Make yummy creations in Craft Lab: No-Bake Holiday Treats

Do you like...
... chocolate?
... caramel?
... sprinkles?
... M&M's?
... making gifts for friends and family?

Then register for Craft Lab: No-Bake Holiday Treats! This Monday, December 21, from 3-4:30 p.m., make delicious goodies to give (and eat!) during the holiday season. We will make recipes that don't require an oven at all: Chocolate Turtles, Almond Bark, and Cookie Bark. It is totally fine if you know nothing about baking or cooking. These recipes are easy to follow!

Each person will leave the program with a plate filled with treats, along with the recipes themselves. Who you will share the treats with is up to you! This program is open to ages 11-18. Please register in advance so we can prepare adequate supplies for all participants.

Book Bite: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

"Sometimes, I look outside, and I think that a lot of other people have seen this snow before. Just like I think that a lot of other people have read those books before. And listened to those songs. I wonder how they feel tonight."

- The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) by Stephen Chbosky

2015 Teens' Top 10

Earlier this month the winners of the 2015 Teens' Top 10 were announced. Teens voted on their favorites from the nominees from August through Teen Read Week and these are are the Top 10 titles:

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Final book in the Ascendance trilogy. Young King Jaron has had nothing but trouble with his advisors and regents since he ascended the throne of Carthya, and now King Vargan of Avenia has invaded the land and captured Imogen--and Jaron must find some way to rescue her and save his kingdom.

I Become Shadow by Joe Shine
Abducted at age fourteen and trained by the F.A.T.E. Center to become a Shadow, guardian of a future leader, Ren Sharpe, now eighteen, is assigned to protect college science student Gareth Young, but with help from her secret love and fellow Shadow, Junie, she learns that F.A.T.E. itself is behind an attack on Gareth.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she has loved and then hides them in a hatbox until one day those letters are accidentally sent.

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Devastated when her parents are killed in a car accident, sixteen-year old Jackie moves from New York City to Colorado to live with her mother's best friend, who has twelve children, including two boys who start to show an interest in Jackie that goes beyond brotherly.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Royal assassin Celaena must travel to a new land to confront a truth about her heritage, while brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world.

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
A collection of eleven short stories, previously published online, that illuminate the life of the enigmatic, flashy, and flamboyant High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane, a character in The Mortal Instruments series.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Adelina Amouteru survived the blood fever, a deadly illness that killed many, but left others with strange markings and supernatural powers. Cast out by her family, Adelina joins the secret society of the Young Elites and discovers her own dangerous abilities.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
On the morning of her wedding, Princess Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive--and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets--even as she finds herself falling in love.

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Quiet Emily's sociable and daring best friend, Sloane, has disappeared leaving nothing but a random list of bizarre tasks for her to complete, but with unexpected help from popular classmate Frank Porter, Emily gives them a try.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Sparks fly when sixteen-year-old Lucy Patterson and seventeen-year-old Owen Buckley meet on an elevator rendered useless by a New York City blackout. Soon after, the two teenagers leave the city, but as they travel farther away from each other geographically, they stay connected emotionally, in this story set over the course of one year.

Make a zombie in Craft Lab!

Looking for something creepy to add to your school locker or room at home to get you in the Halloween spirit? Come to Craft Lab this week, where we will transform old dolls into terrifying zombies! Make a Zombie is at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday at the Dundee Library. Open to ages 11-18; please register.

Make LED cuff bracelets in Craft Lab

Our next Craft Lab project is making LED cuff bracelets. We will use felt, conductive thread, snaps, LEDs, batteries (and battery holders) to make cuff bracelets that light up. Sign up for the program at Dundee (Saturday, October 3 at 3 p.m.) or Randall Oaks (Thursday, October 15 at 6 p.m.).

Here is how you make LED cuff bracelets:

Once each component is sewn onto the felt, snap on the bracelet and the LED should be illuminated!

You can also add more decoration with felt, buttons, sequins, and thread!

Hack Your Notebook at the library!

Our first Craft Lab project this fall is Hack Your Notebook (September 23 at the Dundee Library, and September 30 at the Randall Oaks Library). Draw, sketch, or doodle something and then light up your creation with copper tape, LED stickers, batteries, and binder clips. We will start by making a simple circuit and move on to assembling parallel circuits and simple switches. I made some quick drawings in my notebook to use as examples.

This is a simple circuit:

I know what you're wondering-- It's a funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream frosting... covered in sprinkles.

The copper tape runs from the positive side of the battery to the positive side of the LED sticker, and then another piece of copper tape runs from the negative side of the LED sticker to the negative side of the battery. When the corner of the page is pressed down on the battery with a binder clip, the circuit is closed and the candle in the birthday scene drawing lights up!

Here are two examples of parallel circuits:

Winter is coming, and Squirrel and Chipmunk have a bright idea of what to do with the acorns.

I knew I wanted the light from the LEDs to be lightbulbs over the heads of the squirrel and chipmunk, so I planned the circuit accordingly. I drew straight lines connecting the positive side of the battery to touch the tops of LEDs, and the other line connects the negative side of the battery to the points of the LED stickers. It's important to press down on the copper tape and stickers to ensure the connection is closed.

In the next drawing I used the LED stickers as the eyes of a fox enchanted by the promise of free, delicious pizza! Because the LEDs are closer together in this drawing, it was a little easier when planning this circuit.

Mr. Fox can't believe his luck.

The last example is of adding a simple switch to a drawing:

Lonely Bench

In the above drawing I wanted to put the switch under the hand of the person on the ladder. In this way, when I press down on that part of the drawing, the street light turns on.

The possibilities are endless for how you can hack your notebooks! 

Don't forget to register:
Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. - Dundee Library
Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. - Randall Oaks Library

Make something in Craft Lab this fall

We have some cool projects planned for our Craft Labs over the next couple months. If you are 11-18 years old and enjoy being creative and making things, check out the programs we will have at the Dundee Library and Randall Oaks Library. Please register by clicking on the links below, calling the library at 847-428-3661, or in person!

Hack Your Notebook
Create simple or parallel circuits to light up drawings, sketches, or words in your notebook pages. Notebooks and materials will be provided.
Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. @ Dundee Library
Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. @ Randall Oaks Library

LED Cuff Bracelets
Use conductive thread, LEDs, and felt to make light up cuff bracelets.
Saturday, October 3, 3 p.m. @ Dundee Library
Thursday, October 15, 6 p.m. @ Randall Oaks Library

Make a Zombie
Use paint and other recycled materials to transform old toys into creepy zombies.
Thursday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. @ Dundee Library

Duct Tape
Make flower pens, bracelets, phone cases, wallets and more out of colorful duct tape.
Saturday, November 14, 3 p.m. @ Dundee Library
Thursday, November 19, 6 p.m. @ Randall Oaks Library

Teen recommendations from summer reading

	Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper "It is a perfect book for anyone! There's a little bit of everything, drama, sadness, happiness, betrayal, but most of all HOPE. This is such an amazing book that once you start reading you just can't stop." -- Lizet
	Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles "I recommend this book because it connects us teenagers to the book and how it really is. It's filled with excitement and wanting more." -- Brenda
	The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau "It wins for me against The Hunger Games in the category of dystopian future. Though the books were similar in many ways, The Testing had a more intriguing depiction of what the future might entail. Like The Hunger Games, you could not become attached to a character, for they might die suddenly." -- Liam
	Six Months Later by Natalie Richards "It has a lot of mystery, romance, and suspense. This book makes you not want to stop reading it. It was one of my favorite books and I highly recommend reading it." -- Jasmine
	Four by Veronica Roth "This book was exciting and kept making me want to turn the page to find out more and more about Four before he met Beatrice." -- Jenny
	Asylum by Madeleine Roux "It has many high tension moments and epic cliff hangers that just make you read more. I definitely want to read the sequel!" -- Jocelyn
	Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen "I liked the way the perspectives switched each chapter." -- Colleen
	Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon "I do recommend this book because it's a good story about friendship. It tells you that everybody is special." -- Elizabeth
	Bounce by Natasha Friend "I recommend this book to people who need to figure how to bounce back from their problems and show they can't let people get to them! They need to stand up to the 'Mean Girls' or 'Popular'!" -- Grace
	I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga "It was intriguing to see how Jaz (main character) thought after being raised by a dad who was a convicted serial killer. Lyga uses a style that always keeps the reader guessing even after the last page." -- Keri

Teen recommendations from summer reading

	The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi "It shows a very possible future of America and is very vivid." -- Kylee
	The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti "It is a fictional story about a real historical figure that most people don't know about. This book was inspirational to me." -- Abrah
	A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah "We usually do not see the horrors that go on or have gone on in third world countries or countries in war. This book educates the reader on what went on during Sierra Leone's civil war." -- Ernesto
	The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken "It provided an interesting (and more than a little horrifying) story of what could happen to our country in the future. The characters were equally likeable and distainable. This book's ending and climax provided to be more surprising than that of a mystery I recently read." -- Liam
	Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea "It is such a sweet story. This story is for everyone. I like how the class doesn't like Mr. Terupt at first but then he means the world to them. Overall I definitely recommend this AMAZING book." -- Lizet
	The Eye of Minds by James Dashner "It is what the technology can become, but with a little bit of mystery and action." -- Kylee
	Fear Itself by Matt Fraction "It had a good plot and wonderful art. I am usually a DC fan but I thoroughly enjoyed this title." -- Nathan
	Still Alice by Lisa Genova "It really opens your eyes to Alzheimer's disease, and the readers get to see it through the perspective of the actual victim rather than the caregiver's. It was emotional so if you bawl easily with books, keep a tissue at bay…" -- Deniz
	Light by Michael Grant "It's full of excitement and action. This is also the sixth and last book in the series. There were many suspenseful moments and cliffhangers that I couldn't stop reading! However, there are some gory details, in my opinion they made the story better, but if you're sensitiveto that it may not be for you." -- Jocelyn
	Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter "It is an amazing story filled with suspense, thrills, excitement, and includes more than one love story." -- Jessica
	Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas "This book is an action book written by a female that does not rely soley on love interests to carry the plot. Simply a fasinating read." -- Kate
	Unwind by Neal Shusterman "I recommend this book because it really makes you think and shows the growth and journey of three people who end up together and try to stop the government. This book is good for you if you enjoyed The Maze Runner series." -- Ellie
	Nimona by Noelle Stevenson "The plot was great. The author managed to make it begin with comedy and slowly morph it into an adventure story." -- Nathan