Teen Craft Night: Picture Frames TONIGHT, 6:30-7:30pm

Join us as we make our own picture frames. Your creation is only limited by your imagination! We'll provide the picture frames, along with paint, buttons, bottlecaps, and other decorations to design your own frame! Registration is requested.

Teen Earth Day Event: TONIGHT, 6:30-7:30pm

Please join us for some awesome Earth Day crafts and activities, tonight from 6:30-7:30pm. Registration is requested.

Michigan Thumbs-Up -- 2009 Nominees

The time is now to vote for your favorite book for the 2009 Michigan Thumbs-Up award! Last year's winner was Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande. The Thumbs Up! Award is given annually by the Teen Services Division to an author for an outstanding contribution to teen literature having both literary quality and teen appeal. Click here to view the MLA website for further information on the Thumbs Up! award.

To vote for this year's winner, check out the Thumbs Up! ballot and display at the Teen Dropspot in the Royal Oak Public Library. But hurry, voting only lasts until May 23!

The Spectacular Now - Featured Title

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp - I read this book and thought, "Wow!" I found it very difficult to be able to synthesize what this book is about, so I'm posting the Booklist review of this book in hopes that the book's plot would become a little more clear to those interested in reading the book. This book was the runner-up for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature -- it was very well-written and Sutter, the main character, had an authentic teen voice. Recommended for grades 8 and up.

(Booklist Review): All the seniors in Sutter Keely’s high school are planning for the future, except for him. The Sutterman is the original party boy, with a perpetual 7-Up and whiskey in his hand and a story to entertain all who will listen. He is a ladies’ man, but he loses interest when the ladies demand that he pay attention to them, instead of himself, or make other unreasonable requests, such as remember dates or call when he promises. But it is Aimee, a social outsider, who gets under his skin and loves him in spite of his flaws. Tharp offers a poignant, funny book about a teen who sees his life as livable only when his senses are dulled by drink and only as fodder for the next joke or story. Lulled into believing he is happy in spite of his father’s abandonment and his mother’s emotional neglect, Sutter is an authentic character, and his unsteady sense of himself, as well as his relationships with his friends, will strike a chord with teen readers. --Frances Bradburn

Teen Video Games: Tonight @ 6:30

Come play video games, hang out with friends, and meet new ones. Try your hand at Rock Band, Super Smash Brothers, and more!

Teen Movie Night: Tonight @ 6:30pm, Twilight

Tonight at 6:30 we will be showing the 'Twilight' movie. Please join us in the Youth Activity room in the lower level of the library. You can register here.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) doesn't expect much when she moves to the small town of Forks, Washington, until she meets the mysterious and handsome Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)-a boy who's hiding a dark secret: he's a vampire. As their worlds and hearts collide, Edward must battle the bloodlust raging inside him as well as a coterie of undead that would make Bella their prey. Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling sensation by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight adds a dangerous twist to the classic story of star-crossed lovers. Run time is 122 minutes.

Teen Video Games: Today @ 2:00

Come play video games, hang out with friends, and meet new ones. Try your hand at Rock Band, Super Smash Brothers, and more!

April TAB Newsletter is now available!

The April/May issue of the Teen Advisory Board newsletter is now printed and available at the Royal Oak Public Library! Make sure to grab your own copy when you stop by. You can also view a PDF version of our latest newsletter by checking out the Royal Oak Public Library website, and clicking on the "Teen" button on the green dropdown menu.

There will be no TAB newsletter printed in May, but we will resume in June once Summer Reading has started!

Teen Board Games: Tonight @ 6:30

Show off your skills and have fun playing board games, such as Apples to Apples, Cranium, and more!