Flamingnet.com - teens review teen books

If any of you are interested in reviewing books, then check ot Flamingnet.com, which calls itself a website for 8 to 18 year olds who love to read. You can apply to be a reviewer, then they'll send you new and advance copy books to review. You can find the application here: http://flamingnet.com/bookreviews/newreviews/bookreviewsapp.cfm

Even if you don't want to write reviews, you can find tons of books that have been reviewed by teens.

Before You Die...

Okay, that sounds really morbid, and it kind of is. There is a terrific new high school-level book by Jenny Downham called Before You Die, about a girl who is dying from a terminal illness. Tessa creates a list of things she wants to do before she dies, and they aren't small things like see the ocean or fly on a plane. Nope, it's stuff like have sex and steal something. Along the way, she also falls in love and faces other, unexpected situations. This heartbreaking book provides a realistic sense of the issues, challenges and triumphs when faced with terminal illness. I recommend listening to the audio version if you can, and definitely keep the kleenex nearby.

Winter break is almost here!

What are you going to do over winter break? If you need to prepare for the SATs or AP exams, you can take free practice tests on one of our online resources, Learning Express Library. Just go to our website (www.sanleandrolibrary.org), click "online resources" and then you'll see Learning Express Library on the list. In addition to practice tests, it has e-books on tons of topics that you can download to your desktop.

Back to school already

September is here, and so is school. We have lots of books and resources to help make the transition back easier.
You can ask us homework/reference questions now on IM. We have IM hours from 3pm to 5pm Monday through Thursday. Find us here:
· AOL Instant Messenger (AIM): sanleandrolib
· Google Talk: sanleandrolibrary@gmail.com/meebo
· MSN Messenger: sanleandrolibrary@hotmail.com
· Yahoo! Instant Messenger: sanleandrolibrary

You should also check out our online resources where you can find electronic copies of magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, and more -- all from the web. Just go to http://www.sanleandrolibrary.org and click the databases link.

It's all about Movies this month...

at our book clubs, that is. Both book discussion groups, Teens Read (middle school) and Novelteens (high school), will meet on the 23rd this month to watch two different movies. Teens Read members will watch (and read, of course) The Outsiders, while Novelteens members will watch Speak, and then discuss the book by Laurie Halse Anderson. If you are interested in reading, watching and discussing this month, sign up for Novelteens or Teens Read at the Children's Desk.

Summer Reading Program!

It's not too late to sign up for our summer reading program! Read 10 books and receive an invitation to our end-of-summer party. In the meantime, tell us about the books you've loved or hated this summer.

Books & magazines we should have at the library

Here is your chance to tell us what books and magazines you'd like to see in the teen room of the San Leandro Main Library. It can be a new book, paperback, or magazine -- just let us know and we'll consider it for our collection.

Programs/events we should have at the library

Let us know what events you'd like to see us offer for teens at the library. In the past, we've had lyric writing workshops, comic book drawing, and henna and jewelry workshops, not to mention our on-going book clubs. Tell us what events you'd like us to offer!

Graphic novels & manga you'd like to see at the library

Is you favorite manga series or graphic novel available from the library? If not, tell us what you'd like to see in the graphic novel collection.