Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Book Alert: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner



Special thanks to Erika for alerting me to the latest Stephenie Myer news:  Ms. Myer has a new book centered around Bree Tanner, a character who was first introduced in Eclipse.  This new book will be released on June 5th, 2010!  Read all about it here!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opening Date

Big news!!! Universal Studios has unveiled the opening date of their new and very much anticipated theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

The park, which is part of Universal's Islands of Adventure, will officially be opening their towering castle gates on...

June 18th!!!!

But! If you're really, super, extra excited and you just canNOT wait until June 18th, the attraction will be open beginning May 28th for park guests who buy a special Harry Potter Travel Package (which are still available here under "tickets and vacation".)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will provide its visitors the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the magical world of Harry Potter. Guests will be able to visit iconic locations found in the books and movies, including Dumbledore's Office, the Defence Agency Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the Gryffindor common room.

Rides will include the Dragon Challenge and the Flight of the Hippogriff.

About the park, J.K. Rowling says, “The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.”

Hey, if J.K. Rowling isn't disappointed, how can any of us be?

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Teen Book Review: Stolen Children by Peg Kehret


Stolen Children by Peg Kehret
Reviewed by Jeewon

Amy learned a lot in her babysitting course, but not what to do if two thugs show up, intent on kidnapping. Armed with misinformation and a weapon, the men take Amy and little Kendra to a remote cabin in the woods. There they make videos of the girls and mail them to Kendras wealthy parents in an effort to get ransom money. After several of her escape attempts fail, Amy is forced to make one last, desperate move. Award winner Peg Kehret crafts a suspenseful thriller with a spunky heroine who uses her wits to save herself and the toddler.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hunger Games Movie

Newsflash! Lionsgate officially announced, today, that it has acquired the rights to the film version of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!

Suzanne Collins is at work adapting the screenplay from her novel and Nina Jacobson will be producing the movie, due out in 2011. The announcement was made by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President. (Comingsoon.net)

Get excited by watching Suzanne Collins read part of The Hunger Games below: swliveconnect



For more Hunger Games fun, check out this site!

Or, if you haven't read the book yet (but now you really want to), click here to put a copy on hold!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Who's holding the Twilight Apple?


Everybody knows the cover of Twilight, right? Did you ever stop to think about who those hands holding the apple belong to?  What about the person holding the Kindle?  Big Money, an economic website, has put together a slideshow of famous hands, including the Twilight cover.  Interesting!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Beware the Ides of March!

I'm sure by now you've all heard the famous March 15th expression, "Beware the Ides of March." In fact, many of you might even know that the saying came from Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, but do you know exactly what it means?

I didn't, and it bothered me, so I decided to do a little bit (really, just a little bit) of investigation.

The earliest Roman calendar was organized around the moon. A few prominent days were named: Kalends (the 1st day of the month), Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October, OR the 5th day in the other months), and Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October, or the 13th day in the other months).

So, really, Ides didn't have any more of a special meaning than Kalends or Nones. And it came every month.

Then, on March 15th 44BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated by Roman Senators who were concerned that he had too much power.

Then in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, a soothsayer says, "Beware the Ides of March" to Julius Caesar to warn him that this was going to be his assassination day.

Now, still, the soothsayer's warning gives today's date a sense of foreboding and impending danger.

If you're still interested, request a book or two on Julius Caesar.

(Information from InfoPlease and Dr. Robyn Silverman)

Teen Music Review: Almost Alice

Almost Alice- Various Artists
Reviewed by Erika, Gr. 8
This soundtrack that came out on March 2nd, is from the new movie Alice In Wonderland that came out on March 5th. This is a wonderful cd, and I would recommend it to all of the people that are excited for the movie. It has a few of the famous artists and bands, and others that you personally may not have heard of, but that your parents may have. I hope that you all enjoy the movie, and that you will get this soundtrack. =]

Teen Book Reviews: Assorted Titles

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
Reviewed by Sharon, Gr. 6
I think this book is very exciting and fast paced. It is adventurous and a great friendship story between a boy and his wolf.





Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reviewed by Isabella, Gr. 6
This is my all-time favorite book! I love the whole idea of it!





The Fire Within by Chris D'Lacey
Reviewed by Sharon, Gr. 6
The Fire Within is a great book for kids that love fantasy. Dragons are mythical creatures but this book can make them seem real.





Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Reviewed by Isabella, Gr. 6
This book keeps you hooked until the end! I read the whole series in a week! The best book I've ever read!





Maximum Ride: Saving the World and other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
Reviewed by Sharon, Gr. 6
This is the best book ever!! This book was very shocking and made me want to read more. I was so shocked I hit myself in the head. I seriously thought I was dreaming. That's how shocked I was.

Teen Book Review: Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson


Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson
Reviewed by Jacquelyn, Gr. 12


Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson is the witty, sparkling sequel to Suite Scarlett. Scarlett Martin is 15 years old, mastermind of stupid-plans-actually-get-carried-out-a-lot-more-than-you'd-think and a victim of slavery. Not exactly, but her eccentric boss Amy Amberson (who rivals Grandmere from Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries in terms of sanity) is pretty close to a slave driver. While Scarlett tries to keep her own sanity intact over her ex-flame Eric, her goofy brother Spencer becomes New York City's most hated villain, her levelheaded sister Lola goes over the edge, and her prickly youngest sister Marlene is acting disconcertingly sweet. Add her lab partner Max who is determined to push Scarlett to her breaking point and it's easy to see why everyone is plagued with Scarlett Fever.


Johnson writes dialogue so realistic one has to wonder if she spends her spare time hiding out in bushes, eavesdropping on teenagers. She puts a fresh spin on the New York City setting with the opulent but run-down Hopewell Hotel, where the charmingly quirky Martin family works and resides. The ending will leave you literally feverish for the last installment in the Scarlett series. This is one fever you won't want to get rid of.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Official Eclipse Trailer!

It's up!!! As promised, here is the official Eclipse trailer! So exciting!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Eclipse 10-Second Trailer

This is such a tease, but I can't help but feel excited anyway...

It's a 10-second trailer for the Eclipse movie, from book number three in Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. The FULL preview comes out tomorrow (I'll post it), but for now, enjoy this tiny preview of the trailer (that I just may have watched several times).

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Got Required Reading?

Let's face it. Even the most avid readers don't love every single required reading for English class. There are lots of services out there that try to help make the classics easier, but here's one that's a little different. It's called 60second Recap and its mission is "to make the great works of literature accessible, relevant, and, frankly, irresistible to today's teens."

And it does; it really does!

60second Recap, officially launched on September 14, 2009, is comprised of fabulously explained (and also funny!) 60-second skits by host, Jenny. Jenny sums up each of the classics in a series of 1-minute movies, each covering plot, characters, themes, symbols, or other relevant ideas. She actually does make even my most hated required reading seem interesting (Great Expectations, written in 1860 by Charles Dickens, actually seems interesting to me! Who thought?)

So far, there are 23 classic books covered on the site (under "The Library" section) but Jenny doesn't fail to include a link to request a recap (after logging in), so I'd predict there to be more on the site in the future, for sure.

Besides the old classics, Jenny also does a "Pick of the Week" where she covers fun, non-required reading (in less detail, but how much detail do you really need? These books speak for themselves.) So if you're looking for something new to read, try watching Jenny's "Pick of the Week" for an idea. So far she's suggested all pretty awesome books: Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson), Walk Two Moons (Sharon Creech), Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), etc.

Other features: "Recap Resource" where Jenny explains terms like allegory, metaphor, and satire, and also has tips on how to write a paper. And "Club Recap" where viewers can create and post their own video responses.

It's absolutely a site worth checking out for help with required and nonrequired reading. It's even funny!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The coolest video ever made!


Hey kids, the word for the day is Rube Goldberg.  I've never heard of that word before today, but I've just discovered I've actually known what a Rube Goldberg is without even knowing it.  Let me explain: have you ever meticulously set up dominoes (with extra pieces from the kitchen junk drawer) to watch them fall in just the right way, or have you ever played the board game Mouse Trap (is that still around or am I dating myself here?)  Then, my friends, you know first hand what a Rube Goldberg is! 

So remember when I posted a video from the band Ok Go a while back?  (The one where they were in marching band gear in the field...)  Well, that same song has another video.  In their usual way, they've shot this video all in one take... and let me tell you, it's amazing.     Behold, an amazing Rube Goldberg sight:

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Cast of Glee on Tour

FOX announces Glee Live! Tour, dates and details

Attention fans of the TV show Glee: the cast is going on tour and they're coming to New York! 


2010 Glee Live! In Concert! dates:
May 18 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
May 20 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
May 21 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
May 25 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
May 26 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
May 28 New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall
May 29 New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall

March is Teen Technology Month- enter our raffle

March is Teen Technology Month at the Hauppauge Public Library!  We're celebrating by raffling off a gift card to Best Buy to one lucky winner.  To be entered into this raffle, all you have to do is write a short review of a book, or a movie, or a music CD on our Teen Frequency Blog.  (You must be in grades 6-12 to enter.)

Here's how you do it:

1.  Look on the right-hand side of this post in the blue area under the column labeled "Links!"

2. The third hyperlink down is a link labeled "Review it!"
3. Click on this hyperlink and it will take you to a form.

4. Fill out the form and when you're done, hit the submit button. (We need your full name on this form in order to enter you into our raffle. When we post your review to the blog, however, we will only use your first name and grade level.)

5. Sit back and wait to see if you're the lucky winner of the Best Buy gift card!  One winner will be chosen at the end of this month. 
And by the way, this review link is always available... that means even after this raffle contest is over, you can still review things and have it posted to our blog. You can review books, movies, music, magazines, websites... virtually anything that you have come across recently that you've enjoyed and wanted to tell other teens about. Have your voice heard!

February Raffle Winner for Teen Winter Reading Club

Congratulations to Joy Huang... winner of our FebruaryTeen Winter Reading Club Raffle! She has won a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and a $10 gift card to Borders!  Way to go, Joy!

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