Teen Book Club

I am thinking of trying a Teen Book Club for the fall. I have tried a couple times in the past to hold teen book discussions. Sadly, they are low attendance. With the exception of Twilight. I held the discussion as part of the movie screening, and related snacks. I had over 30 girls (and 1 boy) whom I had never seen in the library before! I also tried the Hunger Games, but it was a year before it's popularity swept the nation so I had 2 teens. I had arranged it with their English teacher the students would get extra credit for attending.

My new approach is to see if the High School librarian wants to work with me on doing a teen book club up at the high school. We pick the books and co-facilitate the discussion that is held right after school in the high school library. It is my hope that the relationship I build with participating students will entice them to the library during the school year. As is stands now we see kids and teens in the summer but rarely during the school year. Has anyone done this with their local school librarian? I am interested to hear some stories on how it went!

Teen Transliteracy Summer Reading Part 2

Here is a link to the Teen Transliteracy Summer Reading Program Quest Book I created for the 2012 season.

All in all I am really disappointed. Let me preface that with I had really good program attendance but only had 5 teens of the 30 something who registered actually turn in their quest book at the end of the program. All summer long there were more teens who completed quests that I signed-off on but they failed to turn in their book so I could count up how many quests they finished thus awarding them raffle tickets.

Where did I go wrong?
In previous years they write down what they read in a home log book. Each item has a point value, 1 point=1 raffle ticket. They also have an official reading log that stays in the library and that I would keep after the program ended. Each time the teen comes into the library they transfer the info from their home log into the in-house one. This method saw many more teens filling out the official in-house log sheet as they did not have to turn anything in to me. I think where I went wrong this year was the having them turn something in.

What will I change for next year?
For next year I plan on keeping the reading quest idea but will include many more reading tasks. Those seemed to be the most popular ones. The photography related quests also were popular. Least popular= building a solar oven to make s'mores. What?, you ask! You cannot believe those darling teens did not want to make a solar oven and bring their dear old librarian a yummy s'more. Well I am here to tell you they didn't :(
My other idea for next year is instead of having them turn in their quest book to get credit I will give them credit when they have me sign off on the quest. To do this I will add a little tear away tab at the bottom of each page in the questbook. On this little tab I will have the teen's name, the quest, and a space for my initials. Then at the end of the summer I will sort these out and award raffle tickets from these tear away tabs. No more teens having to hand anything in!

Did anyone else experiment with Transliteracy this summer?

So I joined Pinterest

I have had little time to update this blog as I am juggling 3 part time jobs at the moment. It seems I have even less time to reflect on library programs than before. In an effort to keep my program ideas more organized (aside from this blog or course) I have caved in and joined Pinterest. As I suspected I am fully addicted. What I did not anticipate is how immensely useful a tool it is. I am gathering some wonderful, easy ideas for my library and home. Each year I do a couple programs that involve a children's ornament making workshop. I created a pinboard for "ornaments" and am already saving ideas to implement in December. In previous years I would have to scour Martha Stewart and Family Fun magazine for the perfect project.

So, yes despite my earlier blog post vowing to not join Pinterest I have drunk the Kool-Aid. If you want to join me check me out @ http://pinterest.com/llafera

Books about Desserts for 4th Graders

Fiction:

The Desert is Theirs by Byrd Baylor

The Curse of the Great Cheese Pyramid by Geronimo Stilton

Holes by Louis Sachar

Non-Fiction:

One Day in the Dessert by Jean Craighead George

A desert scrapbook: dawn to dusk in the Sonoran Desert by Virginia Wright-Frierson

Surviving Death Valley: desert adaptation by Pamela Dell

Scholastic's The Magic School Bus gets all dried up: a book about deserts by Nancy Stevenson

Desert elephants by Helen Cowcher

Dessert (Eyewitness book series) by Miranda Macquitty

A desert food chain: a who-eats-what adventure in North America by Rebecca

Night Dancer: mythical piper of the Native American Southwest by Marcia Vaugh

3 Little Dassies by Jan Brett

The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan Roth

Georgia O'Keeffe : painter of the desert by Jacqueline Ball

Mysteries for 4th Graders

I compiled this list for a local teacher and thought I would share.

Series:

• Brixton Brothers Series by Adam Rex
• The Secret Series (This Book is Not Good for You) by Pseudonymous Bosch
• The Sister's Grim by Michael Buckley
• Sammy Keyes by Wendelin Van Draanen
• Herculeah Jones series by Betsy Cromer Byars
• Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School by Andrew Clements
• Chet Gecko by Bruce Hale
• Mr. Chickee by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Sherlock Files by Tracy Barrett

Stand Alone Titles:

• From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E Franweiler by E.L.Konigsburg
• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
• Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
• Masterpiece by Elise Broach
• The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
• Pie by Sarah Weeks
• The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
• Vanishing Acts by Phillip Margolin
• Horton Halfpott, or, The fiendish mystery of Smugwick Manor, or, The loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's corset by Tom Angleberger
• Scat by Carl Hiaasen

http://aclayouthservices.pbworks.com/w/page/31984436/Programming

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Over April break we are doing a parent-child book discussion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This is through funding from the New York State Council on the Humanities Together Grant.

I am having a hard time coming up with a hands-on project for the discussion. A couple weeks ago we read Skellig by David Almond and dissected Owl Pellets so hopes are high from the kids. I have go tot top that event!

I am having some success gleaning ideas from birthday party guides online. But if you have any suggestions I could use the help, comment below!

• Serve Turkish Delights (had to buy on Amazon.com, no local stores carried)
• Serve tea sandwiches and lemonade
• Dress as the White Witch
• Kinda lame but I was thinking of putting our coat rack on wheels in front of the entrance to the discussion and filling with coats and jackets so participants will have to squeeze through the coats to make it into the room.
• Decorate cupcakes to look like a lion (Aslan) face
• Narnia Paper craft

Questions

• When Lucy meets Mr. Tumnus in the woods she befriends him despite his appearance. Parents, have you ever been judged or judged someone by their appearance and your frist impression was wrong?
• What makes someone a hero? What about a villain? Which is Edmund?
• Lots of fairytales include some sort of a door from this world into another world. Can you think of any other stories like this? Have you ever imagined being able to step out of this world into another one?
• Why do you think there is a lampost near the wardrobe entrance in Narnia.
• Have you read any other books where one must pass through a magical portal to enter another world?
• Do you think Lucy's brothers and sister should have believed her story about the wardrobe? Would you believe Lucy's story?
• What would you ask for if the queen offered you your favorite food?
• Lewis says that “there’s nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food.” Have you ever spoiled your taste for something by doing something you shouldn’t have done?
• What is the significance of the thaw and the coming of spring?
• When Edmund calls out to the Witch, begging her not to turn the little creatures into stone, Lewis tells us that “for the first time in this story” he “felt sorry for someone besides himself.” Do you know what it’s like to feel so sorry for yourself that you don’t notice anybody else?
• Have you ever tried to tell someone the truth but they didn't believe you? How did this make you feel?
• At the end of the story Lucy, Susan, and Peter forgive Edmund very quickly when they are reunited. Would you be so forgiving?
• The group decides not to tell Edmund about Azlan's sacrifice to free him. Was this the right decision? Would it have hurt or helped Edmund?