zombies! Just in time for Hallowwen...

You probably already know how popular zombies are right now.  Just turn on the TV, go to the movies, play video games.  Zombies are everywhere!  There are even studies looking at WHY zombies are so huge in our popular culture right now.

And, to satisfy your zombie addiction, there are plenty of zombie books in the Youth Services room (NOT plenty of ZOMBIES; plenty of zombie BOOKS!)  Here are just a few:

Zom-B by Darren Shan

 
When the news starts reporting a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B's father thinks it's a hoax; but even if it isn't, the two of them joke, it's only the Irish, right? That is, until zombies actually attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers. But when they come face-to-face with the ravenous, oozing corpses, all bets are off. There are no friends. No allies. Just whatever it takes to survive.


Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter  

 
When her entire existence is shattered in the blink of an eye, Ali is forced to partner with secretive bad boy Cole Holland to avenge the deaths of her loved ones by returning an undead army to their graves.


Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi

 
While practicing for their next baseball game, thirteen-year-old friends Rabi, Miguel, and Joe discover that the nefarious activities of the Delbe, Iowa, meatpacking plant have caused cows to turn into zombies.


Undead by Kirsty McKay

 
On a school trip to snowbound Scotland, several students become infected and turn into hungry zombies, leaving a small band of survivors to take refuge in the school bus.


Broxo by Zack Giallongo

 
In this graphic novel, Broxo, the only surviving member of a tribe of barbarians, spends his time on a mountain hunting and avoiding the man-eating walking dead until everything changes when Zora, a foreign princess, arrives on the mountain seeking Broxo's lost tribe.


Ashes by Ilse Bick

 
Alex, a resourceful seventeen-year-old running from her incurable brain tumor; Tom, who has left the war in Afghanistan; and Ellie, an angry eight-year-old, join forces after an electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky and kills most of the world's population, turning some of those who remain into zombies and giving the others superhuman senses. The first in a trilogy. 

 



Happy reading and good luck sleeping,
Connie

The most dangerous man in America!

        Captain Underpants isn’t really the most dangerous man in America, is he?  But the Captain Underpants books frequently are  challenged by people who object to them and would like them to be removed from libraries.  

      Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. This year Banned Books Week is September 21-27.  The week raises awareness that books can be challenged or banned, but also celebrates the fact that books most often remain on the shelves for people to choose to read. Libraries in particular support the freedom to read what we want to read.  

     I bet you would be surprised to learn some of the picture books that have been challenged.  
 
Winnie the Pooh and Charlotte’s Web (talking animals are an “insult to god.”)
James and the Giant Peach (includes the word “ass”)
Where the Wild Things Are (promotes witchcraft and supernatural events)
Green Eggs and Ham (promotes homosexual seduction)
The Three Little Pigs (pigs as food might offend the Muslim community)

     I could go on and on.  Check the American Library Associations’ Banned Book Week website for list of books that have been challenged.  http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks


Here is a list of the most challenged books of 2013:
 
Out of 307 challenges as reported by the Office for Intellectual Freedom
1.    Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence
2.    The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3.    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4.    Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5.    The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6.    A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
7.    Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8.    The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9.    Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
10.    Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence

So, celebrate your Freedom to Read! 

Read a banned book!

Happy reading,
Connie

Bookworms!

      What is “Bookworms?”  It’s a fun book group for middle school kids who love to get together with friends, laugh, talk about books they’ve read and books they want to read, eat snacks, and just have a great time together at the library.

      We’ve had a break for the summer, but we are starting our third year and we want YOU to join!

      We meet on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00 in the Meeting Room at the library.  Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 17th.  That day we will look at a bunch of books and vote on the one we want to read first. We read books that interest kids and we have fun talking about them.  

     This is not school!  No tests, no wrong answers, no pressure.  Just bring a love of books and reading, a smile and a snack if you want!

     Stop by the Youth Services room to sign up or call us (883-4723 option 3) to register. Or just stop by on September 27th, or any Wednesday, and see if you like Bookworms.  I’m betting you will!

Have a great start to the new school year!

Happy reading,
Connie

One more book (or maybe two) to read before school starts!

Have you seen the movie If I Stay, based on Gayle Forman’s book by the same title?  The book and especially the movie require BOXES of tissues! 

If I Stay is the story of Mia, a seventeen year old who is close to her family and is a very accomplished cellist.  She has a boyfriend, Adam, who plays guitar in a rock band.  On a snow day from school, her family decides to go for a ride to visit some friends.  There is a catastrophic accident.  Mia is outside her body, watching the dead bodies of her family.  She must decide if she wants to “stay,” in other words, to live, or to “go”…to die. If she stays she will be without her whole family.  Maybe she could see them in some sort of afterlife is she dies?  Her body lies in the hospital in a coma as she wrestles with this dilemma.

The movie is being compared to John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.  The book is similar to Before I Fall by  Lauren Oliver, author of Divergent.  All great choices if you need a good cry!

If you have read If I Stay and seen the movie, did you know that Gayle Forman wrote a sequel to it that just might be adapted as a movie, too?  Its title is Where She Went.  I can’t tell you anything about the second book because if I did it would ruin the first book for you!  I guess you’ll just have to read it.

All of these books are available at the Scarborough Public Library or through our awesome Minerva system.

Grab a book, a box of tissues, and enjoy the end of summer with a good cry!

Happy reading,
Connie

Frequently Challenged books

        One of the squares on the Lucky 10 Challenge in the Teen Reading Log asks that you read a challenged book. I bet you will be surprised to know that you have probably read many challenged books, as picture books are challenged, too  

       Book banning is censorship and goes against our the First Amendment rights of freedom of expression. Books are rarely banned in American schools, bookstores and public libraries, but often books are challenged by people who object to something in the book, usually something religious, political, sexual or due to language.  

       The American Library Association and all librarians promote your freedom to choose the books you want and to express your opinions and views.

You can search online and find many banned and challenged books lists.  Here are some of them:  

Alexander - The Prydain Chronicles
Alexie - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Anderson - Twisted
Anonymous - Go Ask Alice
Armstrong - Sounder
Asher - Thirteen Reasons Why
Blume - Forever
Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Chbosky - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Collins – The Hunger Games
Cormier - I Am the Cheese
Cushman - Midwife’s Apprentice
Curtis - Watson’s Go To Birmingham—1963
Dahl - The BFG
Friend – Lush
George - Julie of the Wolves
Green - Looking for Alaska
Harris - It’s Perfectly Normal
Henkes – Olive’s Ocean
Hinton - The Outsiders
Hopkins – Crank
Howe - Totally Joe
Huxley – Brave New World 
Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird  
L’Engle - A Wrinkle in Time  
Lewis - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe       
Lowry - The Giver Things               
 Mackler – The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things
Meyer - Twilight
Myers – Fallen Angels
Myracle – ttyl, ttfn
Naylor – Alice (series)
Nix - Shade’s Children
Orwell - Animal Farm
Parnell – And Tango Makes Three
Paterson – Bridge to Terabithia
Paulsen - Nightjohn
Pilkey – Captain Underpants (series)
Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper
Pullman- His Dark Materials trilogy
Ringgold - Tar Beach
Rowling – Harry Potter (series)
Sachar - Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye
Schwartz – Scary Stories (series)
Sendak – In the Night Kitchen
Silverstein - Giving Tree
Smith – Bone (series)
Snyder - Egypt Game
Steig - Abel’s Island
Steinbeck – Of Mice and Men
Taylor - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Twain - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
VonZiegesar - Gossip Girls (series)
Wilder - Little House on the Prairie
Winthrop - Castle in the Attic   

DON'T FORGET:  All reading logs are due August 2nd!  If you turn your log in by or on August 2nd, you get to come to the Teen Summer Reading Finale Party.  Ice Cream and a free book that you chose!  Don’t miss this!

Also, finish up your entry for the Writes of Summer writing contest.  They are due August 1st!

I’d love to hear what challenged book you read!

Happy reading,
Connie

The Wednesday evening fun continues with more great Teen Programs at the Scarborough Public Library!

       We had a great time learning all about Forensics with Officers Nelsen, Weed and Landry. We dusted soda bottles for fingerprints, used oblique lighting to find footprints and swabbed blood for DNA samples.  Each participant got a mask, gloves and booties, just like those worn by real detectives.

       A huge THANK YOU to the three officers who so willingly gave their time to our teens!

      Here are some pictures of the evening.

      Next week (July 16) don’t miss Improv with David LaGraffe.  What is Improv?  Acting…on the spur of the moment!  David will lead us in some improvisation games and exercises.  Come get in touch with your inner actor! 

      And on July 23rd we’ll watch the movie “Back to the Future.”  Popcorn provided by the library.  July 30th will be about Aeronautics.  We’ll be launching straw rockets and foam gliders.

      Don’t miss out on all the fun.  Call the Youth Services Room (883-4723 option 3) or stop by to sign up.

      And don’t forget to keep reading.  Bring in your reading logs and share with us what you are reading!

Connie

Our Box City!

       A group of teens had a blast last Wednesday night at our first Teen Program of the summer: Let’s Build a Box City!  

        Karen Martin, who works at SEDCO and has a Master’s degree in City Planning, helped the kids think about what buildings they might want in their town.  The teens worked in groups, with each group deciding which buildings they would create from all kinds of boxes brought in by the staff at SPL.  We had a library (of course!), a huge mall, a nuclear power plant, police and fire station, farm, town hall, church, school, beach, bus – and even the last phone booth in America!  At the end of our time together, the kids assembled their town, deciding, with Karen’s help, what buildings went together and how best to layout a community.  

       Lots of good thinking and great creativity happened! 


       Karen Martin was very impressed and had a blast with the teens.  A big “thank you” to her for sharing her time and knowledge with us.

      More great summer Teen Programs are scheduled!  Teen Board Games will be happening July 2nd, Let’s Get a Clue, with Detective Ron Nelsen on July 9th, Improv with David LaGraff on July 16th, a showing of the great movie, “Back to the Future” on July 23rd and learning about flight on July 30th with Trent Schreiber from 4-H.  


       And of course there is the final Teen Party (free book and ice cream! )for all participants in the Summer Reading Program  on August 6th!

There is lots going on in the Youth Services Room at Scarborough Public library this summer. Stop by!

Happy reading,
Connie

After "The Fault of Our Stars"...Now what?

So you read and loved John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and you saw the movie.  Now what?  

Here are some great books to read.

Anything by author John Green is a great choice. Here are two suggestions.

Looking for Alaska
      Miles heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School. Down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. Like every other boy there, Miles falls madly in love with her. Then. . . . After.  Nothing is ever the same.

An Abundance of Katherines
     Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate Colin sets off on a road trip to try to find some new direction in life and create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships. 

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
       One of my favorite recent books.
       Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by  Jesse Andrews
       Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
       When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his class mate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah’s voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn  Schneider
       Star athlete and prom king Ezra Faulkner's life is irreparably transformed by a tragic accident and the arrival of eccentric new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
       After she dies in a car crash, teenage Samantha relives the day of her death over and over again until, on the seventh day, she finally discovers a way to save herself.

Happy Reading!
Connie

"That was the best Friday night ever!"

       That was an enthusiastic remark overheard at the end of last Friday night’s Teen LockDown!  Nearly 40 kids had a blast with the quiz show, karaoke, wii, arts and crafts, Twister, bean bag toss, book dominoes, snacks and more.

We ended the night with a flash mob of the Cupid Shuffle!  Too  fun.  

 

                                    Mrs. C. gets her penny in the paper cup she made!!

        Don’t forget to sign up for our Summer Reading Program. Record what you read in a log that you turn in by August 2nd to be invited to an ice cream party and get a free book.  Also, check the library’s website to learn about all the cool Teen Programs happening on Wednesday nights this summer.  Be sure to sign up as slots fill quickly!

Happy Reading,
Connie

Lockdown @ the Library June 6th!

It’s time for another fabulous, fun-filled LOCKDOWN at the Library!  

On June 6th, from 6-8:30, the library will be closed to everyone but entering 6th, 7th and 8th graders.  The theme is Game Night, and there will be a quiz show, Lego relay, karaoke, book dominoes, wii, snacks and MORE!  

This event kicks-off the Teen Summer Reading Program. Be sure to register for that and sign up for all the cool programs that will be offered on Wednesday nights this summer!

Thanks to the Teen Advisory Board for their help in planning this event.

Pre-registration is required for the Lockdown.  There needs to be at least 25 kids signed up for the Lockdown to happen.  So, grab your friends and sign up today!  Stop by the Youth Services desk or call 883-4723 option 3.

See you there!

Connie

Read the book before the movie comes out!

On June 6th, “The Fault in Our Stars,” based on John Green’s amazing novel of the same name, is coming to theaters.  Read the book first!  It will make you laugh and cry all at once. 

        It’s the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, who is 16 and a three-year stage IV–cancer survivor.  She understandably is very depressed. To help her deal with this, her doctor sends her to a weekly support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, and the two fall in love. Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share a witty sense of humor and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and don’t forget they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.


      John Green looks at big issues in this book:  life, love, and death—with sensitivity and honesty. Readers feel what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But really the book celebrates love and life.


      John Green is a popular author for young adults, and this may be his best book yet.

      And guess who plays Hazel in the movie?  Shailene Woodley, who played Triss in “Divergent.”
Here’s the trailer.

Get some tissues. Read the book.  We’ll all be at the Lockdown at the library on June 6th, but I plan to see the movie the very next day!

Happy reading,
Connie

Teen Quiz Show @ the Library

         If you visited the library last Tuesday, April 29th, you saw and heard the happy voices of 22 middle and high schoolers who participated in a Teen Quiz Show.  Designed, planned and run by the Teen Advisory Board, this event was a great success.  Two rounds of questions were held, with two teams participating in each round. The questions were about books, movies, music and video games.

    Can you answer some of the questions?

•    Who are the makers of Minecraft?
•    What is Triss’s full name in Divergent?
•    In what Dewey Decimal number is "Music" located?

Or the real stumper:
•    What are the names of the 4 library staff members in the Youth Services Room?
      (answer: Mrs. C., Lauren. Marilyn, Connie)

      The Teen Quiz Show was such a hit that the library’s next Lockdown just might have this as a theme! The Lockdown happens after hours on a Friday and is open to entering 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. It is a very popular event, so watch for more information!

    Interested in joining the TAB (Teen Advisory Board) and helping to plan cool events and share ideas?  Just ask for an application at the Youth Services desk and get involved .

Happy reading,

Connie

Sweet Tweets @ the Library!

Happy National Poetry Month!

      A dozen teens participated in Poetry Workshops at the library during April.  They created great Book Spine poems, 

  

clever Six-Word Memoirs (describe your life in 6 words),

"Art is dreams put to paper."

and eloquent Poetry Tweets (poems no longer than 140 characters, like a tweet on Twitter). 

Back and forth 

my paintbrush goes

like the waves

on the beach shore

clearing my thoughts

erasing my worries

my escape from reality

 

   
     This year the young poets had the opportunity to illustrate their poems, if they wanted, either with photographs or drawings.  The results were fabulous! 

      A couple of poets shared longer works they had written.  The audience was impressed with their creativity.  





      I am already looking forward to the third annual Sweet Tweets next April when National Poetry Month comes around again!

Here’s a challenge: write YOUR Six-Word Memoir.  I’d love to hear it.

Happy writing …and writing,
Connie

Second Annual Sweet Tweets Poetry @ the Library!

Do you like to write? Do you enjoy poetry? Want to challenge yourself to write a poetry tweet – a poem using no more than 140 characters, like a tweet in Twitter?

 To celebrate National Poetry Month in April, the library again this year will offer middle and high school students poetry workshops.  We had a great time last year, warming up with Book Spine Poetry and Six-Word Memoirs and then jumping into our tweets.  The creativity was impressive. 

This year students have asked to add a photograph or drawing to accompany their poems.  Also, longer poems will be encouraged for those who would like to write more. 

We will meet from 3-4 p.m. on April 2, 9th, and 16th.  On April 16th, we also will have a special celebration to share our poems with family and friends from 6:30-7:30 in the meeting room.

You can sign up ahead of time or just stop in and join us. I promise you will have fun and surprise yourself with you talent!  Grab a friend or two and come!

Connie

Manga Workshop with Jay Piscopo a Huge Success!

        Nearly thirty middle and high school students were enraptured by comic artist Jay Piscopo’s Comic Workshop held at the Scarborough Library on March 12th. Many members of Scarborough High School’s Anime Club came. The creator of Capt’n Eli and other characters showed aspiring artists how to use different basic shapes to convey emotions. 

         Making scribbles into drawings was fun and freeing; many were surprised by what they could create from a friend’s scribble. Jay gave lots of tips on how to break into comics as a career.  He kindly stayed after the workshop to look at the students’ work, giving praise and helpful suggestions.  The afternoon was a great success for all.

Let us know what other programs you would like!

Happy Reading,
Connie