Want to get involved, meet new kids, and have lots of fun?

There are some very cool and fun opportunities for you to get involved in the Youth Services Room at the Scarborough Public Library.

Bookworms Book Club meets every Wednesday after school from 3:00-4:00. It’s for kids who are in middle school. Together we choose a book we all want to read.  Then we talk about the book.  We have lots of opinions.  We laugh a lot and sometimes get silly.  We might decide which actors and actresses we’d like to see play the characters in a book if it was made into a movie.  Or we might try to decide what the main character would post on his or her Facebook status.  Once we used Legos to re-create a scene we liked.  Bookworms is lots of fun and no pressure!  We start up again on September 4th and we want YOU! 

Another fun activity is TAB, which stands for Teen Advisory Board.  This group meets twice a month on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 4:00, and also is open to middle school students.  TAB helps plan and promote library programs, like our Lockdowns.  Wouldn’t you like to get involved in planning the fun programs we offer?
















Finally, for grades 4-7, there is the Reader’s Theater Troupe. Have you seen this group? Do you like to act a little (but without memorizing lots of lines)? They have lots of fun performing stories for all ages using props and puppets.

This is a great time to get involved in one or even all three of these groups.  Stop by the Youth Services Room to sign up.

Happy Reading,
Connie

Books Scarborough Teens Recommend!

Just in case you missed the awesome book reviews posted this summer on the Teen Wall of Fame in the Youth Services Room, here are a few of them.  


Zoe says about Delirium by Lauren Oliver:

"I liked how Lena changes throughout the book and also that the book is based in Portland, Maine."
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Katie comments on Wideness and Wonder: Susan Goldman Rubin:

"I like how the author includes lots of details about Georgia O'Keeffe's life that made the book interesting and included artists and other people who inspired her."

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Max liked The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke:

"In The Thief Lord the detective Victor Getz is an extremely funny character.  It takes place in Venice, and it talks about the canals.  The story is very suspenseful, too."

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Meredith commented on Inkheart by Cornelia Funke:

"I liked that this book was filled with detail and surprises.  Just as you think they will all live happily ever after something exciting happens!"

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Lyndie loved Copper Sun by Sharon Draper:

"Copper Sun is an amazing and eye-opening book about slavery in the 18th century from the point of view of 15-year-old Amari.  This book really shows the hardships and pain and humiliation of the slaves as well as their hope."
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Sam says this about True Legend by Mike Lupica:

"I like how the author shows you what it is like for really good players and how it is not as easy as it looks."
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Ashley liked Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure by Georgia Byng:

"I like how a girl my age could time travel and hypnotize people."
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Isabella thinks this about So B. It by Sarah Weeks:

"I like that it was heartwarming, and that it could be a true story."
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What books have you read this summer that you loved?  

Happy Reading,
Connie

We had a great time last night at the Teen Summer Reading Final Party!

 Kids who passed in their reading logs enjoyed playing games (from “Pin the Eye on the Cyclops” to Twister and chess), eating ice cream sundaes, choosing a free book, answering mythology trivia questions, and receiving a certificate of completion.  Fifteen lucky kids (who completed the Lucky 13 Challenge in the reading log) won gift passes to Cinemagic! The meeting room was decorated with Greek columns and pictures of Greek gods and goddesses, since the day was the opening of the second Percy Jackson movie, “Sea of Monsters.”

Here are some pictures of the event.

Even though the summer reading program is over, KEEP ON READING!!  Do you like mysteries? Vampires stories? Dystopian novels?  Sports stories? Romances? Historical novels?  We have them all and more!  Just ask in the Youth Services Room.

Plan to participate in the Teen Summer Reading Program next summer!

Happy Reading,
Connie

Board Game Fun...and next: the Teen Reading Program Finale!

Kids had a blast last night, playing Twister, Clue, Life, Apples to Apples, chess, and more!  There was a lot of laughing and good-natured competition.


 





It does not seem possible that the final party for the Teen Summer Reading program is NEXT Wednesday, August 7th.  BE SURE TO RETURN YOUR BLUE READING LOG BY THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 3RD, so you can come to the party and have ice cream and get a certificate and a free book. Everyone who has completed the Lucky 13 Challenge located in the reading log will have a chance to win movie passes. Since the second Percy Jackson movie, “Sea of Monsters,” is opening in theaters that day, expect to have some fun at Camp Half-Blood Wednesday night!!

And just because the Teen Summer Reading program is wrapping up, don't stop reading!  We have summer reading lists and suggestions to help you with your middle school summer reading requirement.  Stop by the Youth Services Room!

Happy Reading,
Connie

Next Up: Teen Game Night!

We had a great time cooking last night!  Twenty-one kids helped make a yummy blueberry salad and a chocolate dessert called “Dirt Cup” that even had (gummy) worms in it! Then they got to dig in and eat their creations.

 We’ll have lots of fun board games for you to play on Wednesday, July 31st, from 6:30-7:30.  There’ll be Chess, Monopoly, Scattergories, Upwords, Apples to Apples, Yahtzee, and lots more!  The session is full, but you can contact the Youth Services room to get on the waiting list (883-4723 option 3).

Don’t forget to turn in your Teen Reading Logs by Saturday, August 3rd so that you can participate in the Teen Reading Program Final Party on August 7th!!  You’ll get an ice cream, a certificate, and a new book.  AND, if you have completed the “Lucky 13 Challenge” in your reading log, your name will be entered to win movie passes!

Happy reading,
Connie

Cooking for Teens!

       A huge THANK YOU to Detective Ron Nelsen, Evidence Technician for the Scarborough Police Department, who presented a great program on Forensics to a group of very interested middle school kids at the library. He showed them how footprints and fingerprints are collected, and gave them a chance to try dusting their own fingerprints.  Here are some pictures of the event:

Next Wednesday is our Cooking for Teens program.  YUM.  I can't wait!

Do you like to cook? Do you like to eat (silly question!)?  

Michele from Scarborough’s own Measuring Up!- Cooking for Kids will offer a cool cooking program for teens on Wednesday, July 24th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Get some hands-on cooking experience and something yummy to eat. Michele has posted on her website her logo: “Where food and fun mix together.”  Sounds irresistibly scrumptious to me!  

The cooking session is full, but stop by the Youth Services room at the library or call us to get on the waiting list (883-4723 opt.3).

Happy reading...and cooking,
Connie

"Awesome" Eco-bots/ Forensics 101: What's that?

Last night's robotics program with Trent Schriefer from the 4-H program through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension was a huge success!  We had such fun.  Here are some pictures of the small eco-bots we made (mostly from toothbrushes, a battery, and a pager motor).  After making the, we had the challenge of using them to clean up a pretend oil spill (think brown rice!). 

  

Next week we'll explore Forensics with Detective Nelsen!  I can't wait.  The session is full, but you can get on a wait list by calling the library or stopping by the Youth Services room.

What is Forensic Science anyway? Detectives and police officers and other criminal investigators use science and technology to figure out people, places, and things that are involved in criminal activity.

 Have you seen the show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”?  On the show, members of the Las Vegas Police Department use physical evidence to solve grisly murders.

On July 17th, from 6:30-7:30, you can join Scarborough’s own Detective Nelsen as he shows examples of how crime scene investigation works.  How cool is that?

 
We are full at the moment , but you can sign up to be on the waiting list by dropping by the Youth Services room or calling us at 883-4723 option3.

Check this blog for more news about summer reading and the very exciting  programs we’re offering for YOU.  See you at the library!

Happy reading,
Connie