Here's my November 2010 Teen Book Talk on 'Leviathan' by Scott Westerfeld:



Our next Teen Book Club meeting will be held on [UPDATE] Tuesday January 4th at 5:00 p.m. at the library. We'll be reading 'The Forest of Hands and Teeth' by Carrie Ryan and copies of the book are available to be picked-up or reserved at the main circulation desk.

About the book:

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

My cousin stopped by in time for Halloween to talk about 'Shiver' by Maggie Stiefvater.



For November, the Teen Book Club will be reading 'Leviathan' by Scott Westerfeld. Copies of the book are available to be picked-up/reserved at the main circulation desk and the group is interested to all ages 13-18. For more information, just give the library a call at (207) 764-2571.

Hey! Take a listen to my book talk about 'Just Listen' by Sarah Dessen:



Our next Teen Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday October 26th at 5:00 p.m. in the Presque Isle High School Library. We'll be discussing 'Shiver' by Maggie Stiefvater. Copies of the book are available to be picked-up/reserved at the main circulation desk. For more information, please give me a call at (207) 764-2571.

About 'Shiver':

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Talking about 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' by Sherman Alexie...



For next month, the Teen Book Club will discuss 'Just Listen' by Sarah Dessen. The meeting will be held at the library on Tuesday September 28 at 5:00 p.m. and copies of the book are available to be picked-up or reserved at the main circulation desk. For more information, call (207) 764-2571.

Be sure to check out my July Teen Book Talk on 'The Warrior Heir' by Cinda Williams Chima. For more information on the Skype author visits mentioned, visit: http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/



For next month, we'll be looking at 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' by Sherman Alexie. Copies of the book are available to be picked-up or reserved at the main circulation desk. Meeting will be held on Tuesday August 31st at 5:00 p.m. here at the library.

About the book:

In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist who leaves his school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white high school. This heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written tale, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character’s art, is based on the author’s own experiences and chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he seems destined to live.

The library recently hosted a series of creative writing workshops for tweens/teens, led by local author Wendy Koenig. The students had such a great time that they're now working on a fabulous creative writing blog called Squirrel Scribbles. Check it out!

Here's my June 2010 teen book talk1 Be sure to stop by to pick up the July 2010 Teen Book Club selection: The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. Meeting will be held on Tuesday July 27th at 5:00 p.m., but be sure to check out a special virtual visit with Cinda being held on Thursday July 22nd at Noon. Readers will learn about the publishing process and have a chance to ask Cinda questions using Skype, a free teleconferencing tool. This unique experience is provided through generous funding from the Maine Humanities Council and all are welcomed to attend. For more information, just give me a call at (207) 764-2571. See you there!

Next month's pick: "The First Part Last" by Angela Johnson. Be sure to pick-up a copy at the main circulation desk and join us for our Teen Book Club meeting on Tuesday June 29th at 5:00 p.m. See you there!

There's some new additions to this year's summer reading program. Check out this video to find out more information:



The Program Line-up:

Registration begins on Monday May 17th for the Summer Reading Program and Teen Writing Workshop.

***Summer Reading Presentations - For All Ages***

Wednesday June 30th, 11:00 a.m.: Bubble Blast with Rick Asam

Wednesday July 7th, 11:00 a.m.: Beach Blowout with Moondance Studios

Wednesday July 14th, 11:00 a.m.: Fishing Fun with Aroostook State Park

Wednesday July 21st, 1:00 p.m.: Weather Wonders with Ted Shapiro

Wednesday July 28th, 11:00 p.m.: Savvy Science with Francis Malcolm Science Center

***Teen/Young Adult Movie Matinee (All films rated PG-13)***
All showings begin at Noon.

Monday July 12th: 21

Monday July 19th: Howl's Moving Castle

Monday July 26th: Everything is Illuminated

Monday July 2nd: Big Fish

Monday July 9th: The Other Boleyn Girl

Monday August 16th: The Time-Traveler's Wife

***Other Offerings***
Teen Writing Workshop with Wendy Koenig
Learn the craft of creative writing!
Thursdays at Noon
June 17th to July 15th

Teen Book Club
Open to all ages 13-18
Last Tuesday of the month at 5:00 p.m.

Here's my look at 'Whale Talk' by Chris Crutcher:



Our next pick will be 'A Great and Terrible Beauty' by Libba Bray. We'll be discussing the book on Tuesday May 25th at 5:00 p.m. Copies of the book are currently available to be picked-up/reserved at the main circulation desk. See you there!

Be sure to check out this month's video book talk where I take a look at 'Flygirl' by Sherri L. Smith!



For April, the Teen Book Club will be reading 'Whale Talk' by Chris Crutcher. Copies of the book are available at the main circulation desk. Meeting time will be Tuesday April 27th at 5:00 with additional discussion through Facebook. For more information, call (207) 764-2571.

For this year's Ada Lovelace Day, I'll be taking a look at the work of game developer Jane McGonigal, whose innovative web-based games create an opportunity for players to tackle real-world problems through elements currently present in other collaborative games, such as World of Warcraft.

Video Introduction:


Click here for the Wikipedia article on Jane.

Click here for Jane's personal blog.

TED 2010:



With BoingBoing video on emotions in gaming:



Visit findingada.com for more posts on innovative women in science, engineering, and technology.

Stop by the library for any of the following Teen Tech Week events:

Monday March 8th from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Make Your Own Podcast!
Let Josh Archer (of Presquillian) show you how to create your own podcast to send your thoughts and opinions to your friends next door and around the world!

Tuesday March 9th from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Make Your Own Video Game!
Join Teen Librarian Dianna Leighton as she shows you some free tools you can use to create your own video games. We'll be looking at Scratch, Kodu Game Lab, and more!

Wednesday March 10th from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Make Your Own Vlog!
Join Teen Librarian Dianna Leighton to learn how to create your own video blog! You can use vlogging just like blogging: to talk about friends, interests, and more!

Saturday March 13th from Noon - 2:00 p.m.
Movie Time!
Now that you've spent all week creating podcasts, video games, and vlogs....now it's time to watch people make their own versions of blockbuster movies in the film 'Be Kind Rewind' (rated PG-13). Plenty of snacks will also be on hand, so be sure to bring your friends!


Remember: The Mark & Emily Turner is located at 39 Second Street in Presque Isle, Maine. For more information on any of these events, just give us a call at (207) 764-2571. All of the above events are FREE and open to all tweens and teens. See you there!

In this month's video book talk, I discuss 'The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things' by Carolyn Mackler.



For March, the Teen Book Club will be reading 'Flygirl' by Sherri Smith. Copies of the book are currently available at the main circulation desk. The meeting will be held on Tuesday March 30th at 5:00 p.m.

About Flygirl:

Ida Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddy's gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her.

When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the Women's Airforce Service Pilots-and Ida suddenly sees a way to fl y as well as do something signifi cant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. But even the WASP won't accept her as a black woman, forcing Ida Mae to make a difficult choice of "passing," of pretending to be white to be accepted into the program. Hiding one's racial heritage, denying one's family, denying one's self is a heavy burden. And while Ida Mae chases her dream, she must also decide who it is she really wants to be.

Carolyn Mackler is the author of The Earth, My Butt, and other Big Round Things. Virginia is different from her family. She starts to think things are going great, till something goes wrong with her brother. He is being found gulty of date-rape. Now, Virginia's life is going down hill. She gets a plane ticket and doesn't tell her parents about it. To find out more, read the book (I can't really tell more cause I'm not done yet :P ). This is the Teen Book Club book for Febuary 2010.

I didn't get to read this book. It was Januray 2010 book club book.

Perfect Chemistry is by Simone Elkeles. Brittany is the girl who has the great boyfriend, captain of the pom pom team, and rich. What more could someone ask for? Alex is poor and part of a gang. What happens when you put a "North Sider" and a "South Sider" to work together on a chemistry project. Find out while you read this book. It is about how no matter where you are from, there is great hope out there for you

And be sure to pick-up or reserve your copy of 'The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things' by Carolyn Mackler, our February Teen Book Club pick. The meeting will be held on Tuesday February 23rd at 5 p.m. See you there!

A Certain Slant of Light is by Laura Whitcomb. Helen has been a ghost for 150 years. She has never been seen by human eyes since than till now. She was frighten till he explained that he was like her. Helen never forgave herself for something she did before she died. She learns how to take over someone's body who is in a strict Christian family.