NCHCPL Teen Blog

"Free People Read Freely"

2006-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

This week is Banned Books Week (September 23 - 30). Many books I have read and enjoyed are some of the most challenged books in the history of literature: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher and The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. Celebrate your freedom to read and check out some of these links:

ALA Banned Books page

Explore banned books with Google

Top 100 Challenged Books 1990-1999

What's the difference between a challenge and a banning

New Look--New System Too

2006-09-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Blog! It's been one year since it's inception, and I thought it was time for transformation. Like the new look? I dig the darker background--it's much easier on the eyes. Bear with me as I migrate some of the old links onto the new blog. This also happens to coincide with the upcoming computer system migration currently happening at your library right now.

We will be offline and checking out manually on September 24th through the 27th. Make sure you bring in your library card--there is no way for us to look up your account with an ID. This will only be for 4 days; if you have any troubles, don't hesitate to email me: angelad [at] nchcpl.lib.in.us OR IM me--

AOL: nchcplangela
YAHOO: anewla
MSN: angelad [at] nchcpl.lib.in.us

We will be back up and running with our new computer system on September 28th.

Dance Dance Revolution

2006-08-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

Dance the night away on our Cobalt Flux dance pads with the PS2--DDR and Karaoke Revolution is on Thursday night from 6-8. Snacks provided, including plenty of water! Thanks to the Friends of the Library for providing these arcade-style pads. And remember the teen council meeting Friday at 4 pm in the Teenscape.

King Tut and Ancient Egypt

2006-08-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

"He could have won a Grammy -- buried in his 'jammies -- King Tut"
- the King Tut song, Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons, Saturday Night Live 4/22/1978.

I got to see the King Tutankhamun exhibit at Chicago's Field museum recently, and it is an awesome sight. If you are able to make the trip up north to the windy city, I highly recommend it. Make sure and buy your tickets online in advance. If you can't make it, peruse the photos of the personal belongings and all those funerary articles here.

Of course, you can always transport yourself to ancient Egypt via movies and books, like in THE MUMMY. The library has older versions as well as the 1999 adventure we all know and love, featuring a librarian as one of the main characters (I had to put that one in). One book that may have slipped through the cracks is Gillian Bradshaw's THE DRAGON AND THE THIEF, where an unlucky guy meets a wealthy dragon and adventure ensues. And it has a dragon in it! You can't beat that, Eragon fans.

Grand Prize Winners!

2006-07-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our 3 grand prize winners in this year's Summer Reading Program:

Jordan Paul Scott won the iPod Nano
Sarah Jessee won the anime DVD boxed set (InuYasha)
Shane Toombs won the $50 Simon mall gift certificate

Thanks to everyone who participated!

And don't forget next week we've got 2 programs: our Teen Knit Night is Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. All skills welcome--just bring your own materials. Needles and yarn are always a good start--I'll have scissors, rubber bands and snacks, of course. Second, we have Amanda Bynes in her newest release SHE'S THE MAN - Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 pm in the Teenscape. Online signup is through these links provided here. See you there.

Week 6 Winner

2006-07-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Shannon Hiday won movie theater tickets for this week's summer reading drawing! She's just finished the book The Pity Party: 8th Grade in the Life of Me, Cass by Alison Pollet, sequel to Nobody Was Here: 7th Grade in the Life of Me, Polly. Get to know Polly's best friend, Cassie, as she wonders why her English teacher is out to get her. Being an orphan and having to read ALL these books about orphans too! Join Cassie at an NYC private school and find out, as she misses old friends and makes new ones.

Week 5 Winner / Architect Studio

2006-07-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Davis, our week 5 summer reading winner. Kaitlyn won a $10 Starbucks certificate. Even though she does not enjoy ballet, she liked the mystery book Dorian Cirrone's Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You which can be searched in our library catalog here. Our last weekly drawing is next week, so hurry in with all your book review cards!

TEEN TECH CAMP CONTINUES / LAN Party
Remember to come in at 2 pm today as our Teen Tech Camp continues with a look at Architect Studio. On this site, you can design a house, walk through it in 3D and share it with anyone if you like! Tomorrow at 2 pm is Job Drive and Friday same time is Video Game Design. And then stick around for the Call of Duty LAN party until 6 pm. Door prizes to be had, so come early! Sign up on library calendar here.

Week 4 Winner

2006-07-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Abby Grim for winning the weekly summer reading prize! [This post is late coming due to vacation time off.] Abby has won Kerasotes movie theater certificates totaling $10.
The last weekly drawing will be July 17th, and the final drawings for the iPod Nano, Inu Yasha DVD boxed set, and $50 Simon gift card is on Monday July 24th. Bring in those review cards to win!

Week 3 Winner and What She's Reading

2006-06-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our week 3 winner is Violet Corn! She won this week's Starbucks gift card. Violet loves to read fantasy, and she recently finished the new book The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. She says that it was a fun, exciting read and she couldn't put it down. Interested in placing your hold? Log on to the library online catalog.

Teen Winner - Week 2 and What She Reads

2006-06-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Jessica Morgan is our weekly winner for summer reading. Whoo-hoo! She's won $ 10 worth of movie certificates from Kerasotes. Kerasotes theaters are here in town, Muncie and Anderson, as well as other places nearby.

Jessica loves manga and she's currently reading Guru Guru Pon Chan series by Ikesawa.
The story goes that Ponta is a Labrador retriever puppy, the Koizumi family's pet. Ponta uses Grandpa's newest invention, the Guru Guru Bone, to turn into a human girl! Ponta meets and falls in love with Mirai Iwaki. When he realizes she's actually a dog, Mirai learns to overcome it. Whatta couple. This manga won the Kodansha manga of the year award [this year's listing here and the original Japanese site is here].

Our next drawing will be Monday morning. Until then, happy reading!

The Teen Weekly Winner / Manga & Anime

2006-06-12T05:31:00.000-07:00

Our first summer reading drawing was this morning and Hannah Thompson was the lucky winner of a $10 Starbucks gift certificate. Congratulations! The next drawing is Monday, June 19th.

Anime Screening and Manga Drawing - June 13th, 6-8 pm

Join us for some Anime watching (your choice! I'm hoping we'll have Naruto or Avatar on hand - I ordered it a few weeks back) in the teen room tomorrow night and we'll be sharing our manga-drawing skills. Tutorials available and beginners welcome; we'll have some sketch paper and pencils on hand, so no need to bring anything.

Summer Reading Program is Here / Teen Knit Night

2006-06-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Summer Reading has begun! This year's prizes are as follows:

iPod Nano (Grand Prize)
DVD boxed set of InuYasha (2nd place)
$50 Simon mall gift card

So sign-up and start reading. Each time you fill out a book review card, turn it in for a small prize. It also counts as an entry for the weekly prize drawings (Starbucks gift cards, Kerasotes movie theater certificates) AND the grand prize drawings. The more you read, the more chances you have of winning!

And don't forget...

Teen Knit Night
6:30-8:30 in the Teenscape TONIGHT
Bring your own materials and get cozy! Food provided and all skills welcome.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2006-05-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Join us for the latest movie in the Harry Potter series at your library. The film will be shown downstairs in the auditorium on the big screen. It starts at 6 pm and won't end till around 8:45 pm. We'll have plenry of popcorn, candy and drinks while they last. See ya there.

Runescape at GameFest

2006-05-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Runescape at GameFest
Originally uploaded by NC-HC Public Library.

Games, Gamers and Gaming

2006-05-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

If you love an intriguing story that will hook you from the beginning (just like your favorite Runescape or other game), here are 2 titles that you could escape with:

HEAD GAMES - Fredericks, Mariah

2 teenagers connect online in a role-playing game, one discovering that her online rival is actually her neighbor.

RANVAN: A WORTHY OPPONENT - Wieler, Diana

Rhan Van is a grandson and high-school student by day, but his greatest challenges lie in the rivalry of an online game, and lead him into to a battle of wit and skills set in both the real world and the virtual game world.

Long time, No post

2006-05-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

It's your teen librarian reporting to the blog after a long pause in posts. It's been a bit busy, but I promise to write more often about what's going on! Please feel free to give me a hard time in the comments.

So, I'm happy that Starbucks is here in little ole New Castle, Indiana...what about you? I think I've spent a little too much money there already. I'm all about the Green Tea Lattes or anything tea for that matter. I still brew my own coffee at my house though. Starbucks is for a treat.

Don't forget there's a Game Fest on Sunday from 1-5 pm. Feel free to bring extra controllers/paddles and games! And I'll be happy to bring out the DDR pads if someone wants to use them. Let me know. We've been signing up for 1/2 hour open play and it's gone pretty well, unless of course Halo 2 gets played, then we try to allow for a little extra time with regard to fairness for all (and getting the most kills in !!!). Nope, not me, though. I'm just a observer in this game...

TEEN EVENTS UPDATE

Check out the new teen events listings here. I've also updated the link on the right side.

So there's plenty to do here at the library this summer. Boredom is optional! And starting June 5th, sign up for the Summer Reading Program. Here's a list of our prizes:

Grand Prizes: 1st - iPod Nano
2nd- Anime DVD boxed set - InuYasha
3rd - $50 Simon Mall gift card

Weekly Prizes: Kerasotes theaters $10 gift cards
Starbucks $10 gift cards

Teen Spa Night - Rescheduled Makeup Date

2006-04-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Remember that huge power outage on that very dark, Thursday night? I scheduled a Teen Spa Night then--on March 9th. Now the makeup-date is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18th from 6:30 - 7:30 pm in the Teenscape. Get rid of some dry, winter skin and refresh yourself. We'll be making soap, bath salts and lotion. You can make a gift box for yourself or someone you know. See you there.

Teen Art Contest Winners

2006-04-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS to the following art contest winners:

Tansa Harmonson
Nisa Sharp
Patricia Blake

Look for their art hanging in the Teen room in the near future. Thanks to everyone for submitting! Everyone had wonderful entries of manga and photos. Runners-up will have their art rotated onto the teen room walls in the coming months.

Harry and the Potters

2006-04-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's actually a band from Massachusettes. Have you heard of Harry and the Potters? Well, they look and sound great, and they've been touring libraries and schools around the country. I don't want to categorize them, but they do sound very indie-rock-like. I'm a librarian. I can't help but categorize. : ] Perhaps they'll come back around to New Castle one day. In the meantime, catch them at Ball State's Student Tally in Muncie Friday, April 7th--details at their MySpace profile here.

Sunday Game Fest...

2006-04-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

My apologies to all teens who'd come to Sunday's Game Fest--I'm sorry I had to cancel. My stepdaughter was very sick and her dad was gone for the day. I couldn't pass her onto her aunt or a babysitter while she was that sick.

In the meantime, don't miss DDR and pizza on Thursday at 6 pm in the auditorium! The next game fest is scheduled for Thursday, April 13th at 5 pm. See ya there.

Einstein

2006-03-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

Oh, I forgot to mention that if you want to make your own Einstein image, the link is here.
Go have fun.

[Thanks Librarian in Black]

Dance Dance Revolution / Spring Break at the Library

2006-03-31T05:55:00.000-08:00

Spring break time! Did ya think it would ever get here? We have lots going on a the library next week:

SUNDAY - Game Fest 1-5 pm - X-box and Madden (can anyone bring in PS2 controllers???)
THURSDAY - DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and Pizza Taste-Off, 6-8 pm

We're ready to kick off DDR programs with new arcade-style dance pads! And see if you can guess which pizza is which. Prizes will be announced, and so will our Teenscape Art Contest Winners! It will be momentous.

Twinkie (you know who I'm talking about) says, with much chagrin, that he'll lose weight if his does this. Perhaps. : ] But where else can you do dance on Cobalt Flux dance pads without having to feed money into an arcade game? Right here! Sweet. See ya there.

Vote for Favorite Summer Reading Prize!

2006-03-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

I need your input! I'm looking into Summer Reading program prizes and I want to know what you like. I think Anime would be a great prize, especially the big series boxed sets. Out of these titles, what are your favorites? I need to know in a couple of weeks, so let your voices be heard! Thanks.

Ranma 1/2

Tenchi Muyo

InuYasha

Escaflowne

.hack//SIGN

Fruits Basket

Oh, and the grand prize for the Summer Reading program this year is an iPod Nano!

Anime Screening: Howl's Moving Castle

2006-03-22T05:25:00.000-08:00

Come watch the newly-released anime movie HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hauru no ugoku shiro) this Thursday night (that's tomorrow!) at 6 pm in the Teenscape. We'll be eating pizza and talking about the book too. Read it yet? It's not required. The movie is just around 2 hours, so we should be wrapping up a little after 8 pm.

I was hoping to read the book before I watched the film, but I didn't get the chance. There's been a lag in the blog due to my vacationing in Belize. Everyone needs a break, right? What a beautiful country with wonderful people. If you ever get the chance to go, take it. Visiting a third world country really makes you appreciate what you have living here--I'm excited to be able to drink tap water again!

Aquamarine (the Movie)

2006-03-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

Alice Hoffman's book AQUAMARINE is hitting the theaters today, and the paperback is on order at the library. The movie stars Emma Roberts of Nickelodean's Unfabulous fame.

[Thanks AADL]