Join TAG this Saturday

Our next TAG meeting is this Saturday the 4th at 11 AM in the library's downstairs Craft Room. We will be creating fun decorations and crafts for our Summer Reading Kick-Off Party. We will also talk about other teen events planned at the library for the summer. Plus there will be food and music! Come join us and get in the spirit of our summer reading theme, A Midsummer Knight's Read, which begins on Monday, June 6.

More new books!

Several of these new additions are the beginnings of new teen series. Start stocking up for your summer reading list now!

Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance by Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin	What Can(t) Wait  by Ashley Hope Pérez
Wither by Lauren DeStefano The first installment in the new Chemical Garden Trilogy	Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck The first book in the new Tiger Saga series
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins The sequel to Hex Hall	Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith The sequel to Tantalize
Enclave by Ann Aguirre	City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare #4 in the Mortal Instruments series
Delirium by Lauren Oliver New series	Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Check out these new teen books!

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin	What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Cloaked by Alex Finn By the author of Beastly	Plague: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant #4 in the Gone series
The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson The follow-up to 2005's 13 Little Blue Envelopes	Trapped by Michael Northrop
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins	Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Midnight by L.J. Smith The Vampire Diaries: The Return #3	Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
Ocean of Blood by Darren Shan Saga of Larten Crepsley, #2 (Prequel to Cirque du Freak series)	Library Wars: Love & War by Kiro Yumi Graphic novels

Just Dance tomorrow!

April 29 is International Dance Day! Come to our Just Dance program for teens tomorrow at 3 PM in the Meeting Room. We'll be dancing to songs on the Wii games Just Dance and Just Dance 2. Come and join the fun!

Join TAG on Facebook

TAG is the library's Teen Action Group. TAG members share ideas on what they want to do at the library, play games, discuss books, music, and movies, and get creative making crafts. TAG is a great way to meet new friends and hang out with old ones. It's never too late to join! We meet the first Saturday of the month. Our next meeting is May 7. If you cannot attend our monthly meeting, you can share your opinions on our Facebook page, where you can also check out our upcoming events at the library or view photos from past programs, like our Eclipse Movie Release Party.

Join TAG on Facebook -- all you have to do is click "Like!"

The Hunger Games movie: Peeta and Gale cast!

Finally! On Monday it was announced that Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) will play the role of Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) will play Gale Hawthorne in the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) has already been cast as Katniss Everdeen.

I am very happy that Hutcherson is playing Peeta; a couple weeks ago I posted about my hope that he would get the role. I did not have any strong feelings on who should play Gale, apart from someone a bit rugged and believable as a hunter at home in the woods. I do not remember seeing Hemsworth's name among fan choices for Gale, so I was surprised at that part of the announcement. I have not watched any of Hemsworth's prior work, so I will to trust director Gary Ross's decision (and I'm going to ignore the fact that Hemsworth dated Miley Cyrus). I am totally avoiding reading any online article comments because I do not want to read people's negativity about the actors cast. How can we say so-and-so is a bad choice if the movie hasn't even started filming yet? I doubt author Suzanne Collins would go along with a decision to ruin her vision of the characters she created. If you are not sure about whether Hutcherson and Hemsworth are the right choices for the roles, maybe you'll change your mind after reading Collins' support of the casting of Peeta and Gale.

As of now, no other actors have been cast. EW.com suggests Robert Downey Jr. for the role of hard-drinking Haymitch and Elizabeth Banks for the bubbly Effie. And one writer, Karen Valby, has the same actress suggestion for Prim as me -- Kiernan Shipka from Mad Men!

What do you think of the casting? Do you agree that Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth will fit into their roles alongside Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss? And, most importantly, how are you going to stand the wait until the movie hits theaters on March 23, 2012? I think we need to get a countdown going on the blog!

Showtimes for Spring Break Movie Marathon

All the paper and online votes have been tallied, and the top three films are The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Iron Man 2, and Step Up 3. Here's our schedule for the Spring Break Movie Marathon this upcoming Monday:

1:30 - 3:20 PM
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (PG)

Break

3:45 - 5:45 PM
Iron Man 2 (PG-13)

Break

6 - 7:50 PM
Step Up 3 (PG-13)

You are welcome to stay for all three movies or just drop in to watch the movie/s you want. Hope to see you there!

Voting for Spring Break Movie Marathon nearing an end

Taking into account both paper and online votes here are the current standings:

Tie for 1st (6 votes):
Iron Man 2
The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2nd (5 votes):
Step Up 3

Tie for 3rd (4 votes):
Charlie St. Cloud
Easy A
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Tie for 4th (3 votes):
The Last Airbender
Salt
Secretariat 

If voting ended right now, our lineup would include Iron Man 2, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Step Up 3. Is your film of choice making the cut? There's still time to vote-- voting ends on Thursday at 9 PM. After the films are selected I will post the marathon schedule!

Jennifer Lawrence is "the girl on fire"

It was announced last week that twenty-year-old actress Jennifer Lawrence will play the role of Katniss Everdeen in the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games trilogy. Fans like me have been waiting to hear which buzzworthy actress would win this coveted role. I previously posted about how True Grit's Hailee Steinfield was my pick to play Katniss, and I was initially disappointed to hear about Jennifer Lawrence's casting. But after reading this article at EW.com in which director Gary Ross explains how he and author Suzanne Collins needed a mature actress to play Katniss, I found myself more supportive of the choice. And then any lingering doubts I had were erased when I read this exclusive statement from Suzanne Collins in which she praises Jennifer Lawrence's audition. Lawrence's previous work includes Winter's Bone, for which she received a Best Actress nomination, and the upcoming X-Men: First Class.

Now that director Ross has found Katniss, I hope we'll soon hear about who will play Peeta, Gale, Prim, Rue, and the other characters. As I write this, no other casting announcements have been made. Josh Hutchersen, previously seen as Laser in The Kids Are All Right, has talked about why he loves the character of Peeta, and I am crossing my fingers that he'll get the role. He definitely understands the character from having read the books himself, and he is a talented actor. Do you have any casting ideas about who should play Peeta or Gale?

Read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins:
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay

Update on Spring Break Movie Marathon voting

Our Spring Break Movie Marathon is Monday, March 28 at 1:30 PM. Have you voted for the movies you want to watch yet? I extended the voting period through next week. Taking into account paper votes and online votes, here are the current standings:

1st
Iron Man 2: 5 votes

2nd (tie)
Charlie St. Cloud: 3 votes
Easy A: 3 votes
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: 3 votes
Step Up 3: 3 votes

3rd (tie)
Salt: 2 votes

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: 2 votes


4th (tie)
The Last Airbender: 1 vote

Lottery Ticket: 1 vote

Secretariat: 1 vote


We will screen the top three vote-getters for the marathon. Be sure to vote for your top three! We need to break these ties. Feel free to vote in the comments section below.

Winter Reading wrap-up!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for Winter Reading. Teens and adults read 266 books in all from January 10 through March 5. Teens read 49 books throughout the program.

Congratulations to the Teen Grand Prize winner, Stacy! She is the winner of a $75 Target gift card!

Thank you to everyone for participating. Summer reading (A Midsummer Knight's Read) begins June 6!

Creations from our Cupcake Decorating Party

Last Saturday, February 26, we had a Cupcake Decorating Party at the library. We started out with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and frostings, and then participants mixed up their own fun and vibrant colors. They also creatively used sprinkles, M&M's, chocolate chips, and Reese's Pieces in their designs. Everyone enjoyed being able to create their own cupcake masterpiece! Take a look at what I'm calling "cupcake art" --    

by Amanda	by Jocelyn
by Hayle	by Hayle
by Milagros	by Milagros
by Emma	by Emma
by Rachel	by Rachel
by Denise	by Victoria
Tic Tac Toe by Mauricio	by Maria
by Maria	by Isabella
by Isabella The cupcake design is her dog, Gracey!	by Isabella The cupcake design is her dog, Ginger!
by Haley	by Haley

Thank you to everyone who attended our Cupcake Decorating Party!