We've got advanced copies (or "galleys" as they're known in the business) of some of the fall's hottest new books and we're celebrating by giving them away to you, our loyal teen readers.

You'll have a chance to get them BEFORE they hit store shelves, like months before for FREE. We've got titles in all genres by some of your fave authors including upcoming books by Caroline Cooney, James Patterson, David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.  So swing by the teen lounge July 22nd at 6pm for our Galley Party. They'll be pizza too, so grab a slice and pick up a spanking new read. See you then. 

Fire, the main character of Fire, grows up in the Dells, a country torn apart by political instability and characterized by the monsters that inhabit it.  Monsters can be of any type of species: mice, cats, birds, deer, cows, or even humans.  All monsters share the same characteristics: unbelievable beauty and the ability to control the thoughts of others, both of which they use to ensnare their prey.  Fire is the only, the last, human monster.  Her father was a monster who used his beauty and mental power to control the previous King of the Dells, encouraging him to wallow in base pleasures and maliciousness while the kingdom fell into ruins.  Fire is a gentler sort of monster.  Taught harsh lessons by her father’s cruel example, she never uses her mental powers, and hides her beauty as much as possible to avoid accidentally ensnaring the people she meets.  When the new King requests her help in protecting the kingdom from civil war, Fire fears that she will not be able to stop the kingdom from falling again into the control of another monster: herself.

Fire is a prequel to Graceling, last summer’s hit novel about a girl with the power to kill, but it has very little to do with the other book.  Fire and Graceling take place in the same world, but in very different countries.  Fire is a more mature book than Graceling.  Fire must deal with moral questions that go beyond what Katsa experienced, and her powers have the ability to cause more damage than Katsa’s.  She experiences hard losses and finds her way in difficult situations.  It is a fantastic read, with realistic relationships and a wonderful setting.  It’s another can’t-put-it-down book (true story: when I was reading it I had the audio book in the car, and the book for my lunch break and home.)

 

curiouser and curiouser

A Mad Hatter Matinee!  Come watch old-school Alice in Wonderland today at 1 PM in the Teen Lounge.  

It's a story everyone knows and an old favorite.  Sweet little Alice falls into a hole and ends up in a world populated by weird characters and sinister plots.

Perfect for watching while enjoying the cool teen lounge on a hot summer day!

This movie is rated G, and teens aged 12 and up are welcome!

This is a novel that takes you back to 2003, to the very beginning of the Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Birdie is a soldier in the Civil Affairs unit.  At the beginning of the book, he is stationed in Kuwait but the threat of war is only a rumor.  When war is declared, Birdie leaves for Iraq, assigned to a small Civil Affairs squad meant to undertake smaller missions to ensure Iraqi support for the US.  Their jobs include finding lost children, speaking to communities where there have been casualties, giving medical treatment to civilians and forging relationships with potential Iraqi allies and informants.  

Sunrise Over Fallujah is a really good read.  Birdie is an intelligent person who thinks about war and his reactions to the people he meets and the situations he encounters.  The complexity of being in a warzone, especially one where the enemy seems ill-defined, becomes clear, as does the bravery of the men and women serving with Birdie.  One of the most interesting things about this book is its treatment of the recent past—for example, when Birdie hopes for a short war and a quick return home, the reader has the clarity of knowing what will happen in the war, but not what will happen to the characters.  It is a well written book, and even people who do not normally like war stories will enjoy it.         

 

If you want to volunteer at the library this summer, we have a lot of opportunities for teens! If you'd like to volunteer or if you have questions, email teenstaff@darienlibrary.org.

Events Volunteers - Help us keep our events running smoothly. During the summer, we hold at least two events a week and we need volunteers to do things like:

• Set up and clean up
• Video events for our website
• Create music playlists for events
• The children's library needs event volunteers, too - let us know if you're interested

Media Creation - Talented (or willing to learn) video and recording artists need to create:

• Videos
• Podcasts
• Interviews
• Book trailers

Teen Lounge Volunteers - We're looking for regular volunteers to take care of our dear Teen Lounge. Some of the things you'd be doing include:

• Organizing craft supplies
• Making book displays
• Computer & equipment care
• Organizing magazines
• Straightening books and making sure they're in the right order

Writing & Reading Volunteers - Writers, this is your chance to expand your skills. We are looking for volunteers to create content for our website:

• Book reviews
• Guest posts
• Tagging and rating books in our catalog

Publicity Volunteers - We need volunteers to help with getting the word out! Some of the things you'd be doing include:

• Updating our teen Facebook page
• Making signs and flyers
• Updating our events calendar

Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering at the library! Have an amazing summer!

Courtesy of flickr user persuethepassion.

During the winter, you had a chance to Meet the Teen Librarians: Sarah, Alex and Heather.  Today, it's time to meet each other.  Use our flipcams to film interviews based on the following questions:

Favorite book:
Mac or PC:
Guiltiest TV pleasure:
Dream vacation spot:
Coolest thing you own:
Irrational Fear:
Favorite thing about Darien Library:

Think up your answers and be ready to face the camera at 2:30 p.m., Saturday June 19th (i.e. today) in the Teen Lounge!

In December, the TAB organized So You Think You Can Do Something?... a talent event that showcased some truly awesome talents. We are posting the videos over the next few weeks. This is Zach Heyde performing two songs, one of which he composed himself.  Zach was the winner of the competition.  

So You Think You Can Do Something...? Zach from Darien Library on Vimeo.

World Cup 2010

The FIFA World Cup 2010 tournament is underway as 32 countries compete for the prestigious title. The championship for this sporting spectacle has been awarded every four years since its inception in 1930. The venue for this year's cup is South Africa, already known for the sound of their Vuvuzela's. 

The Darien Library will be showing a number of games in our Community Room, which is adjacent to the cafe, for you to enjoy in crisp quality on the big screen!

Here is the upcoming schedule*.

Thursday, June 17

Greece vs Nigeria 10AM 

France vs Mexico 2:30PM

Friday, June 18

United States vs Slovenia 10AM

England vs Algeria 2:30PM

Monday, June 21

Chile vs Switzerland 10AM

Spain vs Honduras 2:30 PM

Tuesday, June 22

France vs South Africa 10AM

Argentina vs Greece 2:30PM

Wednesday, June 23

United States vs Algeria 10AM (Conference Room 3rd Floor)

Thursday, June 24

Italy vs Slovakia 10AM

Cameroon vs Netherlands 2:30PM (Conference Room 3rd Floor)

Friday, June 25

Portugal vs Brazil 10AM

Spain vs Chile 2:30PM

Saturday, June 26

Uruguay vs South Korea 10AM

United States vs Ghana 2:30PM

Sunday, June 27

Argentina vs Mexico 2:30PM

Monday, June 28

Slovakia vs Netherlands 10AM

Tuesday, June 29

Japan vs Paraguay 10AM

Spain vs Portugal 2:30PM

Friday, July 2

Brazil vs Netherlands 10AM

Uruguay vs Ghana 2:30PM

Saturday, July 3

Argentina vs Germany 10AM

*Keep tuned for more scheduled matches.

What do you think of the tournament so far and who is your favorite team to win? Let us know in the comments below.

The hottest book of the summer!

The teen librarians have collected a lot of book lists to help you choose what you want to read this summer. Click on these links to get the lists. If you're looking for more recommendations, leave a comment below or IM us by visiting our Contact Us page.

Middlesex Middle School Recommended Reads 2010 (the books we talked about)

Books for Boys

Memoirs (and novels that are like memoirs)

New Books

Fantasy Books

Books That Don't Make You Blush

Nonfiction Books

Books about Spies

Books about Girl Detectives

2010 Nutmeg Books

2011 Nutmeg Books

Shy Quentin Jacobsen has lived next door to the sassy and adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman in their Orlando subdivision since they were two years old.  As childhood friends who've since drifted apart, Quentin spends much of his high school years pining for her from afar. That is until one night when the impetuous Margo enters his bedroom window and takes him on a midnight prank-filled joyride. She then mysteriously disappears the morning after leaving only a series of cryptic clues in her wake. Quentin takes it upon himself to find her and what follows is a literary and geography-riddled road trip of a lifetime.

Anyone who's remotely familiar with John Green's writing (Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines) knows he crafts wonderfully well-rounded characters, with vivid personalities and witty dialogue. Paper Towns is no exception. Self-aware teens everywhere will be able to relate to Quentin's nerdy, overly analytical tendencies and empathize with his desire to find adventure outside his boring suburban life. With an incredibly original and totally unpredictable plot, readers will be taken on a trip to places that exist well-beyond the printed page.