Blog Topics
Teen Picks
Summer Reading Stats are in!
Well, the stats are in! Now we know why the shelves were so empty and the parking lot was so full this summer.
Make a Splash Children's Summer Reading 2010
We registered 4,606 children, a 5% increase from 2009.
We also had 13,863 people attend 49 programs in just 8 weeks.
Make Waves Teen Summer Reading 2010
We registered 1,155 teens, a 15% increase from 2009.
We also had 406 teens attend 8 programs.
Those numbers are astronomical, but seem tiny compared to the next statistic. During the months of June and July, the Hoover Public Library circulated 159,473 children's/teen items. No wonder we're tired and taking a programming break this August! But don't worry--there's tons of fun on the way this fall. Want a sneak peek? Check out the Kid Zone Events page and the Teen Spot Events page.
Battle of the Teen Bands 2010
Our Seventh Annual Battle of the Teen Bands on Saturday, June 5, 2010 was a HUGE success! So huge, in fact, that it took us almost an entire month to get everything assembled so we could blog about it. Thanks for your patience.
This year's battle featured five bands: Remedy, A Band, Flying Afros, 13th Gravestone, and Skin Deep. Each had 15 minutes to wow the 202 people in the audience, including the four judges. Special thanks to Jill, Mollie, Casey, and Clint for lending their time and musical expertise to our event!
Each band was scored on musicality, originality, appeal, and showmanship. The two bands with the highest scores each earned a cash prize, provided by the Friends of the Library. Thank you, Friends!
Now, without further ado, second place in this year's Battle of the Bands went to . . . Flying Afros!
And, drumroll please, the reigning champs for Battle of the Teen Bands 2010 . . . Skin Deep!
Check out their performances on the Teen Spot Events page. Or find a snapshot of your favorite band on the Teen Spot Photo Gallery page.
Coming Soon! Summer Reading 2010!
Want to start your summer reading celebration a little early? Flex your creative muscles and enter our Summer Reading Art Contest. Submit your wet 'n wild artwork (12 x 18 in.) to the Kid Zone MAY 1-21. Sixteen winners will be selected, and their art will be displayed along the starred hallway June 1 - July 31.
Spring Break Is Coming!
Spring Break is almost here! Do you have plans to hit the beach or head to the mountains? Or are you looking for some fun a little closer to home? If you plan on sticking around Hoover for Spring Break, make sure you drop by the library for at least one of the fun programs we have lined up for kids and teens March 15-19.
Hey Kids! Book It to the Hoover Public Library on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning for your Spring Break fun!
BOOK ARTS = Monday, March 15, 10 a.m.
Wear Well-Read Red as your favorite books inspire you to create a masterpiece.
BOOK FEAST = Wednesday, March 17, 10 a.m.
Wear Pig-Out Pink as you fill your tummy with tasty treats from your favorite books.
LARRY MOORE'S TRAVELING SUITCASE SIDE SHOW = Friday, March 19, 10 a.m.
Wear Tom's White Wash as Larry Moore presents an old-fashioned variety show featuring magic, music and balloon-making. Part of The Big Read: Alabama Reads: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Hey Teens! It's time to Get Your Game On! Challenge your friends on the Wii in our annual Spring Break gaming tournament on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Snacks provided. Call 444-7826 to register.
SUPER SMASH BROTHERS = Tuesday, March 16, 4 p.m.
MARIO KART = Thursday, March 18, 4 p.m.
And the winner is . . . Children's and Teen Book Awards 2010
The American Library Association announced all of their major awards for Children's and Teen books and media on Monday, January 18, 2010. For a complete list of winners and honors, please check out their website.
Newbery Medal
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Caldecott Medal
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Printz Award
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reaves, Deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
My People illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr.
Pura Belpre Author Award
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
Pura Belpre Illustrator Award
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day illustrated by Raphael Lopez
Theodore Seuss Geisel Award
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes
Robert F. Sibert Medal
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Favorite Teen Books of 2009
Teen literature is a favorite among many of the librarians at Hoover. While we will never all agree about which book is our favorite, we can agree about some of the best 2009 has to offer.
The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcie and Margaret Stohl
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Dust of 100 Dogs by A. S. King
The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival by Dene Low
The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
If you like Twilight
If you have missed out on the Twilight saga you must have not entered a library, bookstore, movie theatre, mall or retail store in the last year.Twilight started with a book and has trickled all the way down to action figures. It has been an explosion for pop culture and readers. Teenagers both boys and girls alike as well as adults are reading it and devouring it, but once the romance is over the question we always get is, “Do you have anything like Twilight that I can read next?” While Twilight is a one of a kind novel, there are similar reads that will sustain even the most die hard of fans.
- Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
- Jinx by Meg Cabot
- Evernight by Claudia Gray
- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
- The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
- Evermore by Alyson Noel
- Keturah and Lord Death by Marine Leavitt
- Vampire Academy by Michelle Reid
- Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
