Magnetic Poetry - Be Creative!

You might have noticed that one of the bulletin boards in the teen area has magnetic poetry on it now. Please feel free to spend some time back there using your imagination!

Here are some of the things that have been seen on the board recently:

"Poetry could say fear answers love."

"First find escape, then wander."

"Take & discover poetry

write

dream

desire

inspire

do"

Friends of the Library Logo Contest Winner

The winner for this year's Friends of the Bossier Parish Library Logo Contest is Brandy Doyle, from Greenacres Middle School! She received a $20 gift certificate to the local malls, and a Fine Exemption card that will let her be fine free at the library for one year!

Left to right: Tonya Oswalt (YA Services), Carolyn Grimsley (Friends of the Library Board), Brandy Doyle Contest Winner) and Vickie Hardin (Outreach Specialist)

Runner ups in the contest were Kishnan Patel, Janie Horn, and Kyle Schuldt. These three also received a fine exemption card for one year.

Teen Advisory Board to be created

Applications are now available at your local public library for a Teen Advisory Board, and will soon be available at the local middle and high schools!

The Bossier Parish Libraries believe that our young adult patrons are an important part of our community. Therefore we feel that it's important to get a young adult perspective on our libraries. Do you want to share your opinions and concerns about the library with us? Do you want to help us improve our young adult areas, collections, and programming?

Now's your chance! By being a member of the Teen Advisory Board, you can ensure that your voice will be heard.


Teen Advisory Board Membership Requirements:

- Be a student in grades 6-12 between the ages of 12-18
- Have parental permission
- Have a Bossier Parish Library card (if you're interested in being a member but don't have a library card, it's easy to come in and get one!)
- Attend and participate in advisory board meetings
- Submit at least one book review every other month



If you're interesting in joining, come in to the library and get an application! Applications are available in the young adult area of the library! Or, if you would like more information, you can contact me, Tonya Oswalt, at the Bossier Central Library. Ask for me at the library, or email me at yaservices@bossierlibrary.org!

Teen Central

Have you seen the new additions to the young adult section at the Bossier Central Library?

When you come in the front door, you may notice the new bright green lettering on the back wall that says "TEEN CENTRAL". Once you the enter the teen area, you'll see three bulletin boards on the back wall, as well as two new display shelves. One of these bulletin boards has Magnetic Poetry - Book Lover's Edition for teens to move around to express their own creativity! The middle bulletin board is designated as a memo board - check back there often for new information on teen programming! The third bulletin board will soon be a place to showcase your art and poetry. If you're interested in displaying your art or poetry on the bulletin board, contact me, Tonya Oswalt, at the Bossier Central Library or at yaservices@bossierlibrary.org. Please do not put your art or poetry on the board without speaking with me first!

There are now bookmarks available in the teen area, as well as applications to join the Teen Advisory Board. There is also a sample issue of the magazine Teen Ink - this is a magazine where teens can submit stories, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork. Look through it when you have a chance and let me know if you like it! If there is an interest in the magazine, we may subscribe to it next year.

Soon, we'll have more display space in the teen area, as well as decorative posters and other fun things to spice up the area! Feel free to comment with your ideas for making the teen area more appealing!

Teens Top Ten books of 2008

Teens around the country voted for the "YALSA Teens Top Ten" during Teen Read Week - Oct 12-18, 2008. The winners are below!

YALSA's Teens' Top Ten

Where Teens Choose the Winners!

The 2008 Teens' Top Ten

The vote is in! More than 8,000 teens voted on this year's winners. The 2008 Teens' Top Ten is:

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Books with Bite

Teen Read Week

October 12th - October 18th is Teen Read Week! This year's theme is "Books with Bite @ your library!"

In honor of the theme, we are sponsoring a contest where young adults can win two tickets to see the Twilight movie which will be in theaters on November 21, 2008.

Twilight Contest Rules:

1. Entrants must be between the ages of 12 - 18.
2. Entrants must read at least one book during Teen Read Week and submit a short book review of the book to the Bossier Central Library. This form must be turned in with your book review.
3. Forms must include entrant's name, age, phone number, parent signature, and parent's phone number.
4. All entries must be submitted at the Bossier Central Library front desk by 4:30 PM on October 18, 2008.
5. One winner will be selected in a random drawing on October 21, 2008. Winner will be notified by phone by November 1, 2008, and will receive the tickets no later than November 19, 2008.


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Vote for YALSA's 2008 Teens' Top Ten!

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list that teens from 15 different public and school libraries across the country have nominated their favorite books. Each year during Teen Read Week, readers between the ages of 12-18 can visit the site and vote for their favorites!

Click below to vote now!

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Halloween Carinval

The Bossier Central Library is having a small Halloween Carnival on October 31, 2008! There will be games for smaller children, face painting, treats, story-telling, a photo booth, and a decorated pumpkin contest!

If you would like to come in after school and help with the face-painting, we would love to have your help!

We also encourage our young adult community to take part in the pumpkin decorating contest!

Pumpkin Decorating Contest Rules

1. All children and teenagers in grades K-12 may enter the contest.
2. Real or craft pumpkins may be decorated. Pumpkins are NOT to be carved or hollowed out.
3. Participants may draw or paint on their entries. Objects, paper, and materials of any kind may also be pinned or glued to the pumpkins.
4. Each entry must be submitted with a registration form.
5. Each entry must have a "title", which should be included on the registration form.
6. Pumpkins may be brought in to the library starting on Monday, October 27, 2008.
7. The library reserves the right to dispose of any pumpkin that deteriorates before the end fo the contest. All pumpkins will be photographed when submitted, so that pumpkin may still be considered for the contest even if it should be disposed of due to deterioration.
8. Judging will be at 4:00 PM on Friday, October 31, 2008. Participants are not required to be present to win. If a winning participant is not present at the time of the judging, they will be contacted on Monday, November 3, 2008 to make arrangements to pick up their prize.
9. Prizes will be awarded for Scariest, Funniest, and Most Creative pumpkins in four categories: grades K-2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12.

Upcoming YA Books and Movies

If you're a fan of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle series, then you'll be excited to know that the third book of the series, Brisingr, is due out this month! The book is set to be released on September 20th, but you are welcome and encouraged to come into the library and place it on hold now. While the Inheritance series was originally set to be a trilogy, the author announced early this year that there will be one more book after Brisingr. Details on the final book will be posted when they are released!


The final book in the Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke will be released on October 7th. In other Inkheart news, the movie adaptation is set to hit theaters on January 9, 2009.


J. K. Rowlings' The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which is a book that proved important to Harry in the final Harry Potter book, will be released on December 4, 2008. Come in and ask to be placed on hold for this now to ensure that you'll be one of the first to read it!


Speaking of Harry Potter - the release date of the next movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, has been moved from this fall to next year. The movie is now set to be released on July 17, 2009. The last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is going to be broken down into two films. The current plans are to have the first part released in November 2010 with the second part out in May 2011. Many critics wonder if the movies will still be popular now that the book series is finished. What do you think? Are you still looking forward to seeing how your favorite scenes are played out in the movies?


Stephenie Meyer, author of the popular Twilight Saga, had planned to write another book in the series called Midnight Sun. This book was to be another version of the first book from Edward's point of view. Fans of the series will be disappointed to know that the book has been put on hold indefinitely. On her website, a heartbroken Stephenie Meyer explains that an unedited draft of Midnight Sun was illegally posted online. Visit her website for more information!


If you know of any other popular books that will be out soon, please comment and let us know!

Camp Summersault 2008 is over

Congratulations to our two GRAND PRIZE winners.

(1) Oneisha
(2) Kyisha

Thanks to all of the children that participated. This was our first time having this event and we hope to offer it again next year hopefully with even more participants and more prizes. Thanks again!

Camp Summersault 2008: A Back-to-School Scavenger Hunt

Sponsored by the Bossier Parish Libraries' Information Technology Department, CAMP SUMMERSAULT is a two-week long, system-wide SCAVENGER HUNT open to kids who attend school in Bossier Parish, have active and valid BPL library cards, and are middle schook, high school or home-schooled students.

Purpose:
To help kids get ready for going back to school by providing them with resources that help them remember as well as learn new ways to search for information at the library. The name, CAMP SUMMERSAULT, is derived from the fact that kids will soon be somersaulting from their summer vacations back into school in just a few short weeks.

How It Works:
CAMP SUMMERSAULT will start on Friday, August 1st and ends on Thursday, August 14th.

The scavenger hunt will involve kids selecting one exercise from each available "hunt category", completing that exercise and turning in their answers.

One winner from each grade group (e.g., middle school, high school, homeschool) will be selected at each branch on Friday, August 15th.

From that pool of winners, THREE (3) OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNERS will be selected and they will each win a backpack of school supplies.

More details are coming soon at http://www.bossierlibrary.org/cs2008/.

Wrestlemania Reading Challenge: Interested???

About the Challenge
The WrestleMania Reading Challenge, sponsored by YALSA with support from World Wrestling Entertainment, is a program designed to encourage teens in grades 5-12 to not only continue their reading beyond Teen Read Week, but to earn a reward for doing so by offering chance to win prizes donated by WWE.

Teen and tween participants can win a trip to WrestleMania 25 in Houston! Librarians who registered can win $2,000 for their libraries.

The goal of this program is to reach reluctant readers and get more teens reading beyond Teen Read Week by implementing a reading incentive program that provides prizes from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a reward.

Registration
Register for the 2009 Challenge, which begins Oct. 12 and runs through Jan. 12, 2009 when your library registers for Teen Read Week.

2008-2009 Contest Details

• The program will be implemented in participating libraries Oct. 12, 2008 thru Jan. 12, 2009. Registration is open via the Teen Read Week web site's registration page. All libraries who register by July 31 will receive a free promotional poster to hang in their library featuring WWE Superstars Layla, Matt Hardy, Mr. Kennedy and MVP.
• The 2008-2009 program is for tweens and teens in grades 5-12.
  All tweens & teens will be challenged to read 10 items in their free time between Oct. 12 and Jan. 12 and keep a log of what they read.
• There are two levels of teen participation: 1)Teens can read 10 items and keep a log. When they submit the log to their librarian, they will get a free subscription to the new WWE Kids Magazine. You do not need to submit the reading logs to YALSA. 2) Teens can read 10 items, keep a log and enter the bookmark contest. Bookmark winners at the local level will win a DVD from WWE. Fifteen regional bookmark winners (five each from grade categories 5&6, 7&8 and 9-12) will win $2,000 for their library and a trip to Houston to see WrestleMania 25. The grades 7&8 and 9-12 regional winners will also get the chance to compete to be the WrestleMania Reading Challenge National Champion.
• Each library will judge their bookmarks and pick one winner from each grade category to advance to the WrestleMania Reading Challenge Regionals. Each of your three winners will receive a DVD from WWE. The winning entries are sent to YALSA no later than February 2, 2009. From all the local winners YALSA will choose fifteen finalists, three each from 5 regions of the country (one from each grade category).
• In order to participate in the National Championships, regional winners will be required to read a book and answer questions about it at the competition. The book will be announced by July 15, 2008.
• In Houston the ten national finalists in grades 7-12 will compete for the National Reading Challenge Title and a ring-side seat at WrestleMania.
• This event is sponsored by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

To learn more, you can also visit WWE's WrestleMania Reading Challenge Web page. Watch the 2008 WrestleMania Reading Challenge video from WWE!

Did you miss Gaming @ Your Library Day?

Hey, did you know that on Tuesday, July 8th, the Bossier Parish Library's Information Technology Department partnered with your local GameStop to sponsored a day of gaming.

Well, in case you missed it, it was held at the Bossier Central Library from 10a-4pm and GameStop brought the XBox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PS3 along with Donkey Kong for Wii, Rachett & Plank for PS3, and Guitar Hero for XBox360.

If you missed it this time, that's okay! We'll gonna do it again in October, so stay tuned here.

NBA Champs!

The NBA season is finally over and there is a new champion. The Boston Celtics are your new NBA Champs. They beat the LA Lakers in 6 games. The final score to game 6 was Boston 131 and LA 92. Before this year, the Celtics waited 21 years for another championship.

Kobe Bryant, LA's best player and arguably the best in the league, was shut out, while Kevin Garnet, Paul Perice, and Ray Allen, the Big Three, took control of the game. They dominated the Lakers in the second half on their way to the Celtics 17th NBA Championship; the most in the league.

Fashion Plate 2008 @ Aulds Library

Personal Development & Elegance

Fashion Plate 2008!

For ages 8-13

Wednesdays, June 18 - July 2 @ 10am @ Aulds Library

Topics covered: Business Etiquette, Fashion Designing, Skin Care & Make-up, Runway Modeling & Social Graces.

Presented by Darette Pemberton, Quintessence Certified Instructor
For more information @ Quintessence, called (318) 703-9026

2008 Spring into Technology Poetry Contest Winners

Special thanks to all the teens that participated in the first Spring into Technology Poetry Contest.

The winners are listed by name below:

> "One Last Minute in December" by Jesus V., age 14 (Bossier Central)
> "You Were" by Ashley G., age 15. (Benton Library)
> "Privacy" by Morgan S., age 13. (Plain Dealing Library)
> "The Image of Love" by Anonymous. (Unsure)

To read "One Last Minute in December", copy and paste the following link into your preferred web browser:
http://www.bossierlibrary.org/depts/ya/2008%20poetry%20winners/One%20last%20minute%20in%20December.pdf

(NOTE: Make sure you copy and paste the full web address (both lines) into your browser to access this form.)

It's Coming?!

Spring break is coming guys, and what better way to spend your time than at our library. The week of March 24-29, 2008, is going to be the launch week of "Spring Into Technology" for the Bossier Parish Libraries. We are planning some exciting things. Please look on the side of the page at some of the ideas we have so far. Please let us know which ones you like the best and what you would like to see during that week. Also be sure to tell all of your friends and family about this week. This week is for everyone. The library will also have surveys for people who are interested in taking computer classes. As always, have a great day.

Superbowl XLII (42)

The New England Patriots had a shot at history, but they blew it. They were 18-0 coming into the big game; with a record breaking regular season performance by their quarterback, Tom Brady, and their wide receiver, Randy Moss. The Patriots had the opportunity to go 19-0; a feat that has never been done before in the modern era of the NFL. Brady threw 50 touchdown passes which beat Peyton Manning’s previous record of 49, which was only set 3 years earlier in the 2004 season. Randy Moss was lucky enough to catch 23 of those passes which broke a 20 year record of 22 td's, set by Jerry Rice in the 1987 season. The Patriots also broke the regular season record of points scored in a season. They scored 589 point in one season. But all that would basically mean nothing unless they won the big game.

The New York Giants had nothing to lose. They came into the game on a 9 game winning streak away from home. They just beat the immortal, Hall of Fame (to be), Brett Favre, in Green Bay's own backyard with an Overtime field goal by Lawrence Tynes, who had missed 2 in regulation. Eli Manning was playing like, older brother, Peyton Manning and Plaxico Burris was unstoppable. Their 260lb. running back, Brandon Jacobs, was a battering ram. He just kept pounding the ball at opposing defenses. The Giants were down early, but never quite. With about :40 left on the clock, Manning threw the game winning TD pass to Burris that eventually sealed the deal. The Giants did it. They did the unthinkable. They beat the heavily favored New England Patriots.

The final score was NY 17, NE 14. If you missed it, you missed one of the biggest upsets in NFL history and one of the greatest Superbowls ever played. In my opinion, it was the best 17-14 game ever played.

Popular Games

Guitar Hero III is one of the most popular games on the market. It won the Best Lyrics on a game at the VGA's (Video Game Awards). The game play is awesome and the 2 player mode is the best yet. If your looking for a good time with your friends, then check this game out. Avalabile on 360, PS3, PS2, and the Wii.

If you are looking for a new game with and old school feel, then you need to try Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. It's full of puzzles, new moves, and new characters. Mario Galaxy will get you going with the exciting game play with the Wii remote and nun-chuck.

The First Blog

Welcome to the Bossier Parrish Library's young adult blog. We would like for you to blog about whatever your heart desires, of course keeping it G or PG rated. lol Please fell free to take advantage of all we have to offer at our libraries across the parish. Stay up to date with all upcoming events on the *New* website. Also please feel free to answer any of the poll questions. The more you respond, the better we will know and understand what you want in the library.