TeenScene @ WPL

Speak Up for Your Library!

Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books, Homework Help, Web sites to watch.

This year’s Summer Reading Program theme is all about expressing yourself. With the proposed cuts to library funding, now is the time to make your voice heard!

What does the library mean to you? A safe place to hang out after school? Somewhere you can go for help with your homework? Your only source for new books? The first place you could access the Internet?

Let your local legislators know how important the library is to you! Email Governor Strickland today, or contact the following state representatives to share your thoughts. You can make a difference!

Not sure what to write? Check out this sample letter.

Senator Bill Harris, President of the Senate
614-466-8086

Senator David Goodman, 3rd District
614-466-8064

Representative Kevin Bacon, 21st District
614-466-6030

Representative Marian Harris, 19th District
614-466-4847

Representative Nancy Garland, 20th District
614-644-6002

Representative Kris Jordan, 2nd District
614-644-6711

For more information on the budget proposal, please refer to this article from Library Journal, or the Save Ohio Libraries website.

2 comments.

Harry Potter Giveaway!

Posted on June 15th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts.

It’s almost time for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to be released in paperback, and guess what? Scholastic is giving away paperback sets of books 5, 6, and 7! Even better, local librarian/teacher/superhero Ms. Yingling, of Ms. Yingling Reads, has a chance for you to enter to win! Check out her blog or click directly to this post for the details. Good luck!

0 comments.

Summer Reading 2009 is almost here!

Posted on May 26th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books, Events, Movies.

Check out our homemade video promo for the 2009 Summer Reading Program, made for you with love by the WPL Youth Librarians! Got a hankering to make your own? Be sure to pick up info on Kick-off Day, Thursday, June 11. You’ll have a chance to register for summer reading, get a sign-up prize, work on some cool activities (including appearing in your own “Boogie Heads” video) and find out about our “Starring You! Movie Maker” workshops and movie showing night. You won’t want to miss it! See you on June 11th!

1 comment.

Book Trailer - Gone by Michael Grant

Posted on May 25th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books, Movies.

Check out this creepy book trailer for the book Gone. What if one day, everyone over the age of 14 was just…gone?

Interested? Find it at the Library!

1 comment.

Check out Skeleton Creek

Posted on May 8th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books.

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

Ryan’s a writer, and even though something terrifying has happened and left him with a broken leg and no way to see his best friend, Sarah, he uses his journal to get the story out.

Includes links to online videos that help illustrate Sarah’s findings. (First in a series.)

What to read next: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

For more book suggestions, check out Becky’s book picks!

0 comments.

New Teen Comic Books/Manga

Posted on April 21st, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books.

The eternal smile : three stories / by Gene Luen Yang & Derek Kirk Kim.

"Meet Duncan. Charming and brave, he's the Princess's favorite-- and he's on his way to winning the throne. But lately, the walls of reality in Duncan's kingdom are wearing a little thin-- -- Meet Gran'pa Greenbax. Nothing seems to satisfy this greedy old frog's longing for a pool full of gold-- until, one day, a mysterious smile appears in the sky. Has his chance at happiness come at last? -- Meet Janet. Her nine-to-five life takes a turn for the romantic when she learns in an email from a mysterious Nigerian prince that she has been chosen to liberate his family's vast fortune. All he needs is her banking information. In three very different stories, master storytellers Gene Yang and Derek Kirk Kim pit fantasy against reality, for good or for ill" -- cover leaf. (read more)

Starcraft : Frontline. Vol. 1 / edited by Paul Morrissey.

(read more)

Return to Labyrinth. Volume 3 / written by Jack T. Forbes ; illustrated by Chris Lie.

(read more)

Captain America : fighting chance. Denial / writer, Mark Gruenwald ; penciler, Dave Hoover ; inker, Danny Bulanadi ; colorist, George Roussos ; letterer, Joe Rosen ; editor, Mike Rockwitz.

(read more)

1 comment.

Secret message?

Posted on April 16th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Art & Craftiness, Guest blogger.

Guest blogger preetycrazybabe shares the following tidbit (thanks for sharing!):

Did you know that the FedEx logo has an arrow in it? Try to find it!

2 comments.

Post from Dragid10 - finally posted!

Posted on April 15th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Guest blogger, Words & Writing.

Guest blogger Dragid10 from Write in the Middle wrote the following post to share, and I have forgotten to post it online for many weeks!! Sorry for the delay, and thanks for sharing, Dragid10!

OK, anime is awesomeriffic!

There once was a little boy. His name was Rick. He lived in a house that was burned down 75 years ago. He made friends. On Halloween they went to his house. But they didn’t see it. Rick slowly raised from the ground. He made them vampires. The end.

0 comments.

Skeleton Creek

Posted on April 14th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books, Movies, Words & Writing.

I just finished reading Skeleton Creek, a new book with a creepy twist! Ryan is stuck in his room with a broken leg after a mysterious accident with his best friend Sarah. He fell when they were investigating a dredge, an old, abandoned machine in the woods of their hometown, Skeleton Creek. Now Ryan and Sarah have been forbidden by their parents to contact each other, but Sarah still manages to email Ryan some password-protected videos about what else she is discovering about the dredge. Ryan notes the passwords in his journal, and you, the reader, can go online to view Sarah’s videos. Be warned — some of them are quite spooky, and the ending will leave you hanging on desperately for the next book in the series!

Take a look at the book trailer:

0 comments.

Guest blogger strikes again

Posted on April 13th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Guest blogger, Random Fun, Words & Writing.

This post comes to you from guest blogger Obito99 at Write in the Middle. Thanks for sharing, Obito99!

FuFu is a Ghana dish. You can have it with any stew. Also, Bonku is wonderful.

Chuck Norris is too cool for school. When he went to school, he got an A+ for roundhouse kicking, so he graduated from school at age 9.

0 comments.

Movie trailer - Where the Wild Things Are

Posted on April 9th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books, Movies, Web sites to watch.

Do you remember reading one of the most famous picture books, Where the Wild Things Are, when you were little? I do!! I’m super-excited to see this trailer for the upcoming live-action movie. I didn’t think it was possible to make a full-length movie from such a simple picture book, but this looks too cool to miss:

0 comments.

New Teen Books

Posted on April 7th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts.

Carpe corpus / Rachel Caine.

"In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?"--Publishers description. (read more)

Ten cents a dance / Christine Fletcher.

In 1940s Chicago, fifteen-year-old Ruby hopes to escape poverty by becoming a taxi dancer in a nightclub, but the work has unforeseen dangers and hiding the truth from her family and friends becomes increasingly difficult. (read more)

Dragon spear / by Jessica Day George.

Creel's adventures continue when she, her brother, and her betrothed travel across the seas to visit their dragon friends. They become involved in a battle against an alien group of dragons that has kidnapped Queen Velika, endangering her and her expected litter of hatchlings. (read more)

Dork diaries : tales from a not-so-fabulous life / by Rachel Renee Russell.

Fourteen-year-old Nikki Maxwell writes in her diary of her struggle to be popular at her exclusive new private school, then of finding her place after she gives up on being part of the elite group. (read more)

Dragon drive. Vol. 14, Wait / story & art by Ken-ichi Sakura in collaboration with Bandai-Chan's-Org. ; [translation, Martin Hunt ; English adaptation, Ian Reid].

"The transformed Araki breaks into Rikyu, launching the final battle of the Raikoo masters. Now the hope of both worlds rests on Reiji and Takumi, who must work together to stop Araki. With Reiji fighting the huge dragon from the outside and Takumi and Raikoo fighting from deep within, they just might be able to save humanity and dragonkind. But the battle won't be won without terrible sacrifices..."--p.[4] of cover (read more)

Bleach. vol. 27, Goodbye, halcyon days / story and art by Tite Kubo ; English adaptation, Lance Caselman ; translation, Joe Yamazaki.

"Ichigo 'Strawberry' Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts, he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow, a malevolent lost soul, Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Orihime's return from the Soul Society is interrupted by the Arrancar Ulquiorra, who has a different, terrifying path for her. Using duplicitous tactics, Ulquiorra convinces Orihime to accompany him to Hueco Mundo, which brands her as a traitor in the Soul Society's eyes and therefore unworthy of rescue. Ichigo refuses to abandon his friend, and sets out to storm Hueco Mundo to set her free, but can he win when the entire world is against him?"--p. [4] of cover. (read more)

See no evil / Jamila Gavin.

Twelve-year-old Nettie's sheltered and privileged life changes after her beloved tutor mysteriously disappears and Nettie, aided by the son of a household employee, begins to learn the truth about her father, whose wealth began with trafficking in illegal aliens. (read more)

Gray baby : a novel / by Scott Loring Sanders.

Clifton has grown up in rural Virginia with the memory of his African American father being beaten to death by policemen, causing his white mother to slip into alcoholism and depression, but after befriending an old man who listens to his problems, Clifton finally feels less alone in the world. (read more)

Girl stays in the picture : a Girl novel / by Melissa de la Cruz.

On a movie set in Saint Tropez, France, several teenaged members of the Hollywood elite come together in an explosion of scenes shot and reshot, friendships formed and cast aside, and romances begun and destroyed, all duly reported by paparazzi. (read more)

Intensely Alice / Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

During the summer between her junior and senior years of high school, Maryland teenager Alice McKinley volunteers at a local soup kitchen, tries to do "something wild" without getting arrested, and wonders if her trip to Chicago to visit boyfriend Patrick will result in a sleepover. (read more)

Entr@pment : a high school comedy in chat / M. Spooner.

Two teenage girls assume false identities online in order to test the fidelity of their boyfriends. Told in the form of chat room communications. (read more)

The demon's lexicon / Sarah Rees Brennan.

Sixteen-year-old Nick and his family have battled magicians and demons for most of his life, but when his brother, Alan, is marked for death while helping new friends Jamie and Mae, Nick's determination to save Alan leads him to uncover a devastating secret. (read more)

Emily the Strange : lost days / by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner ; illustrated by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker.

Emily the Strange has lost her memory and finds herself in the town of Blackrock with nothing more than her diary, her slingshot, and the clothes on her back. (read more)

Brand new Emily : a novel / by Ginger Rue.

Tired of being picked on by a trio of popular girls, fourteen-year-old poet Emily hires a major public relations firm to change her image and soon finds herself "re-branded" as Em, one of the most important teens not only in her middle school, but in celebrity magazines, as well. (read more)

Oath breaker / Michelle Paver ; [illustrations by Geoff Taylor].

When Bane is killed by the Soul-Eater Thiazzi, Torak sets off into the Deep Forest with his foster father and Renn to avenge his friend's murder, but they find themselves in the midst of a war between the Deep Forest clans. (read more)

The entomological tales of Augustus T. Percival : Petronella saves nearly everyone / Dene Low ; illustrations by Jen Corace.

Petronella's fashionable friends are arriving at her country estate near London to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and her coming out party. During the festivities, important guests are disappearing, kidnapping notes are appearing, many of the clues are insects, and Uncle Augustus (who has developed a bug eating compulsion) is surreptitiously devouring evidence. (read more)

Simon Bloom, the octopus effect / Michael Reisman.

When twelve-year-old Simon becomes the official Keeper of the Order of Physics, he and his friends Owen and Alysha face extreme danger as they try to protect the Universe from destruction by evil forces. (read more)

0 comments.

Library decides “No books needed”

Posted on April 1st, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Books, Random Fun.

April 1, 2009

Today the Westerville Public Library decided to cease ordering and circulating books. “Ehhh…no one really reads them anyway,” said librarian Becky O’Neil. “People only ask me for movies, videogames, and computer help. We thought that this was the best way to address what people want.”

Of course, this decision raises the issue of what to do with the aisles and aisles of books currently housed in the library, as well as the many thousands of titles which, in spite of this current trend, seem to be checked out to people.

Several library teens were surveyed for ideas about what to do with the books. Suggestions included “build a fort,” “coffee table,” “drink coaster,” “foot rest,” and, in cases of extreme desperation, “sled.”

Other teens described why they won’t miss the books. “i nly spk n txt,” one girl said. “idk wuts a bk?” Another said, “If it hasn’t been made into a movie or a TV show or an online game, it might as well be written on a stone tablet.” Yet another chimed in, “The problem with books is they don’t work with my ADD, so — hey look, a bunny!”

The teens wished to remain anonymous.

To give your opinion on this decision, please comment below, being sure to include the text “I didn’t double-check what day this was posted, and therefore I fear you may be serious.”

5 comments.

We’ve Got Issues

Posted on March 13th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Homework Help.

We’ve got issues! Pro/Con issues, that is.

For those of you who:

• Need to prepare for a debate or persuasive speech
• Have an argumentative essay to write
• Want to know both sides of a controversial issue

You’ve come to the right place! Check out our new Explore guide, Pro/Con Issues, for recommended books, websites & more!

0 comments.

“Help! I’ve got a country report!”

Posted on February 18th, 2009 by Becky.
Categories: All posts, Homework Help.

If you’ve got a country report to do (I’m looking at YOU, St. Paul students!), you will definitely want to check out our Explore guide for Country Profiles:

http://explore.westervillelibrary.org/countries

Here you will find librarians’ selections and recommendations for the best books, web sites, and eResources, all in one handy location! And because it’s on our homepage, you can access it from anywhere! Just click the “Explore” tab from www.westervillelibrary.org, and choose “Homework Help.”

Explore Guides are a feature of our new web site. What do you think of them?

1 comment.

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