Teen Territory @ HPL

Dancing Books

2012-01-16T15:47:00.002-05:00

How about some dancing books? Watch this video and see it happen!

The video (on Yahoo) was made by Sean Ohlenkamp and his wife, who spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating. I love it!

10 of the Most Beautiful Libraries and Bookshops to Visit on Your Travels

2012-01-04T16:09:00.002-05:00

You may or may not be a seasoned traveller, but world-wide, "libraries are often distinguished architectural landmarks and can provide deeper insights not only into a country's literature, but also its culture and history as a whole," (according to Bootsnall.com). Plus, libraries are almost always free and open to the public. So why not take a visit in your travels?

BootsNAll has compiled "10 of the Most Beautiful Libraries and Bookshops to Visit on Your Travels" to keep an eye out for as you go.

Have you been to any of these? You can start by taking a look at them online.

Vancouver Public Library (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Royal Danish Library (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Austrian National Library (Vienna, Austria)

National Library Singapore (Singapore, Singapore)

Law Library of the University of Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland)

Great Court and Reading Room, British Museum (London, United Kingdom)

Philological Library of the Free University (Berlin, Germany)

Lello Bookshop (Porto, Portugal)

Bibliothèque Nacionale de France (Paris, France)

Biblioteca Nacional de España (Madrid, Spain)

I've been to so many of the cities listed above, but only one of the libraries! I wish I could go back in time; these look so beautiful.

Happy travels!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

It's 2012! If you're like a lot of people out there, it's time for you to make a resolution to work on something you've always wanted to improve. No matter what your new year's resolution is, we've got the books to help you get started!

Get more exercise:
Yoga For Teens : How To Improve Your Fitness, Confidence, Appearance, and Health-- And Have Fun Doing It by Thia Luby

Yoga Step-By-Step by Michael Spilling and Liz Lark

Toning For Teens : The 20-Minute Workout That Makes You Look Good and Feel Great! by Joyce L. Vedral

Beyond The Blues : A Workbook to Help Teens Overcome Depression by Lisa M. Schab

Fitness Information for Teens : Health Tips About Exercise, Physical Well-Being, and Health Maintenance Including Facts About Conditioning, Stretching, Strength Training, Body Shape and Body Image, Sports Nutrition, and Specific Activities For Athletes and Non-Athletes by Lisa Bakewell

Recycle more:
The Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts

Recycle This Book : 100 Top Children's Book Authors Tell You How To Go Green edited by Dan Gutman

Recycle : Green Science Projects For A Sustainable Planet by Robert Gardner

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle : An Easy Household Guide by Nicky Scott

Recycle! : Make Your Own Eco-Friendly And Creative Designs : Over 60 Projects For Your Home and Garden by Moira and Nicholas Hankinson

Study harder:
How To Remember Everything : Memory Shortcuts To Help You Study Smarter. Grades 9-12 by Russell Kahn, with Tom Meltzer

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Study Skills by Randall S. Hansen and Katharine Hansen

Super Study Skills : The Ultimate Guide To Tests and Studying by Laurie Rozakis

The Secrets of Taking Any Test by Judith N. Meyers

Study Smart : Hands-On, Nuts-And-Bolts Techniques for Earning Higher Grades by Theodore Silver

Learn a new skill:
Crochet Basics : All You Need To Know To Get Hooked on Crochet by Jan Eaton

The Only Basic Guitar Instruction Book You'll Ever Need : Learn To Play, From Tuning Up To Strumming Your First Chords by Jack Wilkins and Peter Rubie

The Piano : An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide by Frank Cappelli

Basic Cooking : All You Need To Cook Well Quickly by Jennifer Newens

Pathways In Juggling : Learn How To Juggle With Balls, Clubs, Devil Sticks, Diablos, and Beyond by Robert Irving and Mike Martins

Read more (Here are a few of my favorites that you might not be familiar with):
Every Little Thing In the World by Nina de Gramont

Paper Towns by John Green

The Eternal Smile : Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

Or come in to the library to find a book to help you with whatever you want to do or improve!

Have a fantastic year!

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

2011-12-28T14:56:00.003-05:00

38 years ago today, President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This act provides for the conservation of ecosystems that are necessary for the survival of threatened/endangered species of fish, wildlife, and plants.

Find out the endangered species in New York (or any other state) by clicking here.

Or check out a book to learn more about endangered species. Here are a few options that you can reserve right now:

Endangered Species by Sean Sheehan

Endangered Species by Cynthia A. Bily

Endangered Species : Protecting Biodiversity

Endangered Animals of Antarctica and the Arctic by Marie Allgor

Animals on the Edge : Science Races to Save Species Threatened With Extinction by Sandy Pobst

Almost Gone : The World's Rarest Animals by Steve Jenkins

Amphibians In Danger : A Worldwide Warning by Ron Fridell

A Most Dangerous Journey : The Life of an African Elephant by Roger A. Caras

Face to Face With Elephants by Beverly and Dereck Joubert

Bengal Tiger : In Danger of Extinction! by Richard Spilsbury

Chimpanzee Rescue : Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife by Patricia Bow

Top 50 Reasons To Care About Giant Pandas : Animals in Peril by Mary Firestone

Sea Otter Rescue : The Aftermath Of An Oil Spill by Roland Smith

Great White Shark : In Danger of Extinction! by Richard Spilsbury

Biodiversity edited by Louise I. Gerdes

Happy Birthday, Avi

2011-12-23T18:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Avi!

Avi (who's name is really Edward Irving Wortis) was born on December 23, 1937, making him 74-years-old today. Avi was born in New York City and grew up in Brooklyn with parents and his twin sister, Emily. He's written more than 70 books for children and young adults and has won both Newbery Honor awards and a Newbery Medal.

To learn more about Avi, check out his homepage.

Or reserve a copy of one of his books below:

Nothing But The Truth

Something Upstairs : A Tale of Ghosts

The Barn

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Iron Thunder : The Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac : A Civil War Novel

The Good Dog

Or take a look in our OPAC for more books by Avi!

Nominees for the 2012 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

2011-12-08T17:22:00.009-05:00

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has selected five books as finalists for the 2012 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, which honors the best nonfiction books written for young adults between Nov. 1, 2010 and Oct. 31, 2011. This is the 3rd year YALSA will be giving this award and it will be named at the Youth Media Awards on January 23rd of this year.

The 2012 finalists are:

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science written by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition written by Karen Blumenthal

Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) written by Sue Macy

Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein written by Susan Goldman Rubin

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery written by Steve Sheinkin

Be sure to check out one or more of the awesome novels. Or read more about the finalists here!

You can also check out the 2010 and 2011 winners.

Student Leaders® Program

2011-12-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

If you're committed to making a positive impact in your community, Bank of America can help. Our Student Leaders® Program includes both a weeklong summit in Washington, D.C. and an eight-week paid summer internship at a local nonprofit. You'll connect with other community-minded students and experience how nonprofits, business and government can cooperate to improve communities.

Juniors and seniors: apply by January 25, 2012
http://www.bankofamerica.com/neistudentleaders

Holiday Gift Guide: Young Adult and Middle Grade Books

2011-12-02T18:27:00.005-05:00

The New York Times has released several 2011 holiday gift guides. Among them is Notable Children’s Books of 2011, which is broken down into Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Books.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Between Shades of Gray. By Ruta Sepetys.
This haunting novel exposes the horrors of Stalin from the perspective of a 15-year-old Lithuanian girl, evacuated to a camp in Siberia. A “superlative first novel,” Linda Sue Park wrote in the Book Review.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone. By Laini Taylor.
“A breath-catching romantic fantasy about destiny, hope and the search for one’s true self,” according to our reviewer, Chelsey Philpot, this high-speed adventure involves love between angel and demon.

Level Up. By Gene Luen Yang. Illustrated by Thien Pham.
Smart, hilarious and affecting, this graphic novel tells the story of an aspiring gastroenterologist and video game enthusiast struggling between realizing his father’s dreams and understanding his own ambitions.

Okay For Now. By Gary D. Schmidt.
The lead from “The Wednesday Wars” returns in this tragicomic story about a struggling middle grader. Our reviewer, Richard Peck, read this book “about the healing power of art and about a boy’s intellectual awakening” through “misting eyes.”

Seriously, Norman! Written and illustrated by Chris Raschka.
This humorous first novel by picture book author Raschka describes life from the perspective of a less than stellar student. “Reading it is a visual, loopy, absurdist experience,” Meg Wolitzer, our reviewer, said.

Wonderstruck. Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick.
Telling the story of a boy who searches for his father in New York and the tale of a deaf girl in 1920s Hoboken, Selznick weaves the two into a seamless story that “teaches a respect for the past and for the power of memory to make minds,” Adam Gopnik wrote in these pages.

For the complete list of notable books, click here.

Hunger Games Trailer

2011-11-15T09:05:00.001-05:00

The Hunger Games trailer is up! Check it out below:

What do you think?

NaNoWriMo '11

2011-11-01T14:31:00.000-04:00

Happy November and Happy National Novel Writing Month. Yep, that's right. It's NaNoWriMo again: time to trade in hours of watching and nights out for the joy of writing a 50,000-word novel in one month.

For those of you who not in the know, National Novel Writing Month runs from November 1st-30th, and is a self-proclaimed "fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing" and "thirty days and thirty nights of literary abandon!"

NaNoWriMo encourages quantity, not quality, so don't stop, don't think, just write. Use the opportunity to be free, write what you feel like writing, and see where the journey takes you! And take comfort in knowing that we're all producing mediocrity together.

Despite the fact that we aren't expected to create a work of quality, sometimes luck will have its way and, with enough editing, a NaNoWriMo novel can turn out to be a real masterpiece! Some even become popular, published books. Don't believe it's possible? The following books all started out as NaNoWriMo projects:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (a 2007 Alex Award winner)

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen (among YALSA’s 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and 2009 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults)

Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley

Running for My Life by Ann Gonzalez

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

So, will yours be next?

This is year is my sixth year embarking on the challenging and really kind of silly journey and I'd love for you all to join me! Knowing that you just wrote a whole novel, no matter how terrible, is an AWESOME feeling... and it's only 29 days away!

Want to sign up? Check out the Official National Novel Writing Website for more information.

And be sure to read Figment's NaNoWriMo Approacheth Survival Tips for some genuinely good advice on handling this frenzied month.

Happy writing, everybody!

Alternate Uses for Halloween Candy

2011-10-31T18:39:00.001-04:00

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo, it's Halloween! The one day a year where anything goes, crazy outfits, candy for dinner, and ringing the doorbells of strangers.

But what about tomorrow? And what about all that leftover candy? Here are 10 fun ideas you might want to consider when the novelty of just eating it has worn off (or made you a little nauseated):

1. Make one of the awesome ornaments seen here. All you need is some colorful hard candy, some cookie cutters, an oven, and a little creativity.

2. Make a mosaic with it! Use sturdy cardboard as your base, cover it with colorful construction paper, then glue on candies (go for the colorful ones!). When you're done, cover it with spray shellac to prevent the candy from getting buggy or rotting.

3. CandyExperiments.com is awesome! Check out some of their fun experiment ideas and donate your candy to an afternoon of science fun.

4. Make Apple Candy Bar Salad or one of the other delicious-sounding recipes on this Squidoo page.

5. Save it to make miniature (and edible) cornucopia for Thanksgiving this year by filling sugar cones with a mix of candy corn, M&Ms, Runts, etc.

6. Chop up the chocolate bars and freeze the shavings so you have a year-round ice cream topping on hand.

7. Operation Gratitude (which sends care packages to US troops overseas) is looking for candy to send to Iraq! This is a copy of their current wishlist, and as you can see, Halloween candy is on it! Scroll down their list for information on donations and shipping. Or see if a dentist near you is participating in Operation Buyback.

8. Try making this candy corn fudge. It's easy and looks delicious.

9. Save some pristine candy to attach to wrapped gifts. All presents are more exciting to open when there are a couple of fun-size candy bars taped to the ribbon.

10. Make your own blizzard in the blender! Try crumbling your Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, or all three and placing them in a blender with vanilla ice cream to create a homemade blizzard or flurry.

And of course, there's always the chance that you might just wind up eating it.

Happy Halloween! Be safe trick-or-treating!

Halloween Reads

2011-10-26T13:08:00.003-04:00

Halloween is less than a eeek away, making today the PERFECT day to pick up a spooky and satisfying teen read.

If you like being spooked, here are 10 book ideas to get you started:

1. Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

2. Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel by Mary Shelley

3. iDrakula by Bekka Black

4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

5. Ghosts in Amityville: The Haunted House by Michael Marts

6. The Babysitter by R. L. Stine

7. Afterlife by Claudia Gray

8. Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan

9. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

10. A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales by Ying Chang Compestine

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! MWAHAHAHAHA (that's my evil laugh).

Teen Read Week

2011-10-14T07:12:00.001-04:00

Teen Read Week officially starts on Saturday! It runs October 16th through 22nd, and this year's theme is "Picture It @ Your Library", encouraging you to read graphic novels and other creative or illustrated books just for the fun of it!

Teen Read Week started in 1998. Libraries across the world celebrate by encouraging teens to read for pleasure and (by using their library) to read for free.

It's important to celebrate Teen Read Week because, even though there are lots of other really great entertainment options out there, reading for fun is free, entertaining, and proven to help improve test scores.

Visit the library for a few awesome graphic novels, or put one or two of these great ones on hold:

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim

Maus I : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

Miki Falls: Book 1, Spring by Mark Crilley

Mail Order Ninja: Vol. 1 by Joshua Elder

Kitchen Princess 1 art by Natsumi Ando, story by Miyuki Kobayashi, translated by Satsuki Yamashito, adapted by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. Vol. 1 by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Jellaby by Kean Soo

Dramacon Vol. 1-3 by Svetlana Chmakova

Enjoy reading for the fun of it!

Happy Birthday, R. L. Stine

2011-10-08T14:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, R. L. Stine!

Today, the famous author of Goosebumps and Fear Street turns 68-years-old.

Did you know that before R.L Stine wrote horror novels he wrote humor novels? He went by the name Jovial Bob Stine and his first novel, How To Be Funny: An Extremely Silly Guidebook, came out in 1982! You can click here to reserve a copy and see what it's all about.

Then, in 1986, R. L. Stine released his first horror novel, Blind Date, and that's what started everything. His first Fear Street book, The New Girl, came out three years after that, and Goosebumps started with Welcome To Dead House in 1992.

By now, R. L. Stine is the author of hundreds of creepy, scary, twisted books for children. Celebrate his birthday today, and read one of them!

To view all of his works, click here. Or visit his official website, rlstine.com.

Happy Birthday!

Banned Books Week 2011

2011-09-23T20:00:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow starts Banned Books Week, an annual event held the last week of September that celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Banned Books Week draws attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting books that have been targets of bannings, or attempted bannings.

Check out this map of the USA to see where some popular titles were banned. It's EVERYWHERE.

Take a look at some popular banned books below. You might be surprised to find some of your favorites listed! Imagine if you never got the chance to read them?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Ttyl by Lauren Myracle

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Celebrate Banned Books Week from September 24th through October 1st by reading a banned book! For more banned book ideas, try clicking one of the PDFs below:

Books banned in 2011

Books banned in 2010

Books banned in 2009

Peeta Vs Gale

2011-09-20T20:37:00.002-04:00

If you're a Hunger Games fan, you have to read this funny (yet, thought-provoking) post on the Figment Blog... presenting:

Peeta Versus Gale!

The two are pitted up head-to-head in the categories: Chemistry, Grand Gestures, Better Meal-Maker, Battle Royal, and Better Babysitter. Click here to read the post and find out who is the overall winner, the overall better choice for Katniss!

"They’ve vied for Katniss’s heart and divided loyal fans into brutal, warring factions. We’re here to settle the score between these two Hunger Games hunks. And our choice is definitive."

And if you haven't read any of the Hunger Games series yet, click here to put book 1 (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins on hold!

Talk Like A Pirate Day

2011-09-16T10:25:00.001-04:00

Arrrr you ready for Talk Like a Pirate Day this year? It's September 19.

This year Talk Like a Pirate Day falls on a Monday, which is GREAT news because you have the whole weekend to brush up on your pirate speak! Luckily, Mango Languages has you covered. Just type in your library barcode and password, and you'll be able to start learning Pirate immediately and for free (or almost any other language, for that matter: Dari? French? German? Hebrew? Thai?).

Talk Like a Pirate Day began on June 6, 1995 by two guys named John Baur and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket). They were playing racquetball and, for some reason, started talking to each other in pirate slang. By the time they had finished their game, they were in full-out pirate lingo and it was then that they decided that "what the world really needed was a new national holiday, Talk Like A Pirate Day." Once it was deemed September 19th, it was celebrated privately for several years by its inventors. That is, until 2002, when John Baur just so happened to come across columnist Dave Barry's e-mail address. Surprisingly, Dave Barry thought it was a great idea and became convinced of the holiday's potential. And that's when he wrote his Miami Herald article.

Looking for some good books on pirates? Try these:

Piratepedia by Alisha Niehaus
Throughout this book, we make 27 stops around the world, learning all kinds of interesting facts about pirates, complete with pictures of artifacts, maps, and even movie photos. This book covers everything. There’s even an interactive pirate map game tucked into a secret back pocket!

Real Pirates by Clare Hibbert
In this collection of over 20 true pirate stories, we look at tales and facts from the Caribbean, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as a quick look at some other useful pirate facts.

Everything I Know About Pirates by Tom Lichtenheld
Want a humorous take on everything from tying pirate knots, to creating your own pirate name? This book covers educated guesses about pirate facts!

The Golden Age of Pirates by Bob Temple
“You live in a time of discovery, adventure, and travel.” You are living life at sea, and it’s dangerous, yet rewarding. There are lots of important decisions and, in this book, you get to make them. Choose your own adventure in this action-packed pirate story!

And for more official information on the fun holiday, check out the official Talk Like a Pirate Day Website.

Arr me hearty, a fine gentleman o' fortune be ye!
(Translation: Great my friend! You're a fine pirate!)

I learned that one on Mango Languages!

Amazing Audiobooks

2011-09-13T16:56:00.004-04:00

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) recently announced their list of "Amazing Audiobooks Nominations." This is exciting for me because I LOVE AUDIOBOOKS. With my busy schedule, it's hard to find a lot of time to read actual books (without falling asleep three pages in), but I don't have to miss out! I can listen to audiobooks during my commute every day and still get through books regularly!

If you're new to the world of audiobooks, welcome! Audiobooks can:
1. Make a long car trip seem shorter.
2. Be a great conversation starter if you're travelling with others.
3. Help you appreciate good books that you might not have picked up otherwise.

For the complete list of amazing audiobook nominations, click here!

A few of my favorite audiobooks are:

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale, 7 discs.

Holes by Louis Sachar, read by Kerry Beyer, 4 discs.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, read by Marika Mashburn, 2 discs.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, read by Johnny Heller, 5 discs.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman, 7 discs.

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, read by Julia Whelan, 6 discs.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, read by George Guidall, 6 discs.

Happy listening!

Library Card Sign Up Month 2011

2011-09-01T11:00:00.006-04:00

Can you believe it's already September! Not only is this the last official month of summer but it's also officially Library Card Sign-Up Month.

A library card can grant you access to tons of free materials and activities! For example:

1. Free computer and internet access every day (this especially comes in handy after a hurricane).
2. Hundreds of books, DVDs, CDs, and video games to take home and enjoy.
3. Classes all week long, like crafts, story times, lessons, workshops, family movies, game nights, and magic shows.
4. Help with your homework through the use of Live-brary, where you can get tutoring through BrainFuse and do research with our library-card-holder-only Online Resources.
5. TONS of free audiobooks and e-books to download onto your devices.

...And a whole slue of lovely librarians to help you with whatever you're looking for (like me, for example).

Stop in with some ID and get a card and you'll have access to lots of cool and useful things for free. For more information call us or visit us online: http://www.thehuntingtonlibrary.org/

Celebrity Home Libraries

2011-08-31T10:02:00.001-04:00

To the left... Oprah's home library.

The Accredited Online Colleges blog has compiled photos of 20 beautiful celebrity libraries. Aside from Oprah, the list includes famous names like Rod Stewart, Diane Keaton, Woody Allen, Ralph Lauren, and Sting.

Now if only we could see inside the books!

Take a look and a swoon at these libraries of the rich and famous. Maybe you'll be motivated to create or modify your own (less elaborate and less expensive) home library.

First Hunger Games Trailer

2011-08-29T12:57:00.001-04:00

If you lost power this weekend, chances are you missed the MTV Video Music Awards. In typical MTV Award Show Fashion, there was a pretty important movie trailer premier. Last night, we got our first glimpse at The Hunger Games movie!

Unfortunately, it was a little disappointing, all that anticipation to see Jennifer Lawrence run for a few seconds and the mockingjay logo rotate a few times. But never the less, take a look and get a feel for the much-anticipated Hunger Games movie:

And don't forget, if you still haven't read the book, there's plenty of time! Reserve a copy of The Hunger Games now.

Brian Selznick's new book!

2011-08-13T12:30:00.000-04:00

If you like The Invention of Hugo Cabret, there's exciting news! As you wait for the movie to come out on November 23rd, check out Brian Selznick's newest book, coming out one week from today!

Out September 13, Wonderstruck is done in the same form as the groundbreaking (and awesome) Invention of Hugo Cabret.

According to Scholastic, "Ben’s story, which takes place in 1977, is told in words; Rose’s story in 1927 is told in pictures. Ever since his mother died, Ben feels lost. At home with her father, Rose feels alone. When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mother’s room, and when a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose, both children risk everything to find what's missing. Rich, complex, affecting and beautiful, Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary."

Shelf Awareness says, "Brian Selznick may have topped even his Caldecott Medal–winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret," and "Selznick does for New York in this book what he did for Paris in Hugo. He introduces the magic of the city and its untold secrets, its alleys and secret doorways." That's awesome!

I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on it next month. If you feel the same way, you can put a copy on reserve now by clicking here!

Catching Fire Movie, Already!

2011-08-12T10:54:00.005-04:00

Already?! According to the Los Angeles Times, Lionsgate Entertainment announced on Monday morning that it will be releasing the "Catching Fire" movie, (next in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series) on November 22, 2013, about 20-months after the first Hunger Games movie is due out.

So if you're looking forward to the Hunger Games movie, here's a reason to be even more excited!

Reserve a copy of Catching Fire now, and if you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, there's still pleanty of time. The first movie doesn't come out until March 23, 2012.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie

2011-07-26T18:19:00.006-04:00

Have you heard that Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower is being made into a movie?

It's due to come out some time next year and will star Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam, Ezra Miller as Patrick, and Paul Rudd as Bill.

If you haven't read the popular storyl, it's told through letters, written by Charlie, reveling the story of his freshman year in high school as he copes with tragedy, confusion, love, loss, and coming-of-age trials.

To read the book, reserve a copy here. (This book is best for grades 9 and up.)

Hugo Trailer

2011-07-15T11:22:00.000-04:00

In the wake of the release of the final Harry Potter movie, there is some exciting news for Hugo Cabret fans (like me)! The first official trailer for Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," based on Brian Selznick’s award winning book, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" has been released!

Take a look! It's beautiful.

This is Martin Scorsese's first 3D film as well as his first family-oriented film. "Hugo" is the story of an orphan boy who lives a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station in the 1930's. When he meets his friend, Isabelle, the two get wrapped up in a mystery involving a mean toy shop owner, Hugo's late father, and an automaton.

For more on the Hugo cast, see IMDB.

If you haven't read Brian Selznick’s 2008 Caldecott winner (and one of my personal favorite books), "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," you can reserve a copy here.

Warriors App

2011-07-05T19:12:00.000-04:00

If you're a Warriors fan, today is an exciting day! You can now get the brand new Warriors app for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch from the iTunes store!

This app is a Warriors reference guide, which, according to iTunes, allows you to:

• Browse over 100 entries chock-full of exclusive facts about the cats and Clans

• Explore pinch-and-zoom maps that feature historic Warriors territories

• Read brand-new short stories from Erin Hunter and an excerpt from Warriors #1: Into the Wild

• Keep track of which Warriors books you’ve read on your bookshelf, and download the ones you haven’t

• Prove you’re the ultimate Warriors Fan with the Warriors Trivia Game – beat your own best time or play against your friends

• Stay on top of major Warriors milestones with the interactive timeline

• Watch Erin Hunter’s special message—just for you!

To visit the official Warriors website, click here.

The Giver to be a movie

2011-07-01T16:19:00.000-04:00

Exciting book-to-movie news. It has been announced that of my favorite novels, Lois Lowry's The Giver, is going to be turned into a movie.

According to Variety, Jeff Bridges had been developing a feature version of the popular book for nearly a decade and it is now finally due to be out in 2013.

If you haven't read the book yet, it's a classic for children, teens, and adults. It follows 12-year-old Jonas, who lives in a futuristic society where all memory of human history (and suffering) has been erased. When, on is birthday, he learns that he has been designated to take on the role of the Giver, the one who will retrieve all of human memories, he learn that blocking all pain and suffering comes at a high cost.

To reserve a copy of the 1994 Newbery winner, click here.

Pottermore Announcement

2011-06-23T09:26:00.007-04:00

J.K. Rowling made an exciting announcement in London this morning. Starting in October, her seven Harry Potter novels will be sold as e-books through a new website called "Pottermore."

Pottermore is more than just a website for which to buy ebooks. It's going to be an interactive site, promising to "immerse users in her world of wizards, combining elements of computer games, social networking and an online store." J.K. Rowling also has written 18,000 words of new Potter material! (Source: Today Books)

The Pottermore page appeared online a few weeks ago with nothing but the words "Coming soon..." on it. It has been the subject of intense speculation since.

According to Today Books, "the project unveiled in London lets Potter fans delve into the world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sections let users shop for wands in Diagon Alley, travel to Hogwarts from the imaginary Platform 9 3/4 at London's King's Cross train station and be sorted into Hogwarts school houses by the perceptive Sorting Hat. Along the way are wand fights, games and new information about characters beloved around the world, including Harry's reviled relatives, the Dursleys."

You can also follow Pottermore on Twitter for all the latest info!

Breaking Dawn Trailer

2011-06-06T09:12:00.006-04:00

The first official Breaking Dawn trailer premiered Sunday, June 5th and the MTV Movie Awards! If you missed it (like me), here it is...

This third Twilight movie is due out November 18th! What do you think? Excited?

2011 Battle of the Books

2011-06-02T17:41:00.013-04:00

The titles for this year's Battle of the Books have officially been announced! For those interested, here's what everyone will be reading this summer:

Abduction! by Peg Kehert

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

The Ranger's Apprentice: Book One: The Ruines of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

The first team meeting for students in grades 6-9 is Tuesday, June 28th at 6:00pm and there are still seats remaining. To sign up to be part of this summer's Battle of the Books team, click here!

The Last Little Blue Envelope

2011-05-31T20:49:00.000-04:00

Are you a 13 Little Blue Envelopes fan? Did you realize there is a sequel? It's called The Last Little Blue Envelope.

From author Maureen Johnson's website:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny’s backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he’s found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart.

This time, there are no instructions.

To put a copy of The Last Blue Envelope on hold, click here.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and the full Hunger Games movie cast

2011-05-19T13:44:00.002-04:00

Well there she is! It's Jennifer Lawrence looking a lot more like I pictured Katniss Everdeen to look.

This week’s Entertainment Weekly (available tomorrow) will feature pictures and interview with Jennifer Lawarence about the Hunger Games movie! It's really coming!

Here is a little preview from the article on the Entertainment Weekly website:

When Lawrence was offered the role, she describes her response as a mixture of elation — and desperate anxiety. “I knew that as soon as I said yes, my life would change,” she says. “And I walked around an entire day thinking ‘It’s not too late, I could still go back and do indies, I haven’t said yes yet, it’s not too late.’” And yet, who can turn their back on Katniss? “I love this story,” she says, “and if I had said no, I would regret it every day.” After officially signing on, Suzanne Collins herself called to offer a starstruck Lawrence her most hearty congratulations. “I feel like when you said yes,” the author told her, “the world got lifted off my shoulders.”

And, similarly, several more actors have been added to the Hunger Games movie lineup. IMDB lists them here: The Hunger Games (2012) Full Cast and Crew.

Exciting stuff on the Hunger Games front!

HYPE Night Review

2011-05-11T12:49:00.003-04:00

Thursday, April 21st was an exciting night here at the library. We had the Huntington Young Performers Enrichment Solo Preview Night, and it was a total success.

Organized by Matthew Beeby and Collin Richardson, two Huntington High School students and musicians, the event started at 7pm and featured 15 student musicians who played a wide variety of instruments. There was a big audience turnout, a table of refreshments, and My Long Island TV even showed up to do an interview.

Huntington Public School's wrote up an article about the night, be sure to check it out: Huntington Pair Organizes HYPE Night at Library.

Children's Book Week

2011-05-02T18:05:00.003-04:00

Happy Children's Book Week! This includes teens too!

Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally since 1919, but has been underway even longer! In 1913 Franklin K. Matthiews, a librarian for the Boy Scouts of America, toured the country, promoting higher standards in children's books. He then enlisted the help of a few other key people, Frederic G. Melcher (the visionary editor of Publishers Weekly) and Anne Carroll Moore (the Superintendent of Children's Works at the New York Public Library). With this trio at work, Children's Book Week was in full force by 1944.

Today, we celebrate with all kinds of fun events across the country (You can find out what's happening nearby here) and with a big Children's Choice Book Awards Gala!

For more on Children's Book Week, visit Children's Book Week Online. There's even a printable bookmark by Jeff Kinney! And check back later for the Children's Choice Book Award winners. They're being announced at the Gala tonight! If you voted for your favorite teen book and author of the year then you can't miss it!

Hunger Games Movie: More Casting

2011-04-28T07:17:00.016-04:00

Well, there are finally a few more confirmed cast members for The Hunger Games movie!

We already know about Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, but here are a few other characters:

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta

Liam Hemsworth as Gale

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

Amandla Stenberg as Rue

Willow Shields as Prim

Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh

Leven Rambin as Glimmer

Not bad! Also, according to New York Magazine, John C. Reilly has been offered the role of Haymitch. Let's cross our fingers that he takes it! He'd be perfect!

Book Crossing and Teens' Top Ten Nominees

2011-04-15T11:37:00.000-04:00

Did you or your library do anything to celebrate Teen Literature Day yesterday? Did you Rock The Drop? If not, that's okay- you can still do something just like it!

Introducing... Book Crossing! This awesome project goes on every day, all year, and it's just like Rocking the Drop, except it's not only for teens and it's a little more calculated.

Just make a quick, free account (I have one!) and you'll have access to all kinds of features like lists of (worldwide) book locations for your hunting pleasure, labels to order or print for your book-giving pleasure, and their community of book-loving people. Once you plant a book, you can watch it travel all over the world by tracking it's various log-in's! Check out Book Crossing's About for all the details.

In addition, yesterday (to celebrate) YALSA announced the 25 nominations for this year's Teens' Top Ten. Read all twenty-five through the summer and get ready to vote for your favorite from August 22 through September 16!

Teen Literature Day: Rock The Drop

2011-04-13T09:50:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow is a pretty exciting day for people who love teen lit!

As many of you may know, we are smack in the middle of National Library Week, and every year, the Thursday of this glorious library-oriented week is dubbed Teen Literature Day!

So what can you do to celebrate? One of my favorite ideas comes from Readergirlz. This year they have teamed up with Figment (which you should check out if you like to read and write; it's cool) to bring us Rock The Drop in honor of tomorrow, Thursday, April 14th.

Here's how it works:

1. Print a copy of the official Rock The Drop bookplate and insert it into a book (or books) that you'll drop on April 14th.

2. Drop a book in a public spot (park bench, bus seat, restaurant counter, etc) and you're done! Lucky finders will spot the book it and see that the book is part of this awesome event.

3. Be sure to take a picture of your drop and send it to the readergirlz. They will be posting lots of pictures of drops happening all over the world on their blog!

Sound like fun? Click here for the official rules, banner, and book plate.

Additionally, YALSA has provided a list of other ways to celebrate Teen Literature Day as well as a pretty cohesive list of recommended books for Operation Teen Book Drop. Click here for YALSA's Teen Literature Day wiki.

Happy day and happy reading!

Invention of Hugo Cabret coming to the big screen

2011-04-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

If you're anything like me, you are absolutely in love with Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Well there's good news for Hugo-fans! They're making a movie and it's being directed by Martin Scorsese!

Among the pretty awesome cast are Johnny Depp (as M. Rouleau), Chloe Moretz (as Isabelle), Asa Butterfield (as Hugo) and Jude Law (as Hugo's father). Click here for the rest of the casting information.

The movie is due out November 23, 2011 and I have to say, I am VERY excited.

If you haven't read the beautiful, Caldecott-winning novel yet (the only novel to ever win this illustration award!), click here to put a copy on hold.

And for more Hugo Cabret fun, check out theinventionofhugocabret.com

Authors Unlimited tickets availalbe today!

2011-04-01T10:19:00.006-04:00

Tickets are availalbe today! Don't miss this FREE full-day event! It's your chance to meet dynamic authors of YA literature such as Rita Williams-Garcia (author of One Crazy Summer), Robert Lipsyte (author of Center Field and The Contender), Tonya Hurley (author of the Ghostgirl series), and many more. This event is open to everyone, but teens get preferred seating. There will be cool giveaways, books for sale, and an autographing session.

The event is at St. Josepht's College campus on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Doors open at 9:30 am.

For all of the details, visit http://www.authorsunlimited.org/ and come into the library for tickets!

More Hunger Games Movie Buzz!

2011-03-30T12:46:00.002-04:00

As you may have heard, Jennifer Lawrence (to the left) has been officially announced as Katniss Everdeen in the March 2010 movie release of The Hunger Games. This is pretty big news!

There's also so more casting buzz floating around the Internet, although Jennifer Lawrence is still the only role confirmed.

Some rumored possibilities for other roles:

Mackenzie Foy, who is also currently filming Breaking Dawn, is a possibility for Prim, as well as Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning's sister.

There is talk of Chloe Moretz as Rue, or possibly Willow Smith.

Josh Hutcherson is being considered for the role of Peeta as well as Hunter Parrish (who is my personal favorite). Lucas Till, who recently did a screen test for the roll, is another very promisng Peeta possibility.

For Gale, Drew Roy is a possibility, as well as Liam Hemsworth, Devid Henrie, and Robbie Amell.

But for now, we can be certain that we will be seeing Jennifer Lawrences face as Katniss. What do you think?

Children's Choice Book Awards 2011

2011-03-22T13:14:00.005-04:00

Voting is now open for the Children's Choice Book Awards! This is your chance to vote for your favorite!

The Children's Choice Book Award is broken up into four different levels by grade (K-2, Grades 3-4, Grades 5-6, and Teens), and each ballot includes a few different nominees to vote for.

The Teen Vote includes Book of the Year, Author if the Year, and Illustrator of the Year.

Click here to view the previous years' winners.

And click here to cast your teen vote for 2011!

Funny Forecast!

2011-03-11T23:57:00.008-05:00

Hey Twilight fans! I just thought you all might get a kick out of the forecast my iPhone gave me for Forks, Washington!

Looks like Bella wasn't exaggerating.

Beastly, the movie!

2011-02-22T13:06:00.006-05:00

Hey Beastly fans! Did you know that they turned Alex Flinn's retelling of Beauty and the Beast into a major motion picture?

Kyle is played by Alex Pettyfer and Lindy is played by Vanessa Hudgens, but the cast includes several other big names such as Neil Patrick Harris and Mary-Kate Olsen. IMDB has the full cast list, as well as other interesting movie facts.

Watch the official trailer below:

The movie is due out next week, on March 4th! And be sure to read the book before you see the movie! Put a copy on reserve by clicking here!

Chinese New Year

2011-02-03T18:24:00.001-05:00

The Chinese New Year begins on the first New Moon of the year.

Today, February 3, is that day!

Each new year is said to be ruled by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. 2011 is the year of the rabbit, which is seen as a year of luck!

The Chinese New Year festival lasts until the first Full Moon of the year, which is 15 days later. This is an exciting celebration, traditionally marked by fireworks at midnight, which are believed to scare away the past year's old and evil spirits.

The way you spend the first day of the year is said to set the tone for the whole year. People are often careful not to argue or yell or cry... otherwise they might be arguing and yelling and crying for the whole year! So make sure it's a good day!

Celebrate the year of the rabbit traditionally today, by feasting on sticky sweet cakes called niango (to the left). "Nian" means "year." While these cakes are eaten, the Chinese people also burn a picture of the Kitchen God, with the belief that they are sending him up to heaven. This ritual is done in the hopes of "sweetening" the year to come.

There are all kinds of other traditions performed at this time each year. If you're interested in reading about them, here are a few books to get you started:

Chinese New Year by Carrie Gleason (I got most of my information for this blog post from this book).

Chinese New Year by Kate Marsico

Celebrate Chinese New Year by Elaine A. Kule

Hunger Games Movie Buzz

2011-02-02T19:14:00.002-05:00

So it's been announced!!! The Hunger Games has gotten an official release date. And it's REALLY SOON. According to Entertainment Weekly, and IMDB, the highly anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games will be released on March 23, 2012.

That's eerily soon considering it doesn't even have a cast yet, isn't it?

There IS a significant amount of casting buzz floating around the Internet. YALSA's The Hub breaks down some casting possibilities for us.

Potential Peetas:

1. Liam Hemsworth (who, personally, would not be my pick ever, because he is a little too tough and dreamy looking.)

2. Alex Pettyfer (a lot closer to the Peeta I've been imagining, although still a bit old looking.)

3. Lucas Till (dingdingding! It's Peeta come to life!)

Now some potential Katniss':

1. Kaya Scodelario (I'm not sure if it's just because her hair looks messy in that picture or not, but she is almost exactly how I pictured Katniss, pretty but not perfect, effortless and thin, but wiry.)

2. Hailee Steinfeld (She wouldn't be my choice. She seems too perfect, too exotic looking without even trying.)

3. Chloe Moretz (I think The Hub expresses my sentiments exactly: "She’s blond and so young looking in her IMDb picture that it’s hard to picture her as Katniss – maybe as Prim!")

4. Lyndsy Fonseca (She would be perfect if she was just a little bit younger looking. But make up can do amazing things, right?)

Thoughts? I'm not completely in love with any of the casting options, but I'm sure the movie will be awesome no matter what. I'm desperate to hear some potential Gales though!

No matter what, there is only 1 year, 1 month, and 22 days until we find out EVERYTHING about The Hunger Games movie.

90 Second Newbery

2011-01-25T08:30:00.017-05:00

Every year since 1922, the American Library Association has awarded the very prestigious Newbery Medal. Now that we've already learned of our 2011 winner, a quick calculation tells us that there are 89 Newbery Medal books in all! That's a lot! Have you read them all?

Me neither.

But wouldn't it be nice to say that you did? Well, it might not be exactly the same as reading the book, but check out a 90 second reenactment of the 1963 winner, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle:

Get it? Want to make your own? Check out: 90secondnewbery.com for more information about the program, which is run by teen author James Kennedy.

Happy acting!

2011 Award Winners!

2011-01-10T13:16:00.002-05:00

What an exciting day for youth literature! This morning The American Library Assossiation announced the 2011 winners for 23 different youth literature awards, including the Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, and Printz Award!

And now for the big winners...

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature goes to...

Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named:

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm

Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults goes to...

Ship Breaker, written by Paolo Bacigalupi

Four Printz Honor Books also were named:

Stolen, by Lucy Christopher

Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King

Revolver, by Marcus Sedgwick

Nothing, by Janne Teller

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children goes to...

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead

Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named:

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill

Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

To view the complete list of awards and winners, click here!

And be sure to put this year's Newbury and Printz winners and honor books on reserve! Happy 2011!

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-02T14:24:00.025-05:00

Happy 2011! It's a new year and a time to make a change, to try to improve something you've always wanted to improve. What are your new year's resolutions for 2011? Whatever they are, we've got the books to help you out!

Get Better Grades:
Painless study techniques by Michael Greenberg

10 secrets to acing any high school test by Lee Brainerd and Ricki Winegardner

Study smart: hands-on, nuts-and-bolts techniques for earning higher grades by Theodore Silver

Go Green:
Generation green: the ultimate teen guide to living an eco-friendly life by Linda Sivertsen and Tosh Sivertsen.

Make it!: don't throw it away - create something amazing! by Jane Bull

50 simple things kids can do to recycle by the Earth Works Group

Reduce Stress:
Stress 101: an overview for teens by Margaret O. Hyde

Breathe: yoga for teens by Mary Kaye Chryssicas

Yoga for Teens: How to Improve Your Fitness, Confidence, Appearance, and Health-And Have Fun Doing It! by Thia Luby

Eat Healthier:
Food for feeling healthy by Carol Ballard

Eat fresh food: awesome recipes for teen chefs: more than 80 recipes! by Rozanne Gold and her all-star team

Body fuel: a guide to good nutrition by Donna Shryer

Or come in to the library to find a book to help you with whatever you want to do or improve! Happy New Year!

The Sky Is Everywhere Book Trailers

2010-12-14T17:10:00.004-05:00

On this first snow of the season, I thought it was the perfect day to cozy up in the heat and read. And if you're looking for something new, why not check out (two!) book trailers for one of my favorite books of the year: The Sky Is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson.

In the book, seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, is deeply affected by the sudden death of her big sister, Bailey. As she attempts to cope, Lennie finds herself in a series of interesting situations, including unresolved feelings and curiosity about her absentee mother, a reluctance to box up her sister's things, guilt, drama in band, conflict with Gram, awkwardness with her best friend, Sarah, and most prominently, a struggle to balance two boys, despite her nonexistent relationship history.

Watch these amazing trailers to find out more:

To reserve a copy of The Sky Is Everywhere, click here!

Funny Vintage Computer Ads

2010-12-03T11:54:00.001-05:00

What kind of man owns his own computer? The ad above is from 1980 and describes the idea of owning a computer as being "rather revolutionary."

Click here to read article in The Huffington Post called "13 Vintage Computer Ads Show How Far We've Come."

Inflatable Bag Monsters

2010-12-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

You've got to see this! Artist Joshua Allen Harris has created amazing street art right in New York City, using only plastic garbage bags and a lot of creativity.

Another NaNoWriMo Over!

2010-11-30T17:17:00.004-05:00

Happy November 30th! For all those wondering, I have completed my novel for National Novel Writing Month and with 50, 165 words and I'm feeling a newfound sense of freedom!

The writing flowed more naturally for me this year than in previous years, and I think this was also the most fun I had with my story. I am proud to announce that I am now a five time (pretty bad) novelist! Did anybody else participate? How did you do?

New Harry Potter?

2010-11-19T17:45:00.004-05:00

Have you seen the new Harry Potter movie yet?

If you need to re-read the book, click here to put a copy on hold: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

NaNoWriMo 2010

2010-10-18T10:03:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year again! Time to temporarily abandon your social life, skip sleeping late on a weekend, and trade your usual hobbies for the adventure of composing a 50,000 word novel in one month.

For those of you who don't remember last year's NaNoWriMo blog post, National Novel Writing Month runs from November 1st-30th, and is a self-proclaimed "fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing" and "thirty days and thirty nights of literary abandon!" Unlike any other writing you (or anyone) has probably ever done, NaNoWriMo encourages quantity...just quantity, and that's it. It's not about producing a work of quality (and really, how could it be with just a month to complete so much?), so you can use the opportunity to just be free, write whatever you feel like writing, and know that we're all producing ridiculously bad works of literature together - that's part of the fun!

Sound like something you'd like to try? This will be my fifth year embarking on the challenging and really kind of silly journey and I'm getting myself ready by trying to plot out different kinds of turns for my story to take. To be honest, it's looking like it might be a pretty mundane story - but hey, it doesn't matter! Knowing that you just wrote a whole novel, no matter how terrible, is an AWESOME feeling!

So do you want to sign up? Check out the Official National Novel Writing Website for more information.

Good luck writers!

Exciting News for Rick Riordan Fans

2010-10-08T17:31:00.001-04:00

Hey Percy Jackson fans! We've got some exciting news! First, if you haven't heard yet, the arrival of the first book in Rick Riordan's newest Heroes of the Olympus series - The Lost Hero comes out on Tuesday, October 12! If you're eagerly awaiting the day, put a copy on old now!

And for those of you who canNOT get enough of Rick Riordan's fabulously adventurous writing, there's a very special event going on Tuesday night, the night the book comes out! You can be a part of the largest demigod gathering in history! Rick Riordan will be broadcasting live from Camp Half-Blood! Be sure to register for this FREE live webcast as soon as possible! It will be held on October 12th (7pm Eastern, 6pm Central, 5pm Mountain, 4pm Pacific). To register, visit camphalfblood.com.

Want to know what the book is about ahead of time? Here's a quote from the official Heroes of the Olympus website on what the first book is all about:

After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they'll need the help of some familiar demigods.

Exciting stuff! Enjoy!

Games on cupcakes?

2010-09-29T11:15:00.006-04:00

Do you recognize what games are pictured on the cupcakes above? I somehow stumbled across THIS AWESOME WEBSITE filled with game-themed cupcakes. And they're not just cute pictures- they're a GAME!

Browse through the 100 cupcake pictures and see what you know. Then roll your mouse over the question marks to see if you're right. I had a good time admiring the frosting-masterpieces as well as testing my game-recognition in the 100 Games Cupcake Game.

Teen Book Reviews

2010-09-25T09:00:00.032-04:00

Looking for something new to read? Take a look at some of our Summer Reading Club Teen Book Reviews and see what your peers have say about books they've recently read.

Charles B. reviews Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

This book about the adventures of a kid lawyer is great. Normally, law is a boring and complicated thing to master, especially in the courtroom. But Grisham puts a fun and mysterious twist on the usual theme, as Theodore tries to solve the mystery when a murderer is on the verge of being innocent. Now Theodore and his family must gather clues, solve puzzles, and overcome the odds to serve justice in the courtroom and put the murderer where he belongs in jail. Overall, an excellent book for teenagers interested in law and mystery.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Charles B. reviews The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

I've always love Rick Riordan's books, but this one is amazing. Coming in a close second to the Percy Jackson series, this might be one of my favorite books of his. This is the adventure of Carter and Sadie Kane as they realize their Egyptian god powers and try to save their father from the evil clutches of Set. As they discover their powers and meet friends along the way, they start to realize how their mother died years earlier and painstaking memories are revealed. Can the Kanes stop Set and his source of power, the Red Pyramid? Read this epic book and find out. Let's hope this book comes with a sequel because that would be a series no one would ever forget.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Helena C. reviews Out of the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

This was a great, fantastic, interesting, intriguing and exciting book about what happens when the wild is released again by Linda from Beauty and the Beast. The girl's father, Rapunzel's Prince, was released from the Wild after 500 years. That is when all the problems start. This book is a great adventure that pulls you right into the story and makes you keep reading. I would definitely recommend "Out of the Wild" to anyone looking for a crazy ride.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Mikah F. reviews Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

This book was unbelievably good to say the least. Huxley's commentary on the tehcnological impacts that the future might hold was quite moving. A very interesting part of the book was the way Huxley ripped out the fictional society around which he based this book. In this society, all people were fertilized in a test tube, and mass production was key. This dehumanized the entire society. Also, the entire society was brainwashed into not experiencing free thought the people preferring to take a drug rather than experience a full range of emotion. Huxley's
apprehension towards technology and mass production came through quite effectively in this work. I would strongly recommend it.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Mikah F. reviews Animal Farm by George Orwell

In this novel, Orwell makes a rather blatant political metaphor in a degree of distaste towards communism. This metaphor, despite requiring little thought to understand, was still rather enticing and emotion inducing. As a reader, I cringed as I saw the pigs taking advantage of the other farm animals, was angered as Napoleon the pig took control, yet felt elation as the pigs
overthrew their human oppressors. The ability of Orwell to convey a message so clearly, while still drawing the reader in is what makes this book so effective. All in all, this book should be read by all as it is both an intellectual and enticing piece of literature.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Brendan H. reviews Boom! by Mark Haddon

This is a crazy and hilarious book that is so zany and weird that it barely makes sense. It all starts when Jimbo's sister tells him that she heard that he might get kicked out of school. To find out if this true, the boy and and his friend, Charlie, stay after school to listen to see if the teachers say and anything about it. But they are alarmed when they hear two teachers speak to each other in what seems to be an alien language!

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Brendan H. reviews Peak by Roland Smith

The novel Peak by Roland Smith, tells about the journey of a fourteen year old boy named Peak whose main interest is climbing. When he moves to the city with his mom and stepdad, he resorts to climbing skyscrapers which lands him in jail. Although his father bails him out of jail, Peak discovers his father has an ulterior motive. He wants his son to climb to the top of Mt. Everest, so that he will be the youngest person to summit the mountain. His father, a mountaineer and owner of his own climbing company, wants the publicity that this will bring
him. The journey to the top is long and hard, filled with difficulties and challenges that Peak must overcome. And, at the end of the climb, there is a daunting decision that Peak must find the right answer to.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Summer H. reviews A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L'Engle

"A Ring of Endless Light" is about not-quite sixteen-year-old, Vicky Austin. After a year in New York, Vicky and her family are spending a summer on a beautiful Seven Bay Island. They came to help take care of Vicky's grandfather, since he is dying of leukemia. Watching her grandfather grow worse and worse, is almost too much for vicky to bear. Meanwhile, she's at the center of three very different boys. 1. Leo, an old friend from the Island, has feelings for Vicky, but she
doesn't feel the same for him. 2. Zachary, sophisticated but troubled, likes Vicky and she likes him, but she keeps pulling away from him. 3. Adam, Vicky's older brother's friend, who offers her a chance to help him in his experiments with dolphins, but keeps calling Vicky a child just as she's ready to feel like an as adult. Vicky likes him, but isn't sure if he feels the same way. But during her summer on the Island, she learns to get past the darkness of tragedy and death, and into the light of love and joy.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Omotayo I. reviews L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

This is a book about a girl named Jane Roberts and her friend, Scarlett Harp, who move to Los Angeles to find out who they really want to be. Jane interns for a notorious wedding planner and Scarlett goes to University of Southern California. While at a club, a producer approaches them and asks them to be in his new hit reality show, LA Candy. They accept and end up having their lives filmed and shown to millions of people in the United States. Jane gets into trouble and Scarlett feels that Jane is drifting away from her. LA Candy is a funny, exciting and interesting novel.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Andreas K. reviews The Reality Bug by D.J. MacHale

This book was very interesting. It involved much technology that could potentially be developed on Earth. In this book, Bobby goes to Veelox, where he discovers that the territory appears uninhabited. When he goes inside a pyramid, he learns about a virtual reality progaram that lets people live their perfect lives. He then learns that people stay in tubes where they can experience this perfection for a very long time - sometimes years. But a traveller named Aja, plans to make the system less than perfect with a virus and it soon gets out of control.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Julian M. reviews If You're Reading This It's Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch

This book is part of the intense and suspenseful "Secret Series." In this book, Cass and Max- Earnest await their first assignment in the Terces Society. They learn that they must find the homunculus using the Sound Prism, a magical orb that can allow you to hear things from a distance. Also, when thrown into the air, it makes a noise that calls the homunculus to you. This book is an action-filled mysterious sequel.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Robert P. reviews Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

This is the fourth book in the Percy Jackson series. It is a good book, but my least favorite Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson starts freshmen orientation with demon cheerleaders attacking him. He escapes to Camp-Half Blood with a mortal friend that helped him escape. While they are running to camp, they run into Percy's friend, Annabeth. When they go back to camp they are sent on a quest to find Daedalus to tell him not to give info to Luke, a traitor. When they get to Daedalus, he tells them it is to late. So they go back to camp and they get ready to fight a battle.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Spencer P. reviews Charlie Bone and the Red Knight by Jenny Nimmo

Dark forces are gathering at Bloors Academy as the Bloors search for a lost box containing a hidden will- a will that reveals the true destiny of the Red King's heirs. And the Bloors are determined to keep Charlie from finding it first. But Charlie is also facing the Lord of the Seas and an expert swordsman from a painting. The Red Knight may be the only hope, but who is the Knight? And can he help Charlie and his friends defeat evil magic for good?

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Ruhi S. reviews TTYL Lauren Myracle

This book was about three girls names Angela, Zoe, and Maddir who attempt to survive high school and remain friends. The entire book is made up of multiple IM conversations between these three girls. This book was very good, however each event in this book was hard to
remember because of the format of it. Overall, this was a good bok and I do recommend
reading it

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Victoria S. reviews A Separate Peace by John Knowles

This is a very good book about a group of boys in a boarding school in New England called the Devon School. The book takes place during World War Two. A Separate Peace was written in the past tense in the point of view of Gene Forrester. Gene revisits his high school and recalls events that happened 15 years ago. The main conflict in the book is that Gene feels both hate and love towards his best friend Finny, resenting and worshipping his athleticism and morals.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Sofia S. reviews Legacy: A Private Novel by Kate Brian

Legacy is about a girl named Reed whose friend Chennaye dies. The police say it was a suicide, but Chennaye's parents won't believe it. Reed and Chennaye had a fight right before she died. Chennaye's last email was to Reed. It said, "You did this to me." After Chennaye's death, Reed keeps getting the same email and keeps seeing her over and over.

Veronica T. reviews Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

This book was very good but I didn't love it. I think the book dragged on too much and the characters took too long to reach their goal. On the other hand, I really enjoyed all the surprises and twists in 'Incarceron'. I liked the way the prison was alive and governed itself because it gave an eerie feel to the book. Another thing I liked about this book was how most of the people the main characters met were mean and ready to harm them if need be but some of the characters, like the warden of Incarceron had a reason for his unkindness and tried to redeem himself. This book was well written but dragged on for too long for my taste but some parts where very good.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 2.

Veronica T. reviews Intertwined by Gena Showalter

This book was very good and fun to read. 'Intertwined' blended all types of supernatural beings into one exciting book. This book had vampires, werewolves, a time traveler, faeries, goblins, witches and so many more. I liked this book because it also brought friendship and forgiveness into it too. This book had many surprises and problems the main characters had to work out.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 4.

Kathryn Z. reviews The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was a very, very interesting and sad book about the Holocaust. It's about a boy named Bruno and his Dad is German. He was a Nazi. In their backyard there's a fence. And one day when Bruno went on one of his "adventures" he met a boy at the fence. He was dressed in striped pajamas just like all of the other people on his side of the fence. His name was Schmuel and he was a Jew.

From 1-5, how many shells would you give this book? 5.

Legend of The Guardians : The Owls of Ga'Hoole opens today

2010-09-22T11:51:00.002-04:00

Legend of The Guardians : The Owls of Ga'Hoole opens in theaters Friday! Even if you haven't read the books yet, who wouldn't love to look at talking owls this cute?

For those unfamiliar, here is a plot synopsis adapted from the one on Movie Insider:

The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favor from Soren. But Kludd's jealousy has terrible consequences--causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls.

Be sure to check out the beloved "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series by Kathryn Lasky. Click here to place a hold on the first book!

And visit the official movie website here: http://legendoftheguardians.warnerbros.com/#/home

Flipped Has Arrived.

2010-09-14T12:25:00.003-04:00

Incase you missed it, Flipped opened this past weekend in a few select theaters around Long Island! So exciting!

Haven't read Wendelin Van Draanen's fabulous book yet? Come in and check one out or click here to reserve a copy.

Here's a quick plot refesher from Movietickets.com for those who read it a while ago (that would be me-- thanks Movietickets):

When second-graders Bryce and Juli first meet, Juli knows its love. But Bryce isn't so sure. Girl-phobic and easily embarrassed, young Bryce does everything he can to keep his outspoken wannabe girlfriend at arm's length... for the next six years, which isn't easy since they go to the same school and live across the street from each other. But if Juli finally looks away, will it be Bryce's turn to be dazzled? "Flipped" takes Bryce and Juli from grade school to junior high; through triumph and disaster, family drama and first love, as they make the discoveries that will define who they are - and who they are to each other.

Awesome book, awesome author, hopefully awesome movie. Exciting stuff!

Our own twitter!

2010-09-09T09:13:00.007-04:00

Did you know we have a twitter account for the Youth and Parent Services department?

Library Card Sign-Up Month!

2010-09-01T17:29:00.005-04:00

Happy September! Did you know it's now officially Library Card Sign-up month? If you don't have one yet, now's the time! Want to know why? Here are a few things you can do:

1. Access the computers (and $1 per day of free printing!) at the library.
2. Check out books, movies, music, games, and other materials.
3. Sign up for all kinds of cool FREE programs like the Anime/Manga club or Mad Tacos.
4. Get personal homework help or do research from the comfort of your home.

Come in, get a card, and find out how you can do all of these things. For more information call us at (631) 427-5165 or visit our home page: http://thehuntingtonlibrary.org/

And for more on what you can do with a library card check out the American Library Association's "52 Ways to use your library card."

Scott Pilgrim Avatar Creator!

2010-08-30T09:31:00.000-04:00

Hey fans of Scott Pilgrim! Have you read the whole (awesome!) graphic novel series? Saw the movie? Gotten to the point where you really just wanted to Scott Pilgrim-ize yourself? Welp, I just did. Check it out:

Make your own Scott Pilgrim avatar by clicking here: http://www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/avatarCreator/

Congratulations!

2010-08-28T15:29:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to the Huntington Hades for winning the 2010 Battle of the Books Team Spirit Award!

Mockingjay!

2010-08-24T12:03:00.003-04:00

Happy Mockingjay Day!!!

To put a copy on reserve, click here.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

2010-08-12T09:36:00.007-04:00

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

An epic of epic epicness

In Theaters Tomorrow

Be the first to comment on this post and get a free copy of the first book in this series.

The Social Network (the Facebook movie) trailer

2010-07-26T15:50:00.002-04:00

Yep. They're making a movie about Facebook starring Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerburg. Check out the trailer below:

The movie is due out October 1st. To read more about the plot and cast check out IMDB.

Suzanne Collins comes to Barnes and Noble

2010-07-22T11:12:00.010-04:00

Are you a Hunger Games fan?

If so, you'll be excited to hear that at 7:00pm, on Tuesday, August 24th (the same day Mockingjay comes out!), Suzanne Collins will be appearing at Barnes and Noble in Huntington Station!

Bracelets (admittance for the event) will available on Monday, August 23rd at 9:00am. You need a bracelet to see her, so don't miss out!

Or, click here to request a copy of Mockingjay.

Twilight: Eclipse – The 8-Bit Interactive Game

2010-06-29T18:10:00.002-04:00

Ok. This is awesome (and funny)! You've GOT to try this 8-bit (cool in and of itself) choose-your-own-adventure Twilight Eclipse game.

Note to all Twilight fans: This game doesn't take itself or the book/movie series too seriously. Make sure you play it with a sense of humor!

Battle of the Books

2010-06-01T17:06:00.004-04:00

It's official! The books for this year's Battle of the Books have been announced! Want to get in on the action? You can still sign up by clicking here.

And, without further adieu, the titles for this year...

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

The Lightening Theif by Rick Riordan

Peak by Roland Smith

Peeled by Joan Bauer

Ranger's Apprentice Book 1: The Ruines of Gorian by John Flanagan

Schooled by Gordon Korman

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

You can sign up if you're in grades 5-8. The meeting dates are June 7, 14, 21, 29, July 12, and 19, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. The In House Battle is Monday, July 26 and 6:00 and the Regional Championship is Saturday, August 14 (time and location TBA).

39 Clues Author Visit!

2010-05-17T12:01:00.007-04:00

Monday, May 24th!

Mark your calendars because the authors of the "39 Clues" books are coming the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Station! At 6:00pm, you'll have your chance to meet four of the award-winning authors: Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson, and Peter Lerangis.

Bracelets for the event will be distributed Sunday, May 23rd at 10:00am. For more information, you can contact the store at 631-421-9886.

It should be exciting!

If you haven't read any of the 39 Clues books, click here to put a copy of the first one (Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan) on hold!

Novel-T Jerseys

2010-05-13T11:25:00.005-04:00

Wearing a jersey is a good way to show your support for your favorite athletes. But what about showing support for your favorite authors and novel characters?

Welp, now there's a jersey for doing that too! With lost of famous names available such as Vonnegut, Sawyer, Poe, Thoreau, Quixote, Gatsby and more, you're sure to find a Novel-T, that fits your liking.

Novel-T, will donate $1 of each purchase to 826NYC, a nonprofit organization in New York City that helps students ages 6 to 18 with writing skills.

You can order them here!

Flipped is coming to theaters

2010-05-05T15:23:00.004-04:00

Have you read Wendelin Van Draanen's novel Flipped? Did you love it? Welp, great news! It's being made into a movie!

The movie, starring Madeline Carroll as Juli Baker and Callan McAuliffe as Bryce Loski, is due out September 17th of this year.

If you haven't read the book yet (you have to read it before you see the movie) it's written in alternation perspective chapters between Bryce and Juli. The two young teens, while growing up, describe their feelings about themselves, their peers, family, and mostly, each other--even though they are complete opposites.

To read more about the movie click here.

To reserve a copy of the book click here.

The games have arrived!

2010-05-04T14:07:00.003-04:00

Check out our new video game collection!

It's now on the shelf!

We have an assortment of games for Wii, Playstation 3, and XBOX 360.

Borrowing privileges are for Huntington Public Library card holders only and each game can be checked out for 1 week.

Earth Day 2010

2010-04-22T11:21:00.005-04:00

Happy Earth Day!

Every year, since 1969, we have observed Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day's purpose is to increase public awareness of environmental issues such as recycling, pollution, energy, and global warming.

There are lots of easy, small things you can do to help care for our planet. Here are a few ideas:

1. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Or, better yet, if there's enough sunlight coming in, leave the lights off when you enter a room.

2. Reuse the back-sides of paper.

3. Turn off the water when you're not using it, specifically when brushing your teeth.

4. Don't leave the refridgerator open for too long. Decide what you want before opening the door because it takes more energy to cool the refridgerator down after the warmer air has come in.

5. Unplug unused electrical devices throughout your house. Anything plugged into an electrical socket, but not turned on will still use some amount of energy. This energy is being wasted! So besure to unplug old toys, stereos, and chargers that you aren't using.

6. Pack a greener lunch: Use a cloth bag instead of paper bags, and pack your food in reusable plastic or metal containers, instead of plastic wrap or foil. You can also pack your drink in a reusable bottle or thermos, and even try using a cloth napkin instead of paper ones.

7. Check out a book on Earth-friendly crafting, such as this one, for instance.

And why not read a few short storioes about the saving the Earth for inspiration? I think you're never too old to enjoy a picture book. Here are some titles to get you started:

Just A Dream, by Chris Van Allsburg

Charlie & Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers, by Lauren Child

Stuff!: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, by Steven Kross

The Great Trash Bash, by Loreen Leedy

Abigale the Happy Whale, by Peter Farrelly

New Stephenie Meyer Book

2010-04-05T08:33:00.004-04:00

Attention Twilight lovers! Stephenie Meyer's new novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, comes out exactly two months from today, on June 5th! And it's her first new book in two years.

The story is told from the point of view of Bree, one of the newborn vampires introduced to us in Eclipse. Throughout the novel, "Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion" (Amazon).

If you want to, you can pre-order the book from Books-A-Million or from Amazon now!

Or, click here to read more about the book in a USA Today article.

Peeps as...

2010-04-03T14:53:00.008-04:00

This week is (was?) officially Peeps Week 2010 and, in honor of this delicious holiday week(end), I thought I would share with you some fun and interesting ways to eat and serve Peeps. I got ALL of them from awesome Serious Eats website, which also has all kinds of other interesting and yummy recipes.

Here goes...

(1) Peeps as Peeps Krispie Treats

Apparently, although these are made the same way regular rice crispy treats are made, Peeps Krispie Treats taste sweeter that regular ones (sprinkly sugar on top, maybe?). Plus, they're so pretty and colorful! I'm thinking of giving these a shot myself actually, because they look so easy to make. Click the link above for instructions.

(2) Peeps as Peepshi

You can make Peepshi (Peeps Sushi!) with just some peeps, rice crispy treats, and Fruit by the Foot. But you have take a picture before you eat it, because this one's all about the image. Click the link above for a Beginners Guide to Peepshi.

(3) Peeps as S'meeps

Seems so obvious, but I didn't think of it! Apparently these taste just like regular s'mores, but have an extra (and delightful) subtle crunch. I'm also considering making these.

(4) Peeps as Fluffernutter

This one has a surprise! It's not just a regular fluffernutter sandwich with a marshmallow swap. Nope. Instead of ordinary bread, this sandwich is made with 1" pieces of POUND CAKE. Mmmmm!

(5) Peeps as Peepza

Okay, I'll be honest, when I first stumbled upon this I let out an, "Ewww!" But then I gave it a bit of actual consideration and yep, I can see this giving me the exact salty/sweet combo I am always craving (you know, like chocolate covered pretzels do). You're actually supposed to melt the peeps, and when you think about it (really) pizza with a little extra sweet... probably pretty okay.

(6) Peeps as Chocolate Covered Peepsicles

I don't know how you can go wrong with this one, really. Plus it seems totally easy to make. I'd imagine that, in addition to coconut, you could probably cover these guys in sprinkles or even maybe a caramel drizzle or something.

Happy Peeps Week, guys!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opening Date

2010-03-24T16:43:00.016-04:00

Big news!!! Universal Studios has unveiled the opening date of their new and very much anticipated theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

The park, which is part of Universal's Islands of Adventure, will officially be opening their towering castle gates on...

June 18th!!!!

But! If you're really, super, extra excited and you just canNOT wait until June 18th, the attraction will be open beginning May 28th for park guests who buy a special Harry Potter Travel Package (which are still available here under "tickets and vacation".)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will provide its visitors the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the magical world of Harry Potter. Guests will be able to visit iconic locations found in the books and movies, including Dumbledore's Office, the Defence Agency Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the Gryffindor common room.

Rides will include the Dragon Challenge and the Flight of the Hippogriff.

About the park, J.K. Rowling says, “The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.”

Hey, if J.K. Rowling isn't disappointed, how can any of us be?

Hunger Games Movie

2010-03-18T22:16:00.010-04:00

Newsflash! Lionsgate officially announced, today, that it has acquired the rights to the film version of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!

Suzanne Collins is at work adapting the screenplay from her novel and Nina Jacobson will be producing the movie, due out in 2011. The announcement was made by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President. (Comingsoon.net)

Get excited by watching Suzanne Collins read part of The Hunger Games below:

For more Hunger Games fun, check out this site!

Or, if you haven't read the book yet (but now you really want to) click her to put a copy on hold.

Beware the Ides of March!

2010-03-15T13:27:00.002-04:00

I'm sure by now you've all heard the famous March 15th expression, "Beware the Ides of March." In fact, many of you might even know that the saying came from Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, but do you know exactly what it means?

I didn't, and it bothered me, so I decided to do a little bit (really, just a little bit) of investigation.

The earliest Roman calendar was organized around the moon. A few prominent days were named: Kalends (the 1st day of the month), Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October, OR the 5th day in the other months), and Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October, or the 13th day in the other months).

So, really, Ides didn't have any more of a special meaning than Kalends or Nones. And it came every month.

Then, on March 15th 44BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated by Roman Senators who were concerned that he had too much power.

Then in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, a soothsayer says, "Beware the Ides of March" to Julius Caesar to warn him that this was going to be his assassination day.

Now, still, the soothsayer's warning gives today's date a sense of foreboding and impending danger.

If you're still interested, request a book or two on Julius Caesar.

(Information from InfoPlease and Dr. Robyn Silverman)

Official Eclipse Trailer!

2010-03-11T14:40:00.002-05:00

It's up!!! As promised, here is the official Eclipse trailer! So exciting!

Eclipse 10-Second Trailer

2010-03-10T19:29:00.006-05:00

This is such a tease, but awesome none the less...

It's a 10-second trailer for the Eclipse movie, from book number three in Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. The FULL preview comes out tomorrow (we'll post it), but for now, enjoy this tiny preview of the trailer. Exciting!

Let's Talk About Books: The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

2010-03-05T11:53:00.004-05:00

Love the 39 Clues? Or want to try the popular series?

Here's your chance! If your in grade 5 or 6, come to "Let's Talk About Books" on Wednesday, April 7th from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. We'll be discussing The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The 39 Clues book series has become one of the most popular choices among many young readers. Find out what all the fuss is about! We'll discuss the book, The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan, as well as learn how to collect the playing cards and use them for an online adventure.

The first 15 to register receive a free copy of the book.

Snow Day!!!!

2010-02-09T22:08:00.010-05:00

Happy snow day!!!

When you're tired and cold from sledding and snow ball fights, here's 10 more ideas to keep you busy both inside and outside.

1. Fill a spray bottle with water and few drops of food coloring. Then make your way back outside and decorate the awesome snow sculptures you made.

2. Try making snow ice cream! It's actually pretty easy! Directions can be found here!

3. Get out your old Lego's and create something huge! See if you can make a whole city (if you've got enough blocks).

4. Go Internet window shopping. Amazon.com lets you make a Wish List for every member of the family. Search the site, add items, prioritize your list and add notes!

5. With Valentine's Day less than a week away, check out this page full of Valentine's Day recipes and make something for someone you love.

6. This one seems so wrong, which is why it's so very right. Find instructions here on how to make a totally washable and awesome stained glass window paint! Then make your masterpiece.

7. Remember blanket forts from childhood? Bring back the blanket fort!! Remember to leave a peep hole to watch TV or movies out of. And make sure to stock up on snacks ahead of time so you don't have to leave.

8. Make a time capsule. 2010 is the perfect year to stock up on memories. Fill a shoebox or coffee can with things like newspaper articles, photos, magazines, music, and whatever else you can think of (click here for ideas). Make sure whatever you put in will remind you of 2010 in the future. Then hide the box (in the basement?) and mark it with a big "Do Not Open Until 2020!"

9. Make meal time fun. Eat in the dining room and/or with fancy dishes, or try have an indoor picnic on the floor.

10. Learn how to make paper beads! Then string them!

Twilight Graphic Novels.

2010-02-06T14:11:00.012-05:00

Attention, Twilight fans! If you finished Breaking Dawn and wanted just a little bit more of the Twilight series in your life, your wishes have come true!

Get ready for Twilight, the graphic novel.

The first of the books will be released March 16th. Click here to find out more!

Cheshire Cat craft

2010-02-06T12:14:00.004-05:00

Only one month left until Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie hits the theaters and if you totally can't wait, here's something fun to tide you over.

Click here to get your very own Cheshire Cat to cut out an assemble!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Trailer!!!

2010-02-05T19:10:00.001-05:00

As you may know, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is coming out in the theaters on April 2nd. We've been totally excited and now there's finally a trailer! Check it out!!!

The Missing, Book 2

2010-01-24T13:55:00.008-05:00

Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest book in the Missing Series, Sent, just came out a few days ago and we're all very excited!

In fact, so is the author herself! Check out this video of her talking about the series:

Click here to reserve your copy of Sent, or if you're new to the series, click here to reserve your copy of book 1, Found.

Be Funky!

2010-01-21T10:14:00.003-05:00

We're all chatting about this website this morning called Be Funky. It allows you to turn your photos into fancy, artsy pictures with very little effort. It's not a replacement for high-end photo editing software, but it's pretty fun to play around with if you want to have an original looking Facebook avatar. This is a photo of me that I ran through the different filters. It really only takes one click, super easy. Give it a shot!

Newbery Winner and Newbery Honor books!

2010-01-19T16:40:00.009-05:00

The American Library Association (Association for Library Service to Children) has announced the official Newbery Winner and Newbery Honor books for 2010!

And the winner is...
"When You Reach Me," written by Rebecca Stead, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

And here are this year's Newbery Honor books:
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" written by Phillip Hoose, published by Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" written by Jacqueline Kelly, published by Henry Holt and Company

"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" written by Grace Lin, published by Little Brown and Company Books for Young Readers

"The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg" written by Rodman Philbrick, published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Keeping with a theme

2010-01-14T10:57:00.005-05:00

In keeping with the "creepy and artistic" theme, here is a video that is NOT by Tim Burton, but is honestly just as awesome as something he would do. It's creepy though, so bewarned if you're easily creeped. It's been called "equal parts Pixar and The Twilight Zone." Here is Alma, by Rodrigo Blaas.

Tim Burton!

2010-01-12T16:24:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!!!! I don't mean to be an advertisement for the Museum of Modern of Art or anything, but last week I saw the Tim Burton exhibit there and it was AWESOME.

From the MoMA website:

"This exhibition explores the full range of [Tim Burton's] creative work, tracing the current of his visual imagination from early childhood drawings through his mature work in film. It brings together over seven hundred examples of rarely or never-before-seen drawings, paintings, photographs, moving image works, concept art, storyboards, puppets, maquettes, costumes, and cinematic ephemera from such films as Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Mars Attacks!, Ed Wood, and Beetlejuice, and from unrealized and little-known personal projects that reveal his talent as an artist, illustrator, photographer, and writer working in the spirit of Pop Surrealism."

The exhibit is there until April 26, and is totally worth the short wait in line if you don't have a timed ticket (which I didn't). Apparently they are required on weekends, and you can buy them with your ticket, which you can buy online here.

Seriously I'm not trying to advertise MoMA but this exhibit was just so good.

-Ms. Laura, librarian

P.S. If you're interested, you should reserve this biography on Tim Burton!

Something About the Author Online!

2009-12-23T15:08:00.005-05:00

We're excited to announce that the Suffolk e-Resources had added a really great database called Something About the Author Online! If any of you have used this reference in print form, you'll know how valuable of a tool it can be, and also how much easier it will be to use now that it's online!

The link to click if you're in library is: http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/scls_main?db=SATA and the link to click if you're outside the library is http://0-infotrac.galegroup.com.alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us/itweb/scls_main?db=SATA.

Bento Boxes

2009-12-22T13:16:00.002-05:00

Have any of you guys ever made a bento box? I just got really into them a few weeks ago.

A bento box is a takeout or home-packed meal that is meant to serve one person. It started as a part of Japanese cuisine, but has recently taken off in other places and all over the Internet. A traditional bento box usually consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. But they can really be anything you like! The whole idea is that it's packed efficiantly and utilizes all of the boxes space. They're so economical! Bento containers can range from disposable and mass produced to fancy and hand crafted. Often, the box is partitioned, which helps it to be packed and stay put. I found the picture to the left on Boing Boing this morning. It shows a really awesome Care Bears bento box, but a quick Internet search will come back with tonssssss of different cute and themey bento boxes.

The first day that I discovered the bento box I attempted to make my lunch for the next day in bento form. See the picture to the right. It didn't include rice, fish, meat, or any pickled or cooked vegetables. (It does have an assortment of tiny things and vegan meats, however.)

On the bottom sides, there is a cut-up vegan bologna sandwich on a round sandwich thin, cut in half and facing out. Then I threw a few pieces of vegan pepperoni on top (to attempt to make it pretty. Fail, right?). Then I cut up a chocolate Vitamuffin and put it in a cupcake baking container and I did the same with a box of raisins below it. Then, because I thought it needed something to hold it in place, I dumped handfuls of Cheerios in all the gaps, and voila! Bento!

Welllllll, by the time I had driven my bento box to work and taken it out at lunch time, it had all jumbled up and the Cheerios were soggy and gross. So, wompwomp. But it was my first try and I had limited ingrediants, and it tasted good enough (other than the Cheerios), so I'm still pretty proud of myself!

Anyway, there are a few books on bento boxes in the Suffolk County Library System. If you're interested, put one or two on hold and maybe YOUR bento box will turn out better than mine did.

501 bento box lunches : 501 unique recipes for brilliant bento

Bento boxes : Japanese meals on the go

Simple menus for the bento box

Face Food : The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes

-Ms. Laura, Librarian

Cathy's Book: If found call (650) 266-8233

2009-12-17T11:47:00.001-05:00

Cathy's Book by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman is the first interactive teen novel! It's been completely reworked from it's original form (click the link to reserve the original) and is available iPhone and iPod Touch!

"The publishing phenomenon Cathy's Book redefined the way teens approach novels and set a new standard for interactivity, using the most popular kids' technology to enhance the experience of reading a really good story... Part romance, part thriller, part mystery, Cathy's Book stands on its own beyond the interactive angle and the intense marketing campaign that made it a bestseller." -Amazon

But, with the new app, you'll get to experience the story by making phone calls, checking websites, discovering evidence and secrets, and exploring the pages of Cathy's private sketchbook.

For more information, check out Cathy's website here!

OR just go straight to itunes buy her app from the store. You can download itunes here (it works on a PC too). I'm going to buy it ASAP! Looks like so much fun!

Help Cathy solve the mystery before it's too late!

Crocodile Tears Book Trailer

2009-12-08T13:56:00.001-05:00

Crocodile Tears is Anthony Horowitz's newest book in the Alex Rider series! Very exciting. Check out the trailer below:

Fire Book Trailer

2009-12-08T13:41:00.001-05:00

Kristin Cashore recently published Fire, the prequel to her debut novel, Graceling. Check out the trailer for it below...

THEN you can create your own movie cast with this fun little gadget:

Awww Cute

2009-12-07T10:07:00.002-05:00

Awww look at the tiny lego guitars (http://twitter.com/boingboing) Click the image to see it full size. It's so cute!

Cute animal videos

2009-12-05T13:15:00.002-05:00

So, I'm sure you've all seen the Surprise Kitty video by now, right?

(Here it is just incase you haven't.)

BUT have you seen the skateboarding dog?

That Novel You're Workin' On...

2009-11-17T16:31:00.002-05:00

Since we're right in the middle of NaNoWriMo...

The Hunger Games (Book Discussion)

2009-11-13T17:55:00.034-05:00

The first 5 to leave a comment about the "The Hunger Games" can choose a free book!! Just come into the library at 338 Main Street to claim it.

Have you read The Hunger Games?
The ultimate survival book.

Watch a video description of book 1 in this thrilling trilogy

SOME QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

(1) How does the fact that the tributes are always on camera affect their behavior from the time they are chosen? Does it make it easier or harder for them to accept their fate?

(2) How are the "career tributes" different from the others?

(3) Discuss the ways in which the Gamemakers control the environment and "entertainment" value of the Games.

(4) How does it affect the tributes to know they are being manipulated to make the Games more exciting for the gamblers and viewers?

(5) Does knowing that she is on live TV make Katniss behave differently than she would otherwise?

(6) Why does Katniss ignore Haymitch's advice to head directly away from the Cornucopia? Did she do the right thing to fight for equipment?

(7) What are the most important skills Katniss has for staying alive - her knowledge of nature? - her skill with bow and arrow? - her trapping ability?

(8) Why does Peeta join with the Career Tributes in the beginning of the Games? What does he hope to gain? Why do they accept him when they start hunting as a group?

(9) Why do groups form in the beginning of the games when they know only one of them will be able to survive?

Have any other thoughts? Add more questions to our list! Or suggest titles for other discussions.