Meet Your NEW Teen Librarian! Erica!

Erica yay!
Erica yay!

Erica Leone is our newest teen librarian. She has been at Darien Library for a while, but she has just now joined the teen staff. You teens are SO LUCKY to have her. Erica is getting her MLS at Pratt in NYC. She is running a ton of sweet programs this summer, including the sneaker workshop on 7/21, Skate Day on 7/31, and No-Bake Snacks on 8/10.

Stop by the teen lounge and say hi to Erica the next time you're in! To learn more about her, check out her answers to our poll:

Favorite book: East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Mac or PC: I'm a PC but secretly a wannabe Mac.

Guiltiest TV pleasure: Jersey Shore/ Gossip Girl

Dream vacation spot: Italy

Coolest thing you own: are you really going to make me choose between my longboard and snowboard?

Irrational Fear: being late (in general)

Favorite thing about Darien Library: my co-workers are some of the coolest people I know.

Interview Your Favorite Authors!

How would you like to interview your favorite authors? Imagine chatting with Maureen Johnson (author of Devilish) or Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth series)? Well the Darien Library is looking for teens to do just that. Via the video conferencing wonder that is Skype, we'll set you up with all the technology you need to have a face-to-face chat with some of the biggest YA writers out there. We'll then post your interview on our website for fellow fans to see. 

Oh and no need to be camera shy - you can interview in pairs or groups and take turn asking questions. Plus we'll prep you in advance with all the interview skills you'll need to make a stellar presentation. 

Right now we're looking for suggestions on who you guys would like to speak with. We can't guarantee all your picks but we're open to your ideas. Let us know what you think and email us at sludwig@darienlibrary.org.  

 

Our teen volunteer Katie wants to tell you about some fab books in the Teen Lounge

The Art of the Video Game
The Art of the Video Game

Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner---Do you ever have trouble writing stories for your English class or on your own? Well Write What You See is packed with 99 intriguing photos, writing prompts and key-words that will surely motivate you to write stories that will blow people away. The ideas and stories these pictures can help you come up with are endless. You'll never have trouble writing again!

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campell Bartoletti---Everyone knows the story of Hitler and his Nazi Army's quest to control the world and exterminate the Jewish race. However, many people don't know about Hitler's plan to affect the children of Germany as he tried to create a new world. This book takes you back to the 1930s and 40s to tell the unimaginable story of the dedication and devotion that millions of children had for Hilter and the Nazis. Hitler Youth, which includes tons of photos from the times, is incredibly insightful and will show you exactly what it was like to be a kid when Hitler ruled Germany.

Your Name in Print by Elizabeth Harper and Timothy Harper---If you've ever had hopes of getting your writing published in a magazine, newspaper, online, or even in a book, this book is for you. It contains tips and information that will help you in every step of the writing process: from subjects and ideas of what to write about to numerous websites that will either publish your writing or help you reach your goal of becoming published. No other book will give you as much insight on how to get yourself out there into the world or writing or how manage your writing career!

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger---Have you ever been put in a stressful or scary situation and feel there is no way out? This book is filled with countless stories of people just like you; only, they've all learned lessons from their hardships and pain. These stories are being shared to help you realize that there are other people in the world going through the same thing as you and so you can learn the same lessons others have.

The Art of the Video Game by Josh Jenisch---The Art of the Video Game has amazing pictures from dozens of well-known video games on every page. It also explains to you how the animation, visual effects and even more came to be. Along with captions for every picture and video game explainations, this book contains numerous interviews with the game creators themselves! This book is perfect for all gamers who want to know more about how their beloved video games work.

Teen Events: Superawesome Things to Do After Independence Day

Courtesy of flickr user Adam Foster.
Courtesy of flickr user Adam Foster.

We’ve got what you need to beat summer boredom.


First things first: review a book and tell us in the comments of this post for a chance to win a $25 gift card!
 

July 6th at 7 p.m. in the Community Room:
The Open Mic Night is on Tuesday night.  It will be so fun.  Tempest is going to play, and anyone can get up on stage to share their talent (poetry, dance, music, bands, singing, comedy, anything!)  Please email teenstaff@darienlibrary.org if you know you’d like to perform.  


July 7th at 2 p.m. in the Teen Lounge:
The 60 Second Video Contest is on Wednesday!  We’ll shoot one minute videos in the library and vote on the best one!  And you can win a gift card!
 

July 8th at 2 p.m. on the Lower Level:
The Ultimate Summer Playlist is happening on Thursday afternoon.  Whether it’s Green Day or Rick Astley, we’ll make playlists that set the mood for summer!
 

Oh, and by the way… if you use foursquare to check-in to teen events over the summer, you could become Mayor and win prizes!
 

Any questions?  Email teenstaff@darienlibrary.org
 

And here’s a little Tempest to set the mood:

 


It's the first week of Teen Summer Reading, and you know what that means...

PRIZE GIVEAWAYS! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So, comment below to tell us if you wrote a review this week. Your name will be entered in a prize drawing for a ******$25****** Amazon gift card. We'll contact you by next Wednesday if you are the winner!

You can enter EVERY WEEK - just visit darienlibrary.org/teens and look for a post just like this one, every Thursday.

Good luck!

 

PS: If you wrote your review here this week, no problem - your name will be entered in this week's drawing.

Teen Galley Party

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 by Kristen Cashore

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.)

 

Alice in Wonderland in the Teen Lounge

curiouser and curiouser
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!

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

 

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.         

 

Teen Volunteering Opportunities at Darien Library This Summer

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!

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