Are you interested in a comic writing workshop?

Please email Will Sedlack at wsedlack@ci.burlington.vt.us to help him gauge interest in a comic/manga workshop.

January Programs

Please not: the library will be closed on Monday, January 17th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

For more information on any of these programs contact our Teen Librarian, Will, at wsedlack@ci.burlington.vt.us

Teen Advisory Board
Monday January 3rd, 10th, and 24th
4-5 pm
Open to all Middle and High School Students.
Come be a part of the process! Help decide what goes into the Teen Collection, and what activities the library will have for teens. This could count toward your community service graduation requirement and it looks great on a resume. Bring friends!

Open Computer Time/Board Games
All Tuesdays and Thursday in January
3-4:30 pm
Play your favorite flash games on the library's laptops, or just check in online under the supervision of the Teen Librarian. We will also be playing Settlers of Catan and other board games.

Middle School Book Group
All Wednesdays in January
4-5 pm
Join other middle schoolers in discussing good books.

High School Book Group
All Wednesdays in January
5-6 pm
Join other high schoolers in discussing plays, graphic novels, novels, and short stories.

Richard Sala's Delphine

If you are a graphic novel fan, or just a fan of good kind of spooky books. Check out Richard Sala's Delphine series. Come stop by the Young Adult Graphic Novel section and pick up a copy today.

Recommended for: 8th grade and up

December and January

Our book groups are continuing and gaining speed.

If you are a high schooler, please stop by Wednesdays at 5pm. We are finishing Stranger in the Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher and will be starting Junot Diaz's drown soon.

As for the middle schoolers, we have read some great books! Our next book will be the Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron and we meet every Wednesday at 4 pm.

Stay tuned for more information about lunch time book groups at Edmunds and Hunt Middle School. The tentative plan is to do a full length discussion of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Game Series.

If you have any questions, email me at wsedlack@ci.burlington.vt.us

Hope to see you at the Library!
-Will

Write a Novel

That's right! You read correctly. Come join Will and a group of intrepid writers at the Fletcher Free Library as we celebrate NaNoWriMo (National Write a Novel Month) by...writing a novel!

We will meet every Monday in November from 5-6 and workshop, support each other, and share what we have created.

The first meeting is November 1st at 5pm.

For more information about NaNoWriMo, stop by their website at http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Will is taking the Fletcher Free Library on the road

The Fletcher Free Library (by way of Will, our new Teen Coordinator) is taking reading on the road.

Starting this month you can find the Fletcher Free Library at:

EDMUNDS MIDDLE SCHOOL:
-Will and Rebecca will be at BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT. So stop on by and talk books and programs October 7th.

BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
-Come stop by during the Wednesday open period and talk books with Will. Location is still being decided on by Burlington High School. This program starts once testing ends.

-Library card sign up. Don't have a library card? Why not? That can change quickly on Oct. 26th, 27th, and 28th during lunch at BHS. Look for Will dressed up as: Tigger, a yet to be decided character from Harry Potter, and a mystery character. There will be prizes!

HUNT MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY:
-Come talk books and graphic novels with Will Sedlack of the Fletcher Free Library. Every Friday, Will will come to Hunt Middle School to talk about your favorite comics, books, short stories, movies, and graphic novels. This is a great way to find out about new books to read. Fridays from 3-4. Oct. 29th-December 17th.

If you haven't met Will yet, stop by these events or stop by the Fletcher Free Library's Paul Post Teen Room from 10am-5pm and talk books, movies, music and more.

This month (for Teens) at the Fletcher Free Library

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD?
-Are you a Teenager in Burlington? Do you want to see better programs, books, and movies at the Fletcher Free Library? Do you need that extra line on your resume? Become a member of the Fletcher Free Library's Teen Advisory Board and make decisions. Our next meeting is Oct. 18th from 4-5. Please e-mail TAB advisory Will Sedlack at wsedlack@ci.burlington.vt.us for information. Candy is provided.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOOK GROUP:
-Are you in Middle School? Do you like to read? Good, so do we. Come every Wednesday from 4-5 at the Fletcher Free Library and talk books with Teen Coordinator Will Sedlack. Our first books to discuss are Gary Soto's Baseball in April and Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Candy is provided.

HIGH SCHOOL BOOK GROUP:
-Come join a group of smart, well-read High Schoolers as we read and discuss great books. Past books have included: American Born Chinese by Gene Yang, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, I-Robot, The Iliad, Much Ado about Nothing, Things Fall Apart and many more. Upcoming books include short stories by Junot Diaz and a story about the Northeast Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher. Candy is provided.


If you have an idea for a program, please join the Teen Advisory Board or contact Teen Coordinator Will Sedlack at wsedlack@ci.burlington.vt.us

TAB (Teen Advisory Board)

Mondays, October 18 & 25, 4:00-5:00 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. For more information, call the Youth desk: 865-7216

September Teen Programs!

TEEN BOOK GROUP: Wednesdays at 5:30 in the Fletcher Room. Join us for fun book discussions and great new reads.

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD: Monday September 27th 4-5pm. Be a leader in your library. Earn community service, share your thoughts and plan programs with the Teen Advisory Board.

TEEN COMPUTER CENTER AND GAMING: Thursdays 3-4:30 in the Fletcher Room and Tuesday September 7th and 28th 3-4:30 in the Fletcher Room. Join us afterschool for laptop gaming. Don't miss this chance for teens to have their own computer space in the library.

The Lost Conspiracy

The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge

The setting is a tropical island (very much like Hawaii) with beaches, rocky shores, sleeping volcanoes and straight-laced colonists who impose their alien values onto the native inhabitants.

There are several different tribes of native people on this island, among them the Lace people, so-called because of the labyrinthine coastal cliffs full of caves and crevasses where they live. The colonists and the other native tribes all distrust the Lace, they smile and smile, and no one knows what they are thinking.

In this world, however, there is the phenomenon of the Lost, certain individuals born whose spirits have only a tenuous connection with their bodies. They are able to travel the winds, far and wide, remembering and reporting later all that they have seen and heard.

The Lost Council sends out Lost inspectors to find these children and bring them to the Council for training. They then become valuable messengers and information gatherers for the whole island.

What happens when a Lost child is found among the Lace? And when an Inspector sent to test her is murdered?

Read this enthralling book and find out!

Review by Christine Demarais, Youth Services

Creative Tuesdays

Join artist-in-residence Frank Gonzalez and "sorcerer's apprentice"
Liz Crawford and use your imagination to be creative with recycled materials. Every Tuesday in June, July and August, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Free. All ages, under 10 with an adult. No preregistration needed.

Make a SPLASH, WRITE!

Wednesdays, July 7, 14, 21 & 28 and August 4. 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Do you love to write or want to give it a try? Explore the world of writing poetry and short story fiction in a six-week informal atmosphere. Free. Ages 10 & up. Teens welcome! Please preregister: 865-7216.

Summer Reading is not just for little kids!

Hey Teens, our Summer Reading Program,"Make a Splash, READ!" needs High School age volunteers to help sign kids up and stamp their reading logs. Get your Community Service hours in early! Contact the Youth Desk: 865-7216 if you're interested. Also, check out our Summer Reading Program brochure, for some fun programs that are open to teens!

The Classics

Lately Ive been reading a translation by a man named Robert Fagles. I know when it comes to books focused on greek and Roman mythology many teens are stumped, but not all translations are stale and awkward. If the stories interest you and youre not sure who to read I would recommend Fagles. Previous to reading him my translator of choice was Fitzgerald but Fagles really captures a spark in his translations! To name a few he has translated The Odyssey, The Illiad, and The Aenead. So if you wish your imagination was swept up in the writing of the past but it just never seemed quite right, maybe check him out, the library has plenty of his translations.

for history lovers w/ a sense of humor

For anyone who enjoys history but finds the text book accounts too dry, I would recommend Sarah Vowel. Some of her books are: Assasination Vacation (its about the assasinations of U.S. presidents through history, very good, very funny), and The Wordy Shipmates (about the people who settled in America). I have read both of them and they share her sharp wit and keen eye for our past. She presents an interesting view of history while giving us a piece of herself with it. I would reccomend her to anyone curious!

May 2010 Teen Programs

TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meetings, Mondays, May 3rd & 17th, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Calling all High School Students! Do you like kids and Books? Are you interested in volunteering a few hours a week at the Library over the summer? We'd love your help as reading mentors to K-8th grade Summer Reading Program participants. It's a fun and easy way to earn community service credit for the following school year! Please attend one of the May TAB meetings to sign up to help, OR call and leave a message for Kaelyn: 865-7216 or send her an email: kmurray@ci.burlington.vt.us.

Teens Read! wednesdays, May 5th, 12th & 19th, 5:00-5:45 p.m. Participate in a book group for Middle & High School students and get started reading! Free. Students in 6th grade & up welcome. Please call the Youth desk for more information or to preregister: 865-7216.

After School Video Gaming for Middle Schoolers. Tuesdays and Thursdays May 4th through 27th, 3:30-5:00 p.m. Join other teens after school and play a variety of Wii and PS2 games. Free. Middle School students welcome. No preregistration needed.

Teen Movie Night! Saturday, May 22nd, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Join us for movies and snacks! Movie options are: The Cat Returns, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away. Free. Middle & High School Students welcome! No preregistration needed.

April Teen Programs

Teens Read! Wednesdays, April 7th, 14th 21st & 28th, 5:00-5:45 p.m. Participate in a book group for Middle Schoolers and get started reading. Free. 6th to 8th grade students welcome. Please call the Library's Youth Desk for more information or to preegister: 865-7216.

TAB (Teen Advisory Board). Mondays, April 5th & 19th, 4:00-5:00 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. No preregistration needed. For more info: call the Youth Desk: 865-7216.

After School Video gaming for Middle Schoolers. Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 1st through 22nd, 3:30-5:00 p.m. Join other teens and play a variety of PS2 games. Free. Middle School students welcome. No preregistration needed.

Weekend video Games for Teens. Sunday, April 18th, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Join other teens and play Guitar Hero, Wii, Rock Band and a variety of PS2 games. free. Middle & High School students welcome. No preregistration needed.

TAB Book Review by Maya

Title: American Born Chinese
Author: Gene Lueng Yang

Quick Plot Summary: This graphic novel is a collection of three separate but interwoven stories, each related to Chinese culture in various ways.

The first is the legend of the Monkey King, ruler of Flower-Fruit Mountain and master of kung-fu. Denied entrance to a dinner party, he's no longer satisfied with being a monkey and desperately wants to become a god. So he studies more of the major disciplines of kung-fu, embarks on a life-changing pilgrimage, and meets Tze-Yo-Tzu, or He Who Is, the god who created him from a rock.

The next tale is about an American-born Chinese boy named Jin. He moves from San Francisco and goes to a new school where he has a difficult time because he's the only Chinese-American student. Wei-Chen, a Taiwanese boy, comes to his school, and though Jin wanted to beat him up at first, they become friends. Later, Jin begins to have a crush on an all-American girl and wants to transform himself into an all-American boy.

The third story, "Everybody Ruvs Chin-Kee," is about a popular boy named Danny whose Chinese cousin comes to visit. Chin-Kee's annoying behavior causes Danny terrrible embarrassment and ruins everything.

Favorite Character: Chin-Kee. He made me laugh so hard with his super-stereotypical Chinese ways.

Favorite Part: The end. All three stories come together in a very surprising way.

Favorite Quote: Early in the book, and old Chinese woman asks Jin what he wants to be when he grows up, and he answers, "A transformer." She replies, "It's easy to be anything you wish, so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul." I think that being true to yourself is what this book is all about.

Out of five stars, I would give this book all five. I couldn't stop reading and finished it before I knew what was happening!

The "Bloody Jack" Audio Books by L.A. Meyer

Lately I've really been enjoying listening to the CDs of the "Bloody Jack" series by L.A. Meyer.

"Jacky" is an adventurous and enterprising young woman (during most of the stories, she is from 13 to 16 years old) who, in the first book, disguises herself to become a "ship's boy" on a British warship during the Napoleonic Wars. She has many hair-raising adventures and narrow escapes, and she is catapulted from one dangerous situation to another...and another...and another...staying alive through sheer luck, pluck and cleverness.

The audio book actor (I hesitate to call her merely a "reader"), Katherine Kellgren, is right on target in her emotional expression, and she seems to be able to do any accent with ease: "Posh" British, Cockney, New England, Southern American, French, Spanish, West Indian, etc. I have lost count of all the voices she does!

The stories themselves take Jacky and the listener/reader onto the high seas and all over the globe, placing her in many unusual and even outrageous situations. These books are at once fascinating trips into the world of the early Nineteenth century, and "ripping" good yarns!

By Christine Demarais, Youth Services

Teen Video Gaming!

After School Video Gaming for Middle Schoolers. Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 4th through 30th, 3:30-5:00 p.m. Join other teens after school and play a variety of Wii and PS2 games. Free. Middle School students welcome. No preregistration needed.


Weekend Video Games for Teens. Sundays, March 14th & 21st, 1:00-4:00 p.m. Join other teens and play Guitar Hero, Wii, Rock Band and a variety of PS2 games. Free. Middle & High School students welcome. No preregistration needed.

Teens read! Wednesdays, March 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st. 5:00-5:45 p.m. Participate in a book group for Middle & High School students and get started reading. Free. 6th grade & up welcome. Please call the Youth Desk for more information or to preregister: 865-7216

March Teen Events

TAB ( Teen Advisory Board), Mondays, March 15th & 29th, 4:00-5:00 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 couls count toward your community services graduation requirement. No preregistration needed. For more information, call the Youth Desk: 865-7216.

After School Video Gaming for Middle Schoolers

Tuesdays& Thursdays, February 2nd through 18th, 3:00-5:00 p.m., and February 23rd & 25th, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Join other teens after school and play a variety of Wii and PS2 games. Free. Middle School students welcome. No preregistration needed.

Vermont Reads! "When the Emperor Was Divine"

Book Discussion for Teens and Adults! Wednesday, February 10th, 7:30 p.m. The Fletcher Free Library Book Discussion Group meets to discuss the Vermont Humanities Council Vermont Reads! Selection,
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. The discussion will be led by Champlain College Librarian Sarah Cohen. Free. No preregistration needed.

Weekend Video Games for Teens

Sundays, February 14th & 21st, 1:00-4:00 p.m. Join other teens
and play Guitar Hero, Wii, Rock Band and a variety of PS2 games.
Free. Middle & High School students welcome. No need to preregister!

TAB (Teen Advisory Board)

Mondays, February 8th & 22nd, 4:00-5:00 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.
No preregistration needed. For more info, call the Youth desk: 865-7216.

January 2010 Teen Programs

Teens Read!
Wednesdays, January 20th & 27th, 5:00-5:45 p.m.
Participate in a book group for middle schoolers. Free. 6th to 8th graders welcome. Call the Libary Youth Desk for info and to preregister: 865-7216.

After School Video Gaming for Middle Schoolers.
Tuesdays & Thursdays, January 4th through 28th 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Join other teens and play a variety of Wii and PS2 games. Free. Middle School students welcome. No preregistration needed.

Weekend Video Games for Teens.
Sundays, January 10th & 24th, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Join other teens and and play Guitar Hero, Wii, Rock Band and a variety of PS2 games. Free. Middle & High School Students welcome. No preregistration needed.