TeenScene @ WPL

Calling all Cosplayers!

Posted on January 30th, 2013 by Mickie.
Categories: Art & Craftiness.

Have you tried cosplaying yet? Cosplay is short for costume play and it is a fun way to reinvent your self for a day! Come meet with other cosplayers, learn about cosplay events, share ideas and get creative! This month we will be sewing a DIY cosplay faux fur tail! It is free and we’ll supply the materials…don’t miss out!

Space is limited so sign up now!

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Books = Pizza

Posted on January 22nd, 2013 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

We are reading a book a month for the Teen Book Challenge.  Read with us…you don’t have to read every book, but if you want to read a bit and come to some fun hang outs, you’ll win an invitation to the book challenge party at the end of the year. Plus you’ll get to hang out with Mickie and Becky. Win. Win.

Next meeting is 1/23 @ 3:30pm. Be there.

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Sequel surprise: Janie Face to Face

Posted on January 20th, 2013 by Becky.
Categories: Books.

If you’ve read a teen book in the past, oh, 20 years, you’ve proooobably read (or at least heard of) Caroline B. Cooney’s The Face on the Milk Carton. When Janie is a teenager, she sees one of those “Missing Children” pictures on a carton of milk — and recognizes it as herself (!!!). Several other books followed that one, as readers demanded to know more of Janie’s story: Whatever Happened to Janie?, The Voice on the Radio, and What Janie Found. Well, Caroline B. Cooney was planning to stop there, but a question from her editor, Beverly Horowitz, got her wheels turning again:

I said to Caroline, ‘Gee, whatever happened to Janie and Reeve? By now they’d be in college,’ ” Horowitz recalls. “She said, ‘I’m finished with that.’ And then a few weeks later she called me and said, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m not finished with them.’

And so, the final book in the series, Janie Face to Face, came to be. Read more about it here! (Some spoilers if you haven’t read the rest of the series!) Curious? Browse and reserve all the Janie books (they even have spiffy new covers!).

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Teen Book Challenge is Coming..

Posted on January 8th, 2013 by Mickie.
Categories: Books.

Are you prepared to delve into the shady world that these children live in?

Read the book.  We dare you to come to the meeting…

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Pa55word5 are Ea5y 2 Gue55 so Change them!

Posted on January 4th, 2013 by Mickie.
Categories: Technology.

Every New Year people all over the world watch a big sparkly ball drop, eat snack foods, make resolutions and change their online passwords….wait, what?  Yes, you heard me correctly–now is the time to clean up your interwebs! Change your passwords every six months to protect yourself online. You already know better than to share passwords with your friends, but do you know how to create a super strong password that is also easy to remember?

Here are some handy tips from The Daring Librarian and here are some books about computer hackers…read a few of these and you’ll be changing your passwords as often as your underwear!

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Love and Other Perishable Items: A Beta Books Review

Posted on December 23rd, 2012 by Becky.
Categories: Beta Books, Books, Events.

Airy, another avid reader at Beta Books, our read-’em-before-they-are-published teen book club, has submitted our latest review! Check out her thoughts below. Curious? Get the scoop here, sign out a book from the Teen Center, and mark your calendar for the next meeting!

Reviewer: Airy

Title: Love and Other Perishable Items

Author: Laura Buzo

What did you think of the cover? I think that the cover is okay.

Did you think it matched the story? Okay.

What did you think of the book?

The book was very interesting, and my favorite part is when Amelia and Chris’s relationship intensifies.

How would you rate this book? 4 stars — Awesome. I loved it and would give it to a friend.

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We DOUBLE DOG DARE you….

Posted on December 19th, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

Are you ready for the 2013 Teen Challenge?

Each month of 2013 we will challenge you to read a book with us. Then get together with us for FOOD (yeah I said food) and fun as we bring the book to life. If you meet the monthly challenge of reading with us, you will also receive a badge of honor. Collect enough badges by the end of the year and you will earn an invitation to the Teen Challenge Bash!

So let me recap this:

Food + Book + You = Fun

Are you excited yet? You should be.

January’s Book:

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Old freaky pictures? Check. Abandoned mansions? Check. Secrets? Check.
Danger? Double check!

Sign up, get your copy of the book and meet us at the rendezvous point…the library on January 23 at 3:30.

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Got your library card? You can check out this art. No, really.

Posted on December 14th, 2012 by Becky.
Categories: Art & Craftiness.

Did you know you can check out artwork from the library and take it home for a month…just like a book?!? It’s true! Take a look at our 380+ check-out-able (yes, I just made up that word) art pieces. Some are prints of famous works, while others are originals by local Westerville and Ohio artists. Click each title to see a thumbnail image of the piece. Never whine about your bare walls again!

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12-12-12 Books to Blow your Mind

Posted on December 12th, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

You KNEW this post was coming, didn’t you? I couldn’t let this mind-blowing date pass us by with out wrangling it into a book post so here ya go…you’re welcome.

The twelve days of Christmas, it is 12-12-12 and here are your requisite 12 crazy books that have nothing to do with the holidays but are my picks to get you through those annoying lovely family get togethers…enjoy!

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Give the Gift of Technology: Great Apps and Digital Books for Teens

Posted on December 4th, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

Looking for something to give the teen who has everything? Sneaking a new tablet into your teen’s stocking and want to load it up with some fun stuff so she can dive right in on Christmas morning? Need some way to clue your parents in to what you’d like to have as a gift? LOOK NO FURTHER! This blog post is for you.

Santa Mickie will pull gift ideas for every teen out of her big red sack–Ho Ho Ho! Want even more great suggestions? Visit School Library Journal’s Top Ten Apps list of 2012.

For the Book Worm:

YALSA Teen Book Finder- FREE for Apple

Find the best books and media for teens, as selected by library staff and educators across the United States!

For the Nerdfighter:

DFTBA: Hank and John’s Awesome Adventure- $1.99 for Apple

Play John or Hank Green as you battle the minions of World Suck. which have invaded the land of Nerdfighteria. Play through 8 levels of platforming awesomeness, from the video game level, to the Evil Baby Orphanage, to the Internet itself.

For the Gamer Geek:

The Oregon Trail- .99 cents for Apple and Android

An oldie, but goodie--this game lets you pack up your wagon and MANIFEST DESTINY as you travel West into the American Frontier. Did you pack enough nails? Will Mary die of dysentery?

The Dragon Slayer- FREE for Apple and Android

The Dragon Slayers are hunting once again and you have answered the call. Dragon Slayer is a visually spectacular, magic-based combat game

For the Artist Geek:

Wreck this App- $4.99 for Apple and Android

Based on the book, Wreck this app encourages kids to create outside the page. Doodle, deface and deconstruct all in the name of making something new!

For the Puzzle Geek:

Polymer- $1.99 for Apple

Polymer is a strategic shape-creating game that combines the logic of Rubik’s Cube, the sliding mechanism of Chuzzle, and the creativity of Lego.

For the Internet Geek:

Echograph- $1.99 for Apple

For the Science Geek:

The Science of Reality-$13.99 for Apple, Nook and Kindle

The ultimate digital book experience from Richard Dawkins, one of the world’s greatest scientists. How do we know what is true? Explore the magic of natural science with clips, interactive demonstrations and beautiful animation and photography.

For the Big Ideas Geek:

Ted Books FREE (with in app purchases) for Apple and Android

TED Books are short original electronic books produced every two weeks by TED Conferences. Like the best TEDTalks, they're personal and provocative, and designed to spread great ideas. TED Books are typically under 20,000 words — long enough to unleash a powerful narrative, but short enough to be read in a single sitting.

For the Hipster Geek:

Stachetastic $.99–3.99 for Apple and Android

With this easy to use photo editor, you can take a new picture or select one from your photo library and instantly add a mustache or beard from a selection of sweet facial hair.

For the Manga Geek:

Viz Manga FREE (with in app purchases) for Android and Apple

You now have the greatest manga from Japan at your fingertips, at long last in a convenient, downloadable format for your device.

For the Comics Geek:

Dark Horse Comics FREE (with in app purchases) for Apple and Android

Have your favorite Dark Horse comics at your fingertips - anytime, anywhere! Read free digital comics along with hundreds of your Dark Horse favorites starting at 99 cents.

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Holiday .GIF Giving Storytelling Contest for Teens

Posted on November 30th, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

Have you ever used .gifs? GIFS or Graphic Interchange Formats are little repeating image files that make a few still images look a little like a movie! They are sometimes interesting and artistic…

and sometimes ridiculous and silly…

But I think they are really fun! That brings me to our challenge. I offer you…the Holiday .GIF Giving Storytelling Challenge. I challenge you to re-tell your favorite holiday story using GIFS to accent the story telling...like this example that I made where I retell Olive the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh. Do you like how I made with the funny?

Ok. So here is how it works…

1. Pick your story–something simple is always better, but you do what you want. Here are some ideas to get you started.
2. Retell the story…you can be serious or funny. It is your story! Type your story out–if you have a Tumblr or you blog somewhere you can type it out there. if you don’t, no worries! You can type it in a Word doc and send it to me or come into the library and you can type it out on one of our computers.
3. Choose your GIFs–you can start by googling a term that you want to find. For example, for the GIF above, I searched for “Thank you gif” and it sent me to a Tumblr page with a bunch to choose from. You can also search for GIFs at GifSoup and Gifbase or Tumblr.
4. Keep it appropriate and no bad words!

Now Friends---Auntie Muriel reminds you to be careful when searching for things on the interwebs...you don't want to look at gross stuff so keep your searches clean! You may also want to get an OK from your adult if that is appropriate.

After you find the .GIFs you like, copy the URL for it and put it in your story. Just like you grab a URL for a picture to send to a friend or post to Facebook–if you can do that you can do this. Want a tutorial for how to do that? Check this one out. Still not sure? E-mail me (mstiers@westervillelibrary.org)  or stop into the library to see me and I’ll help you out!

Happy GIF giving!

2 comments.

“Sure we have a copy of the Hunger Games available!” Said…

Posted on November 29th, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

….NO librarian ever. Until now!

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (that means Reserve it!)

0 comments.

Out of the Easy: A Beta Books Review

Posted on November 26th, 2012 by Becky.
Categories: Beta Books, Books, Events.

Jayla, another voracious reader at Beta Books, our read-’em-before-they-are-published teen book club, has submitted our latest review! Check out her thoughts below. Curious? Get the scoop here, sign out a book from the Teen Center, and mark your calendar for the next meeting!

Reviewer: Jayla

Title: Out of the Easy

Author: Ruta Sepetys

What did you think of the cover? I loved the book cover design of the ARC and definitely wouldn’t change it. It’s artistic and I think the birdcage is a metaphor relating to Josie Moraine’s (the main character) life.

What did you think of the book?

I thought “Out of the Easy” was very distinctive from most YA novels. While reading, it was easy to get lost in the story. I really liked Josie – she was a tough heroine, but also had her flaws which made her seem more real than fictitious. And the setting for the story, New Orleans, was perfect. The only things I disliked were the mystery elements (which were too weak and made me lose a little interest in the story) and the supporting characters could have had much more depth to them.

I would definitely recommend this to a friend who enjoys historical fiction, but not to someone who is use to fast-paced novels.

How would you rate this book? 3 stars – Pretty good. I wanted to see how it ended.

2 comments.

Stories from the Mall–Just in Time for Black Friday!

Posted on November 21st, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

Are you going shopping before dawn tomorrow? Me either! At least I am an adult and don’t have to go if I don’t want to. Or maybe you are DYING to go and no one will let you…

Well if you are stuck waiting in the car or can’t wait to get your driver’s license so you can take yourself next year, here are some books all about the joy, the terror and the suspense of that American icon…the suburban shopping mall.

The good, the bad, the mall.

In a futuristic alternative school set in a shopping mall where video game-playing students are observed and used by corporate sponsors for market research, Katey "Kid" Dade struggles to figure out where she fits in and whether she even wants to.

When high school junior Tessa Reynolds falls into a coma after getting hit in the head during gym class, she experiences heaven as the mall where her parents work, and she revisits key events from her life, causing her to reevaluate herself and how she wants to live.

After a virus destroys most of the world's adult population, a group of children are delighted to discover a colony of adult survivors in a Florida shopping mall but soon find that they are not as friendly as they appear.

While working at the mall, organizing a school fundraiser, and trying to prove that her best friend's boyfriend is seeing another girl, high-school student Charlotte's best intentions always seem to backfire.

Teens Shay, Marco, Lexi, and Ryan, quarantined in a shopping mall when a biological bomb goes off in an air duct, learn that in an emergency people change, and not always for the better, as many become sick and supplies run low.

Happy shopping day!

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Peace, Love and Pass the Cranberry Sauce: Thanksgiving Books for Every Taste

Posted on November 15th, 2012 by Mickie.
Categories: All posts.

Do you love the holiday or hate? It doesn’t matter–we’ve got a book for that!

Want to warm you heart with stories of good people and helping hands? Look no further--read on and store up all the warm fuzzies that the holidays bring!

Hate the holiday and all that touchy-feely junk? Here is a twisted story about a detective who gets psychic impressions from everything he eats....did I mention that he solves murders? Yeah...guess how he gets clues. *shivers*

Do you feel like an alien during the holidays? Are you sure that your family is a bunch of weirdos? This book is kinda like that--it is the flock's first turkey! What can go wrong?

Are you worried about what is going on with your school friends while you are off on break? So do the girls at Waverly...drama and turkey--enough for seconds!

Mmmmm....more Thanksgiving drama than a football game in overtime!

Speaking of football---can't get enough of the couch and the game is over? Here are some short stories about that favorite Thanksgiving day past time!

Vegetarian? No turkeys were harmed in this book--in fact, this turkey stirs up a Lakota indian reservation by its presence and changes a few lives. Gobble Gobble!

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