Congratulations Teen Read Week Winners!

Teen Read Week (a yearly, national reading incentive from the American Library Association) is now officially over for 2008. This year's theme, Books with Bite, was met with enthusiasm by both staff and teens!

Brandon Bozeat was the winner for the 2008 Teen bookmark contest that captured the theme of Teen Read Week perfectly! Look on the library's homepage to see his design. His bookmarks will be available at the library for the next few months, so stop by soon! Congratulations again Brandon!

Also, the winners of the raffles were chosen this morning: I'm happy to announce that Rachel Strzeletski won the Borders Bookstore raffle and Kayla Blau won the I-Tunes raffle! Congratulations to both!

Thanks to everyone who helped to make it a success this year, especially the Decorating Committee who created the book displays! Thanks to all the teens who came in during the week to check out books. (I hope you are all enjoying the free book you were given as a reward for participating in Teen Read Week!)

Keep on reading everyone!

Graphic Novel Survivor

Just a last minute reminder that tomorrow night (Tuesday, October 21st 2008 from 6:30- 7:30pm) we will have a very exciting program here at the library... Graphic Novel Survivor! This is your chance to have your opinion on great graphic novels heard throughout the country. Yes, throughout the country! Let me explain...

Barbara Moon, a representative from the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Graphic Novel Selection Committee, will be with us to hear what YOU think about graphic novels. She'll have with her a whole bunch of books (some you may know, some you may not.) You'll have a chance to look through them and see which ones you like. Through a series of "eliminations" the group will vote on which ones should remain standing in categories such as: best book for younger readers, best superhero book, best manga for older readers, etc.

At the end of this program, Barbara will take your opinions and report back to her fellow selection committee members in order to form an official nation-wide list of great books for teens. There are programs such as this being held in libraries across the country in order to create this list- and your voice is among them!

Come to Graphic Novel Survivor, Tuesday October 21st from 6:30- 7:30pm. There will be snacks and giveaways as well! Tell your friends!!

Teen Read Week: Books With Bite @ Your Library

Celebrate Teen Read Week by stopping by the library. If you check out a book to read anytime during the week, you can take home a prize and enter a raffle to win a gift basket. Teen Read Week runs from October 13 - 18.

Browse through our Books With Bite display and sign up to join us on Friday, October 17th for our Twilight Masquerade Ball.

The latest book from the creator of Coraline and Sandman

Here's something interesting... Neil Gaiman, author of many books for adults- and a growing number of titles for kids and teens, has written a new novel entitled, The Graveyard Book.

It's getting fabulous reviews:

This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages. Copyright Booklist™ - 2008.

Wistful, witty, wise—and creepy. Gaiman's riff on Kipling's Mowgli stories never falters, from the truly spine-tingling opening, in which a toddler accidentally escapes his family's murderer, to the melancholy, life-affirming ending. Copyright Kirkus™ - 2008.

A lavish middle-grade novel, Gaiman's first since Coraline, this gothic fantasy almost lives up to its extravagant advance billing. When the chilling moments do come, they are as genuinely frightening as only Gaiman can make them, and redeem any shortcomings. Copyright Publishers Weekly™ - 2008.

Now here's the interesting part... the author has just finished a 9-city tour, where at each stop he was video-taped reading one chapter, completing the book on the final stop. Head on over to the Mouse Circus site (the official Neil Gaiman site for young readers) to see all of the chapters being read aloud by this master of storytelling.

What a great concept!

Twilight Masquerade Ball

Friday, October 17
7:00- 9:00pm
Halloween comes early to the library! Whether you’re a fan of the Twilight books, a fan of vampires and werewolves, or just a fan of costume parties- do not miss this special after-hours event. We’ll have loads of activities, plenty of food and a DJ spinning some tunes. We will also have a T-shirt making activity so bring a T-shirt if you wish. Prizes will be given out for best costumes, so come dressed up!

Halloween is just around the corner

If you like to celebrate Halloween, you'll definitely want to check out this wonderful site. It's full of great ideas for costumes, decorations, crafts and food- everything you need for Halloween!

What are your plans for Halloween? What about costumes? Share your stories with us by sending us a comment!