Happy New Year!

I think lots of you have been off on trips over the holidays because I haven't seen you around. I hope you got to spend time with family, friends and all of your new gifts!

There have been some teens in the Library - a few of whom are BIG readers and leave the Teen Alcove with armloads of books. It does my heart good to see these people!

In case you are one of them, or are happy with just one or two books to read, I've gotten lots of new ones in lately. Take a look at some of the New Fiction here.

Just a taste of some hot new titles --

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

If you like TV reality shows, you'll love this book. In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.




Audrey, Wait!
by Robin Benway

While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.





Th1rteen R3asons Why
by Jay Asher

When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.




Science Fair: A Story of Mystery, Danger, International Suspense, and a Very Nervous Frog
by Dave Barry

The president of Kprshtskan is plotting to infiltrate the science fair at Hubble Middle School in Maryland in order to take over the United States government, but when Toby Harbinger, an ordinary student, makes up his mind finally to win the fair, the terrorists' plans go awry.




Suck It Up
by Brian Meehl

After graduating from the International Vampire League, a scrawny, teenaged vampire named Morning is given the chance to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a superhero when he embarks on a League mission to become the first vampire to reveal his identity to humans and to demonstrate how peacefully-evolved, blood-substitute-drinking vampires can use their powers to help humanity.



Have a great holiday and stop by the Library whenever you can!

Monty Python Lovers Unite!

The Del Mar school play next week is called "And Now for Something Completely Different" and is based on the old Monty Python TV series. I loved that show back in the old days! I had a roommate in college who could recite whole shows from memory, accents and all.

For you fans of Monty Python, we have a few items here at the library that might interest you. Monty Python DVDs:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail





Life of Brian





Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

We can get these for you from other libraries:

The complete Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python's flying circus: John Cleese's personal best

I also just got a new book called The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy, which is not Monty Python, but similar in style. I have one of my confirmed Monty Python fans reading it to see what he thinks. You might want to give it a try too!

The Order of Odd Fish

There is lots more Monty Python stuff in the Marinet library system which you can find by searching the Catalog.

To all you Del Mar actors - break a leg, and just remember, "NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Can Turkeys Fly?

Thanksgiving is almost here, with many of you out of school already for a looong weekend. Unfortunately, with the end of the semester coming up, homework can be relentless. I suspect there are more than a few of you pulling out the posterboard for one project or another.

So take a break and try out this Turkey Quiz
It's a tough one - I got 11 right out of 20. How 'bout you?

Speaking of quizzes and games, we are thinking about getting some board games to have on hand at the Library for teens (and adults) to play. Do you have any favorites to suggest? Some of the ones we are looking at are: Risk, Monopoly, Clue, chess and Yahtzee. Let me know if you have other suggestions.

Have a great weekend and don't eat toooooo much!

Odds & Ends

It was fun to see some Redwood students in the library earlier this week when they should have been at school. Turns out a water main leak closed down the school about 10:30 and all the students were let out. It's always fun to have an unexpected day off, isn't it?

Speaking of days off, next Tuesday, Nov. 11th, is Veteran's Day and a school holiday for all the public schools in the area. Because of that, we won't be having our usual Teen Lounge on that day, but it will reopen Nov. 18th.

Crafts Day! Come by Thursday, Nov. 13th after school to make a holiday ornament for a gift or for yourself. Alexis Berger, our crafts expert, will have all the materials and all the know-how to turn out some great pieces of art.

One more thing -- if you need some Community Service hours, talk to Alicia Bell in the Children's room about helping out with some children's programs. There are a couple of crafts programs for younger kids coming up, and there are always books to shelve!

Happy Halloween!

Today's the day to use your imagination, put on a costume, and head out for all the candy you can get! Seriously, do be careful out there...

Library teens celebrated our own Halloween on Tuesday, the 28th, with an afternoon party. We had the usual chips, fruit, and drinks, along with punch and cupcakes you could decorate yourself. A DDR tournament with prizes was a hit, and even some reluctant dancers joined in the fun. We discovered that if your feet are of the extra-large variety, it can really confuse the mats!

Our next big party for teens will be the holiday party on December 16th - if you missed our Halloween party, be sure to make it for the next one.

Please note: There will be no Teen Lounge on Tuesday, November 11th because it is Veteran's Day and a school holiday.

The 2008 Teen Top Ten!

After months of anticipation and a week of voting, here are the results of the latest Teen Top Ten - the favorite books of 2008 as voted on by 8,000 teens across the country. Drum roll please...

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

How many of these books have you read? Come on by the library and check them out. They are very popular, so you might want to call ahead and have the book you want held for you before making the trip.

Quick way to get to the Teen Zone

There's a quick new way to get to the Teen Zone web site - in your address bar, type in teenlibrary.info and you'll be there!

Did you know that the school year is already one-sixth over?
Time flies when you're having fun!

Teen Read Week is coming up October 12 -18. Too young to vote for President? You can vote for your favorite book of 2008 from the nominees listed at the TeenTopTen website. Just click on the button here:

You can find a list of the nominated books in the Teen alcove at the Library - look at the display in the corner. Or check out the list on the site. Here are a few of the 26 nominees:

• Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, by James Patterson
• The Luxe, by Anna Godberson
• Unwind, by Neal Shusterman
• Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
• Extras, by Scott Westerfield
• Jinx, by Meg Cabot
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
  

You can vote for your favorite starting October 12th!

Welcome!

Welcome to the new TeenZone blog from the Belvedere-Tiburon Library Teen department. I have big plans to entice you to connect with the Library through the web site as much as possible.

Look here regularly for information about all kinds of things I hope you will find interesting and helpful. Check out the quizzes on the right side of the page, and let me know if you have ideas for other quizzes.

Here's something fun to do - have you tried a Smackdown on Google? From the Google searchbox, type in google smackdown and click on the first link that comes up. Then type in a couple of names, words or phrases to see who has the most hits. Who do you think will win - Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus? Barrack Obama or John McCain? Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert? Give it a try!

Thanks for checking out the new blog, and don't forget to look over the brand spanking new TeenZone website.

One more thing -- the first person who sees this blog entry and describes something in it will win a coupon for a FREE cupcake at Frosting Bakeshop in Mill Valley. You can let me know in person, by email (jschafer@bel-tib-lib.org), by phone (415-789-2665, ext. 238) or on chat (only if I am online).

Jacki - Teen Librarian