Teen Book Buzz

Snow Day Books

More reviews: Watership Down; Whale Talk; What's in a Name?; The Lord of the Rings; Watchmen; Twilight (series); Travel Team; The Outsiders; Stormbreaker; Suite Scarlett; I Am Rembrant's Daughter; Mutts: America's Dogs; The Gospel According to Larry; Ginger Pye; Ender's Game; The Dark Knight Returns

Newly posted reviews

And remember, you too can write reviews for SSL credit. Just contact Ms. MacPherson.

Banned Books Club

The meeting date for our next Banned Books Club meeting has been changed from Monday, January 25 to February 8. We still will be meeting at 7:30 p.m. Our book is "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, and extra copies of the book are available for checkout at the main desk, thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Registration is required for the Banned Books Club; to register, go to
Event registration - Takoma Park Maryland Library

Or you can call us at 301-891-7259.

From Sunflowers to Santa

More Student Service Learning (SSL) book reviews posted. We have been busy elves.

Picture Books Redux

Middle-schoolers are invited to join our Banned Books Club discussion of picture books that have been challenged at libraries across the country (not ours!). During our program, we'll read aloud such books as "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak, "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and "Nappy Hair" by Carolivia Herron. Space is limited and registration is required. To register, go to:
Event registration - Takoma Park Maryland Library or call us at 301-891-7259.

SSL Book Reviews

We recently posted more reviews. Check the list.

Remember: If you want to become a reviewer please contact Ms MacPherson at 301 891 7259.

Candide

Middle-schoolers, come join our award-winning Banned Books Club on Monday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Candide by Voltaire. Copies of the book are available for check-out at the main desk. Please register for our book discussion by going to our sign-up page or by calling us at 301-891-7259.

Banned Books Week 09

During the week of Sept. 26-Oct. 4, we'll be celebrating Banned Books Week at our library. Come on in and check out our displays of the many books that have been challenged over the years -- fortunately NOT at our library, but at libraries around the nation. Many of these books are classics and definitely worth reading! If you're a middle-schooler, consider joining our award-winning Banned Books Club, which meets monthly. Our next meeting is Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m., and our books are Death Note volumes 1 and 2 by Tsugumi Ohba. Copies will be available by Oct. 1 at the main desk, thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Meanwhile, to learn more about Banned Books Week and our library's celebration, check out the blog post on our Books blog: http://www.takomapark.info/library/books/index.html

Blood and Chocolate

Middle-schoolers: come join our award-winning Banned Books Club as we discuss Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Copies of the book are available for check-out at the library, thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. To register for the program, go to: www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html.

Wallflower Perks

Middle-schoolers: come join our award-winning Banned Books Club on Monday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. Copies of the book are available for check-out, thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Space is limited, so registration is required. To register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.

Comics Jam rescheduled

We've had to reschedule the Comics Jam program at the Takoma Park Maryland Library (101 Philadelphia Ave.) for Friday, May 15 from 4-5 p.m. (It was originally scheduled for tomorrow, May 8). Our monthly Comics Jam program, led by Library Assistant Dave Burbank, is like a comics book book club for kids except that you don't have to read the books ahead of time. Instead we read them together, using our new ELMO projector. We usually read bits and pieces of various comics, graphic novels and manga -- Dave is particularly great at coming up with different voices for each character! Kids are invited to bring in their favorite comics for us to read; Dave also will share some of his own favorites and introduce some of our newest comics. No registration required; just plan to come next Friday, May 15, from 4-5 to join us at this unique book club!

Any questions, just give us a call at 301-891-7259.

Jess and Gilly

If you're a student of middle school age, you're invited to become a member of our award-winning Banned Books Club. Our club meets monthly to discuss books that have been challenged -- or even banned -- for all kinds of reasons. Our next meeting is Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m., where we'll discuss two books by Katherine Paterson: "Bridge To Terabithia" and "The Great Gilly Hopkins." Copies of the books are available for check-out, courtesy of the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Registration is required for the club: go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.

Ivan Denisovich

Our Banned Books Club will meet on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Our club, aimed at middle-schoolers, will discuss Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck at our April meeting -- Monday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be available at the library for check-out, courtesy of the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library.

Medieval Magic

You're invited to a special performance of Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. Middle school students will bring medieval characters to life as they perform poems from the Newbery Medal-winning book, and music will be provided by local musician Wendy Lanxner and her students. The performance will open the annual meeting of the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library, but you don't have to be a member of the Friends to come and enjoy the show, as well as some goodies to eat and drink. No registration required; the show is best for school-aged children and older.

]]> The middle school students first performed Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! in December, as the culmination of a four-week workshop with local poets Elizabeth Rees and Rosanne Singer. During the workshop, the students first read the book, written by Laura Amy Schlitz, then decided which character they would like to be. In addition, the students wrote "persona" poems, in which they created a character inspired by one of the characters in the book. Like the poems in the book, the students' poems were alternately moving and humorous. Come and enjoy this unique performance of an award-winning book!

Tween Writing Club

Do you want to write poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction? Then join our new Tween Writing Club, led by Susan Katz-Miller, former Newsweek reporter and high school English teacher. Each month, the group will do some writing games together to warm up. Then, tween writers will read from their own work, and Sue will lead supportive group discussions. No assignments, no grading, no rubrics, just writing for the sheer joy of it. Bring some of your writing to the first class. Class limited to ten writers. Third Wednesdays, 7-8:30pm. March 18, April 15, May 20. Note: this program is aimed at kids ages 10-12. Thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library for sponsoring this club!

Comics Jam tonight!

Just a reminder that we've having our first Comics Jam this evening at the Takoma Park Maryland Library at 7:30 p.m. It's a perfect activity for a cold winter evening-- sitting in our cozy Children's Room, reading comics together via our new projector (purchased by the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library). Feel free to bring some favorite comics with you -- we can easily project them onto a screen so we can read them together. We'll also be sharing some of our favorites. Registration is encouraged, but not required, for this event. To register online, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html, or just call us at 301-891-7259.