SCPL Teen Blog!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Teen Summer Reading is almost over!

The end of Teen Summer Reading is fast-approaching, so be sure to turn in your game cards by July 31^st for more chances to win our grand prizes—a Kindle, a digital camera, or a Nintendo DSi XL! We’ll do the drawings early in August, and notify the winners via phone as well as posting them on this blog.

Friday is our TSR Finale: For the Win! We’ll have snacks and awesome games. There will be a tournament based on the TV show “Minute to Win It,” and we’ll have prizes for the winners. Start building up your skills, and get ready to win! If you don’t want to play, don’t worry—teen audience members are always welcome to cheer on their friends and enjoy the fun. The Finale starts at 3pm in the Barrett Room, so don’t miss it!

And don’t forget—if you participated in Photobook this year, your camera is also due on Saturday, July July 31^st. Participants who do not return their cameras this year will not be allowed to participate in future years, so be sure to return your camera on time!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Introducing Heather!

Heather is our new Teen Services Assistant. Stop by the teen room and welcome her to the library!

HOMETOWN: Inman, South Carolina

THEN WHAT: After high school, I started college at USC Upstate, majoring in Graphic Design. In my second year, I changed majors to Creative and Professional Writing and transferred to Converse College. While at Converse, I wrote book reviews for the Correlations student magazine, edited and wrote for The Conversationalist student newspaper, and explored New York City and Ireland (the latter of which has the BEST chocolate and bread and butter in the world, but sadly, fewer leprechauns than you would imagine). After changing majors yet again, I graduated from Converse with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Since then, I have taught middle school English, attempted to write three novels and one series (all as yet unfinished), and pondered becoming a paranormal investigator/ninja/artisan crafter.

FAMILY: My cat, Locke, who loves windows, paper, and things that smell like turkey.

HOBBIES: I like writing science fantasy; taking pictures, drawing, and paper quilling; movies and anime/manga; and cooking and gardening.

FAVORITE QUOTE: “One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” – A. A. Milne

FAVORITE TEEN BOOKS: The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, Death Note series by Tsugumi Ohba, Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

FAVORITE NON-TEEN BOOKS: The Edge Chronicles (series) by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

RECENTLY READ: How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, and The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book by Chuck Norris

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Summer's Not Over!

The first day of school may be fast-approaching, but the summer’s not over yet! You’ve still got time to do some awesome stuff at the Headquarters Library.

Teen Summer Reading lasts through July 31^st, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you should! Read for 10 hours and/or attend teen events to finish a game card and get a sweet TSR t-shirt. We’ve still got several weekly prize packages to give out, so turn in book reviews to get extra entries in those drawings. All completed game cards are also entered into grand prize drawings at the end of the summer for a Kindle, a Nintendo DSi XL, and a digital camera!

There are still a few Photobook cameras available, so if you want to participate, click the Photobook logo on the side of the Teen Blog and request a camera. We’ll mail it to you with an instructions sheet and you can get started! Photobook also ends July 31^st, so make sure you get your cameras back to us in time!

There are also some great opportunities to meet teen authors coming up! If you’re interested in learning about teen fiction and authors’ writing processes, or just want to meet some awesome people, these aren’t events to miss.

On Monday, July 26^th, come to the Barrett Room at 3pm to meet Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves. Ms. Ryan will talk about the appeal of dark fantasy, how to avoid common mistakes as a beginning writer, and how to create monsters in your writing. For more information about Carrie Ryan, check out this blog post. Copies of both books are available at many of our library locations.

That same night, check out the new Hub City Bookshop at 6pm to meet and hear a talk by Holly Black, author of Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, White Cat, and co-author of The Spiderwick Chronicles. For more information about this event, go to the Hub City Bookshop’s event page.

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Photobook Spartanburg 2010: 50 teens, 50 cameras & lots of great photos!

Photobook is a project where 50 Spartanburg County teens are each given a camera and asked to photograph Spartanburg as they see it. This is the fourth year of the project and we are bringing back the optional photo scavenger hunt! To participate and learn more, attend the Photobook kickoff event on Wednesday, July 7th @ 4pm in the Barrett Room at the Headquarters Library. If any cameras are left after the kickoff event, they will be at the Teen Services Desk in the teen room or you can request them by clicking on the Photobook logo on www.infodepot.org. First come, first served!

Photobook is open to teens ages 12-18 or entering grades 7-12 and runs July 7th-July 31st. Cameras can be turned in to any Spartanburg County Public Library location. All returned cameras will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card!

Film from the cameras will be developed and at least one photo from each camera will be selected to display at the Headquarters Library in the AT&T Exhibition Gallery in September. The photographers will be given a set of prints from the film in their camera. All photos taken become the property of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries.

Three photos will be selected as the best based on originality, creativity and composition. The winning photographers will receive $25 Barnes & Noble gift cards!

Call 864-596-3506 or email teens@infodepot.org with questions!