Banned Books Week 2011

Tomorrow starts Banned Books Week, an annual event held the last week of September that celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Banned Books Week draws attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting books that have been targets of bannings, or attempted bannings.

Check out this map of the USA to see where some popular titles were banned. It's EVERYWHERE.

Take a look at some popular banned books below. You might be surprised to find some of your favorites listed! Imagine if you never got the chance to read them?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Ttyl by Lauren Myracle

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Celebrate Banned Books Week from September 24th through October 1st by reading a banned book! For more banned book ideas, try clicking one of the PDFs below:

Books banned in 2011

Books banned in 2010

Books banned in 2009

Peeta Vs Gale

If you're a Hunger Games fan, you have to read this funny (yet, thought-provoking) post on the Figment Blog... presenting:

Peeta Versus Gale!

The two are pitted up head-to-head in the categories: Chemistry, Grand Gestures, Better Meal-Maker, Battle Royal, and Better Babysitter. Click here to read the post and find out who is the overall winner, the overall better choice for Katniss!

"They’ve vied for Katniss’s heart and divided loyal fans into brutal, warring factions. We’re here to settle the score between these two Hunger Games hunks. And our choice is definitive."

And if you haven't read any of the Hunger Games series yet, click here to put book 1 (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins on hold!

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arrrr you ready for Talk Like a Pirate Day this year? It's September 19.

This year Talk Like a Pirate Day falls on a Monday, which is GREAT news because you have the whole weekend to brush up on your pirate speak! Luckily, Mango Languages has you covered. Just type in your library barcode and password, and you'll be able to start learning Pirate immediately and for free (or almost any other language, for that matter: Dari? French? German? Hebrew? Thai?).

Talk Like a Pirate Day began on June 6, 1995 by two guys named John Baur and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket). They were playing racquetball and, for some reason, started talking to each other in pirate slang. By the time they had finished their game, they were in full-out pirate lingo and it was then that they decided that "what the world really needed was a new national holiday, Talk Like A Pirate Day." Once it was deemed September 19th, it was celebrated privately for several years by its inventors. That is, until 2002, when John Baur just so happened to come across columnist Dave Barry's e-mail address. Surprisingly, Dave Barry thought it was a great idea and became convinced of the holiday's potential. And that's when he wrote his Miami Herald article.

Looking for some good books on pirates? Try these:

Piratepedia by Alisha Niehaus
Throughout this book, we make 27 stops around the world, learning all kinds of interesting facts about pirates, complete with pictures of artifacts, maps, and even movie photos. This book covers everything. There’s even an interactive pirate map game tucked into a secret back pocket!

Real Pirates by Clare Hibbert
In this collection of over 20 true pirate stories, we look at tales and facts from the Caribbean, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as a quick look at some other useful pirate facts.

Everything I Know About Pirates by Tom Lichtenheld
Want a humorous take on everything from tying pirate knots, to creating your own pirate name? This book covers educated guesses about pirate facts!

The Golden Age of Pirates by Bob Temple
“You live in a time of discovery, adventure, and travel.” You are living life at sea, and it’s dangerous, yet rewarding. There are lots of important decisions and, in this book, you get to make them. Choose your own adventure in this action-packed pirate story!

And for more official information on the fun holiday, check out the official Talk Like a Pirate Day Website.

Arr me hearty, a fine gentleman o' fortune be ye!
(Translation: Great my friend! You're a fine pirate!)

I learned that one on Mango Languages!

Amazing Audiobooks

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) recently announced their list of "Amazing Audiobooks Nominations." This is exciting for me because I LOVE AUDIOBOOKS. With my busy schedule, it's hard to find a lot of time to read actual books (without falling asleep three pages in), but I don't have to miss out! I can listen to audiobooks during my commute every day and still get through books regularly!

If you're new to the world of audiobooks, welcome! Audiobooks can:
1. Make a long car trip seem shorter.
2. Be a great conversation starter if you're travelling with others.
3. Help you appreciate good books that you might not have picked up otherwise.

For the complete list of amazing audiobook nominations, click here!

A few of my favorite audiobooks are:

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale, 7 discs.

Holes by Louis Sachar, read by Kerry Beyer, 4 discs.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, read by Marika Mashburn, 2 discs.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, read by Johnny Heller, 5 discs.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman, 7 discs.

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, read by Julia Whelan, 6 discs.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, read by George Guidall, 6 discs.

Happy listening!

Library Card Sign Up Month 2011

Can you believe it's already September! Not only is this the last official month of summer but it's also officially Library Card Sign-Up Month.

A library card can grant you access to tons of free materials and activities! For example:

1. Free computer and internet access every day (this especially comes in handy after a hurricane).
2. Hundreds of books, DVDs, CDs, and video games to take home and enjoy.
3. Classes all week long, like crafts, story times, lessons, workshops, family movies, game nights, and magic shows.
4. Help with your homework through the use of Live-brary, where you can get tutoring through BrainFuse and do research with our library-card-holder-only Online Resources.
5. TONS of free audiobooks and e-books to download onto your devices.

...And a whole slue of lovely librarians to help you with whatever you're looking for (like me, for example).

Stop in with some ID and get a card and you'll have access to lots of cool and useful things for free. For more information, call us or visit us online: http://www.hauppaugelibrary.org/

Book Reviews by YOU. Take 2!

Shooting Kabul

N.H. Senzai

Reviewed by Justin, Gr. 12

"Shooting Kabul" was definitely a great novel written by N.H. Senzai. The novel starts off in Kabul, Afghanistan were Fadi and his family are planning an escape to America in order to escape the influence of the Taliban. In the effort to escape, Fadi had his younger sister Mariam's hand slip right through his fingers as the truck drove off. Not being able to turn back, both Fadi and his father felt as if their honor was lost. Finally landing in America the family did whatever they could to search for the whereabouts of Mariam. While Fadi's father took the toll for what happened, Fadi personally felt responsible for Mariam's loss. Fadi on top of all the guilt had to now attend a new school in Fremont, California adapting to the new way of life. While in California a series of events takes place which makes it difficult for Fadi and his family to live in and go about with their daily lives. With all that has happened an opportunity comes up were there is a photography contest and the grand prize consists of two free tickets to a few countries which included India. Fadi sees this as a chance to go and rescue his sister and restore the honor to both his father and himself that he felt he had lost. Will this be the chance for Fadi to finally rescue his sister or will Fadi and his family never be able to return back to Kabul and find Mariam? What may seem like an opportunity doesn't always come the way a person may expect it. This novel is great in the sense another culture is brought into perspective along with a way of life and what a family may have gone through while in America. The time period which the novel takes place is also very modern and some of the events which take place is very much recognizable. This book was very interesting and fun to read so that it will get you "hooked" on from the beginning to the end. Its something that if you have time, you should definitely read.  It’s a great book!

The Limit

Kristen Landon

Reviewed by Nicholas, Gr. 7

"This was a good book, I am glad that I chose it to read. This book is about a boy who is forced to go to a workhouse to pay for his family's debt. There is a law that says children must work if their parents go over their ""limit"". The story is about his time spent there and his attempts to escape.  The author uses a lot of detail to describe what is going on and this helped me picture it all in my head. I really liked the main character, Matt, because he took a lot of chances.  I would recommend this book to my friends because it has an interesting plot that can relate to our lives and we could be the main character if our world was like that."

The Allegea Biscotti Collection

Olivia Bennett

Reviewed by Emma, Gr. 7

"I read the book called "The Allegra Biscotti Collection", and I enjoyed it. This book is about a girl named Emma Rose who is 14 and lives in the city. She is a fashion designer and loves to make clothes.  Some of her clothes were left in her dad's factory where a famous fashion editor sees her work and wants to publish it in her magazine. Emma has to learn how to juggle school and having a secret identity, Allegra Biscotti. I would recommend this book to people, who love fashion.

The Last Best Days of Summer

Valerie Hobbs

Reviewed by Justin, Gr. 12

Lucy Crandall a twelve year old girl who all summer is looking forward to the last week in August were she can spend time with her Grams. For Lucy the week with Grams at Crescent Lake in California is the most perfect time in the world for her. Lucy can get away from her overprotective mother, her best friend Megan's obsession with becoming popular, and Eddie the neighborhood boy with Down Syndrome that she spends time with who constantly insists that both him and Lucy are friends. When Lucy goes to Grams all her problems goes away, and Lucy feels "centered". What seemed like it was going to be a perfect week, is nothing but perfect. It becomes more of a roller coaster ride with a lot of mixed emotions throughout the week, with some happy moments, but also some awful moments as well. Its a week full of surprises. Nothing goes as planned. Even Grams herself doesn't seem to be herself as she once was, which slowly makes Lucy  more and more concerned with her. While it seems like there are lots of ups and downs, will Lucy still be able to find some happiness and excitement during the week, or will this be a week of disappointment and disaster that she will always remember? The only way to find out is by reading the book and seeing what happens to Lucy during the last week of August when she goes and visits Grams. While I found the book to be a good read and humorous, I may find it to be more geared and appealing to a female audience. It may not be as appealing or interesting to read for a male audience. Overall however it was a great book and one teens should read.

First Hunger Games Trailer

If you lost power this weekend, chances are you missed the MTV Video Music Awards. In typical MTV Award Show Fashion, there was a pretty important movie trailer premier. Last night, we got our first glimpse at The Hunger Games movie!

Unfortunately, it was a little disappointing, all that anticipation to see Jennifer Lawrence run for a few seconds and the mockingjay logo rotate a few times. But never the less, take a look and get a feel for the much-anticipated Hunger Games movie:



And don't forget, if you still haven't read the book, there's plenty of time! Reserve a copy of The Hunger Games now.