DDR, Guitar Hero, and Nerf Ping Pong

Yesterday's DDR and Guitar Hero day was a lot of fun. In addition to the electronic games, a popular addition to the mix was Nerf ping pong. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to keep the ball on a 2'x6' table until you've tried it. It got a little easier when we pushed 2 tables together. Anyway, check out the list of upcoming teen programs on the right side of this page for info on fall DDR tournaments, Guitar Hero tournaments, and video game tournaments. As usual, a few slightly fuzzy photos are below.

Knitting - Part 2

The knitting crew was back again today to learn how to finish off their belts. Nice job ladies! Some photos are below. We may start a knitting group here at the library if there is interest. E-mail me, or leave word at the Information Desk if you are interested. If there is enough interest, future programs will be announced on this site, so keep an eye out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Book Discussion

Have you read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Satisfied or frustrated by the ending? Need to talk about it? By popular demand, we've scheduled a book discussion for Thursday, August 9 @ 1:00. For grades 6-12. Drinks and snacks will be provided, courtesy of Friends of Fredricksen. Register at the Information Desk starting August 1.

End of Teen Summer Reading is Sneaking Up

Believe it or not, the end of our Teen Summer Reading program is just around the corner. The last prize drawing will be next Tuesday, July 31. If you've been hanging onto prize tickets, make sure you turn 'em in before then!

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - Flipped

Here's another one of those books that have been on my "need to read" list for a quite a while that I finally got around to - Wendelin Van Draanen's Flipped. It's the story of Bryce and Juli, who met just before second grade and have a very interesting, let's say, relationship from the time they meet until the book ends at the end of eighth grade. It is told in alternating chapters, relating the same events from each of their perspectives. It's a story about the long ranging effects of what you say as well as what you don't say, about not judging people by first impressions, about people who are more than the sum of their parts and people who who are less than the sum of their parts, and about learning that the families who seem perfect may in fact be the most dysfunctional, while those that seem really weird may in fact be the most stable. At times it's funny, and at times sad. All in all, a really good book. I highly recommend it.

Knitting

15 teens turned out for our introduction to knitting today. Most were complete beginners, having never touched knitting needles before, so it was a real credit to Mrs. Nace, our instructor, that everyone had a pretty good handle on the basics by the time they left. I admit to not having knitted in a few decades, but the basics came back to me pretty quickly. Hopefully everyone will end up with a nice belt when they are done. When we come back on Thursday, we'll be learning different ways to finish them off. Hopefully I can get some good photos of finished projects. In the meantime, enjoy these photos of phase 1.

Another Great Video Game Tournament

Thanks to our friends at EBGames, who bring the systems, games and prizes, and to the Friends of Fredricksen, who provide funding for the refreshments and the board games, our video game tournaments are also a lot of fun. Yesterday's was certainly no exception. Hard to get an accurate count, but at one point there were 55 kids in the room, so we'll go with that number for attendance. Brad S. was the tournament winner. Congrats! Hard to take pictures in a darkened room, too, but I managed to get a few that aren't too bad. Check 'em out below. Our next tournaments will be Sunday, September 30 for high school students, and Sunday, October 7, for 6th-8th graders. See you then!

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - The Trap

I just finished John Smelcer's The Trap. If you're a fan of Gary Paulsen's books like Hatchet and Brian's Winter, you'll enjoy this one. The story is told from two perspectives, in alternating chapters. 17-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel is a native Alaskan living in a remote village. His elderly grandfather still sets and checks trap lines during the winter. When the grandfather doesn't return from checking his lines, no one in the village is concerned except Johnny and his grandmother. Johnny is torn between going out and searching for his grandfather, possibly embarrassing him, and letting him come home on his own. What no one else knows, is that the grandfather has accidentally set off one of his traps on his own leg, and is trapped alone out in the winter Alaskan wilderness. The chapters alternate between Johnny's perspective and his grandfather's. In addition to being a great survival story, this book also gives you a really good look at the way many of the Indians of Alaska live today. You might be surprised at the poverty and extreme conditions. The author is of Ahtna Athabaskan (an Alaskan tribe) descent, and according to the book jacket, is the only surviving speaker, reader, and writer of their native language. The Trap is a quick read, so good for reluctant readers. But it's also just a very good book and I'd highly recommend it.

Tie-Dye Again!

We literally just finished with this afternoon's tie-dye session. 25 teens brought everything from t-shirts to bandannas to socks, to dye. In the plastic bags they all looked pretty good! Hopefully most of you will wear whatever you dyed to the library soon, and I'll get to see the final product (remember - extra chance in the prize drawing if you do!) As promised, here are a few pics. Thank you to Caitlyn T. who finished her dyeing early and took over camera duty.

Tie-Dye 2007

This program is always popular, so we do it every year. Here are a few pics from Monday night's program. We'll be doing it again this afternoon, so come on in! Pics from that will be up as soon as I get around to downloading them (assuming I remember to get the camera during the program!)

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - Princess Academy

I just finished Shannon Hale's Princess Academy. This one has been on my "to read" list for a while. Glad I finally got around to it. It's one of those books that's kind of like The Princess Bride, in that the title makes it sound horribly girly, but it really isn't. It's about a young girl , Miri, who lives in a remote village, in which all of the people work in the nearby quarry (how un-girly can you get?) They are pretty much cut off from the rest of the kingdom, except for 3 times each year when traders venture up the mountain to bring supplies. The priests of the kingdom have determined that the prince's bride will come from Miri's village. However, they are afraid that the villagers are far too unrefined and uneducated to produce a princess without some outside intervention, so it is decreed that all of the village girls in a certain age range are to attend a "princess academy", where they will live and study for a year. Then the prince will come and choose one of them to be the next princess. The characters are wonderful (you'll find yourself cheering for some of them), and there are plenty of little twists in the plot. All in all, a very enjoyable read!

Results of Sudoku Tournament

The sudoku tournament was a lot of fun again this year. After 5 tough rounds we actually ended up with a tie. Nick T. and Meredith K. walked away with bragging rights and a nice prize. Neither of them got the last puzzle within the allotted time, but both of them showed the tenacity of true champions by staying until they got the darn thing. I was starting to think that we'd need to order in dinner, but they finally got it. Thanks to everyone who came out and gave it a shot, and to the library staff members who came to help check completed puzzles. Everyone who entered got a sudoku book (of course!) and a funky pen.

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - The Convicts

Just finished Iain Lawrence's The Convicts. I like Lawrence's stuff. He does historical fiction, which I'm usually not a big fan of, but either does an unusual period like mid-20th century circus in Ghost Boy, or does an unusual take on a more typical historical period or event, as in Lord of the Nutcracker Men, B for Buster or The Wreckers. The Convicts takes place primarily on an old English war ship that has been stripped down and converted into a floating prison for young boys in mid-1800's England. It's based on actual practices of the time, something I had never heard about before. It's the story of young Tom Tin, whose father has been sent off to debtor's prison, and mother has gone off the deep end after the death of his little sister. Tom runs away, thinking that he'll find his fortune and rescue his father, but quickly runs into trouble and ends up on a prison ship for a murder he didn't commit. Lawrence is an excellent writer who really gives you the feeling of the time and place. But it's not just the atmosphere. He also weaves a pretty darn good story, with some twists and turns and an interesting assortment of characters that you really start to feel for. This book is the first in a trilogy. I'd recommend it.

Supersize Trouble

We had a great time on Monday playing Supersize Trouble. If you missed it, basically we were playing the good, old, traditional game, Trouble (you know - the one with the Pop-O-Matic) only with giant dice, and people as the game pieces. Yes, it's silly, bordering on stupid, but it's a lot of fun! Good thing we had set up 2 boards, because at the afternoon session we had enough people to completely fill 2 game boards. Well, ok, actually we were 1 person short of having 4 complete teams on both boards, but the standup, cardboard, Harry Potter from the Children's room filled in nicely for that last person. Here are some pics.

Video Game Tournament and Game Day Update

Our Video Game Tournament/Game Day last week was a good one with over 50 people in attendance. I believe Matt B. was the Smash Bros. tournament winner. Thanks to our friends at Game Stop/EBGames for supplying games, systems, prizes, and freebies. Thanks also to Ben R. for bringing in a vintage system and game to add to the mix. It was nice to see the board games being pulled out as well. Just a reminder - the board games are available for use in the library anytime, just ask at the Information Desk. Another reminder - the next tournament will be Thursday, July 19 @ 1:00. See you then!

As always, check out the pics below. Keep in mind that the room was dark and I'm definitely not a professional photographer.

Speed Stacking Tournament

Rev. Truitt was back last Wednesday for the tournament part of our speed stacking program. Here are the results. Now, for those of you who are serious speed stackers, keep in mind when you see our times, that none of these kids owned cups, so they had a total of about 3 hours of stacking experience spread over 2 days. Taking that into consideration, I thought their times were excellent.

Overall Best Combined Times:

1st - Rishika G. 31.71 sec.

2nd - Tiara L. 34.49 sec.

3rd - Chris P. 34.92 sec.

333:

1st - Tiara L. 4.16 sec.

2nd - Andrew C. 4.26 sec.

363:

1st - John-Paul H. 5.5 sec.

2nd - Danny T. 5.9 sec.

Cycle:

1st - Rishika G. 20.11 sec

2nd - Tiara L. 23.71 sec.

Doubles:

Rishika and Akankhsa

Congrats to winners who received a set of mini cups and a free entry to the tournament being held in July at the Mechanicsburg Brethern in Christ Church!

Check out pics below.