Friday, February 29, 2008

Happy Leap Day!

We've been getting a lot of awesome new books in the teen section lately. One of them is You & You & You by Per Nilsson. This novel follows the lives of three very different characters who eventually meet each other:

• Zarah, who is struggling with her beauty and its impact on a friendship, as well as her relationship with a jealous boyfriend.
• Nils, who is so obsessed with death that he plans to spend the night in a coffin at a funeral home.
• Anon, a Messiah-figure who is totally quirky: he barely reacts when kids pick on him at school, he walks into telephone poles, and he believes his absent father is a god.

Often teen literature is written so that it is fun but not really “literature.” While that is fine when you want to read something light, this book comes closer to deserving the teen literature label. The story is entertaining, but after I finished it, I realized that this book really makes you think too! A wide range of topics are covered, ranging from social issues like abusive relationships to more philosophical issues like death versus life and the nature of soul mates. When you are done reading, you may have some new ideas about fate.

Just a quick note: if you do read the book, you will notice that some chapters start with a short quote in Spanish. If you don’t understand Spanish, it’s helpful to know that all of the quotes are translated on the last page of the book.

If you are more interested in the “something light” genre, celebrate today by reading Leap Day by Wendy Mass!

~Marissa

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Are you trying to figure out what you want to do after high school but don't know where to start? It can be overwhelming to plan your future, but there's a web site that can make the process easier for you.

The web site www.careeronestop.org offers information about an astonishing number of jobs in its Occupation Profile, including salary, necessary skills, and employment trend facts. That means that you can investigate whether or not a career would really suit you before you pursue it.

This is also a good place to figure out what kind of educational path you should take in order to get your dream job. The web site offers an Education and Training Finder where you can choose a career and discover which schools offer relevant courses of study. There's a Scholarship Search to help you pay for school too.

If you aren't planning to continue your education after high school, you may be dreading the search for a full-time job. Career One Stop can help you to impress potential employers! It has tips on how to create a resume and how to handle a job interview. The only downside to the web site is it's appearance - its neat and functional layout doesn't make thinking about the future as exciting as other career sites that are more teen-oriented. If you find Career One Stop's site too boring, try www.myfuture.com which doesn't have the same amount of specific career info but which does offer resume and interview advice, financial advice for living on your own, and links to other career sites. Both web sites also contain information about the military.

Who knows? Maybe you'll become inspired to get a job you never thought of before. Whether you think you want to be a locker room attendant or an astronomer - or a librarian! - or something completely different, it is definitely worth checking out these sites to help you make the decision.

~Marissa

Thursday, February 7, 2008

You may have noticed that politics is a big topic in the news lately. Democrats and Republicans are trying to choose their presidential candidates for the November election. In Connecticut, members of both parties voted on Tuesday for who they thought would be the best candidate. In our state, Barack Obama won the Democratic vote, and John McCain won the Republican vote, but the official presidential candidates won't be decided until all of the states have voted.

It may be too late for you to vote in the primary, but it is still a great time to become a registered voter! If you register as soon as you turn 18, you will be all set in November - you won't have to worry about getting the application in on time. (It usually takes at least a week to be processed.) Then, you can help determine the course of America's future with your vote for president! (That may sound funny since one vote out of millions can seem insignificant but think about the 2000 presidential election; it took weeks for it to be officially determined that George Bush would be our next president because the vote results were so close in Florida. Remember the vote recounts?)

It's easy to register to vote. You can pick up an application at the library's circulation desk or print out a form online at http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/Elecform.html. (There's even a Spanish form there if English is not your first language) It only takes 5 minutes to fill out, and the hardest question is which political party you want to belong to. Even that shouldn't be too intimidating - you can change your political affiliation whenever you want. But to help you make your decision, here are the links to some major political parties' web sites:

Republican National Committee: www.rnc.org
Democratic Party: www.democrats.org
Independent American Party: www.usiap.org
Green Party of the United States: www.gp.org
Libertarian Party: www.lp.org
Constitution Party: www.constitutionparty.com

~Marissa

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Duct Tape Rose Program
Monday, February 11 at 6 p.m.
The library's meeting room
Pros and Cons of Giving Roses on Valentine's Day

Pros

• Roses are beautiful so they are sure to be appreciated!
• They're inexpensive and easy to find (see every gas station in the state).

Cons

• Some people are allergic to roses.
• Those thorns can hurt!
• Roses usually die within a week.
• Giving roses on Valentine's Day is extremely cliched.

So how can you get all of the pros of giving roses this Valentine's Day without any of the cons? Make a rose out of duct tape! This has the added pro of a wow factor, whoever you give it to will definitely be surprised! (A nice spin on the old cliche) Plus, because duct tape roses don't die - you can save your rose for other occasions too.

• To give your mom on Mother's Day
• To wear/give to your date at the prom
• To give as a present on your best friend's birthday
• To give your teacher right before a big test.

Well, maybe not that last one. But you can see that the ability to make a duct tape rose can be useful in the future, so come to the library and make one!

This program is FREE and open to anyone ages 12-18 but you must register by Saturday, February 9. Snacks will be served.

~Marissa

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Happy New Year!

I just finished reading an awesome book by David Levithan: Marly's Ghost. The book is a modern Valentine's Day version of Charles Dickens's "The Christmas Carol." Yes, I know that it's a little early to be thinking about Valentine's Day, but I wanted to give you a chance to read it ahead of time. You won't be disappointed.

In this book, the main character, Ben, has given up on love after the death of his girlfriend, Marly, but he rethinks his bitter outlook on life after visits from a few ghosts. Many readers who are struggling with the end of a relationship will be able to relate to Ben's jaded perspective. For example, on page 17, he says, "You could plant fields of carnations for each other, and that won't prevent what's going to happen... Love is not something you can ever get inside of." Despite this kind of pessimism, there's a lot for readers who are in love to identify with too, especially as Ben observes happy relationships. In fact, the hopeful ending may even make those of you who are Anti-Valentine's Day smile.

The author wrote the first draft of this book while looking at the original text of The Christmas Carol so it's an amusing read: it's not just the general concept that's been borrowed - many details have been included in this "remix" so if you've read Dickens's version or seen the Christmas movie, you'll probably recognize some familiar lines. It may even inspire you to write your own version of a classic!

~Marissa

Thursday, December 20, 2007

There's only one more day left until winter vacation!

Here's an idea for how you can spend your first day of freedom from school: come to the library on Saturday at 1 p.m. to watch the classic movie Holiday Inn for free! The movie features Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, whose characters always fall in love with the same women. As they each try to win the heart of the same girl, Bing's character also must run his new inn, which is only open on holidays.

This movie isn't just for teens so if you know adults or kids who would be interested, bring them with you. I'll be serving refreshments after the program, and there may even be a classic cartoon before the film.

Merry Christmas!

~Marissa

Monday, December 10, 2007

The holiday season is officially here! Happy Chanukah! And happy countdown to Christmas! Just two weeks left until we can spend time with family and friends, eating, laughing... and opening presents!

But, of course, giving presents is something to look forward to as well. And there are so many opportunities to be generous around the holidays. Sometimes, it's even a little frustrating because it's impossible to give to every cause. But if you are looking for an easy way to help someone enjoy their holiday this year, I hope you will consider this suggestion: participate in the "Be an Angel" tree project at the library.

Paper angels and doves hang from the branches of the adult department's Christmas tree. Each paper ornament lists a gender and an age range; you can pick a child or a senior citizen. After you pick your angel or dove, buy a present for just $15 and bring it back to the library by this Saturday (Dec.15). (Gift suggestions can be found on flyers at the reference desk.) Then, the Visiting Nurses Association will collect the presents and deliver them to local children and seniors who could use some holiday cheer this season.

The library's Christmas tree is also decorated with paper pianos. These pianos give you the opportunity to make a donation to help Bob Veillette, a man who often held piano concerts at the library before he had a stroke which left him "locked-in." This means that he can see, hear, and think, but he is extremely limited in his ability to move or communicate. Offering your support to the Bob Veillette Fund or to the "Be an Angel" project would be a great way to help out someone in your own community this Christmas - plus, it might ensure that Santa puts you on his "good" list!

~Marissa

Friday, November 29, 2007

Don't you hate when you're looking for something to read but you don't know exactly what you want? If you're in that situation now, I've found the perfect website for you!

Go to Teensreadtoo.com. As you might expect from a website with that kind of name, Teensreadtoo.com features book lists and reviews for an amazing amount of young adult literature. Plus, there's a calendar showing when upcoming YA books will be published. The website also offers a bunch of interesting extras: interviews with writers, links to tons of YA authors' websites, and contests to win everything from books to a Nintendo Wii! The book reviews sometimes seem more like summaries, but in general the website is a useful one because it offers such a wide selection of titles for you to consider. This may be a good place to look when you are constructing your holiday wish list! Plus, you may get ideas for books to get for your younger siblings: there's a link to a whole section about younger children's books.

If you visit Teensreadtoo.com and you find an interesting book that we don't have at the library, let me know so that I can order it. You can either ask to fill out an order consideration slip at the reference desk or you can email me at my new email address: Marissa (at symbol) biblio.org.

Congratulations to the winners of the Teen Pet Photo Contest! That contest was so much fun to judge! All of the entries are on display in the teen section so stop by and check them out.

~Marissa

Friday, November 16, 2007

Today is the last day to enter the Teen Pet Photo Contest! Don't worry if you missed the chance to win this contest. There's another opportunity to win a prize! I really want to know what you think about books and programs at the library so I created the Young Adult Library Survey. If you take 5 minutes to fill it out, you could be rewarded with a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble! A winner will be chosen from all of the completed surveys. (Surveys can be picked up in the teen section.) Let me know what you think - I may use your ideas to make future decisions for the YA department!

~Marissa

Thursday, November 15, 2007

I recently finished reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It has an ironic title; Charlie, the main character, actually learns the perks of not being a wallflower. (In case you are unsure of the meaning of “wallflower,” the dictionary on my computer explains it as someone who remains on the sidelines at social events.)

The book, which was on Naugy’s 10th grade summer reading list, is made up of letters that Charlie writes to a stranger during his first year of high school. Charlie faces many tough issues: suicide, sexual abuse, abortion, drugs… I know that, unfortunately, these topics are part of many teenagers’ lives, but it was shocking to be confronted by so many controversial issues in the span of 206 pages. At first I wondered why a book like this would be on the summer reading list. Should teenagers be encouraged by the school system to read a book in which, for example, the main character actually enjoys being high? This book was protested by parents in other school systems where it was read in class. So why would our Board of Education risk the same kind of controversy in Naugatuck by putting it on the summer reading list?

I can’t answer for the Board of Ed, but I can explain why I am now recommending the book to you. First, the controversial issues may make you think about your own beliefs, and the book is written in such a way that it may help you understand the opposite point of view as well. Second, the book is completely relatable, even if you have never had the same experiences as Charlie has. This is because, like Charlie, readers are wallflowers: they can only observe the characters’ fictional world without participating in it. But when the book ends, readers can decide to participate in the real world. That means confronting their own tough issues. If you need a push in the right direction during whatever struggle you are currently facing, Charlie’s story might give you the inspiration you need to overcome that problem.