Saturday, January 31, 2009

Quinceañera 101 program - TODAY!

Quinceañera 101
1:00 PM
Planning your own Quinceañera or interested in learning more about the Quinceañera tradition? Come to this open house find out about what is involved in planning a wonderful one! Meet a planner, choreographer and other professionals who can give you great tips. Teens will be on hand to showcase their dresses, share their Quinceañera stories!

Just for fun, we will be having a TP dress contest...but don't worry, we don't expect anything as fancy as this!

Mountlake Terrace Library
425-776-8722

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Do you have koumpounophobia?

This week one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, won the Newbery Award for The Graveyard Book.

This is a very good year for Mr. Gaiman, as he also has a full length feature film coming out of his delightfu (and creepy) book Coraline. Here is a simple trailer (made in his really neat looking house) that gave me shivers:



So...are you afraid of buttons? Maybe after this movie, you will be!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Writing Help

I just stumbled across a list of the 40 of the Best Websites for Young Writers. They have a ton of great resources listed, including links to the Young Writer's Society, Eighteen Questions, Writing Contests, and a whole armful of grammar sites that can help you decide which "lay" to use.

However, don't forget that your friendly neighborhood library offers tutoring help through Brain Fuse (click the box in the upper right corner!). They can give "feedback on your writing from an expert tutor in our writing lab or... email you helpful comments regarding your homework question." Yep, you can send them your papers for critique - or chat live with a tutor. Pretty awesome.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Today @ the Library 1/26/09

Game On! @ Oak Harbor (3PM)

Study Zone @ Mukilteo (3PM)

Gaming @ Marysville (3PM)

For more information, check the calendar

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire


Currently there are 117 people waiting for The Hunger Games. Now, it hasn't hit Twilight status (down to a mere 251!), but that's still a lot of you out there wanting to read this fast-paced action novel that no one I've known has been able to put down.

Scholastic just revealed the cover for the second book in the series, Catching Fire, out September 8, 2009:



Don't know what I'm talking about? Read the first chapter of The Hunger Games.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Most Popular Teen Titles @ Sno-Isle

The following are the titles checked out most often over the last month or so:

  1. Naruto. vol. 31, Final Battle by Kishimoto, Masashi

  2. The Graveyard Book by Gaiman, Neil

  3. Th1rteen R3asons Why by Asher, Jay

  4. Luna Nueva by Meyer, Stephenie

  5. The Battle for Skandia by Flanagan, John

  6. The Truth About Forever by Dessen, Sarah

  7. The Sorcerer of the North by Flanagan, John

  8. Breaking Dawn by Meyer, Stephenie

  9. Revelations: A Blue Bloods Novel by De la Cruz, melissa

  10. The Summoning by Armstrong, Kelley

  11. Blue Bloods by De la cruz, melissa

  12. The Sea of Monsters by Riordan, Rick

  13. The Angel Experiment by Patterson, James

  14. Kristen: A Clique Novel by Harrison, Lisi

  15. The Icebound Land by Flanagan, John

  16. Identical by Hopkins, Ellen

  17. Someone Like You by Dessen, Sarah

  18. High School Debut vol. 1 by Kawahara, Kazune

  19. Shadow Kiss by Mead, Richelle

  20. Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Harris, Alex

  21. Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 11 by Hatori, Bisco

  22. Angel Diary, vol. 7 by Lee, Yun Hee

  23. Tsubasa. 19 by Clamp (mangaka group)

  24. Me & My Brothers, volume 5 by Tokeino, Hari

  25. Bloodhound: The Legend of Beka Cooper by Pierce, Tamora

Today @ the Library 1/22/09

Manga 100: Making a Manga @ Granite Falls (3PM)

Write Stuff @ Mukilteo (7PM)

For more information, check the calendar

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Ranger's Apprentice! Free Online!

For the next month, Penguin, the publisher of Ranger's Apprentice series is making the first book, The Ruins of Gorlan available free online! If you haven't already read any of this great series, now's your chance! If you prefer the paper version, I know that I have 2 copies sitting on the shelves here at Lynnwood (there were 3, but I already gave one away this morning!)! Read it here now!

Today @ the Library 1/21/09

Study Zone @ Mukilteo (3PM)

Gaming @ Stanwood (3PM)

Taste Test Comparison: Jelly Beans & Game Day @ Briar (3PM)

Gaming @ Monroe (3:30PM)

Movies @ Mountlake Terrace (4PM)

For more information, check the calendar

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Presidential daughters

The Bush girls have written a sweet and helpful letter to the Obama girls that is worth checking out: Playing House in the White House.

Can you imagine what it would be like if your parent was president? There are a couple of great teen series out right now that play with this idea:

The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers' happy life in Massachusetts changes drastically when her mother, one of the most prestigious senators in the country, becomes the front-runner in the race for United States President.

First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover by Mitali Perkins
Once sixteen-year-old Sameera Righton's father is elected president of the United States, the adopted Pakistani-American girl moves into the White House and makes some decisions about how she is going to live her life in the spotlight.

What is the first thing you would do if your family moved into the White House?

Today @ the Library 1/20/09

Gaming @ Darrington (3PM)

Teen Advisory Board @ Lynnwood (4PM)

For more information, check the calendar

Oak Harbor Teens Make the News!


Last week's duct tape program caught the eye of Whidbey News Times reporter Jenny Manning, who stopped by to see exactly what we were up to. She asked a lot of questions, took a lot of photos, and stayed for almost the entire two hours! In the end, she walked away with a fantastic impression of teens at the library, and her very own duct tape bag.

You can read the article HERE.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Today @ the Library 1/17/09

Teen Advisory Group @ Oak Harbor (11AM)

Duct Tape Creations @ Arlington (2PM)

Teen Advisory Group @ Marysville (2PM)


For more information, check the calendar

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Today @ the library 1/15/09

Rock Band @ Granite Falls (3PM)

Study Lounge @ Marysville (3PM)

Game On! @ Edmonds (6PM)

Teen Advisory Board @ Mukilteo (7PM)

For more information, check the calendar

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Today @ the Library 1/14/09

Kandy Party @ Monroe (3PM)

Study Zone @ Mukilteo (3PM)

Gaming @ Stanwood (3PM)

Gaming @ Mountlake Terrace (4PM)

Hope to see you there!

For more information, check the calendar

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Today @ the Library 1/13

Movies @ Darrington (3PM)

Teen Advisory Board @ Monroe (3:30PM)

Anime Club @ Lynnwood (4PM)


Hope to see you there!

For more upcoming events check the calendar

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Do you tweet?

Are you a fan of Twitter? We are!

Starting today you can follow us and get updates on the day's programs and events, contest, cool new books, and more!

Follow us, and we can follow you, too. We'd love to get to know our teen library users even better!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Teen Choice Book Award!


via Menasha Kids:

"In association with the Children’s Book Council (CBC), Teenreads.com is giving you a very special opportunity to let your voices be heard by telling us your five favorite books of 2008. The five titles that receive the most “votes” will serve as the finalists for the CBC’s 2009 Teen Choice Book Award. Later we will tell you where you can go vote for them once the five finalists have been announced. The winner will be announced in May 2009.

All you have to do is fill out the form found here between now and January 31, 2009. Your top five selections may come from the list we’ve provided [here], or you can vote for titles not on the list."

Monday, January 5, 2009

What would you like to see in 2009?

We at Sno-Isle Libraries are always looking for fresh ideas, and we love to hear from teens about what they want!

What would you like to see Sno-Isle take on as resolutions for 2009?
More blog post? More pictures? More polls? More contests? ???

What is the best way for us to tell you about great stuff that is happening?
MySpace? Facebook? Twitter? Texting? ???

Friday, January 2, 2009

More Winter Reading

There are still a few days left of winter break, here are a few books to help you spend the remaining time once the sheen of your new toys wear off, this time from Horn Book's Fanfare of 2008's best books:

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)

Boston, 1775: Octavian “commences a life of hazard” (not to mention irony), choosing to fight with the British, who promise him freedom, against the Sons of Liberty, who would keep him enslaved. But war is chaos, and freedom elusive. The novel’s epic sweep lets Anderson re-examine assumed historical truths and explore — excruciating, heartbreakingly — the human condition. Review 9/08. (High School)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

In not-too-distant-future America, twenty-four teenagers must compete in a brutal (and televised) annual contest from which only one will emerge alive. Protagonist Katniss, a strong contender, dares to question the games and, consequently, everything about her society. The plot’s twists and turns are addictive in this compulsively readable nailbiter. Review 9/08. (Middle School, High School)

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (Fickling/Random)

Twelve-year-old Ted, who has Asperger’s syndrome, and his older sister (and nemesis) Kat team up to solve their cousin Salim’s disappearance, seemingly into thin air. Through meticulously embedded clues and brilliantly executed twists, this character-centered mystery reaches an explanation both age-appropriate and genuinely fraught with danger. Review 5/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean (HarperCollins)

A toddler escapes the murder of his family by “the man Jack” but is pursued by ominous forces throughout his childhood, which he spends in the local graveyard as the adopted son of kindly ghosts. Creepy, bittersweet, and action-filled, this unconventional ghost story, enhanced with dark fairy-tale motifs, is as accessible as it is accomplished. Review 11/08. (Middle School, High School)

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Knopf)

A parallel magical world free of aggression becomes a haven for
fifteen-year-old Liga, mother of two girls, both conceived by rape. But over time, strangers breach her new home and lead her and her daughters back to a richer life in the real world. This extraordinary tale of healing is resonant with mythic imagery and masterful prose. Review 9/08. (High School)

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay (McElderry)

In the final installment of the Casson family saga, eleven-year-old Rose feels left out as older sibs Caddy, Saffy, and Indigo increasingly lead their own lives. The hectic but beautifully orchestrated plot includes triumphs, challenges, and two startling surprises. McKay delights us once again with her hilarious mayhem and entirely unsentimental celebration of kindness. Review 5/08. (Intermediate)

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls (Levine/Scholastic)

Eleven-year-old Sam, dying of leukemia, documents the final four months of his life and his pursuit of eight goals, from being a teenager to seeing Earth from space. Grappling with spirituality and family relationships, Sam is a fully authentic, vividly alive character whose story elicits remarkable heights of joy and depths of grief — often simultaneously. Review 1/09. (Intermediate)

Nation by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)

Two civilizations meet when a tsunami shipwrecks an English vessel on a small tropical island; a British girl and a native boy are the sole survivors. In Pratchett’s microcosm, all assumptions — about religion, imperialism, justice, even civilization itself — are open to question. Pratchett’s signature humor and imaginative powers are much in evidence. Review 9/08. (Middle School, High School)

The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)

J.J. Liddy (from The New Policeman) is now grown, with children of his own — who must save the world from an ancient threat. Thompson’s adeptness at blending realism, fantasy, and Celtic myth is matched only by her remarkable fluency in shifting tones, from comic to folkloric to heroic. Review 5/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)