Money and Fame Galore!

Hey trusty Blog peruse-ers!

I have a cool opportunity for teens ages 13-18 to be a part of! How many of you have taken part in the Summer Reading Program? Welllllll, the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP for short) is hosting a competition for young people to make videos for the Summer Reading Program.

How fun would it be to enter the contest by making a video?? You could make one with your friends, by yourself, or you could join the Teen Advisory Board and we all could make one as a group! Maybe you could be the winning video from Vermont!

The video has to be awesome! Use the theme, "Own the Night." Be educational/promoting reading and using the library!

Think about doing it! I dare you to!


Here's the link for the contest:
http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/srp/childrenteen/teenvideocontest#Video_Criteria

Happenings!

Now that the holiday break is coming up and you don't have anything to do because school is out, COME TO THE LIBRARY!

Here's some fun things that are happening during break......

Wednesday, Dec 28- come to the Middle School Book Group! Maybe we'll read aloud some picture book stories.

Thursday, Dec 29- Build LEGO CREATIONS! 10:30-11:30am, use Legos to build extravagant buildings or help younger kids create creative creations!
- Visit the library to play computer games online! 3:30-4:45pm! You know you're gonna wanna come and talk about all your Christmas and Hannukah presents!

Don't forget that the library is closed Dec 25-26 and January 1-2! So check out all your books, dvds, cds, graphic novels, and etc before then! I'm sure you'll want to keep plenty busy over break!

The Fletcher Free Library now has a TWITTER! Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/FletcherFree

BOOK REVIEW!

The newest book craze to hit the shelves of every library and bookstore in the US is the series by Suzanne collins, "The Hunger Games." With the sequel, "Catching Fire," and the one after that, "Mockingjay."

Here's a really basic synopsis:
Katniss Everdeen is the main character. She lives in a world where the government runs and owns everything. There are 13 districts in the country, Panem. Most of these districts are in poverty, except the Capitol. Each family is required to get food from the government in hard times. In return, the family has to put in a name of a person who is entered into The Hunger Games. The people whose names are selected are known as tributes. They basically have to fight to the death to become the victor and survive. Katniss' sister, Prim is chosen as a tribute, but Katniss volunteers to go in Prim's stead. It's her story of surviving and starting a revolution in the country.

I thought the books were exciting! I had heard a number of good things about them, and they didn't disappoint! I would say that the hype surrounding the books made me more critical, so I judged them more. I was pleased with the action and the romance surrounding a couple of the characters. Some people have said the books are too violent, but Suzanne Collins didn't go overboard in my opinion. The books are meant for Young Adult readers, but adults like myself would find them entertaining and engaging. I would definitely give them 4 out of 5 stars. The second book in the series was my favorite because it detailed what happened after The Hunger Games, and the 3rd book had many twists and turns!

Pick up a copy of the books at the library! Tell me what you think!

December isn't just for Santa...

December is for getting involved at the library!

It's not an official month, but I think it should be. In December the library has some NEW programs starting for the year:

Computer Gamezzzzzz
Thursdays in December (the 8, 15, 22, 29)
In the Pickering room (upstairs across from the Teen Room)
3:30-5pm
Come play your favorite Flash games or hop online!

Teen Advisory Board (TAB)
Tuesday the 6th and Tuesday the 20th
3:30-4:30pm in the Teen Room
Come be a part of the process and help decide which direction the library will go in!

BOOOOK Club
Wednesdays in December (7, 14, 21, 28)
3:30-4:30pm
We're gonna read some awesome books! Come with suggestions.

Hunt Middle School Book Cluuub!
Every Friday in December (2, 9, 16)
3:15-4:15 in the Hunt Middle School library
Meet us at Hunt and we'll talk about books book books!

Is there anything else you think the library should do or have? Please come put suggestions in the suggestion box on my desk (in the Teen Room)! Or you can call the Youth Desk! Or you can make a paper airplane and send it my way!

Now here's a picture of tons of Christmas gifts for you to look at:


Question: How do you and your family celebrate the Holiday season?

books Books BOOKS!

As promised in the last blog entry, here is a list of books that the library has that I think you should check out!

Green Mountain Book Award Winner for 2011
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Green Mountain Book List
Skim by Mariko Tamaki
Refresh Refresh by Danica Novgorodoff

Print Award Winners
Monster by Walter D Myers
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Tales of the Madmad Underground by John Barnes

Fiction
Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Non-Fiction
Poetry Speaks Who I am by Elise Paschen and Dominique Raccah
Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge
Ask Elizabeth by Elizabeth Berkley

Graffic Novels
The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane
Waltz With Bashir by Ari Folman and Ron Ben-Yishai


Those are some suggestions of books! Let me know if you like them or books that you would recommend!

Until next time,
Tess

Next blog post: A Big Fat Questionnaire

Teen Advisory Board, That's What's Up!

Hello all!

Have you ever heard of TAB? No, I don't mean the soft drink: the Teen Advisory Board for the Fletcher Free Library! What is it you ask?

The Teen Advisory Board, TAB for short, is a way for the library to get feedback on what types of programs and things that the library offers. Basically, it's to see what you want to get out of the library. The library wants to cater to your needs and see if you have any ideas on how to make it fun for you to come.

I need some volunteers. I'm looking for a team of creative teenagers with the dedication to making the library a more progressive place. If you can dedicate an hour a week and meet at the library to discuss changes, come join us! If you decide to join, I hope that you can commit to meeting every week. I'm going to be looking for some teens to serve on the "Board" of TAB. Meaning as the President and Vice President. If you think you would be a good fit, come see me at the Teen Desk up in the Teen Room.

Tentatively the meetings will be scheduled for Monday at 3:45pm - 4:45pm. More details on that to come.

The next blog will be: A collection of cool books in the Teen Room.

Hey You! Yeah, You!

Hey There!


I'm Tess; the new Americorps member here at the library! I am the new Teen Literacy Coordinator here at Fletcher Free. That means, I love to get teens reading and motivated to learn. I know, that's pretty cool.

I need your help with a few things! You ready?

I'm starting some book groups and I would love to know:

• what days would work best for you teens and your friends?

• If you're interested, what time would be best to meet for you?
  
• What types of books do you want to read?
• Would you be interested in computer gaming days?

Come find me at the Teen desk up in the Teen Room at Fletcher Free! Or talk to the Youth Librarian, Rebecca, about some of your ideas! We'd LOVE to know. And you never know, you may get some free candy in the process.... ;D

Looking forward to meeting you!

For the next blog post: Want to be part of the Teen Advisory Board at the library?

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!