Book Blind Date

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When we read about the Book Blind Date that the Maplewood Library held, we loved the idea so much that we decided to try it ourselves!

To celebrate National Library Week, we will be hosting our own Book Blind Date from April 8th-14th. Stop by the Reference or Youth Services Desks to pick up a selection from our collections.

It's simple! The books are wrapped in paper, so you don't know what you are going to get. Check it out, take it home to unwrap, and read. Write a short book review telling us if you loved it or hated it. Bring the review back to us by the end of the month to be entered to win a great prize!

Rainbows & Butterflies Storytime

Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss! Storytime

King for A Day Storytime

Review: Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (July 3, 2010)
• ISBN-13: 978-0439023528
• Review by Kendall L.
• The Hunger Games is a book of strategy, suspense, and action starring the main character, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is an average 16 year-old girl living since birth in District 12. Every year the Capitol (the "control group") has a tournament called the Hunger Games (two children from each district have to compete in an organized fight and must kill to literally save their lives) and this year Katniss has to go. She enters with her opponent, Peeta Mellark, and something happens that no one ever expects...
• I really enjoyed this book. It was full of description, lots of drama, and all that fighting stuff that we teenagers like to see in a book. We crave for these kinds of books because it's appealing to the eye, which is almost like the vampire books everyone reads now, but luckily not vampires this time! There’s a cliff hanger at almost every chapter so it makes you want to read more. For example, the first time I read this book, it literally took me three days to finish it (including school in between)!!! 
• Day and night, this makes for a great escape when you want to get away from something, or just snuggle down with a good book, either way it's truly a fantastic book. In the end, I definitely recommend this book.

Valentine Storytime

Jumping, Leaping, Jiving Storytime

Lions and Tigers, Oh My! Storytime

DeGroodt Digital Dash Week 5: eBooks

Did you know that you can get books and audiobooks even when the library is closed? Well, no the library hasn’t changed their hours, but we have changed the services we offer.

Here come the eBooks!

An eBook is an electronic or digital version of a full length book. There is a lot of debate over which is better: a traditional print book or an eBook. We will let you make your own decision on that, but most eBooks have little extras like built in dictionaries, highlighting, and the ability to make the print larger. Yes, that means that with an eBook, any book can be a large print book.

Prices are still hit or miss with this format. There is a lot of self publishing going on with eBooks. Some traditional authors have also decided to grasp this opportunity to bypass the traditional publishing houses or offer teaser chapters or novellas in the eBook format.

Amanda Hocking is currently one of the success stories. She started writing in her spare time and decided to self publish using the eBook format. Her specialty is paranormal young adult romances. She has since sold millions of copies of her book, is now a millionaire, AND has just signed a contract with a traditional publishing house. How much were her books selling for? Many for less than a dollar.

At the library, we now use a system called Overdrive that allows you access to hundreds of instant eBooks and eAudiobooks that you can download to your computer or mobile device. 

This website features selection in many different formats

·         Kindle Books

·         Adobe EPUB eBooks

·         Adobe PDF eBooks

·         OverDrive WMA Audiobooks

·         OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks

All you need to get started is

• A valid Brevard County library card
• Internet access
• A computer or device that meets the system requirements for the type(s) of materials you wish to download (These can be found listed on the Overdrive website!)
• Free software for the computer or device on which you wish to use the materials available at this site

While our staff cannot download selections to your device, they are available for any questions or concerns. You may also take a guided tour of the Overdrive site. 

Do you have a favorite eBook or eAudiobook?

Chinese New Year Storytime

Marching Storytime

Zombies vs Unicorns: Who do you think would win?

The debate started last year with young adult authors split on who would win in the ultimate battle of zombie vs unicorns. Think unicorns are nothing but rainbows and sparkles? Well, you haven’t checked out Rampant  by Diana Peterfreund. Her unicorns are bone smashing, battle brawling, monsters.

To settle the debate, bestselling authors JustineLarbalestier and Holly Black created the anthology  Zombies vs Unicorns featuring both zombie and unicorn tales from other bestselling authors like Meg Cabot, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, DianaPeterfreund, Carrie Ryan, and Garth Nix.

We admit to still being on the fence about who would win, both sides make a compelling case. Who do you think would win?  Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of the Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye graphic novel. All comments must be posted by the end of Teen Read Week (October 22, 2011). 

Book Review: The Shattering

The Shattering 

by Karen Healey

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (September 5, 2011)
• ISBN: 978-0316125727

Reviewed by Leah S. 

The Shattering was a magnificently written book though I would not recommend it to any child under the age of eleven due to explicit language and material used throughout the book.  Karen Healey helped to portray the reality, despair, and frustration of the situation that the main characters were in by using the tone that many teens can relate to today.  This tone made the book an easy and relatable read.  With each chapter narrated by alternating characters, the reader will be able to connect to the way the characters portray themselves and really delve into their personality traits.  Keri, Sione, and Janna (extremely different from one another but all have one thing in common) had each lost their older brother due to apparent suicides. However, when they start to put the puzzle pieces of the suicides together and discover a pattern; they come to the conclusion that their brothers did not commit suicide-- they were murdered.  Throughout the book, Healey describes obstacles that the three friends encountered throughout their journey; Sione must discover who he is and what he wants to do in life, Janna deals with her true love, and Keri reveals her best-kept secret.  Little did the friends know, there was something more than a murderer behind the deaths of older brothers over the years, something supernatural that was keeping their town of Summerton from falling apart.  People that they trust are now suspected of the murders and many stones are overturned with secrets and hints hiding beneath them.  The Shattering is recommended to anyone who wants to read a gripping and page-turning novel or anyone who had geared their preferences toward science fiction, fantasy, or mystery.  Karen Healey prevails with this thoughtfully-written, infatuating piece of literature that is sure to astound any reader.

Book Review: Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Wiener

Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Wiener

by Ursula Vernon. 

ISBN 0803734697

Review by: Jerry L. Collins II

In the book, best friends Danny Dragonbreath, a young dragon, and Wendell, an iguana, try to stop an impending attack from those bitten by "Were-wieners,"(special red hotdogs from Transylvania,) and their leader, the Alpha Wurst. But to stop them, they'll need a little help from a friend from the past. The town where the character lives is unspecified, although the school in which much of the story takes place is Herpitax-Phibbias School for Reptiles and Amphibians. I found this story quite enjoyable and it made me want to pick it up and keep reading. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a strange, yet entertaining story.

Great Scavenger Hunt Reading Challenge!

What is it?

Every month we participate in the Great Scavenger Hunt Contest hosted by YA author extraordinaire Kay Cassidy. Many of the titles have been featured on Florida Teens Read and Sunshine State Young Readers Award.  Participate for a chance to win the national drawing for a $50 gift card to the bookstore of your choice and free books for the library. There is a new winner every month. Awesome!

How it works!

1.       Check out the list of books on www.kaycassidy.com/hunt  or ask the Youth Services Librarian to show you the collection.

2.       Choose the book you want to read and print off the trivia sheet.

3.       Read the book and answer the trivia sheet.

4.       Turn the trivia sheet in to the Youth Services Librarian to be scored.

5.       Get at least 8 out of 10 correct and the librarian will enter you into the monthly contest. (Make sure your name, age, and phone number are on the sheet!)

Want to make it more interesting?

Brevard County, Florida Teens! Your mission, should you choose to accept it is the following:

·         Select 10 titles from the list to read and enter prior to Teen Read Week 2011.  TRW begins on October 16, 2011.  Our contest ends on October 21, 2011.

·         Create a campaign poster, flyer, or video (no more than 2 minutes) promoting your favorite book from the list.

·         Everyone (ages 12-18) who completes the challenge will receive 15 volunteer hours from the library.

Interested?

·         Once you have read the books, fill out the trivia sheet and turn it in to the Youth Services Librarian.

·         Create your campaign materials.  Pick out your favorite book from the list and make a poster, flyer, or video promoting the book.  Tell us, why you think other people should read this book? 

·         Email campaign materials to jhopwood@brev.org or drop them off at Youth Services by October 21^st.

·         Remember, you can enter the Great Scavenger Hunt as many times a month as you would like.

While anyone under 18 may enter The Great Scavenger Hunt, the Reading Challenge is only open to teens ages 12-18 and runs from Children’s Book Week in May to Teen Read Week in October 2011.   New titles are added to the list every month!