What video game tournament should we host next?

In March, we had great fun with our Guitar Hero 2 tournament, and three lucky winners walked away with GameStop gift cards. I’d like to do another gaming event here at the library, and I’d like your opinion on what kind of games you’d like to play here. So, here’s a nifty little poll for you to vote on. Please take a second and tell me what you’re interested in!

Gear Up and Read: Teen Summer Reading Program

School’s out, summer’s here, and our summer reading program is going strong. The theme this year is “Gear Up and Read” and the program will run from June 8 to August 2. It’s open to teens ages 12-18. To sign up, come by the reference desk any time to receive your summer reading packet. We have a great variety of prizes this year that you’ll earn by reading, and you’ll also earn entry tickets to the raffles we’ll be holding on July 10 and August 10. The list of prizes available for reading and the list of raffle drawings are under the Programs tab.

Visit the Programs tab or click here to see the schedule of summer activities.

Next program coming up Friday, July 31, at 2 p.m.: Crafts for Gear Headz: Geek Chic. Learn how to upcycle discarded computer parts and hardware to make totally unique jewelry, book marks, keychains, and anything else you can think of. I’ll provide materials (though you can bring yours along if you want), and you bring your creativity.

Raffle Winners for first Gear Up and Read drawing

On July 10, we drew names for the first group of raffle prizes: ten lucky summer readers won Pirate’s Cove passes and two won Regal Entertainment Group movie passes.All the winners were contacted by phone.

Our next, and final, raffle will be held August 10. Remember, to be eligible for the final prizes you must finish the program and have everything turned in by August 2! That means your reading log and all four book review sheets must be in before we close for weeding week. When we reopen on August 10, we’ll hold the final raffle for the Wal-Mart gift card, the Acoustic Music Revival gift cards, the Elitch Garden passes, and the Playaway audiobook, and we’ll award the Tattered Cover gift card to the teen who writes the most book reviews.

It’s still not too late to sign-up for summer reading and complete the program by August 2, so if you haven’t already, now’s when you should go for it.

Program tomorrow – Get to Know Your Bike!

Tomorrow is our Get to Know Your Bike class with Mark Jaeger from Campus Cycles. We’ll meet outside in the City Center Amphitheater to learn how to fix flats, replace chains, check tire pressure, do brake adjustments, and other basic bike maintenance tasks. We will hold a Q & A at the end of the class for teens who have specific bike questions, so feel free to bring your questions and your bike along! I’ll provide cold drinks for the summer heat. If it’s raining, we’ll be in the library’s Perrin room instead.

Please call us at 303-762-2555 to register for this program. Like all of our summer reading programs, you’ll get an extra raffle ticket for attending. Since our first raffle drawing (for Pirate’s Cove passes and free movie tickets) will be held tomorrow afternoon, one more ticket could make all the difference!

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, by Alison Goodman

Author: Alison Goodman
Publisher: Viking
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 531
Call number: Y Goodman

Eon is a crippled servant in a world where cripples are untouchable, considered to bring bad luck with them wherever they go. However, Eon’s ambitious master has plans for him still and has spent years training Eon to become a Dragoneye. The Dragoneyes are special men, each chosen by one of the eleven celestial dragons, able to commune with their dragon and use its power on behalf of the emperor. The Rat Dragon is now the ascendent, and Eon is one of several candidates to become the apprentice Rat Dragoneye. He and his master have staked everything on Eon being chosen; if he is not, his master will lose what little political power and wealth he has left. Eon has a rare special gift — he is able to see all of the dragons in the spiritual realm at once — and this is the reason he, a cripple, is allowed to compete. However, Eon has a terrifying secret that only he and his master know — he is really Eona, a girl. Women are forbidden to be Dragoneyes — they are forbidden from most aspects of power — and discovery of this fact will mean instant death for Eon and his master. They have both ruthlessly eradicated all traces of the female in Eon, but it is still a dangerous plan, and one that both does not go as expected and yet exceeds all expectations. Eon is not chosen by the Rat Dragon, but by the Mirror Dragon, the twelfth dragon that has not been seen for hundreds of years. This marvel instantly catapults Eon to Lord status and co-ascendent Dragoneye with the cruel and power-mad Lord Ido, the Rat Dragoneye. Now it is even more important for Eon to hide her sex, as she is quickly immersed in a political power struggle between the current emperor, whose health is failing, and Lord Ido and his brother, High Lord Sethon, who intend to take over the throne.

New Nonfiction – June 2009

This month we received so many new books that I decided to split them up. Here’s the new nonfiction.

Thirty Dates to Finding and Keeping Sassy Sidekicks and BFFs. Clea Hantman. 158.25 Hantman.
Life is just more fun with friends. And who doesn’t want a sidekick in case there’s ever a need to fight crime or solve a mystery? Every girl needs at least one wonderful pal, and when you harness the power of friendship, life’s possibilities can be limitless. But like it or not, friendships take work, plain and simple. And that’s where “30 Days to Finding and Keeping Sassy Sidekicks and BFFs “comes in–a field guide to friendship that will help you learn the basics of meeting new friends and keeping the old.

Thirty Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend. Clea Hantman. 155.6423 Hantman.
BEING DUMPED HURTS. But you know what? It happens to everyone. The part you might not believe is that no matter how brutally your heart’s been broken, those wounds will heal. But the longer you dwell on the dork, the longer your heart will remain cracked. Enter 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend. One day at a time, 30 days in a row. At the end, you’ll find you have the power to yank that dagger out of your chest, stand tall, walk proud, and move on. And along the way, you may just discover something marvelous and surprising about yourself.

All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem: an inappropriate book for young ladies, or, frankly, anybody else. Laurie Rosenwald. 305.235 Rosenwald.
These days, a lot of people are trying to tell teens what’s best for them. Here’s a look at life from artist and professional nonconformist Laurie Rosenwald, who insists that she doesn’t want to tell anyone what to do. But when you are as irreverent as she is (Is the earth really worth saving?) and as funny (Your breasts: What do they mean?) people sort of DO want to know what you think. Then again, if you think like Rosenwald, it could get you kicked out of yoga class.

Creepy Cute Crochet: zombies, ninjas, robots, and more! Christen Haden. 746.43 Haden.
If you’re a fan of amigurumi, you already know that super-sweet crocheted bunnies and kitties and pandas have taken the indie craft world by storm. Well, the dolls in Creepy Cute Crochet eat your typical amigurumi for breakfast. This unique craft book contains more than 25 patterns for zombies, ninjas, Vikings, vampires, aliens, robots, and even Death himself.

World Wrestling Entertainment Encyclopedia: the definitive guide to WWE. Brian Shields and Kevin Sullivan. 796.81203 Shields.
Featuring hundreds of wrestling superstars form the World Wrestling Federation from the 1960s to today, this thrilling reference is the definitive guide to the WWE. Features more than 700 entries and 2,500 full-color images throughout.

Falling Hard: 100 love poems by teenagers. Betsy Franco, ed. 811.608 Franco.
From an acclaimed anthologist comes this unforgettable collection of poems by teenagers–straight, gay, bi, and transgender–capturing the vertigo-inducing realm of romantic love.