Wolf Pack of the Winisk River by Paul Brown

I think that the novel Wolf Pack of the Winisk River by Paul Brown is a great book. This book was told through the eyes of a wolf. If anyone is interested in seeing how a wolf or a group of wolves live, they should read this book. I don’t want to give away the entire plot, but it is about a lone male wolf who tries to get a family to call his own. If you want to find out if he gets a family, you must read this book. This book is has a lot of suspense, that keeps the reader interested throughout the entire book. This book is very easy to read, but it does have a little violence so young kids may not like this book. The book shows what wolves must do to survive even the harshest of conditions. This book has everything; including love, violence, comedy and more. I enjoyed reading this book a lot and hope that many other young teens read this book in the future.

-Jonathan, Teen Book Reviewer

13th Annual Huntington Youth Writes Contest

The Town of Huntington in conjunction with the folks at Project Excel are running their annual Writing Contest for kids and teens in grades 4 through 12 that attend school in the Town of Huntington (this includes Half Hollow Hills, Huntington and Harborfields).

Cash prizes are awarded for 1st through 3rd place and Honerable Mentions in Poetry, Short Story and Essay categories in various grade levels. Your writing will also be published in a journal.

Deadline for the entries Friday February 17, 2012 by 5pm. For further details click here for the submission form or come into the library and pick up a submission form.

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Cloaked is a quirky twist on a mashup of a variety of fairly widely known fairytales such as the frog and the princess. This gives the story a certain charm and the originality makes it enjoyable. Everyone knows about the princess kissing the frog and finding her ever-so-charming prince. Alex Flinn spins off that idea in less of a romantic way, and more of an adventure way. Do not confuse this for a high action thriller, rather a story of a young boy who finds himself on a quest to find the brother of the princess he recently befriended. The twist is that the brother is a frog. The adventure starts when Johnny (the main character) is seduced and bribed into finding the princess’s long lost frog brother. There are many of his kind, and they are known as the use-to-bes (as in “use to be human”). It incorporates a magical cloak, witches, and mystical talking animals. The main character Johnny is humble, sweet, and develops a certain sympathy from the reader. He evokes emotional appeal from the reader as one awes at his persistence to aid his family’s monetary issues. The book is all around cute and has an air of youth and imagination, just shy of juvenile. Cloaked was a pleasure to read, and its quirkiness added all the more charm and appeal.

~Megan, Teen Book Reviewer

Homemade Belgium Waffles and Ice Cream

There are a few spaces left in our Homemade Belgium Waffles and Ice Cream program tomorrow night. Make your very own Belgium Waffle from scratch. Then top it with ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate syrup and bananas. Yum!

We will be making waffles tomorrow, December 29, from 6:30-8pm. To sign up click the link above, search our catalog from program code DXY646 or call us and a librarian will help you register.

Hope to see you there!

Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

The book I read was called Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. It was a book that was in poem form with stanzas and such. In this book, a girl name Anke goes through a life of having a abusive father and being lonely. She sees and hears what her father is doing which is abusing her sister, Yaicha, and her brother, Darren, but not her. She is ignored by her father and craves for the attention for it even if that means she must get abused as well. Her mother is hopeless, her siblings are being threatened with their lives, and Anke has no courage to stand up to her father. Since she hears and sees everything that happens as a witness but doesn't do anything, she refers to herself just as a living room sofa. She just stays there watching and listening and being torn inside. Eventually, she joins the school's volleyball team and finds out that she has the potential to speak up to get points and progress done. Will she able to stand up to her father then? With that included, she also has to deal with love interests and friends. She's in a connection with her neighbor while she has feelings for a soccer player in her school. Who does she go with? Her friend, Ange, is a person she is forced to be friends with but how can she be friends with someone so weak? Ange irritates Anke also because she thinks that Anke's father is the utmost coolest person she's met when in reality, he really isn't. Anke now must go though her life to find something she never had. An inner voice.

I was impressed with the story. The story was interesting and the format of the book created a nice emphasis of the characters and their feelings. The stanza format also made it easier and faster to read. The message had a nice meaning to it and it was that people should always speak out for what is meant to be right. Overall, I would give the book a high rating because of it's realistic story and for it's unique style of telling the story. I recommend this to people who are either impatient and non patient readers and to people who like realistic teen fiction or drama.

~Natalie, Teen Book Reviewer

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne

The book 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne truly is a classic. The story takes place right after the American Civil War. It starts out with ships at sea that were being sunk by an unknown source. Most people believe it’s the Kraken (a fabled giant squid) or creatures from Ancient times that were being revived. A scientist named Professor Aronnax is hired by the U.S. government to lead an expedition. The professor sets out on a U.S. frigate (a ship) named Abraham Lincoln to find what creature (if one is responsible) causes all of the boats to sink. Along with him is disgruntled harpooner Ned Land, his servant Conseil, and the Abraham Lincoln crew. While sailing on the seas they come across the creature. Ned fires a harpoon at it but discovers that he hit something man-made. It turns out that the creature was actually the Nautilus an incredibly advanced ship captained by none other than Captain Nemo himself. The Nautilus destroys the Abraham Lincoln which shipwrecks Ned, Conseil, and Aronnax. Nemo takes them aboard his aboard his ship as part of his crew. After that the Nautilus goes on adventures from the mythical city of Atlantis to the 20 degree below zero environment of the South Pole all under the sea. One day an unfortunate event happens when the Nautilus resurfaces for air. A maelstrom had occurred and was beating the Nautilus in man vs. nature battle. Conseil, Ned, and the professor got away but would not tell how. It ends with the professor wondering if the Nautilus surviving the pressure of the maelstrom or if captain Nemo lives to take back his country the Sea. This book was really good and that is why I think it deserves to be a classic. This book was also a good adventure for those that like that genre. This book may have a lot of chapters but once you get hook on it you breeze right through them.

-Matt, Teen Book Reviewer

Teen Community Service

Project Excel Why Try?? DXY652
Wednesdays, January 4, 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 6:30-7:30 pm (DH)
Life skills workshop. Earn 6 hours of community service. Registration is underway.

Homework Help High School Honor Society Students DXY661
Wednesdays, January 4, 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15 (DH)
Register now.

Teen Book Reviewers
Thursdays January 5 and February 2, 6-7 pm (DH)
Read and write a book review for our Teen Reader's Blog. Earn 3 hours community service. No registration required.

Friday Game Nights DXY653
Fridays, January 6, 13, 20, 27, 6:30-8:30
Play board games with kids. Register now.

Homework Help for Middl School Students DXY654
Thursdays, January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 6-7 pm
High School Honor Society and Key Club members are needed to help middle school students with homework. Register now.

Kids and Teens Valentine Craft DXY656
Tuesday, February 7, 6-7 pm (DH)
Help kids create Valentine crafts. Registration begins 1/30.

Unity Fair Volunteers For Library Craft Table DXY657
Sunday, February 12, 11 am-1pm OR 1-3 pm, High School West
Volunteers need to help kids with crafts. Registration begins 1/31.

Ariella's Friendship Circle
High School Students DXY658
Wednesday, February 15, 7-8:30 pm (DH)
Middle School Students DXY659
Mondays, March 5, 12, 19, 26, 7-8 pm (DH)
Training session for volunteers to visit children with special needs. Registration begins 2/1.

Teen Programs

Project Excel Employment Counselor
Wednesdays, January 4, 18 February 1, 15, 2:30-3:30 pm (DH)
A job counselor will be available in the Teen Area.

Kaplan SAT Full Length Practice Test DXY651
Saturday, January 14, 10 am-2 pm and Tuesday, January 24, 7-8 pm (DH)
Practice for the SAT in a test-like environment. Registration begins 1/3

SAT Prepartion Course
Tuesdays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 17 or Wednesdays, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4, 18, 6:45-8:45 pm (DH)
Certified teachers will help prepare you fro the SAT. Students need to purchase and bring to the first day of class McGraw Hill's SAT 2012 Edition and a calculator. In person registration begins 2/14. Cost: $80

Project Excel Babysitting Workshio DXY655 Mondays, January 23, 30 & February 6, 13, 6-8 pm (DH) Registration begins 1/4.

Corner of 6th & 7th
Fun Chocolate Fondue Fountains DXY660
Thursday, February 23, 6:30-7:30 pm (DH)
Dip strawberries, pineapples, bananas and cake into fountains of chocolate. Registration begins 2/1.

Drop in Homework Help for Middle School Students
Thursdays, January, 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 6-7 pm

Heat by Mike Lupica

Did you ever have a dream to play Little League and then become a famous baseball player? If you did, Heat, by Mike Lupica, is the book for you. Michael is the main character. He is from Cuba and comes to the US. His father dies and he lives with his 17 year old brother. No one knows that his father is dead. Michael is 12, but very big for his age. He plays Little League but the other coaches question his size and do not believe that he is 12. He cannot prove his age, since no one knows his 17 year old brother is taking care of him. His birth certificate and papers are in Cuba. This book is so interesting and inspiring, especially if you like baseball like I do. Michael’s dream was to play at Yankee Stadium. He was good enough to play but the coaches suspended him for not having proof of age. If you want to find out if he makes it to the stadium right near his house, read Heat. I really enjoyed this book.

~Justin, Teen Book Reviewer

Between Sisters by Adwoa Badoe

Between Sisters is about a very poor family who lives in modern day Ghana. Gloria Bampo, the protagonist, is a sixteen year old girl. She failed in school and now has to face many challenges. Her parents decided to send her to live with a wealthy family in another town in hopes to change her life. The woman Gloria went to work for is named Christine. While Gloria is there, her job was to take care of one child and clean the house. In payment for her work she received room and board. She was so happy working there that she called Christine “sister”. Christine felt she was doing a very good job, but still Gloria did not receive any wages. Gloria made new friends and began to make a new life for herself. Christine began to teach Gloria to read and write. A tragic event occurred when Gloria’s close friend came to visit and stole money from Christine. Christine accused Gloria of stealing the money. When Gloria tried to explain that she was not the one who took the money, Christine did not believe her. Christine would not talk to her, and was ready to throw Gloria out. When the truth eventually came out, only then was when Christine could forgive Gloria.

I highly recommend reading this book because it shows the importance of family in one’s life. A clear example of this is how Gloria and her real sister would always be there for each other regardless of the circumstances. Christine on the other hand who was her sister in name only, did not stand by Gloria or believe in her when she should have. I read this book in two days and thoroughly enjoyed it. It showed the importance of family, education, and hard work. If you want to learn more about Gloria’s experiences while living with Christine you must read this book.

~Raymond, Teen Book Reviewer

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

The second installment of Meg Cabot’s “Airhead” series is just as good, if not better, than the first, which is a rare accomplishment. Being Nikki was a fantastic book. For all of us who have ever wondered what it would be like to step into the glitzy and glamorous life of a supermodel, we can live vicariously through Emerson Watts daily existence, after a near fatal accident that almost killed her in book one, her brain was implanted into the body of Nikki Howard, the beautiful, and famous face of Stark Enterprises. Although this would be most peoples dream come true, tomboy Emerson Watts spent her former life mocking people like Nikki, so this is her absolute nightmare. The reader grows enticed as Em struggles to hold onto her former life, while trying to keep her promise to Stark Enterprises that she will do whatever they say unconditionally in return for them saving her life. Without giving away too much, all I can say is that this book had surprising and exciting twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very last page. And the final installment of the Airhead trilogy is just as great as the previous two. All in all, this book is perfect for anyone who loved the Gossip Girl series, the Pretty Little Liars series, or the Gallagher Series, or anyone whose just looking for a fun quick read.

~Nina, Teen Book Reviewer

Return of the Dapper Men By Jim McCann and Janet Lee

Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet Lee is a very interesting story of a boy named Ayden and a robot girl named Zoe. The kids live underground in a place where only kids are, and the robots live above ground and neither group bothers each other. Time has stopped and the kids never grew up and all they do is play. Until one day 314 dapper men fell from the sky. Ayden, Zoe and one of the Dapper men known as 41 have to fix whatever caused time to stop, and figure out their place in the world. Everthing begins to change for the first time since the sun is setting for the first time. I would reccomend this bbok to kids 10- 13 years old if they are looking for a good and guick read.

~Jesse, Teen Book Reviewer

The Great Wide Sea By M.H. Herlong

The Great Wide Sea is an exciting survival story about 3 young boys lost at sea in a small sailboat. To make the situation even worse, the boys are still recovering from a tragic accident that killed their mother just a few months back. When the boy’s father decides to sell their house, buy a sailboat, and travel the Caribbean for a year, tensions become high between the already broken family. They must learn to work together and eventually learn how to survive. This book was very well written and very exciting. I found myself unable to put the book down with a desire to know what was going to happen next. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thrilling novel about survival, an unforgettable adventure, and the powerful bond of brotherhood.

~Meghan, Teen Book Reviewers

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Stevenson

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Stevenson is a powerful book that focuses on one of society’s biggest troubles, Race. When high school senior Asha Jamison gets called a "towel head" at a pool party, the racist insult gives Asha and her best friend Carey a great money-making idea for a post-graduation trip. They'll sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students. However, unexpectedly her cause goes viral threatening to ruin her life. When the peaceful underground movement turns militant, Asha's school launches a disciplinary hearing. Facing expulsion, Asha must decide how much she's willing to risk for something she truly believes in. After, I read this book I was ready to start up my own rebellion after gulping down Sarah Stevenson's deftly written, multi-layered story about growing a voice, growing apart, and most of all, growing up as a typical girl. I think many people can relate to any aspect of this book. I strongly recommend it!

~Chelsea, Teen Book Reviewers

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

The book "Falling Under" is a very captivating and romantic novel. In this book, Theia Alderson, a very shy and non-rule breaker girl, starts having these very vivid and haunting dreams, of a boy she's never seen, but very badly wants to meet. When a black rose and other objects appear on her bed from her dreams, she can't explain how pieces of her dreams are brought with her in reality, but only knows something isn't right.

When one day, the new guy in school, Haden Black, appears, Theia recognizes him immediately,- not from around town, but as the guy in her dreams. She doesn't know how she dreamed of him before they met, but each day with him, in reality and in her dreams, pulls her closer and closer to him, even though she knows it's not safe for either of them.

Theia knows Haden isn't like other guys, -he's dangerous, but irresistible. Her love for him is stronger than her fear, but when she finds out what he really is, she knows she must resist him, -because the cost is her soul if she doesn't.

This book is really good!!! I literally finished this in two days, because I couldn't stop reading it! This book has a "vampire" or "Twilight" feel to it, even though there are no vampires in it. I would recommend this book to any girl who likes romance, mystery, and a little comedy. It has really good story line and reading about the characters makes you really fall in love with them. :)
If you had to read one book in your whole life, choose this one!! Hope you enjoy it! :)

~Vinnie, Teen Book Reviewer

DoSomething.org

DoSomething.org is a great site for anyone looking to volunteer their time or start their own community service project.

You can:

Sign up for a daily text with suggestions for projects.

Get help with funding for a project of your own.

Find local and national community service projects in your own are to volunteer.

Forums where you can chat with others about the things you feel passionate about.

This site really helps you find a way to volunteer that is geared towards your own interests and allows you to connect with others that have the same interests.