TeenDirect

Battle of the Books promises to be an exciting event. Our venue for regional competitions will be the Javits Lecture Center at Stony Brook University. Thirty nine teams will be competing this year in the twelfth annual summer competition.

Things are heating up!

Keep cool,

Barbara

Reaching Teens with Technology

Mark Irish, head of Young Adult Services at Islip Public Library capitalizes on teen interest in technology. Prizes for this summer's reading program include an Apple I-pod touch, a digital camera, and a gift card to Barnes & Noble. Mark brought in his personal equipment for gaming events until he discovered what his teens like best, then made a library purchase based on teen interest. Islip teens can access the blog to keep young adults informed about library events.

North Shore Public Library and Katherine Welch were the first to try cell phone clinics, pairing senior patrons with teen tutors. Teen assist senior patrons in setting up an address book and teach patrons how to use the functions of a cell phone. Her programs continue to be a successful pairing of technology and cross- generational programming.

Ryan Gessner runs the TRC, the Friday night coffeehouse for teens at Middle Country Public Library. An outstanding feature of these performances is Ryan's recording and posting using vimeo on a tumblr blog. You have to visit the site to see what a quality recording this is.

View additional photos, including room decorations for summer reading programs at SCLS Teen Tour.

Picture This: Author Profile

I love funny books and Miracle Wimp by Erik P. Kraft is one of my all-time favorites. The story of Tom Mayo, a Miralce Wimp cover

sixteen-year-old who suffers from all of the injustices of high school life. For example, Tom signed up for the Computer Animation class and was placed in Wood Shop with strange Mr. Boortz instead. Here's one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Things You Should Know About Dating.You must never ever say you don't know if your parents will let you go out with someone. Ever. I can say with much confidence that this is an extremely bad move because I've done it myself. I don't know why I said it, it just came out. Nerves are evil."

I have recently discovered Kraft's Lenny and Mel, children's books that are filled with delightful drawings, funny characters and hilarious situations. Read more about Kraft at Doomshelves of Doom.

News Flash: Congratulations to Picture This artists Jonathan Bean and Misako Rocks. Jonathan Bean's At Night was awarded the 2008 Boston Globe Horn Book Picture Book Award. Misako Rocks is the recipient of the Venice Beach Award! Meet them at Picture This.

Miss Scarlett Times Two

I was reading Maureen Johnson's Suite Scarlett to pass the long hours on a cross-country flight. The attendant took one look at the cover and stopped to ask about the new bio of Scarlett Johanssen. No, I replied, this is a different Scarlett, but an interesting one, none the less. The owners of the historic Manhattan Hopewell Hotel are coping with financial and family problems. Daughter Scarlett finds herself negotiating the difficulties of catering to an eccentric guest, a thespian brother, three very different sisters, and her first romantic crush during a hot New York summer.

For me, Neil Gaiman is hit-or-miss. Fortunately The Graveyard Book is a hit that had me in its grip from the get-go. Jack, a man with a knife, moves stealthly through a home, The Graveyard Book cover

sytematically killing all family members. Through a strange twist of fate, the young toddler escapes Jack's knife and finds himself in a graveyard. The residents of this graveyard take it upon themselves to protect and care for this orphan. Gaiman has mixed up a potent concoction with equals parts suspense, clever dialog, and the most interesting cast of characters ever to inhabit a graveyard. A not-too-scary and very delightful read! (Yes, a young girl named Scarlett is an important visitor to The Graveyard.)

Please consult the SCLS Professional Collection for a complete listing of all titles available for examination.

	Registration is now open. Picture This: Images and Young Adult Literature Register for this exciting program. Reserve copies of your favorite titles for the author signing. Last year we ran out of some titles, so be sure to reserve the books you want. Obtain further information.
Register today for the BEST graphic novel program on Long Island !