By flickr user roboppy.

(Verb)______________________ to the Teen Lounge

Saturday

January 9th 2:30 PM

for some (adjective)_________________ and (adjective)_____________________ Mad Libs.

It will be (adjective)________________________!

You can create your own or play ours. 

Rei and Kira are from different worlds.  Rei is a complete player- he hustles on the basketball court for money, races his motorcycle, and has a reputation with girls.  Kira is a quiet art student- shy to the point of almost being mute, she is disliked by her classmates and spends all her time drawing and painting.  When Rei and Kira unexpectedly cross paths, Rei is taken by Kira’s talent.  When she asks him to model for her paintings, he agrees and as they begin to spend time together their connection deepens.

Mars is a graphic novel romance.  Rei and Kira love each other, but are both damaged people whose lives get in the way of their happiness. It is a fun, quick read, that is part of a series.
 

The Hanging Woods is a dark story of deep family and personal dysfunction.  Set in rural Alabama in 1975, the three main characters at first seem to live idyllic lives from a more simple time and place: whittling toothpicks from fence posts, building tree forts and eating boiled peanuts for a quarter a bag. Then Walter reads his mother’s diary and everything changes.  He learns a terrible secret that plays a pivotal role in the events of that summer, ripping open a web of lies and leading to the destruction of three families.  Part of what makes this book interesting are the details: the fact that Walter's mother will not acknowlege one of his friends due to a mysterious feud; a plan to gain fame by setting a record for the longest-lived fowl without a head; the trips to spy on the town's feared "Troll".   

As the story unfolds, each character becomes more complex and the veneer of perfection disappears.  The three boys, while best friends, are tied together as much by bullying and kept secrets as by friendship.  Each is emotionally troubled, due to neglect, abuse and mental illness, and each deals with their problems in unhealthy ways.  The outcome of their friendship is disaster and death.  This is a good read—a tense thriller that moves toward a disturbing end.
 

From Flickr user corinneroper.

We're going to party like it's 1995 with this classic tale of a High School airhead.

When Cher can't get her teacher to give her a better grade, she and her friends decide that what is needed to get him to lighten up is love.  She's also matchmaking for her friends, but when she realizes that she wants love for herself, she finds that the makeover she needs is more than a new outfit and shade of lipstick.  

The plot aside, the "Fashion" in this movie is worth the watch.  Did anyone really ever wear a yellow plaid suit to school?

Teen Lounge

2:30 PM 

Saturday, January 2nd.

This movie is rated PG-13

Check out these projects we made in our last workshop, taught by one of our teen experts, Matthew!

These games introduce basics such as:

• Background images for your projects.
• How to make sprites which are any characters or objects you use in a project.
• How to perform an action when certain keyboard keys are pressed.
• A simple counter to act as a control such as lives remaining.
• How to create a simple game over.

Here's an excellent resource Matthew recommended, that has cool sprites for use in your projects called the Spriter's Resource.

To learn how to do other cool stuff, check out the tutorials page in the Scratch forums.

If you are interested in learning Scratch, send an email to ahylton [at] darienlibrary [dot] org and keep on the lookout for our next workshop!

Discover the secret messages in your favorite movies! This December, join us for our new Understanding Great Movies series for children and teens.

Thursday, December 31 at 2 PM -- It's a Wonderful Life

This event will be held in the Community Room. Watch the film and then engage in an illuminating discussion that will point out things you never noticed before!

Ages 10 and up.

For questions, call Sarah at (203) 669-5225.  

By flickr user SarahWynne

December 29th at 4 PM.

WriteNow is a monthly group for everyone who loves creative writing. If you are an author or poet, or hope to be one someday, come out to share your work and get inspired.  We'll talk about writers and writing and start to prepare for the Teen Writing Competition. Bring your passion for writing!

Courtesy of flickr user avantreese.

 There are three rules you must follow if you are gifted a Mogwai:

1. never get him wet,
2. keep him out of bright light, and
3. never feed him after midnight

When Billy is given a Mogwai for Christmas, he is initially thrilled with his cuddly new pet.  However, when he fails to follow the rules, he ends up pretty much destroying his town.
 

Watch December 26th 2:30 PM in the Teen Lounge

Fun Fact: Along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins is one of the movies credited with prompting the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating, after people complained that the violence was too much for a PG rating, but not enough for to warrant an R.
 

Elena is the most beautiful, and the most popular, girl in school, but she has always felt like something was missing.  She returns from her summer vacation in France determined to break up with her quarterback boyfriend Matt, who she loves, but only as a friend.  Then Stefen shows up at school.  He’s Italian, mysterious, superhot, and does not even take a second look at Elena.  Or so she thinks. 

While Elena is becoming more and more obsessed with Stefen, Stefen is doing his best not to stare.  He has enough problems trying to control his thirst and his powers, and now this girl, this girl who looks exactly like his lost love Katherine, is sitting in front of him in World History.  Then, just as Stefen thinks he is getting control of himself, people start dying all over town. 

The Vampire Diaries is a fun vampire romance, with a lot of horror mixed in.  Elena is petty, superficial and vain, but she becomes more likeable as the book progresses.  Stefen is brooding, but genuinely loves Elena for herself.  Aside from Elena and Stefen’s romance, there is lots of intrigue and drama- both of the high school and the centuries-old-vendetta varieties.  Fans of the The Vampire Diaries on the CW, or of Twilight, will want to check this book out.  

Imagine, Program, Share

Calling all teens!

Want to create a super awesome video game project? Well don't miss out on this event! We'll be learning some new concepts in Scratch, taught by one of our expert teens Matt!

To register for this event, send an email to ahylton [at] darienlibrary [dot] org and join us on Wednesday, December 23rd at 4pm in the Tech Center on the Lower Level.

Check out some of the projects we did in our last class here!

See you there!