Happy New Year

A Book Bite to enjoy as we look toward 2012:

That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.

-- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (one of my favorite books!)

Book Bite: Delirium

It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure. Everyone else in my family has had the procedure already. My older sister, Rachel, has been disease free for nine years now. She’s been safe from love for so long, she says she can’t even remember its symptoms. I’m scheduled to have my procedure in exactly ninety-five days, on September 3. My birthday.

-- Delirium by Lauren Oliver (2011)

Best of 2011: Young adult literature

Best Books of 2011: Young Adult from Amazon 
 includes:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Children's Fiction
includes:

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Variant by Robison Wells

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominations from YALSA

Notable Children's Books of 2011 from The New York Times
includes:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Level Up by Gene Yang

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Best Teen Books of 2011 from Kirkus Reviews 
 includes:

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Tighter by Adele Griffin

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Barnes and Noble Best of 2011 YA
includes:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Crossed by Ally Condie

Divergent by Veronica Roth

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Death Cure by James Dashner

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

The Dead by Charlie Higson

Recycled Winter Crafts program this Monday, December 19

Come to our Recycled Winter Crafts program Monday, December 19, from 2-3:30 PM in the Meeting Room. We'll make several fun crafts that utilize materials you already have around the house. I have three possible crafts to make (hopefully we will have time for all of them!). I'm including photos and links where you can find how to make them, in case you are interested in making these crafts but cannot attend the program.

Snowmen made out of prescription bottles

Prescription bottle + unrolled cotton balls = Future snowman!

I used empty medicine bottles, unwrapped cotton balls, scraps of fabric and felt, googly eyes, and sparkly pipe cleaners. You could also use buttons or beads, paper, yarn, or whatever material you have on hand. I slightly modified the instructions from AllFreeCrafts.com because I didn't have a large cotton ball to use as the snowman's head.


Bottle Cap Frame Ornaments
Reuse these bottlecaps and drink bottle tops....

... and transform them into colorful ornaments!

Just use a quarter to trace a circle around images in old Christmas cards, magazines, catalogs, or even scraps of fabric. Find instructions at AllFreeCrafts.com.

Ice Cream Cone Ornaments
All you need is tissue paper, a brown grocery bag, and string. I always save tissue paper from gifts and packaging, and this a great way to reuse it! Find complete instructions at How About Orange.

Don't forget to register! Or at least tell/email me (Danielle) you might attend.

Book Bite: Trapped

"But we weren't going anywhere. The headlights didn't show. Mr. Gossell, Jason's dad, Krista's mom, whoever it was we were waiting for, they had nothing to do with us anymore. No one did. It was just the seven of us, the seven of us and the endless snow."

-- Trapped by Michael Northrop (2011)

New books out this week

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
#2 in the Infernal Devices series.

Read the first book, Clockwork Angel. By the author of the Mortal Instruments series.

Deadly Little Voices by Laurie Faria Stolarz
#4 in the Touch series.

Read the previous books: Deadly Little Secret (#1), Deadly Little Lies (#2), Deadly Little Games (#3).

Ruthless by Sara Shepard
#10 in the Pretty Little Liars series.

Read the previous books: Pretty Little Liars, Flawless, Perfect, Unbelievable, Wicked, Killer, Heartless, Wanted, Twisted

Witch & Wizard: The Fire by James Patterson, the third book in the Witch and Wizard series.

Catch up with book #1, Witch and Wizard, and book #2, The Gift.

Teen Gaming Club meets on Friday

Enjoy snacks and beverages while you play Wii games after school. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been a popular choice for the game to play at the last few meetings. We also have the games Mario Party 8, Mario Kart, Just Dance 2, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Rock Band, & Guitar Hero. Several teens have also brought in Wii and GameCube games from home to play in the past. I'll be bringing in my copy of Just Dance 3, too! Please register if it is your first time attending.