Ravenous

It's been a really long time since an author has left me hanging this badly and I just have to whine about it. I just finished the second book in The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins and I just looked up the publication date for the next title and it looks to be in August of 2010. This is completely unfair! How will I ever wait until then? If you're not familiar with this series, it begins with The Hunger Games and is followed by Catching Fire. The story takes place in a future in which the citizens of Panem (formerly called North America) are living under strict government rule following the uprising that took place nearly 75 years ago. The country is divided into 12 Districts (the 13th was obliterated in the uprising...or so the government claims...) and each district is responsible for producing a specialized commodity to feed the Capitol. Each year, in order to remind the citizens of Panem that they will never escape the rulership of the government and can never attempt to challenge it, The Capitol holds The Hunger Games. Two children between the ages of 12 and 18 (one boy and one girl) are chosen at random from each district to be tributes to the The Hunger Games...24 children in total. The object of the Games is to fight to the death until only one tribute is left.

I could not put down these books because I had to know what was going to happen and now at the end of the 2nd book, I am left with a huge cliffhanger and a heart that is hungry to know what will happen next. These are must reads for sci-fi and/or adventure fans. They are truly ravenous reads!

Cool Deal on a Free Book Download

Maureen Johnson is a very generous author... and funny too!  If you don't follow her blog, let me update you on some exciting news:  Maureen Johnson (and her publisher) are making her book, Suite Scarlett, available for download for FREE from now until January15th!  Check out her Wednesday, December 23rd blog entry for all the details.  Here is the direct link to download your FREE copy of Suite Scarlett.  Thanks Maureen Johnson for being so generous!!

And while I have your attention... if you are in high school and are interested in participating in the High School Advanced Division Battle of the Books, this free book deal is even better news than you think.  Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson just so happens to be one of our three Battle Books this winter!  Hint, hint... download this book today (or stop by the library since we have plenty of copies on our shelves) and sign up to be involved in this exciting program at the Hauppauge Public Library. 

Bento Boxes!

Have any of you guys ever made a bento box? I just got really into them a few weeks ago.

A bento box is a takeout or home-packed meal that is meant to serve one person. It started as a part of Japanese cuisine, but has recently taken off in other places and all over the Internet. A traditional bento box usually consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. But they can really be anything you like! The whole idea is that it's packed efficiantly and utilizes all of the boxes space. They're so economical! Bento containers can range from disposable and mass produced to fancy and hand crafted. Often, the box is partitioned, which helps it to be packed and stay put. I found the picture to the left on Boing Boing this morning. It shows a really awesome Care Bears bento box, but a quick Internet search will come back with tonssssss of different cute and themey bento boxes.

The first day that I discovered the bento box I attempted to make my lunch for the next day in bento form. See the picture to the right. It didn't include rice, fish, meat, or any pickled or cooked vegetables. (It does have an assortment of tiny things and vegan meats, however.)

On the bottom sides, there is a cut-up vegan bologna sandwich on a round sandwich thin, cut in half and facing out. Then I threw a few pieces of vegan pepperoni on top (to attempt to make it pretty. Fail, right?). Then I cut up a chocolate Vitamuffin and put it in a cupcake baking container and I did the same with a box of raisins below it. Then, because I thought it needed something to hold it in place, I dumped handfuls of Cheerios in all the gaps, and voila! Bento!

Welllllll, by the time I had driven my bento box to work and taken it out at lunch time, it had all jumbled up and the Cheerios were soggy and gross. So, wompwomp. But it was my first try and I had limited ingrediants, and it tasted good enough (other than the Cheerios), so I'm still pretty proud of myself!

Anyway, there are a few books on bento boxes in the Suffolk County Library System. If you're interested, put one or two on hold and maybe YOUR bento box will turn out better than mine did.

501 bento box lunches : 501 unique recipes for brilliant bento

Bento boxes : Japanese meals on the go

Simple menus for the bento box

Face Food : The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes

Let it Snow!

With the snow piled up to my nose out there, it seems like a perfect time to recommend a really fun holiday read. Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances is written by three of your favorite YA authors: John Green (Looking for Alaska), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Lauren Myracle (TTYL & TTFN). Each author takes the point of view of a different main character and they tell three different, but intertwined stories that take place on a very snowy Christmas eve. The stories are funny and romantic and just realistic enough that you don't want to throw the book into a pile of snow. This book is the perfect diversion for your holiday break in a completely fun and frivolous way. So pick up a copy at the Library, make yourself a mug of hot chocolate and enjoy!

Cathy's Book, If found call (650) 266-8233

I'm going to admit right off the bat, that I just found this online a few minutes ago, but it looks so cool that I just had to share!

Cathy's Book by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman is the first interactive teen novel! It's been completely reworked from it's original form (click the link to reserve the original) and is available iPhone and iPod Touch!

"The publishing phenomenon Cathy's Book redefined the way teens approach novels and set a new standard for interactivity, using the most popular kids' technology to enhance the experience of reading a really good story... Part romance, part thriller, part mystery, Cathy's Book stands on its own beyond the interactive angle and the intense marketing campaign that made it a bestseller." -Amazon

But, with the new app (which I can admit looks way more exciting than the regular book), you'll get to experience the story by making phone calls, checking websites, discovering evidence and secrets, and exploring the pages of Cathy's private sketchbook.

For more information, check out Cathy's website here!

OR just go straight to itunes buy her app from the store. You can download itunes here (it works on a PC too). I'm going to buy it ASAP! Looks like so much fun!
 
Help Cathy solve the mystery before it's too late!

Your Author's Favorite Author

Some of Chris Crutcher's favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Alice Walker, Christopher Paul Curtis, Maya Angelou, Pat Conroy, Tim O'Brien, Sherman Alexie.  Chris is the author of just a few books such as, King of the Mild Frontier (one of my favorite audio books!), Whale Talk and Stotan.  Chris' website can be found at http://www.chriscrutcher.com/.  (Miss. LaStella and myself got to meet him back in 2006.) 

Ellen Hopkins, author of Impluse and Burned, loves to read anything by Laura Weiss and Sara Zarr.  Ellen's website is http://www.ellenhopkins.com/

TAB Meeting - Wednesday, December 23rd

Wednesday, December 23rd from 7:00-8:00pm will be our annual Gingerbread House-making program for the Teen Advisory Board.  Please remember to bring a milk cartoon and a bag of candy to share. 

Gleeking Out

That's it! I can't hide it anymore. I am a total Gleek! I LOVE the tv show Glee and was silmutaneously sad and ecstatic to to watch the fall finale this past Wednesday (if you missed it, check it out here on Hulu). For those of you unfamiliar with the show, Glee is about a high school glee club (a.k.a. show choir) and its quirky members. It features choreographed musical numbers and is laugh-out-loud funny. I heard the best definition of the show during an interview with the cast members. They said Glee is High School Musical, after you kick it in the stomach and steal its lunch money. If you're like me and you're going to be experiencing Glee withdrawal until new episodes return next spring, then you'll need something to get you through those dark and glee-less nights. Below is a short list of movies to try if you love Glee as much as I do. Check them out at the Library and don't forget to share your favorites here too!

With Singing and/or Dancing:
Center Stage (2000, Rated: PG-13)
Drumline (2002, Rated: PG-13)
Footloose (1984, Rated PG)
Grease (1978, Rated: PG)
Mr. Holland's Opus (1999, Rated: PG)
Raise Your Voice (2004, Rated: PG)
Save the Last Dance (2001, Rated: PG-13)

Without Singing:
Bring It On (2000, Rated: PG-13)
Clueless (1999, Rated: PG-13)
Legally Blonde (2001, Rated: PG-13)
Mean Girls (2004, Rated: PG-13)
Never Been Kissed (1999, Rated: PG-13)
Pretty in Pink (1986, Rated: PG-13)

Teen Book Review: Evermore and A Midsummer Night's Dream

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Reviewed by Erika, Gr. 8

This book was as good as a book can get. It was romantic, tragic and at the same time a little creepy. Even though it was sort of a love story, I think that many people would like this book because it is wasn't all about the couple through out the book like most true love stories.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Reviewed by Erika, Gr. 8

This book, even thought most of you may think that it is boring, was fantastic and funny. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a love story with a few twists. Twists like people falling in love with the wrong people, and a play gone bad. Either way, you will definitely enjoy this book.

The Secret Books are Secret No More!!

Advanced Battle of the Books for High Schoolers is back!

For those of you who are too old for the regular summer Battle of the Books, this is great news!!   If you don't know what Battle of the Books is all about or weren't part of it in your Middle School years, it's a fun program where you read the chosen books and try to remember as many trivia details from them as possible.  Every library who participates sends a team to "battle" and the team who answers the most questions correctly is named "Battle Champs!"  It's a fun program if you love to read and have a knack for remembering details.  Plus, you get to meet tons of other high-schoolers from across Suffolk County. 

So basically you can start reading the books now.  We're going to have three practice meetings: Tuesdays January 12th, February 23rd, and March 16th.  And then on Friday, March 19th from 6:00- 9:00pm (at the Sachem Public Library in Holbrook) teams across Suffolk County will battle each other for the title of Battle Champs!

The books that are being battled this Spring are really good... check out the titles:

Rash by Pete Hautman
In a future society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free," sixteen-year-old Bo's anger control problems land him in a tundra jail where he survives with the help of his running skills and an artificial intelligence program named Bork.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
After a nasty fall, Naomi realizes that she has no memory of the last four years and finds herself reassessing every aspect of her life.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Marvin is stuck in New York City for the summer working at her quirky family's historic hotel, but her brother's attractive new friend and a seasonal guest who offers her an intriguing and challenging writing project improve her outlook.