Teens

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

This book is great fun and a quick read. When Sam accidently breaks the tail light on a car parked in Plumpy’s parking lot, he does not know what chain of events he has started. It turns out the owner is an evil necromancer who recognizes that Sam has some, if weaker, of the same powers he has. Sam doesn’t know about his abilities until he is kidnapped by the evil one, to become his apprentice. With a shot of romance, a fight between all kinds of zombie creatures and a pack of werewolves, and a daring rescue, this book is just full of thrills and action. There are some memorable supporting characters including human and not so human.  This is the first novel by this author, but one has to hope she will write more and it would be great if this story turned into a series. There are so many more adventures Sam and his friends could have that are waiting to be told, as surely there will be readers waiting to read them. Highly recommended. 

This book was a finalist for the 2011 William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award.

Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

About the Michael L. Printz Award:
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association.  The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association. Link to this page with its shortened URL, www.ala.org/yalsa/printz!
(from the ALA Website)

Printz Award Winner: Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi

For more information about the winner of the Printz Award and Honor books, see below:
www.ala.org/yalsa/printz

William C. Morris YA Debut Award

About the William C. Morris YA Debut Award:
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.
(from the ALA Website)

William C. Morris YA Debut Award: The Freak Observer, by Blythe Woolston

For more information about the winner of the William C. Morris YA Debut Award and Honor books, see below: www.ala.org/yalsa/morris.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

About the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:
The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. The award winner will be announced annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting Youth Media Awards, with a shortlist of up to five titles named the first week of December. The award will be presented at ALA Annual Conference.
(from the ALA Website)

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Winner: Janis Joplin:  Rise Up Singing, by Ann Angel.

For more information about the winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults and finalists, see below: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/nonfiction/nonfiction.cfm

Virals by Kathy Reichs, 2010

From Kathy Reichs, author of adult mystery books & inspiration for the TV series, Bones, comes an exciting story for teens. Tory Brennan, niece of the acclaimed anthropologist Temperance Brennan, has inherited her aunt’s love of science and investigation. While rescuing a wolf dog puppy from a secret lab, Tory and the three boys who are her best friends, are exposed to a new form of parvovirus that infects & changes them all. Now they are being pursued by unknown bad guys & don’t know whether it is because they broke in to the lab or because they have unearthed a decades old murder. 

Lots of thrills & tension make this a must read book.

-Staff Review

My Boyfriends’ Dogs by Dandi Daley Mackall

On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley and her three dogs take shelter in a café. Here they meet the owner Louie, Rune the cook and Colt who is a customer. As they wait out the storm, Bailey tells them her story, of her three boyfriends and the three dogs. The boyfriends are all different and illustrate some of the pitfalls that face a girl looking for a relationship. Bailey’s Mom and her friend Amber are great characters who add fun & wisdom. Teens looking for a light romance that deals with the issues of love and sex before marriage, who also love dogs, will like this book.

-Staff Review.

Teens!

Can’t find your friends? 

Chances are…… they are having fun at the library!  In addition to the wealth of information available to assist teens with their homework, did you know that our library also offers many fun & interesting program especially for teens?  Here is a sampling of some of the upcoming programs in various branches for the month of November:

Game On @ Your Library — Match your skills against fellow gamers.  Play Xbox or Nintendo Wii

Microwave Cusine –  Get the inside scoop on how to cook using a microwave!

Movie Night –  Favorite Teen Movies

Open Stage Night –  Be a part of this live show!  Spoken word, karaoke, comedy and music are just a few of the genres you will see.

Teens Telling Tales – Teen Advisory Group teens share stories, songs and fun with young children.

Random Teen Madness – Wednesday afternoons teens gather together to play games, share snacks and just hang out.

Teen Friday Afterhours – Various branches are open after hours JUST FOR TEENS! 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DATES, TIMES & LOCATION OF THE PROGRAMS OFFERED FOR TEENS, visit http://www.hcplonline.info/programs/search/

Cavan O’Brien, an 8th grader at Bel Air Middle School, made his directorial debut and won first place and a Flip digital video camera in the Summer Reading Program teen video contest at Harford County Public Library.

Based on the Summer Reading Program theme for teens, Make Waves @ Your Library, O’Brien starred in the video along with his younger brother Liam. “I am happy I won and did a great job,” said Bel Air resident O’Brien, who uses the library regularly and loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

“This video contest was really exciting and all the wonderful submissions that we received made it very competitive,” stated Mary Hastler, Associate Director of Harford County Public Library. “Cavan won because his video truly exemplified the Summer Reading Program for teens.”

View Cavan’s winning video below:

Harford County Public Library held a video contest for teens based on the Summer Reading Program theme Make Waves @ Your Library. Liam O’Brien, left, starred in a video that was directed by his brother, Cavan O’Brien, right, an 8th grader at Bel Air Middle School who made his directorial debut and won first place and a Flip digital video camera.

See the article in Kids & Family Journal (a monthly insert in The Aegis) (pdf)

Other Entries

A big THANK YOU to all the teens who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Program.  Over 4,600 teens (including middle schoolers) signed up to read for the ‘Make Waves @ Your Library’ Summer Reading Program.

If you participated, what did YOU like about the program? (or not!)  Please take a moment and complete this survey.

Your feedback is appreciated and will help us make next year’s program even better!

Did you participate in Make Waves @ Your Library, our Summer Reading Program for teens? If so, please take a minute to fill out a quick survey!

Teens! Summer is here!!! We invite you to Make Waves @ your Library.

Check out Headlines & Happenings for the upcoming fun & exciting programs we have offered this summer.

CONGRATULATIONS! to all of Harford County’s Senior class of 2010! All of us here at the library wish you the very best in all of your future endeavors.

Harford teens have survived the long, snowy winter. Spring Break has finally arrived. We want you to have a fun and safe break! Drop in your local branch to get a head start on your final projects for the year. While you are there, be sure to stop by the information desk and tell us how your year is coming and upcoming plans for the summer.

April is National Poetry Month

Is poetry a dusty, crusty old subject that you would rather skip? We challenge you to make poetry a part of your everyday life? Check out the following books of poetry written by
teens just like you…

Dizzy in your eyes: poems about love “An original collection of poems, each with a different teen narrator sharing unique thoughts, moments, or heart’s desire.”
Tell the World: Teen Poems from WritersCorps “A stunning collection of poems by teens who have taken part in workshops run by WritersCorps, a national alliance of literary arts programs for youth.”
Wildly Romantic: The English Romantic Poets Author Catherine Andronik tells the story of famous poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and William Wordsworth and other English Romantic Poetry who risked jail by writing poetry but took the risk because of their belief that “poetry should express strong feelings in ordinary language and were barely out of their teens when their words changed literature forever.”
Love: Selected Poems by e.e. cummings, art by christopher myers

Upcoming Teen Programs @ the Library

Let’s Talk About… “lookin in the mirror”

Topics based on popular teen books. Not necessary to read the book in advance.

Teen Friday Afterhours

The second Friday of each month we open the Whiteford Branch just for teens. Watch Anime, surf the web, discuss new books, give input on library services and just have a great time. Bring a snack to share.

Whiteford, Friday, April 9th, 6-8

Young Adult Book Discussion

Gather with other teens and have fun discussing some great books. Grades 8 and up.

Abingdon, Tuesday, April 20, 7-8

Teen Advisory Groups

Teens, do you have ideas on how we can improve our services to teens? Join our Teen Advisory Group (TAG) and make your voice heard. Contact your local branch for more information.