December 16, 2008

Your musical opinion is requested

The Best of 2008 lists are starting to roll out. As far as music goes, we have a majority of the winners. However, there are a few we overlooked. I'd like your opinion on which ones we should get. I've posted a one question survey on Survey Monkey. When you get a second, please click over and let me know what you think. Thanks!

October 26, 2008

It was a dark and stormy night...

There are certain novels, the first lines of which everybody knows. "Call me Ishmael." "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." Even if you haven't ever read Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities or 1984, chances are you know how they begin.

Teen novels aren't without their great first lines either--the kind of lines that suck you in and make you want to keep reading. Some of my favorites are below. Do you recognize them? Click to see if you're right.

Once upon a time there was a pair of pants.

When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news.

The thing about a cavity search is this: it has nothing to do with the dentist.

We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.

Getting punched in the face is a singular experience. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a little too cocky, obnoxious, or insensitive.

The gunman is useless.

What are some of your favorite first lines?

October 2, 2008

So what do YOU think was the best book?

From the American Library Association...

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country.

If you read nominated books throughout the year, you’ll be ready to vote for your favorites during Teen Read Week, October 12 - 18, 2008.


So what do you think? Which of these books is the best? Check one out today and make your vote count.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Tessa, who has terminal cancer, creates a list of ten things she wants to do in
the months she has left to live. This fierce and devastating novel explores end-of-life realities with honesty and grace.

Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has accepted her powers and role as Leader of the Dark Daughters. But too soon the people Zoey cares about from her old life are in danger, and it looks like the House of Night is killing human teenagers.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

Daemon Hall by Andrew Nance
Famous horror story writer R. U. Tremblin comes to the town of Maplewood to hold a short story writing contest, offering the five finalists the chance to spend what turns out to be a terrifying--and deadly--night with him in a haunted house.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Bella must choose between her friendship with Jacob and her relationship with Edward, but when Seattle is ravaged by a string of killings, the three of them need to decide whether their personal lives are more important than the well-being of an entire city.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld
Fifteen-year-old Aya Fuse, an Extra, just wants to lay low, so when she discovers the secret lives of the Sly Girls, she wants to report their story, but she knows that would propel her into a celebrity status she's not prepared for.

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
Child prodigy Cadel Piggot, an antisocial computer hacker, discovers his true identity when he enrolls as a first-year student at an advanced crime academy.

Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels
Brothers Josh and Max have an unusually strong relationship since it was Josh’s harvested stem cells that were used to save his dying older brother’s life. But when Max is accused of murder, Josh considers his own role in Max’s path of life.

Glass by Ellen Hopkins
Kristina is determined to defeat her addiction to crack in order to keep her newborn child, but when she is unable to manage her use of the drug and the pull becomes too strong, her greatest fears are quickly realized.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Voldermort is ruthless in his pursuit of the trio, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione have honed their magical skills in the past six years and are ready for battle.

Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale by Holly Black
As the possessor of Roiben's true name, sixteen-year-old Kaye returns to Faeryland to try and complete a nearly-impossible quest that will release him from the spell of the faery queen who holds him in thrall.

Jango by William Nicholson
Seeker, the Wildman, and Morning Star discover that the mysterious warrior sect they had been so desperate to join is not quite what it appears from the outside.

Jinx by Meg Cabot
Jean "Jinx" Honeychurch, the descendant of a witch, must leave Iowa to live with relatives in Manhattan after the first spell she casts goes awry, but she will have to improve her skills to stop her cousin from practicing black magic which endangers the boy they both like.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of parents and others.

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
The time has come for Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel to face their ultimate enemy and, despite many obstacles, try to save the world from a sinister plan to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race.

Penelope by Marilyn Kaye
Penelope Wilhern has everything a girl could want: A wealthy, socialite family, an enchanted bedroom and some of the coolest clothes around. There is only one problem: She was born into a cursed family and has the face of a pig.

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel
Instead of a fresh start, high school provides more grief and isolation to Echo, whose older sister died a year earlier, but insights gained from Zoe's diary about her sister's life and death change Echo in ways she could have never expected.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
A girl travels east of the sun and west of the moon to free her beloved prince from a magic spell.

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
At Spence Academy, Gemma Doyle continues preparing for her London debut while struggling to determine how best to use magic to resolve a power struggle in the enchanted world of the realms, and to protect her own world and loved ones.

Tamar by Mal Peet
In England in 1995, Tamar, grief-stricken by the puzzling death of her beloved grandfather, begins to uncover the secrets of his life during the last year of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and the climactic events that forever cast a shadow on his life and that of his family.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but then life starts to go bad again...

Unwind by Neal Shusterman
In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs and, perhaps, save their own lives.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Two years after a horrible incident made them run away, vampire princess Lissa and her guardian-in-training Rose are found and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, where both try to avoid the perils of gossip, cliques, pranks, and sinister plots.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and Winter Queen, and the survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in the balance.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Five sisters who live with their merchant father in Transylvania use a hidden portal in their home to cross over into a magical world, the Wildwood.

September 30, 2008

Teen Reed Week fast approaches

I never get to post as often as I'd like. It's a crazy whirlwind of activity here at the library. Last Tuesday, for instance, we had a visit from Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief and the rest of the Percy Jackson series. It was a fun day, but it took a lot of work to get it all organized.

But that's no excuse for severe lack of blog postage. So here I am to tell you about some programs we have coming up at the library to celebrate Teen Read Week and books with bite.

Monday, October 13 -- Movie Night
Kick off Teen Read Week with a toothy flick. Snacks and drinks will be provided. We'll also have a drawing for a free "Book With Bite." No registration is required.

Tuesday, October 14 -- Iron Chef
It’s time again to put your creativity and love of food to work in creating dishes to tantalize and satisfy. Teams will compete to assemble dishes from the provided ingredients. No cooking will be required. After the competition, we’ll feast upon the results! To register, click here.

That's all for now, but I'm going to be posting more often, so stay tuned. I'll see you at the Library.

July 30, 2008

Pizza Taste Off Results. Who's the best in Winter Park?

The teens have spoken. Last year the Winter Park pizza champ was Pizza Hut. Did they reign supreme a second year? Here are the results:

1. Pizzeria Valdiano (thanks, Joe!)

2. Carlucci's Pizza

3. Domino's Pizza

4. Mellow Mushroom

5. Papa John's

6. Little Caesar's

7. Hungry Howie's

8. Pizza Hut

9. Brooklyn Pizza

10. Park Ave. Pizza

Congratulations Pizzeria Valdiano! Keep up the good work. :)

July 21, 2008

Candy bribery @ the Library

I need your help...again. I'd like your opinion on programs we offer for teens and tweens at the Winter Park Public Library. It's a quick survey, only 10 questions. If you have a chance, please go here and tell us what you think.

Oh yeah, the candy part. If you're in the Library when you take the survey, come see us at the youth services desk on the second floor and we'll hook you up.

Also, don't forget about this Wednesday's Twilight Prom! We still have some space left, and we'll be giving away cool Twilight stuff. Winners of the costume and trivia contests will get a voucher for a free copy of Breaking Dawn! Registration is required, and you can do that by calling us at 407-623-3300 ext. 4 or clicking here.

Here's to sugar buzzes and Stephenie Meyer! I'll see you at the Library.

May 27, 2008

Feed the world with words

Days till Summer Kickoff: 11

Ok, I'm sure most have you have heard about this by now, but in case you haven't...you can feed people just by playing a simple word game. For each word you get right, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice to help end hunger. Learn more about it here, and get to playing!

May 20, 2008

Summer Countdown begins...

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted. My most humble apologies. In my defense, I've been spending TONS of time getting ready for the summer program, and I think it will be our best ever. Until then, I'll be bringing you fun tidbits to whet your appetite.

Days till Summer Kick-Off: 18

Twilight Movie Preview! It's brilliant! I'm feeling much better about the movie now. If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, by all means, go now!

February 4, 2008

Your opinions needed!

I'm working on the plan for this year's Teen Summer Reading Program. The theme is TechnoPop. I would really appreciate a minute of your time to take this quick survey. Let me know what you want! :)

Also, don't forget about video game night tonight (6:30-8) and Mardi Gras tomorrow night (7-8). I'll be up late cooking the gumbo. ;)

January 3, 2008

Come play with our new PS3, XBox 360 and Wii at Video Game Night!

It finally happened. We were given a grant in order to make Video Game Night THE place to be every first Monday of the month. Not only were we able to get PlayStation3, XBox 360 and a Wii (although I'm still trying to hunt one down), we now have Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 and a lot of other new games! We also still have Guitar Hero II and Super Smash Brothers Melee, and you can bring your own games as long as they're rated T or below.

What do you think of having a tech club here at the library? Those interested would be responsible for planning the game nights and helping out with other techie stuff like a YA podcast and e-newsletter. Interested? Stop by game night and let me know. That's this Monday (Jan. 7) from 6:30-8 in the Community Room.

I'll see you at the library.