NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER

I just finished a great book, NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER by Jordan Sonnenblick.
Upset by his parent's breakup, Alex downs some vodka, steals his mother's car and ends up "killing" a garden gnome and losing his cookies all over an exasperated cop. Alex is sentenced to 100 hours of community service with Sol, most cantankerous man in the nursing home. Read this book to find out about their zany adventures.

Rock Your Vote

The election last Tuesday was pretty amazing. But how can you have a say if you're not old enough to vote? Check out this website:
www.rockthevote.com

On the Road

I just finished an amazing book, DEFINING DULCIE by Paul Acampora. After Dulcie's father dies, her mother rips Dulcie from her home in Connecticut to start a new life in California. But Dulcie steals her father's pickup truck and drives back east to her grandfather, Frank. Read about the weird stuff she encounters on the way, and whether Frank allows her to stay in this great book.

The author, Acampora, says that listening to music helped him write the book. He posted the book's playlist on his website at http://www.paulacampora.com/soundtrack

Chew On This

In the mood for a burger and fries? You may change your mind after reading CHEW ON THIS: EVERYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FAST FOOD by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. As the book says, People should know what lies beneath the shiny happy surface of every fast food restaurant. They should know what really lurks between those sesame seed buns. As the old saying goes, "You are what you eat."

Mysterious Writings

Last year's mystery theater, MURDER IN MEXICO, was awesome, with Indiana Jones style treasure hunters, murderous sisters, and a bomb-sniffing flamingo. This year's should be even better. Join Coventry Public Library's Teen Writer's Group in creating a Mystery Theater. We will brainstorm our victim, the crime, the list of suspects, false clues, etc.
Wednesday November 8 and December 13, from 3:30-4:30 pm in the Staff Room.

And if you're looking for a great mystery, set right here in Rhode Island, check out BLACK DUCK by Janet Taylor Lisle. Ruben and his friend Jeddy stumble on a dead body on the beach. By the time the police arrive, the body's disappeared. Does this have anything to do with the legendary rum-running ship, the Black Duck? To find out more, check out the author's website at: http://www.janettaylorlisle.com/books/blackduck.html

Bird brains

Duane crashes head-on into puberty, with traumatic results. His encounters with "elbows" (code word for an unnamed body part) and zits will keep you laughing. Check out The Amazing Life Of Birds : (The Twenty-Day Puberty Journal Of Duane Homer Leech) by Paulsen, Gary.

And speaking of birds, check out this website for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You too can get involved in Citizen Science.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/LabPrograms/CitSci/

Calling Teen Writers

Next Wednesday, October 25, is Teen Writer's Group, led by the award-winning author, Linda Crotta Brennan.
It will be from 3-4 p.m at the Coventry Public Library in Council Chambers.
Come join us and submit your poetry, short stories, nonfiction or artwork to TeenWorks! the Coventry Library publication by teens.

And while you're in the writing mood, check out the website for TEEN INK, the magazine by teens, for teens. at http://www.teenink.com/

Write Together with Fanlit

HarperTeen editors and authors invite you to join thousands of fans online to collectively create an original short story—one chapter at a time. It’s easy to get involved. Just register by clicking on the link below, and then follow the weekly schedule to participate. You can submit chapters, vote for your favorites, or just browse and get writing tips from bestselling authors. You decide on your level of involvement. But everyone has the chance to win cool prizes—all you have to do is register! To see a detailed schedule of the event, click here.

What's hot? What's not?

Teens, tell your librarian what you want to do. Help plan upcoming programs at the TAB Meeting of Coventry Public Library next Wednesday, October 11 from 3-4 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

Ever wonder who decides...what's hot and what's not, I mean? Seventeen year old Hunter is a trend-setter. His job is to discover the next newest thing. So when he discovers the innovator, Jen James, with the coolest sneakers ever, he has to tell his boss. But then his boss goes missing. Is Innovator Jen involved? As he follow Jen on a wild rooftop chase, Hunter fears the end of cool as we know it. Follow his tracks in SO YESTERDAY by Scott Westerfield.

Enthusiastic?

Try ENTHUSIASM by Polly Shulman
Julie's best friend, Ashleigh is always enmeshed in some craze and dragging Julie with her. But when Ashleigh develops a passion for Jane Austin novels and decides that she and Julie must crash the dance at the all-boys prep school to find their "Mr. Darcie," Julie gets embroiled in one embarrassing situation after another. But who is writing those sonnets, and are they meant for Julie or Ashleigh?

If you're interested in writing sonnets or anything else, this afternoon, we'll have our first Teen Writers' Group of the school year. Join us at 3 p.m. in the Council Chambers...and even if you can't make it, you're welcome to submit your poetry, short stories, articles, and art to TEENWORKS! (Open to all students in 6-12 grade) Just submit your material to the Reference Desk.

Feed her Heart

Cyril dreams of being a chef, but more than that, he dreams of the beautiful Rose, who just sees him as nothing more than her chubby, good natured buddy. Things get worse when Cyril's best friend Nick asks him to help him win Rose by preparing gourmet meals that Nick passes off as his own. Who gets the girl? Find out by reading Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw.

And to flaunt your own cooking skills try this recipe, which we made at our Teen Cooks Program last Wednesday.

Autumn Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:
1cup (1 large) apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (use “apple torture device”)
1 ¼ cup flour
1tablespoon cider or apple juice
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Position rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 medium muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
2. Peel, core and chop apple
3. Put apple in a small bowl and stir in cider
4. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in the large bowl of an electric mixer at low speed.
5. Mix in eggs, oil, vanilla, and apple mixture.
6. Divide batter among 12 muffin tins, about 3 tablespoons of batter in each.
7. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 23-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1. Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in large bowl of electric mixer and beat on medium low speed for about 1 minute until smooth
2. Decrease speed and add powdered sugar, half at a time.
3. Beat until powdered sugar is completely mixed in and mixture is smooth.
4. Spread over top of each cupcake

Have your say!

What would you like to see for Teens at the Coventry Public Library? We want to know. Let your voice be heard by filling out this survey:
http://www.coventrylibrary.org/tsurvey.htm

Out of Africa

Imagine yourself fleeing famine and war, only to find your survival depends on someone who is supposed to be your enemy. That's what happens to Christian Sahay and Jewish Rahel as they try to escape the upheaval in their native Ethiopia. You can find out what happens to them in THE STORYTELLER'S BEADS by Jane Kurtz.
Author Jane Kurtz is a fascinating person, who was born in the United States but grew up in Ethiopia. Hear more about her life at http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2006/09/author-interview-jane-kurtz-on.html
Jane has started an organization to make books available to kids over there. Check out this website www.ethiopiareads.org

Culture Shock

I just read a great book, HABIBI, by Naomi Shihab Nye. The main character, Liyana, has spent all her life in St. Louis with her American mother and her Palestinian father. She's just received her first kiss when her father announces he's moving the family back to Jeruselem where he was born. Now Liyana is suddenly thrust into a Palestinian culture where only tourists wear shorts, and boy/girl interactions are strictly regulated. She's terribly homesick until she meets Omer, a Jewish boy. How will her Palestinian family react?

You might also be interested in a letter that the author wrote "To would-be terrorists"
at http://godlas/myweb/uga.edu/shahibnye.html

Tell a librarian what to do

Want to tell a librarian what to do? Come to our Teen Advisory Board Meeting, Wednesday, September 13, from 3-4 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Coventry Public Library.

Sold!

Sold is a new book due out next week. It's written by Patricia McCormick, author of Cut.

You can read an interview with her about the book at
<<http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6369325.html?nid=2788>>

The Experimental Experience

Our Fall Teen Programs have begun! Yesterday we made "Baskets of Me." See if you can spot one of our teen's creations in our Teen Nook.

What comes next? That's up to you.
Help plan our programs--come to our TEEN ADVISORY BOARD or TAB Meeting next Wednesday, September 13 from 3-4 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Coventry Public Library.

Yesterday, at our Baskets of Me meeting we got to talking about gruesome science experiments gone wrong. That reminded me of a great new book. GUINEA PIG SCIENTISTS: BOLD SELF-EXPERIMENTERS IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring describes scientists driven to uncover the truth by performing wild and dangerous experiments on themselves. Some of them even survived!

The Neddiad

Kiwi is so excited. He found a book with a whole flock of parakeets. The book is called THE NEDDIAD and it's by Daniel Pinkwater. It hasn't been published yet (it will be in April), but you can get a sneak preview of the first chapters at
http://www.pinkwater.com/theneddiad/

Peace

Kiwi just finished a fabulous book, A TRUE AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE by Katherine Sturtevant.
When Edward comes courting Meg, asking what he can bring her from his sea voyage, Meg replies that he should see if he can "manage to be captured by pirates and enslaved in North Africa," to provide a narrative that her father can sell at his book shop. When Edward is indeed captured and enslaved by Barbary Pirates, Meg feels resposible and decides to do all she can to set him free. But complicating matters is another suitor, her father's apprentice, Will.

I told you a few days ago that we have a new display of books in the Teen Nook, "Peace." I just found a neat website to check out--the Peace Jam at http://www.folkmusic.com/f_peace.htm

Chocolate Day

September 13 is Chocolate Day!
Kiwi doesn't like chocolate, but he hears that humans do.
To honor Roald Dahl, the author of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, his birthday, September 13, has been named "Chocolate Day." To celebrate, sit back with a chocolate bar and find out more about chocolate at this website:
fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/index.html