Need a good book recommendation?

Not sure what to read next?  Need a good recommendation?  Check out these two books recommended by Daniel, Gr. 6:

The Ranger's Apprentice: Book One, The Ruins Of Gorlan by John Flanagan
The Rangers Apprentice is a heartwarming story about Will, an orphan during medieval times. When children in his orphanage become 15, a holiday is held in which they are choosen to have a job for life by craftmasters. Will is not chosen for any of the jobs. As his future is looking towards becoming a farmhand, Halt, a ranger (a part of a group of mysterious people thought to do magic), appears. Read this thrilling novel to find out what becomes of Will.

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli
Smiles to Go is a great book about the struggles of Will, a 9th grader. It all starts with the death of a proton, a daring stunt, and a star party. As these events occur he finds out there is more to life than skateboarding and playing Monopoly with his best friends.




If you're a teen in the Hauppauge area and you'd like to write a review of a book, click on the "Review it" button on the sidebar of our blog.  It's a great way to tell the world about a great book you just read... or a book you weren't too thrilled with.  Either way, have your voice heard!

Financial Literacy Contest

Look at the cool contest that just came across my desk:

 

NEFCU, a not-for-profit full service financial institution serving all Long Island, has launched a contest on CUshine, its financial literacy site geared to 18-26 year olds:  http://www.cushine.org.  The site contains valuable information in the form of written blogs and podcasts – many written by college students.  Topics include college life, career advice, saving and budgeting, borrowing wisely, protecting your ID, scholarship and grant information, and more.

They're having a contest that runs between 9/19/13 and 10/10/13 which will award a lucky winner with a $500 NEFCU Savings Account! Every Thursday for four weeks a new blog entry will be posted with a special question at the end of each entry. To enter, contestants must answer at least one of the questions by commenting on that blog post.  It’s that easy!

 If you choose to participate in this contest, Good Luck! 

2013 Teens Top Ten Book Reviews

Each summer, we ask you to read books off of a specific book list for the "Teens Top Ten" award.   This list includes titles that have been officially nominated for consideration for the "Teens Top Ten" provided by YALSA (the young adult division of the American Library Association)  as well as some other titles we added that were worthy of consideration.  

We had a wonderful amount of participation this year, with a lot of really insightful evaluations.  Here are some review highlights:

Books that Received 2 Stars

Between the Lines Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer 

In this story, Oliver is a prince in a fairy tale and Delilah is a girl that wants her happy ending. One day, she finds the children's book that Oliver is a character in and she can magically speak to him. The rest of the plot consists of Delilah trying get Oliver out of the book and she manages to fall in love with the fictional character along the way. I wouldn't recommend this book because the story became very repetitive and boring. It would just be a cycle of trial and error on trying to get Oliver into Delilah's world. People who like fairy tales and romance might like the novel more than I did, but I personally didn't enjoy the book as much as I hoped I would.  

Reviewed by Sharon, Gr. 10

The Hunt Andrew Fukuda  

The book, "The Hunt" was a good read. It's about a boy named Gene surviving from danger. He is the only human left on earth. His Dad was a human but then got changed to be one of... them! They are the blood sucking-Immortal-murderers that are taking over the world! Gene's dad always said to "Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them." But eventually, he does fall in love and now he is chosen to hunt the last remaining humans. At the beginning he was forced to keep that he was a human, a secret. But now that he has a chance to stand up for the girl of his dreams, he is forced to let the secret out. Now that he has revealed the secret, he is left to think if this is worth his humanity.

Reviewed by Yamini, Gr. 9

Books that Received 3 Stars

Revenge: Jason Steed Mark A. Cooper  

 I just finished the book Revenge: Jason Steed. It is about an eleven year old boy named Jason who is an expert at martial arts and was working as an undercover agent for the SYUI, to find out more about an international criminal organization called the Triads. But when the Triads found out that Jason was a spy, Jason had to escape from England and face many challenges in order to survive. This book has many interesting characters and the story line is moving and very intense. Overall, this book was good.

Reviewed by Erin, Gr. 8 

Kingdom Keepers: Shell Game Ridley Pearson                                                           

 I just read the book kingdom keepers.It's about a group of teens who protect the magic of the Disney world experience. Honestly, I thought that it was too long and hard to follow. It would have been better if it was shorter. But I guess that's up to you to decide.

 Reviewed by Dominick, Gr. 6

Kingdom Keepers: Shell Game Ridley Pearson  

This book is about a group of real witches, pirates, and other villains from the Disney Films, called the Overtakers, who are trying to take over the Walt Disney parks for themselves. On the other side, there are some people who volunteered to be Disney Hosts and at night, turned into holograms to help prevent the Overtakers from taking over the parks, which resulted in many battles that broke out between the two groups. Both groups have members who have special abilities such as dreaming of the future that Jess does and Maleficent`s abilities to throw fireballs and cast spells on people. On a special cruise ship called the Dream, both groups seized the opportunity to get a chance to win the battle. Overall, this book was exciting and have interesting characters. It was very good and I am glad that I chose to read this.

Reviewed by Erin, Gr. 8

Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath Helene Boudreau  

Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath is a great book. The story is about Jade Baxter, who is a mermaid, trying to find her mermaid mother and turn her tail into legs again. Together with her friends, Cori, Luke, and Trey, with the support of her dad, Jade went searching underwater and almost got herself into a lot of trouble. This book was fun to read and I like how the book was told in Jade's point of view. The plot was exciting and the characters have a great sense of humor. Overall, this book is awesome and I think that it deserves a spot on the Teens Top Ten.

Reviewed by Erin, Gr. 8

Books that Received 4 Stars

 The Princess Of Trelian Michelle Knudsen                                                                                   

 The Princess Of Trelian is a great book. The princess -heir of Trelian, Meglynne, was having difficulties with her link shared with her dragon, Jakl. Both of them were also having uncontrollable rages. Meanwhile, Calen, Meg`s best friend, was getting his mage`s mark when the ceremony was disrupted. This book has some interesting characters and is very exciting. The ending is a little disappointing, though. But overall, this book is awesome and I think that it deserves a spot on the Teen`s Top Ten.

Reviewed by Erin, Gr. 8

Wish You Were Eyre Heather Vogel Frederick  

This book was very interesting. It is about the conflicts that the members in the Mother-Daughter Book Club faced. A new French girl was moving into Megan Wong's house, turning everything upside down for her and some of her friends. Megan's mother was running for mayor, and Megan herself was going to Paris for Fashion Week. I like the quote at the ending how each section and chapter starts with a quote from Jane Eyre that kind of relates to it. However, I couldn't keep up with the numerous characters at first and i often get confused between which one is which. But overall, this book was great. I think this book deserves a spot on the final "Teen's Top Ten".

Reviewed by Erin, Gr. 8 

Books that Received 5 Stars 

Middle School: get me out of here James Patterson                                                     

Rafe Khatchadorian's world is turned upside down when he suddenly has to move to a new town with his family. There, he is accepted into an art school and begins his newest adventure. I like how on almost every page, there's a dramatization in doodles of what's happening in his world. It really adds some personality to the book. I think this book deserves a spot on the teen's top ten list because it's well written and a really good book to read.  

Reviewed by Dominick, Gr. 6

The Dead Gentleman Matthew Cody 

I really liked this book. It had a lot of adventure and twists in the story that made it an enjoyable book to read. A boy named Tommy Learner and a girl named Jezebel were the characters in the book, however, they were from different time periods. This made the book interesting because they had to save the universe together but they couldn't relate to each other. I would recommend this book because Matthew Cody did an outstanding job of making the book unique in many different ways. I think this book deserves a spot on the top ten list!!

Reviewed by Daniel, Gr. 7

Pool Night at the Smithtown Landing Country Club!

Smithtown Youth Bureau hosts:

TEEN POOL NIGHT at Smithtown Landing Pool 

Grades 6 and up 

Monday night, July 15th from 6:00-8:00pm 

For teens from:

Smithtown

Hauppauge (including Town of Islip residents attending Hauppauge schools)

Kings Park

Nesconset 
Commack (including Town of Huntington residents attending Commack schools)

For more information, call 631-360-7595 

Battle of the Books 2013

Attentions teens entering grades 6-9!

The summer-long "Battle of the Books" program is currently underway.  Our Hauppauge Library team has begun reading the eight pre-selected books and has already had one practice meeting.   If you're interested in joining the team, there's still time, but you need to do it fast!  The last day to register for this program is tomorrow, Tuesday, July 2nd.  Check out the following video that explains exactly how the county-wide Battle works to see if it's something you'd like to participate in:

Stop by the Hauppauge Library to speak with Catherine or Donna to learn more about this program, or to pick up an information packet. 

(Remember: Only teens entering grades 6-9 with a Hauppauge Public Library card can participate in the Hauppauge Library Battle of the Books.  If you have a library card from another Suffolk County library, check with your home library... chances are, they probably have a team you can join!) 

Prom Dresses Available!

Do you need a last minute prom dress, or perhaps a dress for an upcoming fancy occasion?  Do you like things that are free? If so, Hampton Bays Public Library has over 250 dresses available to anyone in Suffolk County... for free!  (They also have shoes, jackets, bags and accessories.) 

The date for this dress giveaway has been extended through Friday, June 21.  You can stop by anytime between now and June 21 to try on dresses.  Call the Hampton Bays Public Library at 631-728-6241 extension 120 or 121 to find out more.

Spread the word... tell a friend!!

Congratulations to the 2013 Graduates!

Congratulations to the current and/or upcoming graduating class of 2013!  Look back at the journey you have completed and give yourselves a pat on the back, but make sure to also keep looking forward... there's so much more to come!

Enjoy an inspiring commencement speech via YA literature author, John Green.  (He certainly has a way with words.)

If you want to watch the video, here's the link: (just be aware his speech doesn't start until 1:01:08)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

The 2012 Nebula Award Winners have been announced by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. According to their site:

The Nebula Awards® are voted on and presented by the active members of SFWA for outstanding science fiction and fantasy published in 2012. The awards were announced at the Nebula Awards® Banquet held at in San Jose, CA, May 16-20.

The Winner of the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy is:

Fair Coin, E.C. Myers
When evil versions of himself and best friend Nate appear one day, teenaged Ephraim embarks on a dangerous odyssey through parallel worlds to make things right.


Here is the list of the nominees:


Iron Hearted Violet, Kelly Barnhill
"Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good, particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being -- called the Nybbas -- imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true -- not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon, may hold the key to the Nybbas's triumph . . . or its demise"

Black Heart, Holly Black
Cassel Sharpe, a powerful transformation worker, is torn between his decision to work for the federal government and his love for Lila, who has joined her father's criminal organization.

Above, Leah Bobet
When insane exile Corner and his army of mindless, whispering shadows invade Safe, a secret underground community of freaks and disabled outcasts, Matthew, traumatized shapeshifter Ariel, and other misfits go to the dangerous place known as Above, where Matthew makes a shocking discovery about the histories entrusted to him.

The Diviners, Libba Bray
Seventeen-year-old Evie O'Neill is thrilled when she is exiled from small-town Ohio to New York City in 1926, even when a rash of occult-based murders thrusts Evie and her uncle, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, into the thick of the investigation.

Vessel, Sarah Beth Durst
When the goddess Bayla fails to take over Liyana's body, Liyana's people abandon her in the desert to find a more worthy vessel, but she soon meets Korbyn, who says the souls of seven deities have been stolen and he needs Liyana's help to find them.

Seraphina, Rachel Hartman
In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.

Enchanted, Alethea Kontis
When Sunday Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week, kisses an enchanted frog, he transforms back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland--a man Sunday's family despises.

Every Day, David Levithan
Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.

Summer of the Mariposas, Guadalupe Garcia McCall
In an adventure reminiscent of Homer's Odyssey, fifteen-year-old Odilia and her four younger sisters embark on a journey to return a dead man to his family in Mexico, aided by La Llorona, but impeded by a witch, a warlock, chupacabras, and more.

Railsea, China Miéville
Traveling aboard the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap finds something amidst the wreckage of another train, a treasure map showing a mythical place untouched by iron rails, which leads him on a journey of danger and excitement.


Above World, Jenn Reese
In a future of high technology and genetic modification the Coral Kampii, like legendary mermaids, live isolated from the Above World, but when the devices that allows them to breathe underwater start to fail, thirteen-year-old Aluna and her friend Hoku go to that forbidden place to find help.

Winner of the 2013 Teen Choice Book Award

 
Exciting book news:  John Green's The Fault in Our Stars has won the coveted Teen Choice Book Award!  This hugely popular title was chosen as the winner by kids and teens across the country.  Check out the Teenreads site to see the announcement!  

Winner:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.









Additional Nominees:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

 Rapture: A Fallen Novel by Lauren Kate
While searching for the place where the angels fell to earth to stop Lucifer from erasing the past, Luce and Daniel make a startling discovery about their love.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
One choice can transform you -- or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves -- and herself -- while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction ; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horror.

 City of Lost Souls: The Mortal Instruments Book 5 by Cassandra Clare
When Jace vanishes with Sebastian, Clary and the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world and Clary infiltrates the group planning the world's destruction.

Free Comic Book Day is coming!

  Free Comic Book Day is coming soon!

Here's the official low-down on the day directly from the Free Comic Book Day website:

Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. *Check with your local comic book shop for their participation and rules.  

Libraries get in on the action, too!  For the past six years, the Hauppauge Public Library has partnered with Fourth World Comics to bring the celebration to our patrons.  Each year, Fourth World Comics generously donates free comics for us to give out to our patrons, so stop by the library and enjoy the world of comics!  And make sure to stop by Fourth World Comics to say thanks and check out their celebration, too!  

Not sure yet that this is a cool event?  Check out this video!  

Here's what we're doing at the Hauppauge Public Library:

10:00am- 4:00pm

• free comics (one per patron) while supplies last
• drop-in activities for kids and teens
• check out a graphic novel from the library's collection and get a raffle ticket for some cool raffle prizes

1:00- 2:00pm

• make a light saber pen with cool, glow-in-the-dark clay (Grades 6-12) 

SAT Prep Small Group Instruction class just added!  If you are preparing for the June 1st SAT class, you may be interested in this!  Registration is currently underway. 

Coming Soon! Authors Unlimited Event!

The public libraries of Suffolk County in collaboration with St. Joseph’s College will be presenting the third annual Authors Unlimited event on Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10 am to 4 pm at the St. Joseph’s College campus 155 West Roe Boulevard, Patchogue, NY.

Authors Unlimited provides an opportunity for teens to connect with young adult authors and celebrate reading. Authors scheduled to attend and present dynamic workshops for teens include: Andrea Cremer, Adam Gidwitz, Jeff Hirsch, Tonya Hurley, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Joe Kelly, Robert Lipsyte, Barry Lyga, Patricia McCormick, George O’Connor, Eliot Schrefer, and Natalie Standiford.

Admission is free. FAST PASS preregistration is available online.  Preference will be given to teens for seating and workshops, but all ages are welcome. Lunch is available for purchase in the St. Joseph’s cafeteria throughout the afternoon, or feel free to bring your own.

You can even submit a question for one of the authors.  Your question may be among those selected during the Author Panel Discussion! 

For further information and to see a complete list of event sponsors for Authors Unlimited go to www.authorsunlimited.org

See you at  this exciting event!

Teen Tech Week is coming soon!

Save the Date!

Teen Tech Week Raffle:  Check-in @ Your Library

Sunday, March 10- Saturday, March 16

From e-books, audiobooks, music, and movies to games, databases, homework help, and more, the library is the place where you can plug in and stay connected. To celebrate during Teen Tech Week in a few weeks, we’re asking you to tell us the name of an App you’ve used recently or a Database that has helped you with research and why you liked it.  We’ll post your comments here on our teen blog and enter you into a raffle drawing for an iTunes gift card!   

Remember: The raffle doesn't begin until Sunday, March 10, but you can start thinking now about which App or Database you'd like to tell us about.