Teen Picks

Love is in the air, even if you're just 8-12 years old.  Valentine's Day gives us the opportunity to show our family and friends just how much we care about them.  And the Hoover Public Library is here to help you get creative about it!  Our Tween Scene program for this month is How-To Crew Makes Pop-Up Cards & Candy Necklaces on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm.  Guess what we'll be making?  Did you say pop-up cards and candy necklaces?  Good guess!  Call 444-7833 if you want to be part of this heart and candy-filled craft extravaganza.

The American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, video, and audiobooks for children and teens at its Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, Texas on Monday, January 23, 2012.  The full list can be found at this website.  Here are a few of the highlights.  Several library favorites made the list, but there were some disappointed Hoover Public Librarians this morning.  How do you feel about this supposed best-of-the-best?

Newbery Medal
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Newbery Honors
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Caldecott Medal
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

Caldecott Honors
Blackout by John Rocco
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Printz Medal
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Printz Honors
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvery
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane W. Evans

Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak (translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson)

Odyssey Award
Rotters by Daniel Kraus, narrated by Kirby Heyborne

Pure Belpre (Author) Award
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Pure Belpre (Illustrator) Award
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet

Theodore Seuss Geisel Award
Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider

It's time for the first Tween Scene program of 2012, and it's going to be a great one!  Hot Reads, Sizzling Pizza on Tuesday, January 24 at 6:30 p.m. gives 8 to 12-year-olds a chance to introduce fellow readers to some of their favorite books.  Which means they will also have a chance to discover a bunch of future favorites.  And, of course, there's free pizza too!  Call 444-7833 to let us know you want to be part of the fun.

Teen literature is a favorite among many of the librarians at Hoover. Two-thousand and eleven was a year for sequels, the return of favorites and debut talent writing wonderful books for teens. Here is our list of the best;

Across the Universe by Beth Ravis
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Karma by Cathy Ostlere
The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

So, it's already December.  Did it sneak up on you?  Are you now frantically racking your brain for gift ideas for your friends and family?  Relax!  Then jingle all the way to the Hoover Public Library for the Teen Spot's Craft Free-For-All on Tuesday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m.  Sixth through twelfth graders will create holiday ornaments, jewelry, and even bobblehead snowmen.  You'll finish the evening with a belly full of snacks and an armful of ready-to-be-wrapped presents.  Call 444-7826 to reserve your spot today.

Admit it.  You're just like everybody else.  You have a ton of souvenir t-shirts hidden away in a drawer or tucked away in a closet.  You don't want to part with them, but you don't (or can't) wear them anymore.  We have the solution.  The Tween Scene is hosting  their How-To Crew Makes T-Shirt Bags event for 8-12 year olds on Monday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m.  Just bring one of your many old t-shirts, and we'll help you turn it into a trendy bag.  They're perfect for shopping, sleepovers, and make great stocking stuffers. If you want to be part of the crew, give us a call at 444-7833.

The four-year-long wait for the final book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini is almost over.  Inheritance will hit shelves on Tuesday, November 8.  Can I get a rousing "Huzzah"?  I thought I could.  To say the news is exciting . . . well, Eragon fans would agree that exciting doesn't begin to describe it.

Now, let me pass on some equally stupendous news.  The Hoover Public Library is hosting an Eragon Party for all ages exactly one week before the big book release, on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.  Dragonriders will earn their names and symbols then create a brotherhood band featuring dragon eggs and wings.  There will be dragon glider races and catapult drills.  And, of course, we'll keep our young warriors well-fed and watered.

This event is open to both newcomers and diehard fans of the book series.  It's also a great evening for kids and teens addicted to fantasy books.  Call 444-7826 to be part of this adventure in Alagaesia. 

This year's theme is Picture It and encourages teens to read graphic novels, seek out creative books, or imagine the world through literature.  This year's list of Teens' Top Ten books is a great place to start.  Click on the blue link to see who came out on top.  In keeping with the Picture It theme, the winners were announced in a very visual video format as well as a boring ol' list. 

If you want your voice to be heard about the theme for Teen Read Week 2012, fill out this survey.  Then check back with YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association--yes, we know it's a mouthful, that's why we call it YALSA) in April 2012 for a chance to rock your vote.

It's alive!  ALIVE!!!!! [cue diabolical laugh here]

Okay, enough with the drama.  Let's get down to business.  We're looking for some 7 to 12-year-old future mad scientists and/or current Lego wizards.  Why?  Because the Hoover Public Library is hosting a Lego Monster Lab this Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 6: 30 pm.  We'll provide tons and tons and tons of Legos if you'll provide your imagination to create a creepy creature.  Each creature will be photographed, loaded on our website, then ripped to shreds for a future Lego event.  There will also be some monstruously cool Lego door prizes.  Call 444-7833 to reserve your spot in the laboratory.

Manga is the Japanese word for comics, but these are more than just comic books.  These graphic novels are teeming with action and adventure, blood and gore, love and romance.  Some are filled with the fantastical, others with the comical.  Truly, there is a manga for every type of reader.  Maybe that's why our manga collection takes up an entire wall in the Teen Spot. 

And maybe that's why we're expecting a big crowd of avid fans at this year's Manga Night on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 6:30 pm.  We'd love to see you there!  Come dressed up as your favorite anime or manga character for an evening of great anime, games, snacks and a cosplay contest.  If you've only recently discovered the awesomeness that is manga, you might not be familiar with the word cosplay.  Cosplay is short for "costume play".  This simply means that the teens can wear a full-fledged costume or some eye-catching accessories to represent one of their favorite anime or manga characters.  Still unsure?  Check out these pics from last year's event.