Teen Read Week 2009

Celebrate "Teen Read Week" at the Hauppauge Public Library!

As you know, we always encourage teens to read... it's kind of what we do here at the library. But from Sunday, October 18th - Saturday, October 24th we will be encouraging you with gifts!

Every October, we join forces with libraries across America in an organized fashion to celebrate teens and the act of reading. Every day this week, after you check out an item from the circulation desk, head on over to the reference desk to get a free book of your choice. We have a cart full of books to choose from! If you also have a Hauppauge Library card, in addition to the free book you will be entered into a raffle for either a Borders gift card or an I-tunes gift card- your choice! (There is a limit of one free book and one raffle ticket per teen/ per day.)

And check out this cool bit of info: our librarian Ms. Tracy has contacted numerous Young Adult authors and asked them to answer one question for us at the Hauppauge Library. The question: what are you currently reading? Check this blog all week long to hear what some of your favorite authors are reading- and while you're at it, tell us what YOU'RE reading too! We'd love to know!

It seems only fair to let you know what I'm reading right now, right? Well I can't. Seriously... I've been sworn to secrecy. I'm reading one of the three books that are going to be battled in the Advanced Division Battle of the Books (for high-schoolers) this coming Spring. The titles are going to be announced to the public on December 1st and I can't wait cause I'm bursting at the seems here wanting to tell people about these books!!! Trust me, they are good!! I've said too much already.

Librarian Book Review: Impossible by Nancy Werlin

I just finished reading an amazing book: Impossible by Nancy Werlin. It's the story of 17-year-old Lucinda Scarborough, a normal girl living with her foster parents leading a seemingly regular life- except for the fact that her real mother, who went insane shortly after giving birth to Lucy, makes occasional visits to town. Lucy becomes pregnant and, after uncovering her birth mother's diary hidden in the walls of her room, discovers that five generations of women in her family have given birth at the age of 18; all have had daughters and all went insane shortly after giving birth. Her seemingly unusal life circumstances suddenly become more unusual when she discovers this is all due to an ancient family curse. Armed with more knowledge (and more family support) than any of her ancenstors, Lucy goes out to break the curse by attempting to complete three impossible tasks brought forth by the evil being responsible for her family's suffering throughout the generations. She has only 9 months to complete the tasks before she counts herself as another victim of the curse.

This book is a wonderful example of how an author can mix realism with fantasy; romance with a strong female lead; and do it all with smart, believable characters. There is the exciement of the "race against time" element, but the author never leaves you feeling cheated along the way with a convienent plot twist. The characters and the story are given time to develop.

This story is based on the folk song "Scarborough Fair" (originally written in the 1600's) made famous in the 1960's by Simon and Garfunkel. The lyrics to this ballad contain the three impossible tasks. I find it interesting that I've heard this song a million times, but never really paid attention to the lyrics. The author's notes at the end of this book are interesting to read and are a perfect example of how talented writers come up with their ideas for books.

Check out this book trailer:

Zentangle Art Program

Teens who attended a recent art program were treated to instruction from a local artist on the art form of Zentangle. Zentangle is a wonderfully relaxing hobby of drawing intricate lines and shapes that are repeated to create a pattern. If you doodle on your notebooks, you've probably done something very similar to this without even realizing. If you missed this program, or wish to see us offer it again, leave a comment on this blog post to let us know!

Battle of the Books Plaque Dedication Ceremony

The Hauppauge Public Library was abuzz last night with family, friends and supporters of the teens who were part of the Battle of the Books this summer. Our team had won the county-wide championship this past August and last night Barbara Moon, the Suffolk Cooperative Library System's Youth Services Coordinator, presented us with the official Battle plaque!

This plaque will be housed in our library until next year when it will go to the winners of the 2010 Battle... whoever they may be. This very special honor was celebrated with a dedication ceremony to thank the team, the parents, the staff members... and everyone who had a part in making this year's Battle team a winning team. And it was further proof that the Hauppauge community is warm, generous, supportive and just plain wonderful!

Congratulations one and all!!!

Piano Stairs - get in shape, stay in tune

If given the choice, do you take the stairs or the escalator? Would it make a difference if the stairs were wired to make sounds like the keys of a piano? Take a look at this video clip:

Tetris in real life

Here's an interesting take on a fun video game... skateboards + neon shapes + team cooperation= FUN!

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

I just came across a truly inspiring story. It's the story of William Kamkwamba from Malawi, Africa. When William was 14 years old, he went to his rural school library (pictured above) and stumbled upon a book entitled, "Using Energy." He was intrigued with the information found in the book and used it (along with scrap pieces of metal and plastic) to create a windmill capable of generating electricity. Since only 2 percent of the people in his village had electricity, this was a very big deal. And he was only 14 years old! Watch this short video clip to learn more about this fascinating story:



William is now 21 years old and has written a book entitled, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (co-written with Bryan Mealer.) In it he describes the process of creating the windmills (he has built more than one over the years) and the effect it has had on his life and the lives of those in the small village in Africa where he is from.

When I hear stories like this, I can't help but feel proud to work in a library- a place where so much information and inspiration exists. The truly amazing part is when someone takes something found within the library to create something larger than themselves... something that transforms not only themselves but those around them for the better.