Braid Blog

I am a newby at this blog stuff, and I just found an incredible blog. On it is a discussion of the book THE BRAID by Helen Frost. Made me want to run out and get the book. Check out this great site at:
http://yzocaet.blogspot.com/

Your Award

Adults pick other book award winners, but not this one. This time YOU choose the winner. Make your choice. Vote for your favorite Rhode Island Teen Book Award title.
You can print off a ballot at
http://www.ri.net/RIEMA/ritbaballot.htm
and drop it off at the Reference Desk at the Coventry Public Library

Invention Dimension

Ever have one of those great ideas--for some incredible invention that's just so fantastic you figure you should get it patented--well this website is the place to go.
Check out the Brain Drain game or noodle around the patent office at

http://web.mit.edu/invent/g-braindrain/game.html

Win $50!

Enter the Earth Day 2007 Water Supply Essay and Graphics Contest sponsored by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island for a chance to win $50.
For more information and contest rules go to:
http://asri.org/ewing/articles/jan_07_03.html

You're A Star!

Calling teen dancers, singers, gymnists, musicians, comedians, etc.
Be a star! Audition for our Teen Variety Show
Wednesday January 24 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers
at the Coventry Public Library,
1672 Flat River Road
Coventry, RI

Race the Iditorod--blind!

I just read a great sports book,
No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer by Rachael Scdoris.
Born legally blind, Rachael struggled through her parents’ divorce, moves, and the taunts of her classmates. Her father was a dog sledder and she found peace in racing across the snow with the dogs. Required by her father to be able to run half the length of a race in order to race the dogs solo, Rachael joined track, eventually becoming the captain of her track team and an Olympic torch carrier. But her dream was to compete in the grueling Iditarod across the wilderness of Alaska.

Ghost Hunters

Okay, okay, this is really an adult book. But I think you can handle it. It's fascinating stuff, all about legitimate, well-known scientists who risked their reputations to investigate the truth about ghosts and the people who claimed they could contact them.
Some of the stories they uncover are uncanny--and there doesn't seem to be logical explanations for them. And this isn't fiction--this book is a historical look at a real scientific investigation.
Check it out!
GHOST HUNTERS: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of the life after death, by Deborah Blum.

Happy New Year!

I'm back! And we have some exciting Teen Programs coming up. Next Wednesday, January 10, we'll be making calzones in the Staff Room at the Coventry Public Library.
Then on Wednesday, January 17 we're launching a Book Group at the Knotty Oak Middle School, 2:20-3:20 in the Media Center. Only open to the first 20 teens to sign up with Mrs. Murphy at the Media Center--so hurry and reserve your spot.

At the end of the Month we'll be holding a Variety Show. If you can sing, dance, play an instrument, do karate, do gymnastics, tell jokes, etc. bring your act and audition for our show on January 24 at 3:00 in the Council Chambers. Rehearsal and Performance are the following week, January 31 from 3:00-4:30 in the Council Chambers.

What the Moon Saw

Clara's life didn't seem to fit anymore. She took to wandering the backyards of her suburban neighborhood, taking midnight dunks in the nearby stream, watched over by a strange white bird. Then her grandmother wrote, asking Clara to visit her Yucuyoo village in Mexico, next to the invisible waterfall. Will Clara and her new friend Pedro be able to discover its secret? To find out, read WHAT THE MOON SAW by Laura Resau.

All for One and One for All

Looking for action and adventure, mixed with a large dose of humor? On the first day he arrives in Paris, country boy, d’Artagnan manages to offend not one, but three of the Queen's musketeers. He arranges to duel with them, one after the other. Before the duels can begin, the four are attacked by the Cardinal's men and the adventure begins. To find out what happens, read THE THREE MUSKETEERS by Alexander Dumas.

New Harry Trailer

According to the magazine, Publisher's Weekly:
Harry Potter Movie Sighting
Harry Potter fans eagerly awaiting any and all news about the wizard will be happy to hear that a teaser trailer for the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie is available online at the official movie Web site. In the movie, Harry spends his fifth year at Hogwarts and has his first kiss with Cho Chang. The movie will be released on July 13, 2007.

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.