( to notify about comics won), then a list of the 10 comics read that week and return in the file on the glass display case. On Monday, May 18, a person will be chosen at random to win a Wolverine comic. Runners-ups get cool comics, too, so anyone who enters wins! You don't have to wait until May 11, though: Enter today!

Twilight movie and book club this weekend!

It's Twilight weekend at the library! Tomorrow we're showing the movie at 3:30, then the book club starts with the first book this Saturday at 11 AM! If you don't have the book, don't worry: the chapters will be read aloud! There will be snacks, drinks, discussion questions, and crafts every week until the end of May. See you there!

Book of the Week: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 2 : Kingdom on the Waves

I love this sequel to the first historical novel that I think was based on a true story about Octavian Nothing, a slave used in cruel experiments by his master, Mr. Gitney. In the second book, Octavian escapes his master with the help of Gitney's colleague, Dr. Trefusis. They are on the run from the law and seeking refuge in Boston at the start of the Revolutionary War. They find a boarding house, but can't stay until Octavian finds a job because Dr. Trefusis is too sick to work.

Octavian finds work at an orchestra playing his beloved violin until other musicians convince him to join the British army, where American slaves are promised freedom. Octavian feels torn between loyalty to America, the only home he's known and his mentor who saved his life. However, the hypocrisy of White Americans talking about freedom while still owning slaves hurts him too much. Octavian also wants to play his music as a free man, so he fights for the British.

I can't wait to read all 500 pages of this book. Though, again, the 18th century language is hard to follow at times, it's still worth looking up those words to understand this amazing story about an extraordinary young man trying to find peace in such a violent time in America's history.

New Books at the Library!

We just got some great new books at the library, like Gears of War: Aspho Fields, a book based on the video game, plus the latest in the Pendragon and Maximum Ride series. We're also getting Wintergirls and some Wolverine comics soon, so keep an eye out for those, too!

Wii in trouble?

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/troubled-times-for-the-wii-/1306341
Here's a short article about Wii games not selling as well as expected.

Is Halo moving beyond Xbox?

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/new-halo-project-to-exit-xbox-go-mobile-/1305427
Here's a short article about Halo may possibly be moving online beyond Xboxes.

Gaming Friday!

Due to popular demand, there will be gaming tomorrow from 3:30 to 5 PM! The Xboxes and Wii will be out, so come play Halo 3 and Wii Sports tomorrow.

Mario Kart Tournament Thursday!

Tomorrow is the Mario Kart tournament from 4 to 6! It's on the old-school Gamecube and every kid and teen can drop in and enter! There will also be Guitar Hero and Halo 3 for kids to play, too.

For Halo 3 Fans/ Twilight Book Club

http://videogames.yahoo.com/news-1305414
Here's a short article about the amount of kills worldwide in Halo 3. Also, there's still plenty of time to sign up for the Twilight Book Club next Saturday the 25th at 11 and the movie is showing on Friday the 24th at 3:30!

Spring Break Again!

Now it's the private schools' spring break, so get ready for more gaming and more fun this week at the library! It's the same as the last spring break for the public schools. Today it's DDR, Guitar Hero, and Halo from 4 to 6. Also, we have new Pendragon and Naruto books, so come for all the games and books. See you this week!

Book of the Week: Persepolis 2/ Gaming Next Week

I just started reading this sequel to the great graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis was the story of Satrapi growing up in Iran during the revolution in the late '70's that turned her life and her country's upside down. To escape the persecution of radicals, Satrapi's parents send her to live in Austria with relatives. She has a hard time adjusting to her distant relatives and not knowing any German. She's soon sent to a boarding school run by nuns, and Satrapi insults the nuns and is expelled. She finds another school and struggles to fit in with her all-black wearing punk and goth friends. Satrapi is thrown from a traditionalist upbringing into a modern new life and is trying to be independent, while tied to her parents in her turbulent homeland. I can't wait to keep reading Persepolis 2 to see what happened to Satrapi as a smart but troubled teen.

In other news, there's gaming next week for private school spring break, Monday and Thursday from 4 to 6 and Friday from 3:30 to 5. Come play Halo 3, Wii Sports, and Guitar Hero!

Gaming Tomorrow!

There's gaming tomorrow at 4. Guitar Hero Metallica and Wii Sports are the featured games!

New Books I'm excited to read!

I'm so glad there are so many new ( to me) books to read this spring. I can't wait to read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Octavian Nothing Vol. 2 by MT Anderson, and my one adult memoir, This Child Will Be Great by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first female president of Liberia ( a small country in West Africa). What are you excited to read this spring?

Video Games Good for Your Eyes?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16857-shoot-em-up-video-games-are-good-for-your-eyesight.html

I'm sure you've heard about this, but I can definitely see the benefits of video games. Even shooter games like Halo require you to think and have good strategy skills. Games like DDR are good exercise, and Guitar Hero really requires good hand-eye coordination. I used to hate video games, too, but after playing them with kids at the library and seeing how hard it is to play them( for an old person like me, anyway), I'm a convert. Just as listening to Marilyn Manson didn't make me a devil-worshipper, violent video games don't make a kid violent if they know the difference between fantasy and reality. As I've learned, you have to play the games with the kids to see that video games aren't so bad after all.

Mario Kart Tournament Wins with Kids!/ Why do people like Twilight?

Thanks to all the kids who showed up for the tournament and to play Guitar Hero Metallica! Pictures will be up soon, I promise. I know I haven't done my Book of the Week in a while, but I've been busy with gaming and adult books ( Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is meh, The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter is great), but I am reading Twilight for a book club discussion and it's mediocre at best. I can see why teens girls swoon over Edward Cullen, but should girls fall in love with an obsessive vampire? Maybe I'm wrong or judging too soon, but it's no great literature, like Octavian Nothing and it's not even great fun trash like Gossip Girl. Can you Twilight fans tell me why you love the books so much?

Gaming Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

There will be gaming at the library Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week! Come play Guitar Hero Metallica Wednesday from 1-3, Mario Kart Thursday from 4-6 and win prizes in a championship, and Wii Sports Friday at 3;30!

Movie and Games Tuesday!

I want you all to come out today to see Camp Rock at 1 and come to the Uno championship at 6:30 tonight. Plus, there's still tome to sign up for the Mario Kart Double Dash tournament Thursday at 4!

( Public School)Spring Break!

I hope you kids are enjoying your spring break and will enjoy it more at the library! I want all of you to come by for the programs we're having every day. Today, it's board games from 1-3 and a DDR championship from 4-6! Come beat your friends or cheer on your classmates! There's also Guitar Hero Metallica Wednesday, a Mario Kart championship Thursday and Wii Sports Friday! Plus, there are lots of great new graphic novels to read, too. See you at the library this week!

Great "Kids'' Graphic Novels

Graphic novels are really popular at my library and I thought about why I haven't read " kids'' ones like Naruto ( above). I like adult, sad graphic novels like Maus, Persepolis, and American Born Chinese because I like sad stories. However, I also think that there's still a stigma I ( and a lot of adults have) towards certain graphic novels, thinking they're for kids. Do any of you read kids or YA graphic novels? Which ones and why?

Teen Movie Tomorrow: Blades of Glory

Teens, come out for a free movie and popcorn tomorrow! You want silly comedies, you got 'em! See you tomorrow and I definitely better see you all next week if you're on spring break!