2011 Teen Summer Reading is almost here!

Sign-up begins Monday, 5/23

Read 24 hours over the summer and you could win a new 4th generation, 8gb iPod Touch!

There are a ton of other prizes throughout the summer--don't miss out!

The theme this year is: You Are Here, and we have a ton of cool programs happening at the library, such as:

Gocks--gothic sock puppets on 6/2 @ 2pm

Teen Movie--I am Number Four @ 12pm

Murder Mystery on 6/10, 2-4pm

Teen Talent Show--Tryouts for middle school on 6/15, 5-8pm; Tryouts for high school on 6/22, 5-8pm; and the final show on 7/13 @ 7pm

Gaming Tournaments--Wii and Xbox Kinect on 6/16 & 7/21, 11-1pm

Turn Your Sense of Taste Upside Down on 6/21 @ 2pm

Glass Etching on 6/28 @ 2pm

Science Matters--Fantastic Flight on 7/7 @ 1pm

The Magic of Blake Nielsen magic show on 7/14 @ 2pm

Optical Illusions on 7/28 @ 2pm

Come register for these programs at the library, or by emailing Mark at mdecker@littletongov.org

Teen Tech Week

Mix and Mash @ Your Library

3/6 - 3/12

Enter the contest (INFORMATION LISTED BELOW) to win a gift certificate to Best Buy!

Contest:

1. Log onto the Bemis Library online catalog @ http://bemis.sirsi.net

2. Click on the link for Databases/Websites and choose adults/teens

3. You're now looking at all of the databases and websites available to you through Bemis library! Find the Magazines and Newspapers heading and look at the list of various databases listed there. There are 3 databases designed to be helpful to teens--find the 3 databases (hint: they all mention high school or middle school in the description).

4. Your task for the contest is to: 1. email the names of the 3 databases to Mark at mdecker@littletongov.org AND include the title and author of an article that you found in the database--your choice of topic!

The FIRST person to email me the correct information at mdecker@littletongov.org will win a $25 gift card to Best Buy.

GOOD LUCK!

The FINAL BATTLE

Last week's winner was: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Final Battle begins NOW!
There is 1 battle this week, with the final 2 titles going head-to-head to see which one is the Bemis Teen Best Book for 2010. Cast your vote by filling out a voting slip in Teen Central at the library, or by emailing me at mdecker@littletongov.org

Only vote for 1 book in the battle. If you haven't read at least one of the books, please don't vote.

Final Battle:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
VS
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Battles Continue!
Last week's winners were: The Lightning Thief; Gone; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; and The Hunger Games. These titles will all advance to the next round.

Week 6 Battles begin NOW!
There are 4 battles this week, with 2 books in each battle. Cast your vote for 1 book in EACH battle by filling out a voting slip in Teen Central at the library, or by emailing me with your votes at mdecker@littletongov.org

Remember, only vote for 1 book in EACH battle. If you haven't read at least 1 of the books in the battle, please don't vote in that battle. I'll update which books are battling right here, so check back for details!

BATTLE 1: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan VS Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

BATTLE 2: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold VS Gone by Michael Grant

BATTLE 3: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins VS The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

BATTLE 4: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins VS The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Battles Continue!
The winners from last week were: Fablehaven; Gone; The Book Thief; The Red Pyramid; Ender's Game. These titles have all advanced to the next round and will be in upcoming battles.

Week 4 battles begin NOW!
There are 4 battles this week, with 2 books in each battle. Cast your vote for 1 book in each battle by filling out a voting slip in teen central at the library, or by emailing your votes to me at mdecker@littletongov.org

Remember, only vote for 1 title in EACH battle. If you haven't read at least one of the titles in the battle, please don't vote in that battle. I'll update which books are battling each week right here, so check back for details.

BATTLE 1: Fang (Maximum Ride) by James Patterson VS The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

BATTLE 2: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card VS The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

BATTLE 3: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale VS Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

BATTLE 4: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan VS The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Battles Continue!
The winners from last week were: Catching Fire; Fang; The Lovely Bones; The Lightning Thief; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. These titles will show up in future battles...

Week 3 battles begin NOW!
There are 5 battles this week, with two books in each battle. Cast your vote for 1 book in each battle by filling out a voting slip in teen central at the library, or by emailing your votes to me at mdecker@littletongov.org

Remember, only vote for 1 title in EACH battle. If you haven't read at least 1 of the books in the battle, please don't vote in that battle. I'll update which books are battling each week here, so keep checking back.

BATTLE 1: Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher VS Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

BATTLE 2: Gone by Michael Grant VS Sand Dollar Summer by Kimberly Jones

BATTLE 3: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak VS The Maze Runner by James Dashner

BATTLE 4: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan VS The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

BATTLE 5: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card VS A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

The Battles Continue!
The winners from last week were: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; City of Ships; The Hunger Games; The Last Olympian; The Goose Girl
These titles will show up again in future battles...

Week 2 battles begin now!
There are 5 battles this week, with mulitple books in each battle. Cast your vote for 1 book from each battle by filling out a voting slip in the library, or by emailing me with your votes at mdecker@littletongov.org

Remember, only vote for 1 title in EACH battle. If you haven't read at least 1 of the books in the battle, please don't vote in that battle. I'll update which books are battling each week here, so keep checking back.

BATTLE #1 Academy 7 by Anne Osterland VS Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins VS Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter

BATTLE #2 Erec Rex: the Dragon's Eye by Kaza Kingsley VS Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega VS Fang (Maximum Ride) by James Patterson

BATTLE #3 Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld VS Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater VS The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

BATTLE #4 The Luxe by Anna Godbersen VS The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan VS The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman

BATTLE #5 Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead VS Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis VS Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Make Waves at Your Library

Summer Reading has started--come in to the library and get registered!

You can win prizes just for reading, so come check it out. There are also a ton of fun programs and events happening at the library all summer.

Summer Reading is coming!

Make sure to come into the library to register for the teen summer reading program starting 5/24.

Also, applications for the summer film school will be available at the library starting 5/10.

Check out the cool duct tape creations from the Teen Duct Tape Program!

Duct Tape Creations

Saturday, April 17, 2:00-3:30

Come learn how to make cool stuff out of duct tape! All materials and instruction will be provided.

Contact Mark to register for this program (or for questions) at
303-795-3961, or by email at mdecker@littletongov.org

Congratulations to Mileah, Bryan, and Amanda for their 6-word life stories! They have all won $20 gift cards to a store of their choice!

Here are their stories:

Mileah:

Touch the gorgeous, find your destiny

Bryan:

Just another brick in the wall

Amanda:

Simplicity is upon the broken heart

Teen Tech Week

Learn, Create, Share @ Your Library

March 7-13

Check out all of the ways you could win prizes during Teen Tech Week at Bemis Library! Winners will get to select a gift card from a variety of cool stores.

6-Word Life Story: Can you describe your life in only 6 words? Give it a shot and you might win a prize! Submit your best story to me via email at mdecker@littletongov.org or by dropping it in the box labeled "6-Word Life Story" located in the teen area at the library. Make sure you include your contact information (phone # or email address). Not only will the best story win a prize, but I'll also publish the story here! Good luck!

Book/Game reviews: Write a killer review about a book or game you think other teens would like. Make sure your review is family friendly. I'll post the best reviews here.

Web Scavenger Hunt: Follow these steps and you could win a prize! First person to send me the correct answer will win--good luck! You will need your library card, including your PIN (if you don't remember your PIN, call the library at 303-795-3961 to get it).
1. Go the library's homepage at www.littletongov.org/bemis or http://bemis.sirsi.net/
2. Find the link from the online catalog for "databases/websites" (select the "adult/teen" selection once you click on the databases link)
3. Find the "Encyclopedias and Biographies" subject heading
4. Select the "Biography Resource Center"
5. Choose the Biography Resource Center product from the list
6. Enter the name "Rick Riordan" in the search box
7. There should be 2 entries listed; click the link for the first one
8. You should see an entry that gives a short biography. At the top of the biography, some information is listed, including the SOURCE of the information in the biography
9. What is the name and volume # of the source for this article on Rick Riordan? The first person to email me the correct answer wins!

Stop-Motion Animation video:
Create a short video and upload it to YouTube. Send me the link at mdecker@littletongov.org

Here are some websites that can help you create your video:

http://www.stopmotioncentral.com/

www.youtube.com/user/NathanWells

http://stopmotionanimation.com/ the "links" section has some great links to tons of web-sites that can help you.

http://scratch.mit.edu/ has some cool examples of videos plus other info. Use the search feature on the site to find "stop-motion" links

Email Mark with your entries or questions at mdecker@littletongov.org

Teen Tech Week is March 7-13!

Learn, Create, Share @ your Library is the theme.

There will be contests/activities all week, including:

6-Word Life Story
Can you describe your life story in only 6 words? Give it a shot! Submit your best story to me @ mdecker@littletongov.org or by dropping your submission in the drop box located at Bemis Library in Teen Central by 3/13. Make sure you include your name and contact information (phone# or email address). Not only will the best story win a prize, but I'll also publish your story on this blog!

Book/Game reviews
Have you read a book lately that you loved? Write a killer review and send it to me by 3/13. I'll publish the best reviews here and on a handout to be distributed at the library. Make sure your review is FAMILY FRIENDLY! I'll also take reviews for PS2, Wii, or X-Box360 games you've played and loved.

Web Scavenger Hunt
Check back here for details next week. You'll be using the library's online resources to answer a question or two. First person to email me the correct answer will win a prize!

Stop-Motion Animation Video
I'll be providing some links to web-sites that give you tips for creating a stop-motion animation video. Make your best video, submit it to YouTube, provide me the link, and you might win a prize!

Teen Tech Week is Coming! March 7 - March 13

Check back here next week for more details on how you can WIN PRIZES by participating in any of the following programs:

6-word life story--write a creative life story using only 6 words

Great game or book reviews--write a killer review and see it published here!

Web Scavenger Hunt--use the library's online resources to solve a puzzle--be the first to figure it out and win a prize

Create a stop-motion video and upload it to youtube.com Best video wins! I'll have links to some stop-motion animation help sites here soon to help you make your video.

Send me an email at mdecker@littletongov.org if you have any questions.

Teen Photography Contest

Make Waves @ your Library
Submit your best photo that expresses the theme Make Waves @ your Library by Monday, March 15. Make sure to include the name of your photo with your submission. The winning photos from two age groups, middle school/junior high, and high school, will be published on a library bookmark to be given out for the teen summer reading program. For more information, or to submit your photo, contact Mark, the teen librarian, at 303-795-3961 or email me at mdecker@littletongov.org

Don't miss the teen movie that's showing on Saturday, 1/16 @ 2:00!

We'll be watching Battle for Terra on the big screen.

When the peaceful inhabitants of the planet Terra come under attack from humans in search of a new home, the friendship between a human pilot and an alien girl may hold the key to saving both races.

Rated PG.

Free popcorn and lemonade will be provided.

MORE VIDEO GAMES ARE ON THE WAY!

We are now going to carry xbox 360 games as well as Wii and PS2. With the new games being available tomorrow (12/18), we'll have around 20 titles for each platform.

The games check out for 1 week and can be renewed once. You can also place holds on titles if they're checked out.

Send me an email if there's a title you'd like me to purchase (as long as it's rated "T" or lower) at mdecker@littletongov.org

Don't forget we also have teen Wii every 3rd Thursday at 3:30 where we play games on the big screen. Come check it out!

Are you all ready for the new Twilight movie "New Moon" set to open on November 20? Here's a link to the official movie site: http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

While you're waiting to see the film, come into the library and check out some other books featuring creatures of the night!

You might enjoy:

The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong. The first book, The Summoning, introduces Chloe, a 15-year-old girl who sees ghosts and is sent to a special home for disturbed kids--she soon discovers that the teens at the home are not what they seem...

The Night World series by L.J. Smith, which describes the lives of the vampires, werewolves, witches, and shape-shifters that secretly live among us.

The Immortals series by Alyson Noel. The first book, Evermore, introduces 16-year old Ever, who can see auras and hear other people's thoughts.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. 15-year old Nina is part of a support group for vampires where nothing much happens until one of the members is murdered. The vampires in this funny adventure mystery aren't sexy and superhuman--they're dead, after all, which means they smell and get VERY bored after years of the same old conversations...

I've got a HUGE list of other books, just ask for the BOOKS WITH BITE list at the information desk--or look in the bibliography notebook on the wall near the teen fiction.

Feel free to email me if you'd like some more "creature of the night" suggestions!

mdecker@littletongov.org

WEEK 9 The CHAMPIONSHIP!

Last week's winner was...Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Cast your vote in this final battle by filling out a voting slip in the library or by emailing Mark at mdecker@littletongov.org

This week's battle is the FINAL BATTLE! I will announce the winning title on Monday, October 19th during TEEN READ WEEK.

Eragon
by Christopher Paolini

VS

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling