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Teen Scene March 2009
"Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title."
~ Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), English novelist and essayist
New Catalog Feature
Customer Reviews! With Ratings, you can get a quick idea of whether you and others liked an item from our catalog. Customer Reviews offers you the option to write a brief review and post it anonymously for others to read! View and manage your reviews though your account. More about Customer Reviews...
New and Recently Released!


3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows - by Ann Brashares
Publisher: Delacorte Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/13/2009
 ISBN: 9780385736763
 ISBN-10: 0385736762
Fiction. Ama, Jo, and Polly are beginning their last summer before high school; they'll be attending the same school that Bridget, Carmen, Lena, and Tibby (from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) did. Like that famous foursome, the three younger girls have been close for a long time--ever since third grade, when they planted the willow saplings they'd been given for a school project all in a row. But unlike The Sisterhood, Jo, Polly, and Ama have started to grow apart...just when they're going to need each other the most. 3 Willows is a must-read for fans of the original series, but anyone who enjoys realistic fiction with a great cast of characters should check this book out.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn - by Alison Goodman
Publisher: Viking
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/26/2008
 ISBN: 9780670062270
 ISBN-10: 0670062278
Fantasy. In the fascinating, Asian-inspired world created in this book, supernatural "energy dragons" named for animals in the Chinese zodiac control all of Earth's energies. Young men compete for the honor of being apprenticed to one of the Dragoneyes, powerful men who communicate and bargain with the dragons on behalf of the people. Sixteen-year-old Eon has been training hard, but, due to an old injury and the fact that "he" is really a girl in disguise, is the least likely to be chosen. This spellbinding story of adventure, honor, and political intrigue features a strong heroine and a wonderfully complex plot that will keep readers guessing to the very end.

Nothing Pink - by Mark Hardy
Publisher: Front Street
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2008
 ISBN: 9781932425246
 ISBN-10: 1932425241
Fiction. Fifteen-year-old preacher's kid Vincent Harris has always known that he is gay, and he has faithfully--almost obsessively--prayed for years for God to make him straight. But when Vincent meets handsome Robert Ingle on the first Sunday at his father's new church, he's smitten. Soon the two of them are falling head-over-heels in love, and Vincent longs for a way to reconcile his faith with his feelings. This sweet romance deals honestly and respectfully with issues of faith and identity and, like Alex Sanchez's The God Box, offers solace to anyone who's tried to give up one for the other.

Babylonne - by Catherine Jinks
Publisher: Candlewick Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/11/2008
 ISBN: 9780763636500
 ISBN-10: 0763636509
Historical Fiction. Babylonne is accustomed to the violent world of 13th-century Languedoc, France--she's survived six bloody Crusade sieges and, as a child born out of wedlock, was abused by the stalwart Cathar relatives who raised her. But now her grandmother and aunt want to punish her by marrying her off to a senile old man, and Babylonne has had enough. Disguising herself as a boy, she runs away...only to be followed by a Catholic priest who, despite his claim to have known her father, Pagan Kidrouk, terrifies her. Fans of Australian author Catherine Jinks' Pagan Chronicles will get a special kick out of the ways in which Babylonne resembles her strong-willed father, but anyone who likes both medieval history and adventure will relish this vivid tale.

Love is Hell - by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin, and Laurie Faria Stolarz
Publisher: HarperTeen
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/1/2008
 ISBN: 9780061443053
 ISBN-10: 0061443050
Short Stories. As if love weren't complicated enough in the real world, these five romantic stories bring supernatural beings and situations into the mix. In Laurie Faria Stolarz's story "Sleeping with the Spirit," a girl's family moves into a house where a young boy was murdered...and the girl falls in love with his ghost (brings a whole new meaning to "long-distance relationship," doesn't it?). Melissa Marr and Justine Larbalestier weave fantastical yarns that involve selkies and faerie-folk. And, in Scott Westerfeld's hilarious science fiction story, a guy and a girl living in a future world where everything is perfectly regulated experience passion for the first time while working on a history project.

Burn: A Novel - by Suzanne Phillips
Publisher: Little, Brown
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2008
 ISBN: 9780316001656
 ISBN-10: 0316001651
Fiction. Cameron Grady had led a relatively normal life until starting ninth grade. But after a coach mistakes Cameron, who's short for his age and wears his hair long, for a girl, the Red Coats--a group of varsity football players known for torturing freshmen--pick him as their latest target. As the Red Coats' harassment intensifies, so does Cameron's anger...until going for long runs and setting things on fire can no longer keep it under control. This brutally realistic story of a traumatized young man's total breakdown is both disturbing and thought-provoking.
Focus on: Fascinating Life Stories


Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop - by Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan
Publisher: Delacorte Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2004
 ISBN: 9780385900799
 ISBN-10: 0385900791
Biography. Maybe you don't know who Andy Warhol is, but there's a good chance that you'd recognize his work--it transformed humble, everyday items such as Campbell's Soup cans, Coke bottles, and dollar bills into fine art. Maybe you've also heard (or even experienced) the bit about everyone getting her "15 minutes of fame"? That's from Mr. Warhol, too. Intrigued? Read this excellent biography and learn all about the man himself, a painter, filmmaker, celebrity, and oddball extraordinaire.

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China - by Matthew Polly
Publisher: Gotham Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
 ISBN: 9781592402625
 ISBN-10: 1592402623
Adult Nonfiction. Instead of an inner voice telling him what to do, Matt Polly has always had an "inner to-do list" titled "Things That are Wrong with Matt." He's also been obsessed with kung fu, and by extension Chinese culture, ever since seeing reruns of David Carradine's TV series Kung Fu as a nine-year-old (in case mere mention of the name "David Carradine" doesn't automatically make you think "kicks butt," you should know that Carradine also starred in both Kill Bill movies). In this funny and enlightening book, Matt tells about leaving Princeton to study at the Shaolin Temple in China, ancient home of world-renowned fighting monks, in the hope of knocking "cowardly" off his inner list.

The Burn Journals - by Brent Runyon
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2004
 ISBN: 9780375826214
 ISBN-10: 0375826211
Nonfiction. When Brent Runyon was 14 years old, he came home from school one day, ate a snack, doused himself with gasoline, and set himself on fire. (!!!!!) In this painful yet riveting book, he details the months of treatment and rehabilitation--both physical and psychological--that followed. From the brief, snapshot-like impressions of the chaos after Brent's suicide attempt to the gory details of the healing process for burn patients and the underlying question of why a generally happy guy like Brent would do such a thing, this memoir will grip readers from start to finish.

When I Was a Soldier: A Memoir - by Valérie Zenatti; translated by Adriana Hunter
Publisher: Bloomsbury
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2005
 ISBN: 9781582349787
 ISBN-10: 1582349789
Nonfiction. What if, after graduating from high school, you were required to serve in the military? In many countries throughout the world, this is how it is. Valerie Zenatti's family emigrated from France to Israel when she was 13, and five years later, Valerie began her mandatory two-year enlistment in the Israeli army. Free-thinking Valerie had difficulty adjusting to military life; just like people told her, "the army changes everything." She gives an insider's view of what it's like to leave family and friends behind, endure tough training, and learn how to obey orders unquestioningly--even when she isn't sure why she's fighting.
Teen Tech Week: March 8-14

Career Opportunities in the Internet, Video Games, and Multimedia - by Allan Taylor and James Robert Parish
Publisher: Checkmark Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
 ISBN: 9780816063154
 ISBN-10: 081606315X
Nonfiction. Do you dream of designing video games or building computers? Do you have web design or computer programming skills? Do you want a technology-based job? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then perhaps this book is for you. 82 job profiles are arranged under 11 headings such as graphic design, management, marketing, production, sales, and programming. Each job profile describes the duties typically performed in the position, skills and personality traits needed, employment prospects, education and training, and the current salary range. Appendices list educational institutions, periodicals, directories, professional associations, and industry web sites.

Feed - by M.T. Anderson
Publisher: Candlewick Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2002
 ISBN: 9780763617264
 ISBN-10: 0763617261
Science Fiction. For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play around with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who knows something about what it’s like to live without the feed-and about resisting its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.

The Gospel According to Larry - Janet Tashjian
Publisher: H. Holt
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2001
 ISBN: 9780805063783
 ISBN-10: 0805063781
Fiction. Seventeen-year-old Josh Swensen, a loner-philosopher who wants to make a difference in the world, tries to maintain his secret identity as the author of a web site that is receiving national attention.  His story continues in Vote for Larry, in which he runs for president as an advocate for issues of concern to youth and to encourage voter turnout, and Larry and the Meaning of Life, in which he meets a spiritual guru who leads him to question his grasp on reality. 

Rob&Sara.com - by P.J. Petersen and Ivy Ruckman
Publisher: Delacorte Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2004
 ISBN: 9780385731645
 ISBN-10: 0385731647
Fiction. Rob, who lives at a school for troubled teenagers, and Sara, the sixteen-year-old daughter of an army colonel, meet in a poetry chat-room and develop a close relationship via email. The book was written in actual emails between its authors, who live in separate cities and wrote the story one email at a time over the course of one year.

The Rough Guide to MySpace - by Peter Buckley
Publisher: Rough Guides
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
 ISBN: 9781843538424
 ISBN-10: 1843538423
Nonfiction. This guide will transform your cyber social life. Packed with tips, tricks, how-tos and safety advice, it will help you showcase your music and pimp your profile; choose the right community for you; make friends, chat and instant message; customize your profile page; edit and post photos and images; write code and master basic web design; create and upload music files and video clips; subscribe to a blog or write your own; promote your band and get yourself noticed; and stay safe online. Whether you're a MySpace regular, a confused newcomer or a band looking for a record deal, you need this book.

Something to Blog About : A Novel - by Shana Norris
Publisher: Amulet Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2008
 ISBN: 9780810994744
 ISBN-10: 0810994747
Fiction. When pages from tenth-grader Libby Fawcett's password-protected blog are posted all over Yeardley High by her nemesis Angel Rivera, whose father is dating Libby's mother, the whole school finds out her humiliating secrets, as well as those of her friends and acquaintances.

Ttyl - by Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Amulet Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2004
 ISBN: 9780810948211
 ISBN-10: 0810948214
Fiction. Three high school sophomores, lifelong best friends, are now facing a variety of emotional upsets in their personal and social lives. Angela is boy crazy and emotive, but able to lend support to her friends when they need it. Zoe is the quietest and most self-effacing, considered by some to be a goody two-shoes but in fact headed full speed into a very dangerous relationship. Maddie is the hothead, less certain of how to grow up than she allows anyone, including herself, to see. The entire narrative is composed of the instant messages sent among these three and continues in the sequels Ttfn and L8r, g8r.

YouTube 4 You - by Michael Miller
Publisher: Que
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
 ISBN: 9780789736987
 ISBN-10: 0789736985
Nonfiction. View. Upload. Share. That's what YouTube is all about–viewing, uploading, and sharing your favorite videos–and this book will help you get the most out of this hot website. You'll learn how to find the latest viral videos, share your favorite videos with friends and the YouTube community, and shoot and upload your own videos to the YouTube website.
Book Clubs @ HPL


Secret of the Sirens - by Julia Golding
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
 ISBN: 9780761453710
 ISBN-10: 0761453717
Fiction. Upon moving to her aunt's seaside home in the British Isles, Connie becomes part of a secret society that shelters mythical creatures, and must use her ability to communicate with these beings to protect them from evil and the incursions of humans. Secret of the Sirens is the first book in the Companions Quartet series and is followed by The Gorgon's Gaze, Mines of the Minotaur, and The Chimera's Curse.

Discuss this book at the Kendall Neighborhood Library on March 13, 2009 at 4:30 PM.

A Wizard of Earthsea - by Ursula K. Le Guin
Publisher: Atheneum
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1991
 ISBN: 9780689317200
 ISBN-10: 0689317204
Fiction. A boy named Sparrowhawk becomes apprentice to a Master Wizard, but impatience to learn faster takes him far from home to Roke Island, where he enters the School for Wizards. As a student of magic, Sparrowhawk exceeds his years in accomplishment, but pride and jealousy drive the boy to try certain dangerous powers too soon. This is the first book in The Earthsea Trilogy and is followed by The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore.

Discuss this book at the Kendall Neighborhood Library on March 27, 2009 at 4:30 PM.
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Events


Teen Tech Month

National Teen Tech Week is March 8-14th, but Houston Public Library has an entire month of techie focused programs.

Build Your Own Computer
3/11/2009 4:00 PM
Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library
3/25/2009 4:00 PM
Smith Neighborhood Library
Participants will learn to take a computer apart and put it back together again!

Film Making and Editing on an Apple
3/9/2009 4:30 PM
McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood Library
3/12/2009 4:00 PM
Young Neighborhood Library
3/25/2009 4:00 PM
Walter Neighborhood Library
3/26/2009 6:00 PM
Meyer Neighborhood Library
Learn how to use a Flip! Video camera to make a film and Apple MacBook to edit it!

Wii Tournaments
3/9/2009 4:30 PM
Smith Neighborhood Library
3/10/2009 3:30 PM
Collier Regional Library
3/11/2009 3:30 PM
Moody Neighborhood Library
3/12/2009 5:00 PM
HPL Express Southwest
3/13/2009 2:00 PM
Heights Neighborhood Library
3/17/2009 4:00 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library
3/19/2009 6:00 PM
Meyer Neighborhood Library
3/21/2009 2:00 PM
Central Library
3/21/2009 3:00 PM
Acres Homes Neighborhood Library
3/25/2009 4:00 PM
Vinson Neighborhood Library
3/26/2009 3:30 PM
Carnegie Neighborhood Library
3/30/2009 4:00 PM
Pleasantville Neighborhood Library
Do you have the strongest Wii skills? Think you can beat others at Super Smash Brothers or Mario Kart? Come play other Wii experts at our Wii Tournament showdowns!

MacBook
3/9/2009 4:00 PM
Lakewood Neighborhood Library
3/9/2009 3:30 PM
Johnson Neighborhood Library
3/10/2009 3:00 PM
Park Place Regional Library
3/11/2009 4:00 PM
Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library
3/12/2009 4:00 PM
Jungman Neighborhood Library
3/19/2009 4:00 PM
Tuttle Neighborhood Library
3/19/2009 4:00 PM
Ring Neighborhood Library
3/30/2009 4:00 PM
Oak Forest Neighborhood Library
Get a new pic for your MySpace! Use an Apple MacBook and take pictures that include unique backgrounds and special effects.

Help! I've Got Homework!
3/11/2009 4:00 PM
Oak Forest Neighborhood Library
3/20/2009 3:00 PM
Central Library
3/23/2009 4:30 PM
Stanaker Neighborhood Library
Learn how to use our free 24/7 online tutoring service and our online databases which can help you find magazine and journal articles.

Build-A-Blog with Podcast, Pics and More Using MacBooks
3/16/2009 4:30 PM
Looscan Neighborhood Library
Learn how to take your blog or online diary to the next level by using an Apple MacBook to make podcasts, pictures with special effects, your own music and more!

Photo Editing Using Apple's Photobooth
3/16/2009-3/20/2009 3:00 PM
Central Library
Get a new pic for your MySpace! Use an Apple MacBook to take pictures that include unique backgrounds and special effects.

Check out the calendar of events online for a complete listing of library programs.

Arts & Crafts

Crochet Class
3/17/2009 & 3/31/2009 12:00 PM
Moody Neighborhood Library
If you love to crochet or would like to learn, please join us!

YA - After School Craft
3/18/2009 3:30 PM
Moody Neighborhood Library
Come and create something special!

Duct Tape Purse or Wallet
3/16/2009 2:00 PM
Central Library
We have perfected the art of the duct tape purse and will pass the knowledge on to you! 4th floor.

Get Crafty @ Your Library
3/17/2009 4:30 PM
Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library
This ain't your little brother's fingerpaints. Come out and make crafts.

Teen Craft: Classic Mosaics
3/23/2009 6:30 PM
Hillendahl Neighborhood Library
Use a wide variety of colored paper to create an original art piece using this ancient technique.

Teen Craft Make and Take
3/27/2009 2:00 PM
Heights Neighborhood Library
Create a Musical Rain Stick.

Teen Craft
3/31/2009 4:00 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library
Join us for a fun teen craft. Call Bronwyn Stewart at 832-393-1880 for details.

Beaded Bracelet
3/31/2009 4:00 PM
Melcher Neighborhood Library
Join in the fun of making a bracelet with beads.

Clubs & Hang-outs

After School Zone
Mondays-Thursdays 3:00 PM
Smith Neighborhood Library
Mondays-Wednesdays & Fridays 3:30 PM
Park Place Regional Library
Mondays-Fridays 3:45 PM
Stella Link Neighborhood Library
After school activities for teens like video games, crafts, homework help and more!

Teen After-School Hang Out
Wednesdays 4:00 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library
Snacks, laptops, homework help, books, Playstation 2, movies, games and other cool stuff for teens will be provided.

Teen Anime Club
3/9/2009, 3/23/2009 & 3/30/2009 4:00 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library
Discuss and watch Anime films, eat yummy snacks, read anime books, and play anime video games.

Young Adult Book Club
3/13/2009 & 3/27/2009 4:30 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library
Call Bronwyn Stewart at 832-393-1880 for details. Ages 11-15 years.

Otaku Society Anime Club
3/25/2009 4:00 PM
Central Library
Teens watch, review and discuss anime... maybe some manga too. Program Place-4th floor.

Gaming

PlayStation2 Video Games
Thursdays 4:00 PM
Walter Neighborhood Library
3/13/2009 & 3/27/2009 5:00 PM
Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library
Enjoy our selection of PS2 games!

Guitar Hero
3/27/2009 4:00 PM
Melcher Neighborhood Library
You, too, can be a Guitar Hero! In this interactive video game, use a "real" guitar to play increasingly difficult songs.

I'm Board-- Games.
Mondays 4:00 PM
Central Library
Chess, Connect 4, Uno, battle your friends or make new ones. Play our games or bring your own!

Chess
3/24/2009 3:30 PM
Collier Regional Library
Open chess play and instruction for beginner and advanced players.

YA - Gaming @ the Library
3/25/2009 3:30 PM
Moody Neighborhood Library
Play video games, board games and card games at the library!!!

Get Your Game On!
3/26/2009 4:00 PM
Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library
Join your friends for board games and video games.

Wii Gaming
3/28/2009 1:00 PM
Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library
Enjoy the unique gaming experience with the Nintendo Wii at the library. We will have several games on hand to play!

Library Bingo
3/31/2009 3:30 PM
Collier Regional Library
You are invited to a fun afternoon of Library Bingo.

Miscellaneous Fun

Spice Up Your Space
3/16/2009-3/20/2009 3:00 PM
Melcher Neighborhood Library
Learn how to use free internet applications which can be handy for your Myspace, or website.

Teen Program: All About Turtles
3/16/2009 6:30 PM
Hillendahl Neighborhood Library
Learn about and see astonishing live specimens of turtles in this popular program.

Clayton Genealogical Library Orientation
3/21/2009 11:00 AM
Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research
Learn about the vast family history research resources at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research on this tour of the facility. Reservations required, please call 832-393-2600. Adults/Teens.



Reel Teen Fest
3/28/2009 3:00 PM
Central Library
Come watch films created by teens of Houston. Teens ages 13-18 will showcase their original works. The festival will take place on the 4th floor Program Place of the Central Library. For more information contact the Central Library Teen Room (832)393-1313 or email hpl.reelteenfest@cityofhouston.net.

Movies

Teen Movie
3/12/2009 4:00 PM
Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library
3/14/2009 3:00 PM
Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library
3/20/2009 4:00 PM
Walter Neighborhood Library
3/24/2009 4:00 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library
Join us for a great movie and snacks. Funded by a Loan Star Libraries Grant authorized by the Texas Legislature and awarded to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to the Houston Public Library.

New Release --Teen Movie Night
Tuesdays 6:30 PM
Central Library
Enjoy a new movie (PG-13 and under) in an egg chair or on the towering orange multilevel-couch!

B-Flick Sundays!
Sundays 2:00 PM
Central Library
Crazy aliens, cheesy spaghetti westerns, giant women, gelatinous monsters, yep we have them!


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