10 Outdoor Activities for Teens

Looking for something to do now that school is out? Try doing a few outdoor activities.

1. Ride a Bicycle.
2. Go Rollerblading.
3. Play Soccer
4. Play Basketball
5. Play Football.
6. Ride a Skateboard.
7. Go Jogging.
8. Go for a Hike.
9. Go Swimming.
10. Climb Trees.

I Am the Messenger - Featured Title

I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak - Between a boring job as a cab driver, a disjointed family, and a sorry group of friends, ninteen-year-old Ed Kennedy has little in his life to look forward to. After stopping a bank robbery, Ed begins to receive playing cards with puzzling messages in his mailbox. Most of the messages tell Ed to be at a certain address at a certain time. Following these instructions, Ed has filled an empty church, created a loving bond between two brothers, stopped a husband from abusing his wife, and created confidence in a young girl who enjoys running.

Strangers were easier to help, but the the biggest challenge occurs when Ed realizes he must enact change in his friends as well. The mysteries in Zusak's novel are appropriately dark and meaningful, keeping readers engrossed and waiting for the next playing card to arrive in Ed's mailbox. This book was great and has encouraged me to read Zusak's other books, including the well-received Book Thief. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

2009 Michigan Thumbs Up! Award Announced

The Michigan Library Association (MLA) is pleased to announce that Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins and published by Scholastic Press, is the winner of the 2009 Thumbs Up! Award.

In Hunger Games, Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

TAB Meeting @ 6:30, then 'Expressive Creatures' with Dan Briere

Tonight at 6:30pm, we will be having our Teen Advisory Board meeting. Be part of the Library's Teen Team: Voice an opinion about teen programs, books, magazines, DVDs, etc. at the Library. Help with the TAB Newsletter and teen blog. Come and see what TAB is all about. No registration necessary.

Then from 7-8pm Dan Briere of the Little Creatures Company brings some of his animal friends for you to see and touch. Dan provides the inside story on how these creatures express themselves and you decide if owning an exotic pet might be a way to express yourself! You can register here.

Teen Video Games, TONIGHT@ 7pm

Come and play video games and hang out with friends and meet new ones, tonight from 7-8:30pm. You can register here.

Read & Vote for Your Favorite Teen Books!

Teens' Top Ten nominations are now available online at the Teens' Top Ten website. Read as many of the 25 nominees as you'd like before August 24. This year you'll be able to vote online for the Teens' Top Ten anytime between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18 at www.ala.org/teenstopten.

You can view the nominated titles for the 2009 Teens' Top Ten here.

Living Dead Girl - Featured Title

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott - This book is a terrifying tale of a 15-year-old girl, Alice, who is kidnapped by Ray, a man who changes her name, threatens her, and physically and sexually abuses her for the past five years. Alice was not the first girl that Ray has kidnapped, though the first girl was murdered by Ray once she outgrew her child-like body. Alice can tell that Ray is growing tired of her, and she worries that he will kill her once he does. In an effort to save herself, Alice agrees to steal another little girl for him in hopes that he will let her go once she does.

The harrowing details are not for the light of heart; this story is raw and full of emotion. Though the reading material is best suited for mature readers, anyone who reads this book will find the character's to be authentic and hard to forget. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

Dr. Seuss' Oh the Places You'll Go: College Scholarship Program:

Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! College Scholarship recognizes high school seniors who understand and value the limitless possibilities that education can offer with a scholarship award. In order to qualify for the scholarship, entrants must be 12th grade high school students graduating spring 2010, age 21 years or under. You can read the full rules here.

Here's the essay question: Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! delivers an important message about the chances and the troubles that life presents. Thinking about the book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, what kinds of opportunities and challenges do you think your education will present in the future?

Entries must be postmarked by Februrary 15, 2010, and the winner receives a $5,000 scholarship -- good luck!

Shift - Featured Title

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury - During the summer before college, Chris and Win make plans to go on a cross-country biking trip. Starting from their hometown in West Virginia, the boys make it all the way to the west coast and are only a few days from Seattle, their final destination, when Win deserts Chris for no apparent reason. Rather than call his parents or Win's family, Chris angrily decides to complete the rest of the bike trip and catch a bus ride home on his own.

The story actually begins with Chris starting college in Georgia and being met by an FBI agent who demands to know what happened to Win. The chapters alternate between Chris's present situation with the FBI and telling the story of the bike trip over the summer.

This is a great quick read with an engaging plot and great details about bicycles and cities across America. Perfect for the summer or for a teenage boy who is reluctant to read for fun. Recommended for grades 6 and up.

Express Yourself @ Your Library

While many of you might be counting down the days until school ends, at the library we have been counting down the days until our summer reading program begins! Today is the big kick-off at ROPL for children & teen summer reading program. From now until August 6th, teens can register their reading time and enter in our grand prize giveaway (a $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble!). On Wednesday nights, join us for video games or teen movie nights. Thursday nights will have activities for teens such as exotic animals, water rockets, altered books, and even a rockstar workshop!

Free Park Passes to Michigan Readers!

Park & Read allows library-card holders the ability to "check-out" a one-day pass into any Michigan state park or recreation area in lieu of the resident daily motor vehicle permit. This is a $6 savings and free access to the more than 500 events taking place in local parks this summer.

Plus, many parks will have a hammock available for the Park & Read participants to borrow while on-site for the day so they can fully enjoy a great book in Michigan's great outdoors. Passes are valid for seven days from check-out and can be used for one day at any one of Michigan's state parks. Hammocks are subject to availability. This program runs through September 25.

Ordinary Ghosts - Featured Title

Ordinary Ghosts by Eireann Corrigan - 16-year-old Emil is a student at Caramoor Academy, a prestigious male boarding school. After his mother dies of cancer, his older brother mysteriously disappears and his father is too busy with work and business trips to seem to care. Feeling lost and a little forgotten, Emil decides to search his brother's room to find clues about where he could have gone. Emil doesn't find any clues, but he does find a secret key to Caramoor that he thought only existed in myths.

The key, which has access to every room in the school, typically is passed down to a senior student every year that will pull a noteworthy prank. Emil decides to use this key for after-hours access to explore the school and figure out a prank. Instead of discovering an idea for a prank, Emil runs into the art teacher's daughter, Jade, working in the art studio late at night. The two spend a great deal of time flirting and getting to know one another before a relationship begins between the two.

Teens will love this book because of the complex characters and spot-on use of language and scenes. Emil is an honest character that teens will be able to relate to regardless of whether the reader has faced his exact issues. Recommended for grades 9 & up.

Get Creative @ Saving for College!

All across Michigan, libraries are helping children be creative at their library with programs and events. Get Creative @ Saving for College gives parents a chance to win $1,500 that can be used toward their child's college education.

Here's how it works:

1. Sign up your child for the Be Creative @ Your Library summer reading program.
2. Fill out an entry card and return it to your librarian for the grand prize drawing of $1,500 that can be used toward your child's college tuition.
3. If your child wins a grand prize, your library will also win $1,000.

Entries must be postmarked by August 21, 2009, and received by August 28, 2009. Visit misaves.com/library for official rules and prize details.

I Know It's Over - Featured Title

I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin - Nick had the perfect summer planned and expected to spend his carefree and fun-filled months with his friends. Plans changed, however, when he met a complicated and gorgeous girl named Sasha. Nick decides to forgo an uncomplicated 'friendly' relationship with Dani in order to be with Sasha. When summer turns in to fall and they return to school, Sasha decides to end things with Nick in order to concentrate on the 'important' things in life.

The two stop talking and seeing each other, until Sasha shows up on Nick's front porch one snowy winter afternoon. His world changes when Sasha tells Nick that she's pregnant. Teens will be drawn in to this story by the raw emotions that Nick shows as he tries to work through this unexpected situation. A must-read for teens and parents alike. Recommended for grades 6 and up.