New Program!!!
After School Video Gaming for Middle Schoolers!

Come and join us after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and play Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, Madden and more! Look for us upstairs in the Fletcher or Pickering rooms from 3:30-5:00 December 10th, 15th, 21st and 22nd! Contact Kaelyn with any questions or concerns: kaelyn.murray@ci.burlington.vt.us

Teen Video Gaming on Sunday, December 2oth!

Meet in the Community Room (basement) 1:00-4:00 p.m. for Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Mario Kart and more! We will also be gaming on Sunday, January 10th and Sunday, January 24th. Contact Kaelyn with any questions or concerns: kaelyn.murray@ci.burlington.vt.us

The 19th Annual Books for Children Gift Campaign
November 16 to December 13, 2009

The Fletcher Free Library invites you to share the joy of reading with Burlington preschoolers this Holiday Season!

Gifts of new picture books can be purchased at a 20% discount at Crow Bookshop on upper Church Street and Hopkins Bookshop in St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral on Cherry Street.

The library staff will distribute the books through local community centers.

For more information please call the library Youth Desk: 865-7216.

"Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater

Vampires are all the rage, right now, and don't get me wrong, they're very cool, but I have always had a fascination with werewolves. Not the horror-movie wolf-human hybrid monsters, but real humans who transform into real wolves.

The idea of running furred on four feet through the beautiful wild woods, exploring a richly scented world with a highly sensitive nose, and surrounded by a loving family of pack-mates strongly appeals to me. And the idea of having a choice between this and a humdrum human life is exciting, so I couldn't wait to crack open "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater.

Wow! I got all the above and so much more!

Her writing is magical and poetic with being precious, and her descriptions of wolf life are very realistic. Her plotting is suspenseful and keeps you guessing until the very end.

And the romance, ohhh, the Romance (with a capital 'R')!
This is the most unabashedly romantic book I have read in a long, long time. I wept several times for Grace and Sam, for their joy in each other and their tragedy.

This is a very entertaining and satisfying book. Read it!

Review by Christine Demarais, Youth Services Assistant

November Teen Programs

TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meeting, Mondays, November 2, 16 & 30, 4:00 p.m. High schoolers: be a part of the process! Help decide what goes into the Young Adult (Teen) collection, and what activities we will have for teens. This could count toward your community service graduation requirement. Please call Rebecca Goldberg for more information or to sign up: 865-7216.

Teens Read! Wednesdays, November 4, 18 & 25, 5:00-5:45 p.m. Participate in a book group for middle schoolers and get started reading. Free. 6th-8th grade students welcome. Please call the Youth Desk to find out what book is currently being discussed and to preregister: 865-7216.


Celebrate National Gaming Day @ Your Library. Saturday, November 14th, 1:00-4:00 p.m. Join yeens from around the U.S. as you try your hand at Guitar Hero, Wii, Rock Band and a variety of PS2 games. Free. Middle and high school students welcome! No preregistration needed.

Part Guilty Pleasure, Part Girl Power: A Review of E. Lockhart's Latest

The heroine of E. Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (2008) is returning to prep school for her sophomore year, and it’s fair to say that she’s blossomed (more physically than emotionally) over the summer. Older boys who barely noticed her when she was just “Zada’s little sister” suddenly pay attention. Frankie’s longtime crush, senior Matthew Livingston, returns her affections at last, and she is thrilled to be included in his social circle.

But after Frankie discovers that Matthew is a high-ranking member of an exclusive all-male secret society (a fact he refuses to discuss with her), she comes up with a plan to prove her worth to this old boys' club: infiltrate the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, and captain their series of pranks on the campus of Alabaster Preparatory Academy.

Fans of Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl and spin-off The It Girl book series will enjoy The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, but E. Lockhart's skilled examination of her characters' struggles will also satisfy readers who are looking for a more substantial story. Frankie's clever manipulation of the boys' pranks is entertaining to follow, and her research into so called "interventionist art" is particularly interesting. Readers who imagined themselves as Kay Thompson's Eloise years ago might picture themselves in Frankie's shoes today.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is recommended for readers in Grade 7 and up.


Megan Estey
Youth Services
Fletcher Free Library

Video Game Tournaments

Congratulations to Nick...our 2nd time tournament champion. Nick left for home with a coupon for a free pizza, courtesy of Leonardo's! Our next video game tournament will be held on Saturday, August 1st, from 11 AM - 3PM! We'll look forward to seeing you there!
-Trish

The Next Book Club Meeting

The next meeting of the teen book club is July 6th from 3PM-4PM in the Pickering Room! See you there with free snacks, soda, and fun!