A new teen novel starring...me?

OK, this sounds extremely cool. For a mere $25, "You and your friends can star in these full-length personalized novels perfect for teens & preteens by selecting 25+ features to customize. Thousands of changes in each book! From high school comedy to mysterious vampire romance...you are the star!" Check them out on Facebook.

TAB Hot List -- The Best & Worst Movies of 2009

The Teen Advisory Board has spoken. Below are their favorite and hated movies for the past year. What do you think?

The Best

1. Up
2. District 9
3. Star Trek
4. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
5. The Hangover
6. Zombieland
7. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
8. Inglourious Basterds
9. Paranormal Activity
10.Watchmen

The Worst

1. New Moon
2. The Hannah Montana Movie
3. The Jonas Brothers, the Concert Experience
4. G Force
5. Dance Flick
6. Bride Wars
7. Watchmen (yep, it made both lists)
8. Jennifer's Body
9. Stepfather
10. Bruno

Peter and the Starcatchers

by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
jBar
451 pages 2004 Adventure
Grade: A+

If you're looking for a high paced adventure book, read Peter and the Starcatchers. It's based on Peter Pan, but it's nothing like it. When Peter and his friends are sent off on an old ship headed to a country with a horrible king, he encounters pirates and a very special crate. Will Peter defeat the pirates and find what's in the box? You'll have to read it to find out!

reviewed by teen volunteer Cedric B.

Watchmen

by Alan Moore
YA Graphic Novel Moore A
413 pages 1987 Graphic novel
Grade: A-

I'll just go ahead and say it; Watchmen is one of the greatest graphic novels ever written. The characters' motivations and values all intertwine to create an incredibly engaging plot; even if the ending falls a little flat in a few areas.

reviewed by Teen Book Club member Kevin G.

Happy International Chocolate Day!

Ok, so International Chocolate Day was actually September 13, but we celebrated it here at the Library last evening. Let me tell you, there was a TON of chocolate for the teens to feast upon. We served different kinds of chocolate from different countries, and the teens rated what they tasted. Here's a breakdown of how they liked them, #1 being their most favorite:

#1 Caffarel Milk Chocolate (Italy)
#2 Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate w/ Praline (Germany)
#3 Butler’s Mixed Berry White Chocolate (Ireland)
#4 Lindt White Coconut (Switzerland)
#5 Milka Dark Chocolate w/ Marzipan (Austria)
#6 Droste Pastilles Milk/White Chocolate (Holland)
#7 Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate w/ Whole Hazelnuts (Germany)
#8 Caffarel Milk Chocolate w/ Hazelnuts (Italy)
#9 Michel Cluizel Dark Chocolate w/ Orange Peel (France)
#10 World Market Dark Chocolate w/ Pomegranates (United States)
#11 World Market Dark Chocolate w/ Chili & Lime (United States)
#12 Vintage Plantations 65% Dark w/ Cocoa Nibs (Ecuador)
#13 World Market Sea Salt Dark Chocolate (United States)
#14 World Market Dark Chocolate w/ Chipotle Chili (United States)

A special thanks to the folks at Schakolad who provided our teens with some samples of their AMAZING chocolate creations. Next time you're over in Winter Park Village to see a movie, stop across the street and give them a try. You can also visit their Facebook page and become a fan.

School daze

Welcome back to another year of math quizzes and food from the caf, pep rallies and Lord of the Flies. Yep, school's back in session, and your friendly local library is here to help you survive the year. Here's three ways you can score that A:

1) Databases -- You know when your teacher assigns you research and tells you that you can't get it all off the Internet? Guess what...databases are NOT the Internet. Our Library pays money to have access to a giant collection of newspaper and magazine articles, biographies of famous (and not-so-famous) people, maps, photos, and so much more. You can access them at home too!

2) Your friendly librarian -- I promise. We don't bite. We do, however, love to help students find the info and materials that they need in order to complete school assignments. So don't be afraid to ask us for help. It's what we do.

3) Books for fun -- Yes, I know that school is a crazy amount of work, and it seems like sometimes you have time for nothing else. But remember, stressing out and not taking time for yourself now and then is a sure way to get overwhelmed by school and...well, life. Reading books for fun can help clear your mind and get you back on track. Not sure what to read? Try starting here.

There's a lot of other cool things we're doing at the library. Check out the full scoop on what's coming up. Good luck in school, and I'll see you at the Library.

Want one last entry into our grand prize drawing?

Take a few minutes to answer our survey and let us know what you thought about this summer. Completed surveys will give you one extra entry into the grand prize drawing, which will take place on Sunday, August 9. Good luck!