TeenThing

Want More Paranormal?

2009-11-19T11:33:00.003-06:00

New Moon hits theaters Friday-will you be there? If you're looking for more paranormal reads, check out some of these new releases:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater-a love story with werewolves-perfect if you're on Team Jacob! (Also, keep an eye out for our upcoming chat with Maggie-we'll be talking to her in January!)

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick-If you thought Edward Cullen was crushworthy, wait until you meet Patch! Lots of mystery, suspense and romance all wrapped up in a exciting read.

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor-Three short stories about first kisses and supernatural love.

Shadowland by Alyson Noel-Have you been following the story that started with Evermore and Blue Moon? The third book, Shadowland, is brand new and you can expect another threat to the growing relationship between Ever and Damon.

Want more suggestions? Ask your teen librarian for more book ideas. And be sure to stop by and let us your thoughts on the New Moon movie!

2009 Teens Top Ten

2009-10-21T12:13:00.004-05:00

Happy Teen Read Week!

The 2009 Teens Top Ten list is here. Did your favorites make it? Of course, you can check out all the teens top ten books at the library.

The 2009 Teens Top Ten is:

1. Paper Towns by John Green
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
5. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
6. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
7. Wake by Lisa McMann
8. Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Happy Reading!

Teens Top Ten Voting

2009-08-28T13:10:00.001-05:00

Teens Top Ten voting is open! Click here to vote and check back during Teen Read Week to see if your favorites won!

Are You Ready for the Cold??

2009-08-13T16:00:00.001-05:00

Want to read the book? You can check it out from the library here.

Teen Night: Movie Night

2009-08-04T13:14:00.002-05:00

It's the first Friday of the month and that means Teen Night at The Library Center. And this month we're joining forces with the other branches to bring you a huge party.

We're hosting a movie night which means movies, popcorn, trivia, and of course a red carpet runway with movie star gocks.

The party starts at 9pm in the auditorium and goes until 10:30pm. Hope to see you there!!

Percy Jackson Movie

2009-07-22T16:38:00.003-05:00

So if you saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in theaters, you probably saw this teaser trailer for the movie version of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

If not, don't worry-you can check out the trailer right here! And be sure to catch up on the Percy Jackson series before you see the movie-you can check out the books at the library!

Vampire Reads, Part II

2009-07-20T10:50:00.003-05:00

Time to show you the rest of Kristi's vampire reading list!

By the by, it isn't too late to sign up for Summer Reading. With a couple weeks to go, you can still get a crack at a Nintendo DSi not to mention your flipcard and fine waiver card. For details, click that link over there on the right.

------

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (Series: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod)

Vlad is pretty much your average eighth grader, except for being a vampire. His story starts with a disappearing teacher, a love interest who seems more interested in his best friend, and a strange new substitute teacher who just might know his secret. The characters were easy to relate to and the plot line was intriguing (if not quite scary.) This book got off to a bit of a slow start, but it's worth reading to the end.

Night World Vol.1 by L.J. Smith (Series: Night World)

I wasn't a huge fan of this series. It was a decent concept, but the characters and plot lines fell flat. The heroines were the wilting, whiney variety, and the heroes didn't play as central a role as I would have liked. Only the villains were delightfully evil enough to stand out. If you need a quick vampire romance fix this will provide it, but not much else.

Evernight by Claudia Gray

It starts out mysterious, with a major twist in the middle that completely changed my perception of the characters. Unfortunately, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. The storyline and suspense which were well-built in the first half of the book lost most of the momentum and thrill in the second half. The action was present, but the conflict and resolution were sadly lacking.

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz (Series: Blue Bloods)

This book was the perfect mix of mystery, drama, and compelling characters. A group of rich teenage socialites are swept up in a world of murder, past lives, and secret societies. Blue Bloods was well-written and suspenseful, and left me ready for the sequel.

Happy Reading!

Vampire Reads, Part I

2009-07-01T16:27:00.010-05:00

I'll admit it: I'm not passionate about vampire fiction. Whew! Good to get that off my chest.

Not to worry though; you don't have to rely on me. We have several librarians that really know their brooding, dazzling, misunderstood creatures of the night. One of these fine folks is Kristi, at the Republic Branch Library.

When I saw an annotated list of teen vampire fiction that she created for her branch, I begged her to let us put it on TeenThing. She graciously agreed.

I've split it into two parts. Look for Part II later this week. Please feel free to post your responses in the comments. We would love to see what you have to say about these titles!

*****

Dear Vampire Aficionados,

I enjoyed the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, but hold a healthy skepticism of all the vampire novels that came in its wake. I thought of dozens of Meyer impersonators trying to sell me their watered down version of Bella and Edward's romance. Or worse. After all, there are tons of vampire novels out there now, and not all of them can be as original and winning as Twilight. So I've taken it upon myself to narrow down the field, for those of you who love vampires, but don't know where to start.

Enjoy,

Kristi Taylor

Marked by P.C. and Kristen Cast (Series: House of Night)
For those of you who love vampire series, this is a great place to start. The authors use an interesting mix of vampire lore and Cherokee legend to create a world of danger and magic. I loved the characters and the story line was so compelling I had to run out to buy the next book in the series.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber (Series: Vampire Kisses)
This is a must read for teen vampire lovers. The heroine is a quick-witted and spunky goth girl who is completely comfortable being the out-of-place eccentric in a boringly normal town. The storyline is marvelously entertaining. It proceeds with more humor and hijinks than drama and angst. As a bonus: There is also a Vampire Kisses graphic novel series.

Suck It Up by Brian Meehl

Dracula meets Superman? Starring a gangly, vegetarian teen vampire? This unlikely, hero goes from trying to blend in to volunteering for the massive challenge of saving the world for vampire kind. Quirky side characters and persistent evil vampire villains add to this great read. This off-the-wall concept created a novel that would make any comic book proud.

....to be continued.

Beach Reads Not Your Thing?

2009-06-23T15:34:00.005-05:00

Check out the Darken Your Summer Days website! And don't forget to count your reading towards the Teen Summer Reading Program!

You can find these books at any branch of the Springfield Greene County Library. And be sure to ask your teen librarian for more summer reads!

Teen Takes & Book Trailers

2009-06-19T13:13:00.003-05:00

You still have time to enter the 2009 Teen Takes contest! Entries are open until June 30.

You know what I would love to see this year in Teen Takes? Book trailers! A book trailer is like a movie trailer, only it previews a book. Do a search on YouTube and you can find all sorts of book trailers. Or come to The Library Center tonight at 6:00pm for a Teen Takes workshop and learn how to make your very own book trailer all online-no cameras required!

Check out some of my favorite book trailers:

Summer Reading, Day 12: TeenTakes

2009-06-17T10:58:00.003-05:00

You have just under two weeks left to submit your entry for TeenTakes. It's another one of those links on the right side of this page. Go ahead; check it out. I'll wait.

...

Oh, good, you're back.

So, as you can see, you could win a $50.00 gift card from Best Buy! If friends help (you can have up to three people on your team), they can win too!

The rules are pretty straight-forward. Be sure you get your clip posted to YouTube and submit the link in the next week or so.

If you want to see an example of a book-related clip try out this one.

It's summer, and you could use a gift card.

Summer Reading, Day 11: Bone!

2009-06-16T15:58:00.005-05:00

Looking for something funny, sad, and exciting? Something that you can pick up and get into immediately? Maybe something highly visual with a distinctive look? Perhaps a highly influential landmark of design that's readily available at your local library? That's great. I've got just the thing.

Try out Jeff Smith's series Bone. The comic was originally published in a 55 book series, but then it was collected into nine books which are available at the library:
Out from Boneville
The Great Cow Race
Eyes of the Storm
The Dragonslayer
Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border
Old Man's Cave
Ghost Circles
Treasure Hunters
Crown of Horns

To make things simpler you could check out the single volume version simply called: Bone. This book collects all the Bone adventures (all the nine books listed above) into a single, tidy 1,332 page volume. Just remember: lift with your legs, not with your back. Oh, and happy reading!

Your pal,
John

Summer Reading, Day 10: The Library Station Rocks!

2009-06-15T20:36:00.003-05:00

So, Friday's Midtown vs. the Station showdown was a bit of a blowout. Midtown just didn't show up. *tsk, tsk*

Granted Midtown did send over a Twilight buff (kudos to Mike and Ike for their trivia prowess). However, in the end, the bout was halted due to the mercy rule. Better luck next time Midtown. Shall we do it on your turf?

So what's going on this week? Lots! Look over to the far right of the screen. See! Right over there? Where it says "Programs"? Midtown has three (count 'em!) events going on. Brentwood is showing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to kick off their Harry Potter movie series. Fair Grove has a do-it-yourself magnetic poetry project. Friday, the Library Center has a Teen Takes Workshop (it's not too late to submit an entry). Saturday, Jeff Thompson is going to be at the Republic branch to talk about how to start a band... a band!!! So cool!

Anyway, get yourself to the library. It's where summer is happening!

Your pal,
John

Summer Reading, Day 6: Teen Night Rumble

2009-06-11T10:37:00.004-05:00

Friday the Library Station is hosting a Teen Night, and this time, we've invited some company!

It's Midtown vs. Station in a battle for north-side supremacy! ...Or it's just friendly videogame/trivia contest. Regardless, there might be a traveling trophy involved, so there is pride on the line. Teen Night starts at 9:00pm and lasts until 10:30pm. You can't leave before 10:30 unless a parent or guardian picks you up.

If you hang out at the Station or Midtown (or both) come and represent your branch. Even if you tend to enjoy our branches a little farther south (Brentwood and the Center), or if you are a regular at one of our county branches (Ash Grove, Fair Grove, Strafford, Republic, or Willard), or if you hang out at Park Central, or if you hang out with Rob on the bookmobile... Join us!!! We'll let you pick sides. Neutrality is an option (the Swiss option).

There will be GuitarHero, Wii Boxing, and trivia contests. As always, you're welcome to just hang out and use the computers.

Though I shouldn't have to remind you, I will anyway: Sign up for summer reading! (It's still that link over on the right side of this very screen.)

See you at 9:00pm at the Station!

Your pal,
John

Summer Reading, Day 1: It's here! It's here!

2009-06-06T10:01:00.005-05:00

Express Yourself @ Your Library! It's the summer reading program, and it's finally underway. If you haven't signed up yet, click the link (should be just over there on the right side of the screen). I'll wait...

Have you signed up yet? Hmmm? I'm serious! You better sign up.

Okay? Okay. Good! Now, on to other matters...

If you can't decide what to read, may I humbly suggest you check out the 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominees. It's also over there to the right with the other booklists. You might be asking: If these are nominees, how do they become a Teens' Top Ten Winner? Excellent question! The American Library Association will open voting during Teen Read Week in October, and you (YOU!) pick the winners. If you start right now, you should be able to read quite a few of these nominees before October, so get to it.

It's summertime! Grab a book and a hammock! Let the lemonade flow!

Sarah Dessen Equals A Great Summer Read

2009-06-03T12:21:00.002-05:00

In my eyes, Sarah Dessen can do no wrong. I love her books, and she writes some of the most crush worthy guys in teen lit. I know there are lots of Sarah Dessen fans out there that agree with me! So why not check out Sarah's new book at the library this summer? Along for the Ride will be released on June 16. Until then, why not check out this new video Sarah made talking about her inspiration for the book.

Summer Reading Starts Saturday!

2009-06-02T15:23:00.002-05:00

If you're going to read at all this summer, you might as well try and win a Nintendo DSi for all that reading, right? Check out the Teen Summer Reading Program and you could win books, journals, candy and be entered to win one of three Nintendo DSi's! The Teen Summer Reading Program starts Saturday June 6 and runs until August 8-that's two whole months to get lots of reading done!

Need some books to read this summer? Try some of these great teen reads or ask your teen librarian for suggestions. (That is why we're here, you know!)

-Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
-The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
-The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro
-Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
-What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
-Beastly by Alex Flinn
-The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt
-Pandora Gets Jelous by Carolynn Hennesy
-Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
-The Big Splash by Jack Ferraiolo
-Every Man For Himself by Various Authors
-Cheater by Michael Laser
-Save the Date by Tamara Summers
-I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
-Games by Carol Gorman
-Memoirs of Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
-Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley
-I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
-Evermore by Alyson Noel
-Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers
-Just Can't Get Enough by Matthew Robinson

Come See your new Teen Space at The Library Center

2009-04-24T16:37:00.002-05:00

The Library Center has a brand new Teen Space and we want you to come check it out! Stop by and check out the new space and tell us what you like. You can even enter a drawing to win signed books! Hope to see you soon.

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for funding The Library Center Teen Space.

It's the First Day of April! Break Out the Frost & Tennyson!

2009-04-01T16:17:00.003-05:00

Today is the start of National Poetry Month. Here at the Library Station (your library on North Kansas Expressway) we are very excited. So excited, in fact, that we are offering several events including a poetry contest!

On April 2nd and April 16th, at 6:00pm each night, we are presenting opinionated and engaging discussions of contemporary poetry. You can come to either event or to both, if you feel like it. We'll give you opportunity to have your poetry workshopped by one another as well as by local poet Anna Robb.

Although the event is designed to please the poetry enthusiast, we're not leaving anyone out. Are you a little introverted? C'mon, raise your hand if you're introverted... just kidding. At any rate, you should feel free to come partake of the refreshments, sign-up for door prizes, and just listen.

At the April 16th event, we're giving you the chance to read your original works before a live audience. The best read poem will receive special recognition. In order to participate in the reading, poems must be submitted in advance. This can be done on April 2nd or you can stop by the Station and drop it off anytime between now and the day before the reading.

Here's the kicker: Library Station is holding a poetry contest all April long. The grand prize is a $50.00 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice. There will also be prizes for the runners-up. For more information, stop by the poetry discussions on the 2nd or 16th, or call me at the Station. The phone number is 865-1340. The deadline to submit poems is April 31st with a limit of three entries per participant.

It's April! The words are waiting.

Your pal,
John

YA Movie News

2009-03-27T11:39:00.004-05:00

Check out all the cool YA books turned movie hitting a big screen near you:

New Moon: The wolf pack for New Moon has been cast: Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman. You can find all the details at Stephenie Meyer's website.

This is the pack minus Leah-who do you think they should cast as Leah?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The gods have arrived! The following actors have been cast in the upcoming Percy Jackson movie, coming out Feb. 2010:

Pierce Brosnan as Chiron
Uma Thurman as Medusa
Melina Kanakaredes as Athena-I love this one-I think she's perfect!
Kevin McKidd as Poseidon
Sean Bean as Zeus

The actors join Logan Lerman (Percy), Brandon T. Jackson (Grover), and Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth)

So, what do you think? Are these actors god/goddess material?

It's Friday. Deal with it!

2009-03-13T19:53:00.002-05:00

This time, I'm coming to you live from gaming night at the Station. The conversation has gotten around to the state of our website. What needs to change? Leave a comment.

Also, I'm taking snack orders for the Library Station teen advisory board meeting tomorrow morning. The list so far:

glazed donuts
maple donuts
chocolate
lemon-filled donuts
raspberry-filled donuts
coffee (lots of creamer and sugar)
orange juice

I'm cutting them off here, because this is getting expensive, and the night is almost over.

You should really think about joining us next time around. It's a good scene.

Your pal,
John

Girl's Night Out: Jane Austen Fest

2009-02-19T11:38:00.003-06:00

Have you ever spent an entire day watching Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version of course)? Do you have a crush on Mr. Darcy or is Mr. Knightly more your type? Do you wish you had afternoon tea and evening dances to attend? You just might be a Jane Austen fan!

Join us for Girl's Night Out: Jane Austen Fest at The Library Center Friday February 20th @ 7pm.

We'll be drinking tea, dancing, and finding our true Austen love match! There will also be quizes and prizes. Don't miss out!

It's President's Day! Where's My Candy?

2009-02-05T21:53:00.002-06:00

Geez, this holiday is an utter ripoff: no candy, no gifts, no parades! Just a day off and sales at the chain stores. Even bigger disappointment: most of them don't even sell chains. Shenanigans!

Not to worry, we'll be back bright and early Tuesday. Stop by the Library Station to find out how to vote for your favorite teen movie of the year.

Until then, enjoy the holiday, and please help come up with some better way to commemorate our nation's leaders. It's high time for a more exciting tradition. My suggestion: dress-like-a-president. Finally, an excuse to dust off my old William McKinley costume!

Your pal,
John

A Bumpy Week

2009-01-26T22:13:00.003-06:00

How many hours will you spend at school this week? It might be a somewhat fewer than normal judging from the ugly glaze of ice on everything outside my window. What are you going to do with your time? Come to the library, and we'll help you spend those extra hours. Pick out a movie, find a book, maybe just grab a magazine and take a seat by the fire*.

Top five ways to spend a snow day:

5. Cook something warm and sweet. Ask any librarian, and we can point you to our huge collection of cookbooks. Whether you're looking for something low-fat, vegan, kosher, or deep-fried, we've got a book that will fit the bill. (Though it might be tricky finding one that does all of those things simultaneously.)

4. Knit something cozy. We have almost as many knitting books as we have cookbooks. Ask us; we'll show you where they are. If you happen by the Midtown branch, talk to Bobbie. She can give you some pointers.

3. Plan a trip to somewhere not covered in ice. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or you've never set foot outside Missouri, we have all manner of books to help you plan your escape to warmer climates. Map it out. Read up on a foreign city. Get some foreign language tapes. Learn Portuguese. You can't go on a dream trip if you never start dreaming.

2. Grab a movie. We get most of the big Hollywood releases at the library, but those are so popular they often have long waiting lists. Pick up something off-kilter instead. Watch a British mystery, a foreign language film, or a classic. If you need help choosing, ask a librarian. We're an opinionated lot.

1. Read a Gateway or Truman Award nominee. There are some pretty fine books on the list this year. If you find a favorite, let me know. Tell me why it's a favorite, and there might even be a reward in it for you.**

Stay warm. Travel safe. See you at the library.

Your pal,
John

*Fireplaces not available at all branches. Some restrictions may apply. See a librarian for details.

**Stop by the Library Station during a snow day this week, and tell me about a Gateway or Truman Award nominee that you have read. Depending on the store of goodies available, you might get a treat.

Welcome: Anime Insider. RIP: Electronic Gaming Monthly... and CosmoGirl... and TeenPeople... and ....

2009-01-26T13:27:00.005-06:00

Today, I took the final issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) off the shelf. It was one of my favorite magazines--consistently funny and passionately written with a strong online community. I've been reading it for over a decade, and now it's gone. No more of the amazing podcasts either. I'm bummed.

It is some small consolation though that as I removed that final copy of EGM, I was able to replace it with a magazine that we've never carried before: Anime Insider. Will it replace the void left by EGM? I don't think it's likely. However, I found as I thumbed through the February issue that there was some intriguing content. I haven't made up my mind yet, but if you have strong feelings, stop by and let me know.

Until then, stay warm and travel safe. It could be a bumpy week.

Your pal,
John