TeenZone Blog http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/ en Copyright 2009 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:23:52 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Read Any Good Books Lately? Cirquedufreak_175pix.jpg Lord Loss Demonata_200pix.jpg

I don't know if any of you have seen the Cirque du Freak: Vampire's Assistant movie yet. It was based on Darren Shan's book, Cirque du Freak.

I thought the book was okay. The movie trailers look pretty good. There is another series by Darren Shan, Demonata, book 1 is Lord Loss. I have read all 9 books in the series. The most recent one is Dark Calling.

So tell me what books you are reading and give me suggestions for my next read. Just comment below.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/11/read_any_good_books_lately.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/11/read_any_good_books_lately.htm Book Reviews Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:23:52 -0500 Awesome Teen Volunteers Alina_300pix.jpg


Thank you so much for helping with the Halloween Party at the Library. I know some of you had not signed up, but we sure were able to put you to work!

Merry will load all the pictures to our Flicker account so you might want to check that out. There were not many pictures of teen volunteers.View image Probably because we were pretty busy the entire time.

But here are some more pictures. View image View image

Again thank you so much for helping. We could not have done this without you.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/awsome_teen_volunteers.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/awsome_teen_volunteers.htm Teen Volunteers Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:11:06 -0500 Teen Read Week October 18-24, 2009 2009_logo_520pix.gif

This year Teen Read Week is October 18-24. This week is also when the winning "Teens Top Ten" books for 2009 are announced. Have you read many of them? Since we are no longer an official Galley Book Group, I don't seem to read as many of the nominated titles, but I did read 5 of the winning 10. Hey, did any of you read "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman? I would love to know what you think.

Also, there is this great site from the Eastern Connecticut Young Adult Roundtable. Not only is there a great list broken into genre, but there are lists of book trailers, books to movies listed by Author, and new YA books.

And don't forget the TeenZone site. Click on Read It and there are lots of links including the list of new YA books at the Danbury Library.

REMINDER, Thursday is a Galley Book Discussion in the LTC Conference Room from 5:30 to 7:00. See you then. Email (dharrigan@danburylibrary.org) or call (797-4528) if you have any questions.

And the Twilight Program is filling up fast.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/teen_read_week_2009.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/teen_read_week_2009.htm Teen Read Week Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:56:34 -0500 Altered Books II Board book#3_150pix.jpg


When I had the Altered Book Program in June, there were many of you who asked me to have another program and to have it soon!

Well, Altered Books II, is next Thursday, October 15th from 4 to 6. If you are interested you must call 797-4528 to register.

Remember, if you did the program in June, bring your book with you and continue working on the inside. All supplies are included and the program is free. But there is a limit. So, call today and reserve your place.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/altered_books_ii.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/altered_books_ii.htm Other Stuff Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:48:51 -0500 Who needs drawing skills??? Holy cow! I was surfing some of my favorite tech blogs when I came across PhotoSketch, a web-based program that can turn rough blob sketches into amazing photos:

Watch the video below to see a demonstration. Pretty amazing stuff.

PhotoSketch: Internet Image Montage from tao chen on Vimeo.

The website for PhotoSketch is currently down to try it out (presumably since a few hundred thousand people tried to access it in a 24-hour period), but hopefully, it'll be back up soon so you all could try it too. Keep an eye for it! What images would you create with PhotoSketch??

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/who_needs_drawing_skills.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/10/who_needs_drawing_skills.htm Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:37:04 -0500 What do you think? secretofthesiren.gifEarlier this summer I read the first book in the "Companions Quartet" series, Secret of the Sirens by Julia Golding. Someone asked me to buy the book, but I wanted to read it first so I borrowed it from another library. Well I liked it so much that I read the other three and bought all 4 for our collection. This is a fantasy that presents mythical creatures such as minotaurs and unicorns living in our world, protected by a secret society. There is a strong environmental message that runs through the four books that I really liked. The characters really grew on me, and I was a bit sorry that there were only four books. I would love if some of you might read this and send me your comments. Also, you might want to see what books arrived in August. The September list is not out yet, but I can tell you that Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is here, and if you liked Hunger Games, you will love this. But please, comment. Oh, and tomorrow is the Galley Book Discussion.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/09/what_do_you_think.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/09/what_do_you_think.htm Book Discussions Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:17:01 -0500 Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yarr mateys! Saturday, September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Started as a joke between a couple of friends, this holiday is now widely celebrated throughout the world. For tips on how you can talk like a pirate and see how others throughout the world are celebrating TLAPD, visit the official Talk Like a Pirate Day website! You can translate anything you say to piratespeak with this handy translator: http://www.fissio.com/pirate.pl. If you use Meebo for IM, you can always turn piratespeak on and off just by typing in "pirateon" or "pirateoff" in an IM.
Last year on September 19, Facebook introduced a new language - piratespeak, and you can change it now to English (Pirate) by visiting the translations page. It only appears in the lower-left area when you click on "english (US)", not on the right side options.
Have fun!

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/09/talk_like_a_pirate_day.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/09/talk_like_a_pirate_day.htm Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:09:29 -0500 Design a t-shirt, make some cash! design.gif
Have a great idea for an awesome t-shirt? Think you can design a cool one? Head to threadless.com, and submit your design in for a chance to win $2500! All the t-shirt designs are all submitted and voted on by the online community - so go ahead, get those creative juices flowing and possibly even make some cash! Don't forget us little people when you hit it big and famous for your fantastic designs!

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/09/design_a_tshirt_make_some_cash.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/09/design_a_tshirt_make_some_cash.htm Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:49:45 -0500 Summer Reading Program Winners iPod_winner_150pix.jpg


Lauren G. will be starting 7th Grade this year with a new iPod Touch. She won the most popular prize in the drawing held at Danbury Library on August 11th. Alina S. won the 'nano'. Congratulations to both of you!

Danteyh J. will begin her first year at DHS by arriving in a Limo, and Alex T. from RPMS will start 7th grade when he arrives with a few of his friends in a Limo. That should be fun. Thanks to Greg Scott Limousine for offering this prize for the 6th year.

Evan L. and Bianca M. won the Jabra Bluetooth Headsets.

This was a short, but fun summer. I hope everyone enjoys the next few weeks of relaxation. Any ideas or suggestions are always welcome. Call me (797-4528) or comment here on the blog.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/08/summer_reading_program_winners_1.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/08/summer_reading_program_winners_1.htm Summer 2009 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:50:03 -0500 How fast can you type? untitled.JPG Ever wonder how fast you can type? I came across a neat website this morning called www.typingtest.com, which is a neat site that helps you gauge how fast you can type. There's several different tests; some are more difficult to type than others. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and "The Enchanted Typewriter" tests both netted me over 90 wpm, but I could only do about 77 wpm on the "Astronauts" one. Silly punctuation!

So tell me, how fast can you type? And FYI, if you respond to any of our blog entries on the Teen Zone, you're entered in to win a prize! Ask Mrs. Harrigan for more details!

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/08/how_fast_can_you_type.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/08/how_fast_can_you_type.htm Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:52:32 -0500 Twitter is not for teens? twitter.JPGRecently, an article was published about a 15-year-old intern at Morgan Stanley who reported on the media usage habits of he and his friends, and makes some bold statements about teens and media in general. Matthew Robson states that traditional media like TV and newspapers are losing ground among teens, which I can completely understand, as I know we're using the internet for everything! He also states that teens don't like paying for downloading movies or music from the internet, and find advertisements annoying. These are both pretty obvious, logical statements to me, but what is most intriguing to me is his report that he and his friends don't use Twitter, yet use new forms of social media. What kind of social networking mediums are you guys using to stay connected? Is Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace completely or near passé? Are you using the Wii or XBox Live or just plain old text messages instead?

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/08/twitter_is_not_for_teens_1.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/08/twitter_is_not_for_teens_1.htm Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:32:31 -0500 Summer Reading Wrapups Francisco, winner of an iPod touch, poses with his little sister!Our second annual Summer Reading Teen Wii Tournament just wrapped up on Monday! Congrats to Francisco, this year's winner. He took home a very cool iPod Touch. This year we had 4 weeks of Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament play, which is always entertaining to watch. Help us keep an eye out for possibilties for new video games to have a tournament with, and maybe we can set up a winter tournament!

250 MB Flash Drive Bracelet!Summer Reading is wrapping up here at the library; have you been reading and keeping track? One of the prizes this year for completing all 7 weeks is this very cool 250MB flash drive bracelet. Store all your stuff and keep it close to you in style!

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/07/teen_wii_tournament_finale.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/07/teen_wii_tournament_finale.htm Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:52:58 -0500 Teen Wii Tournament Starts Today! Mondays:
June 29, July 6, 13, & 20
Time: 2:30 - 4:30pm

Final Tournament:
Monday July 27, 2:30 - 4:30pm

1st Prize: iPod Touch
2nd, 3rd & 4th Prizes: $35 ticket to Lake Compounce

We'll be playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl, with the same format as last year - win one of the weekly rounds between June 29 and July 20 to qualify for the final round on July 27. All teen players must submit a signed permission slip available here. Call 797.4528 for more info.

Check out the rest of our summer reading events, and for the summer reading lists.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/06/teen_wii_tournament_starts_tod.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/06/teen_wii_tournament_starts_tod.htm Summer 2009 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:37:41 -0500 Library Closed Today Due to the extreme heat in the building on the Main Floor, the library is closed today, Wednesday, June 24. We will re-open tomorrow, Thursday, June 25th at 10am, conditions permitting. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/06/library_closed_at_2pm_today.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/06/library_closed_at_2pm_today.htm Summer 2009 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:51:58 -0500 Don't miss this Free Class. VanNice-SwissArmy_150pix.jpg
Recycled Book Art for Grades 6-12 is the first program of the 2009 Summer Reading activities. Join us on Tuesday, June 23 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on the second floor Junior Library.

We're going to take old books View image
and recycle them into fabulous works of art! Bring along your own pictures, movie stubs, post cards or personal notes and make your own diary or pop-up book. Local artist Katie Stevenson will guide you in your creation. If you want to see some awesome examples View image, Google "book art" or "altered books." You might also want to check out some of our books. Your imagination is your only limitation.

Sign up as soon as possible. Stop in the Library or call, 797-4528. This program is free, but there is a limited enrollment.

]]> http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/06/hurry_class_filling_up.htm http://www.danburylibrary.org/blogs/TeensExpress/2009/06/hurry_class_filling_up.htm Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:01:31 -0500