Teens
Teen Read Week: October 16th- 22nd
Teen Read Week 2011 is here and to honor it we are holding a READ OFF YOUR FINES event on October 18th from 2-9pm. That means if your "caught" reading in the Library between the hours mentioned you will recieve a waiver card from Erica, Beth, or Alex. If we didn't happen to see you, find us and let us know all about what you've read and we will be happy to give you waiver card. When you receive the card bring it to the front desk and hand it in to get all of your fines waived! It's that simple so don't let this oppertunity pass you by!
*Refreshments will be served*
Recommended Reading Cards
Hey Everyone!
Have you had a chance to stop by the Teen Lounge lately? For those of you in the know--and for those of you who aren't yet--we now have Recommended Reading Cards hanging from the shelves in the Teen area!
What exactly are these cards, you ask? Well, they highlight just a few of the great reads found in our collection that we, as your awesome librarians, think you'd enjoy! They're also conveniently located on the bookshelves so that if you are struggling to find a new book (or you need one for a book report!) you can flip through any (and all) of the cards to find a read that appeals to you. The cards have been sorted by topics, so make sure you circle the lounge to see what else is there that might catch your eye.
Recommended reading topics include:
- Fantasy
- Self-Esteem
- Non-Fiction
- Light, Feel-Good Reads
- Diary and Journal
- Friends and Friendship
- Relationships, Romance, and Forever Friends
- LGBTQ
- Mysteries
- Stories of the Sea
We've tried to cover a variety of topics, but if you feel we've missed something, let us know, and we'll try to add more cards.
Happy reading!
Headphones!
Written by bgrimes on 09/27/2011
Hey Everyone! New update for the Teen Lounge: Skull Candy headphones!
We have two on hand, so drop by and try them out! Just ask any of the librarians and we'll get them for you!
Our Fall Book Discussion Series Continues!
Written by Erin S on 09/17/2011
Home and Away - 2011 Fall Book Discussion Series
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Thursday, October 6 at 7 p.m.
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.
“[A] gripping story.” -- School Library Journal, starred review
"...beautifully written and deeply felt."-- Booklist, starred review
The discussion on Between Shades of Gray is the first of four carefully selected, critically-acclaimed, discussion-worthy books. Our Fall Book Discussion Series will continue with In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson on Tuesday, October 18 at 7 p.m., and Next to Love by Ellen Feldman on Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m.
Library staff members will lead the discussions.
We have copies of the books available for patrons to borrow, but prior reading of the books is not necessary to attend the discussions.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).
Banned/Challenged Books
Written by bgrimes on 09/14/2011Banned Books Week (BBW) September 24, 2011 - October 1, 2011
BBW is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. There are many books that have been challenged over the years--can you believe that Harry Potter has been actually challenged? What about Twilight? In fact, both those books and more have been challenged--and are still being protested today.
So why should you care about Banned Books week? Simple, because you can help protect your rights by reading! Imagine if those that were trying to ban books were successful--you would miss out on a whole lot of great reading choices. I mean, where would you be without the Edward x Bella x Jacob drama? Or, if one of the great reads from the list below had been banned--think of how empty your life would be! So find out why Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes was challenged, and what had people up in arms about Gossip Girl. What is Alice saying that people don't want asked?
Stop by the YA section to find any of these books (and more) on our Banned Books Display and find out for yourself. Happy reading!
Movie Mondays in the Teen Lounge
Written by EricaG on 09/12/2011
Monday's got you down?
We know how hard it is to get back into the Monday grind so we've made it a little bit more enjoyable for you.
Stop by the Teen Lounge every Monday at 3PM to take in a movie and enjoy delicious snacks.
Stories and Shorts: First Place Winners!
Congratulations to Catherine, Claire, Daly and Julia winners of the first ever Teen Book Trailer Video Contest! Here are their winning videos.
First Place: Ingo
For it's creative cinemetography including underwater scenes, this video shares First Place. Filmmakers Julia Cornacchia and Catherin Gorey demonstrate excellence in storyboarding, script writing and directing. Ingo tells the story of Sapphy, who hears the call of the sea in this fantasy tale of longing, mystery and magic.
Ingo Book Trailer Submission from Darien Library on Vimeo.
First Place: Room
Filmmakers Claire & Daly Naughton share First Prize for their dramatic and suspenseful retelling of this dark and twisted tale of a captive woman and her young son. This video demonstrated excellence in video production, notable editing and strong performances by the actors.
Congratulations to our winners!
LGBTQ: Lots of Great Books Today. Questions?
Written by Robbin F. on 08/16/2011Love stories have been around forever, but for way too long, only certain relationships were written about with honesty, humor, poignancy, and hope. But in the last few years, an explosion of books with LGBTQ characters have appeared, running the gamut of fantasy thrillers to hilarious farces. Check out our recommendations here or in the teen lounge.
Teen Lounge Book Trailer: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Check out this new book trailer, created by budding filmmaking geniuses from the Darien Library.
A Brief History of Montmaray
The first book in Michelle Cooper's Montmaray Journals tells the story of the impoverished Montmaray royal family on their tiny (fictional) sovereign island in the Atlantic Ocean between England and Spain, living shoulder to shoulder with their dwindling populace (now just five or six subjects remain). Princesses Sophie, Veronica, and Henry maintain their monarchical existence by fishing, keeping hens, and milking goats, and occasionally selling off one of the few opulent pieces that remain from Montmaray's long-past period of wealth and influence; the rest of their energy goes into restraining Veronica's lunatic father, King John.
Narrator Sophie occasionally feels overwhelmed by the circumstances of their life--it's the 1930s and the unrest that menaces Europe is beginning to creep its way toward their rocky island and their relatives in England; she worries that she lacks the fortitude of her stubbornly intellectual cousin Veronica and her determinedly tomboyish sister, who rejects her full name of Henrietta. But when Nazis invade their island, a murder is committed, and she discovers a complicated secret about her brother, the future King Toby, Sophie finds she has all the strength she needs.
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