The Teen Library

Popcorn and a Movie

2006-05-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

February 21, 2006 - In the Library

I picked out the movie Ice Princess (G) to watch in February, because it was a new movie that several teens had expressed interest in. The ice skating in the movie also tied in nicely with the Winter Olympics.

In Ice Princess Casey, a high-school bookworm, uses her physics project to help her and her friends calculate how to properly execute jumps. Casey improves her skating skills to the point that she has a chance to compete in the National competition and her physics project attracts the attention of Harvard's Admissions Office, but she can't be a competitive ice skater while juggling a college career. Casey has to choose between attending Harvard and pursuing competitive ice-skating.

This movie is rated G, so I didn't worry about it too much, and I didn't watch it before hand, which is always a mistake. There was some serious betrayal and backstabbing, not by another teen, but by a parent. The movie had a theme of the importance of good sportsmanship and also that sometimes parents will go to any length to ensure their child wins. I found that part of the movie disturbing and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. All of the five teenage girls who came to this program liked the movie and many came even though they had already seen the movie.

Joke-Off Contest

2006-04-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

February 14, 2006 - In the Library

If a man is American outside of the bathroom, what is he inside the bathroom?
European!

The inspiration for this program came again from the Chase's Calendar of Events. Everyone knows that Valentine's Day is all about love, not really something middle school students are into, but according to Chase it is also "Love makes the world go round, but laughter keeps us from getting dizzy" Day. So I felt like a great way to celebrate V-day without getting too mushy would be with a joke contest.

Teens had to tell jokes at a rapid fire pace, without reading from their notes, stumbling over the words, or laughing themselves. Contestants also couldn't repeat jokes or interrupt another person's turn without loosing their turn. I taped off a "Joke Box" with masking tape on the floor. Teen contestants had to be inside the Joke Box for their joke to count and they had to start their joke within 5 seconds of the person before them finishing. As teens finished with their joke for that turn, they went back to their seats and had about a minute to look over notes or joke lists at their seat before they had to be back in the joke box for their next turn. Many of the teens had studied and memorized jokes, but this format also allowed teens who hadn't to have a chance. There are many great joke books in the library collection; I pulled a bunch and had them on a table for the teens to browse during the program.

I had three teens compete at this program. We went for thirty five rounds of jokes before a teen missed a joke or passed. At the end of the contest about 170 jokes had been told and I had awards for original jokes as well as most jokes told.

I've scheduled to repeat this program during the summer when more teens will be able to attend. This program will also be recorded and then podcasted through The Loft website, www.libraryloft.org, so that teens around the library system can listen to the show.

Freedom Reads!

2006-02-18T13:24:00.000-05:00

February 15, 2006 - Jail North

I wanted to start the book club off with a great book so that the guys would see that books can be cool and to pull in new participants. I selected several different manga titles because I had already talked up graphic novels and they are usually quick reads. We had a lot of trouble finding multiple copies of any graphic novel within two weeks. I ended up with Girl Got Game v.1, by Shizuru Seino, which I hadn't read but the premise was interesting.

"A father enrolls his daughter in a prestigious prep school... as a boy! A comedy/action manga, full of misunderstandings and gender-bending cross dressing." Kyo's father always wanted to be a famous basketball player before he was injured, so Kyo has to live his dream by pretending to be a boy and playing basketball for the famous Seisyu Academy. Here's a good review of the book http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=610

I thought this book would be great because it's got sports, teenage angst and situational humor. When I actually sat down and read Girl Got Game, I was mortified that I had recommended it to the book club and especially as the first book. It's a great book don't get me wrong, but the plot of one whole section centers around "feminine issues" and the tension between Kyo and her roommate, Chiharu, comes off as a lot more romantic than I expected. With Kyo's short boy hair cut it almost feels like a gay graphic novel. I was incredibly nervous about this discussion before hand, but the guys liked it. They were definitely more mature than I gave them credit for, which was a nice surprise. They liked the premise and the sports theme, and thought it was funny. Most of them hadn't read a graphic novel with the right-to-left format before, and had a little trouble with that. They want to read the other volumes in the series.

Attend: 4

Freedom Reads!

2006-02-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

ALA Great Stories CLUB

American Library Association offers a grant aimed to facilitate partnerships between libraries and other organizations that serve troubled teens. The webpage is http://www.ala.org/ala/ppo/currentprograms/greatstories/club.htm

I came across the grant shortly after I started volunteering at Jail North. It seemed like the perfect program to continue the book club activities after my coursework ended in May. I could not apply for the grant but luckily Kelly, the teen librarian at ImaginOn, was interested. I am extremely grateful and thankful that Kelly took this on so enthusiastically. It really means a lot to me that the book club will be able to continue after I leave.
ImaginOn is the new kids and teens library that opened in October of 2005 with all kinds of cutting edge technology and programs. More information can be found at
www.imaginon.org.

Kelly and I worked together to write the essay portion of the grant, which I have included below.

Freedom Reads!, the book club for young men at Jail-North in Charlotte, NC will introduce participants to characters and ideas that can change their lives. Jail-North already has a strong foundation for this book club since it has a library with a well thumbed collection, a full time librarian, and a library science student working with eager readers at the facility as part of her coursework during the spring semester. Kelly, a Teen Librarian from ImaginOn, will join the program already in progress, with previous experience in library outreach at a juvenile detention center. This grant will allow the momentum of the book club to continue.
Some of the more popular books in the Jail-North collection are books by James Patterson and the Goosebumps and Fear Street series by R.L. Stine. Teens have shown interest in discussing what they have read and wanting to find Âthe right bookÂ. Borrowers often return to the library discussing the plots and asking for poetry, art or other nonfiction titles. One teen has even said, ÂIt doesn't really matter what it is, I just want to read."
We plan to promote Freedom Reads! in ways that support YALSAÂs ten core values of service to young adults. We will create an online blog or wiki of book reviews and discussions that will encourage participation and collaboration. An inviting flyer and logo will help draw teens into the program. Activities to connect teens, reading, and public library resources that will address their developmental needs will include watching movie clips, booklists for further reading, read-aloud sessions, games, and sharing library resource information such as how to obtain a library card. A reward system of giving away ALA promotional materials and gift certificates will be implemented.
Participants of Freedom Reads! are 16 and 17 years old and predominantly African American. Since education and reading levels vary, this book club will be a great opportunity to address equity of access. While at Jail-North, the young men are required to attend either classes at Charlotte and Mecklenburg schools or study for the GED, which a few have completed. Participation in the book club will give these youth credit toward classes.
The book club will meet every other Wednesday morning, 8:330 am30am. Since several young men at Jail-North have described interest in reading such books as Holes by Louis Sachar and Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, we believe, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, Born Blue by Han Nolan, and Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman will be similarly enjoyed by members of Freedom Reads!

Meet the Author: Michelle Groce

2006-02-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

February 7, 2006 - In the Library

Children's Authors and Illustrators Week is annually the first week in February. The website for it is http://www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com. As I was searching for more information about it online I came across another librarian's blog that had great tips. Visit http://cynthialeithichsmith.blogspot.com/2006/01/tips-for-childrens-authors.html to check it out.

I really wanted to have a young adult author come for a program during this week. However, with a small budget and attendance numbers that don't usually reach double digits I thought that it would be difficult. I looked at several authors but they all lived farther away and I was worried about the weather during the first week of February. If there was a chance of snow or icy conditions anyone coming from more than an hour away probably wouldn't be able to make it. Then I found a perfect candidate.

Michelle Groce is a young adult author who lives within five miles of the library. Novello Festival Press published her first book, Jasper, so copies of the book were available for sale and to check out at the library. Jasper is a book about a cat with a psyhic sense for danger, who has to make choices between helping others and helping himself. To read a review of Jasper, follow this link http://www.readersclub.org/reviews/tresults.asp?id=2154
Her website at http://www.michellegroce.com/ has lots of information also.

Michelle was willing and enthusiastic about doing a teen program at the library. She put together a powerpoint presentation that shared pictures of her cats and answered some of the most frequent questions that people ask about her book and being an author. After the presentation, we had a drawing to win a copy of Jasper, then Michelle answered questions and signed books.

There were several aspiring authors at this event. Michelle was very encourging but also realistic about writing. She said that it took her years and years to write Jasper and get it published, mainly because at first she was trying to write a murder mystery. "You have to write the story that is inside you waiting to be told, not necessarily what you think will sell well." Michelle was planning on writing a trilogy with the characters from Jasper, but got sidetracked by another story, titled If which she just finished recently.

Jasper, by Michelle Groce, ISBN: 0976096315

Accelerated Reader Book Talk: One Fat Summer

2006-02-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

January 31, 2006 - In the Library

"I always hated summertime. When people take off their clothes. In wintertime you can hide yourself...But in the summertime they can see your thick legs and your wobbly backside and your big belly and your soft arms. And they laugh." -Bobby Marks, in One Fat Summer

The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program is a way for teachers to track the books that their students read. When I was coming up through school teachers were big on one page book reports, but the AR program saves the teacher from having to grade all those book reports.

In the AR program students are tested on their reading ability and then assigned a reading zone, like 4.6 -5.9. The student can choose books to read that have an assigned level that falls within their zone. After they finish a book, they take a test on the book and if they past the test they earn the point value assigned to that book. For example, One Fat Summer, by Robert Lipstye has a Level of 4.5 and a value of 6.0.

More general information about the AR Program and how schools implement it is avaliable at:
http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/howitworks.htm
http://www.sbe.mps.k12.mi.us/AR_program.htm

The AR list that I use at work and reference here is avaliable at:
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/FrancisBradley/index.html

The AR program can create problems at a public library in a couple of different ways. First the AR lists aren't always the same, so parents and kids have to look at the list for their school to know what they can read. Many public libraries keep copies of the lists, which can be a couple hundred pages in binders in the library. But librarians can't usually mark the level and point values on the book because it could be different for every school. I recently started making AR book bundles for a specific school with books in a level range like 7.0-7.9. I haven't had any feedback from parents and kids yet though.

I started doing one AR Book Talk program a month to highlight AR books and encourage teens to read. Both teens who have and haven't read the book are encourage to come to this program. If they haven't read the book the program tries to arouse their interest and entice them into reading it later. The format of these programs is to talk about the book in general terms without giving away the ending for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then play a game related to the book, like Character Pictionary. Then I provide snack and drinks and the teens can hang out and talk about whatever they want until I have to kick them out to clean up the room.

I had one or two teens at the AR Book Talks in the fall, but not a single teen showed up for this program. I should have sent some flyers to the local schools again and called some of the regular teens to remind them.

I found a copy of a great book called Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers, by Pat R. Scales. One Fat Summer and the two other books about Bobby Marks by Robert Lipsyte are included. The book has discussion questions and activites for One Fat Summer. I've listed a selection of the discussion questions below.

1. How does Bobby get the courage to call Dr Kahn about the lawn job?
2. Why does he choose to keep his summer job secret from his family?
3. What does Joanie mean when she asks Bobby, "Are you a man or a rug?"
4. Why is Willie Rumson so angry? Why is Bobby a victem of Willie's anger?
5. Bobby's father says, "A man has to do something with his life." What do you think Mr. Marks wants Bobby to do with his life?
6. One Fat Summer has been challenged because it is "sexually explicit and full of violence." How do the sexual and violent passages affect this book.

One Fat Summer, by Robert Lipsyte, ISBN: 0439080886
Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers, by Pat R. Scales,
ISBN: 0838908071

Graphic Novels

2006-02-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

February 1, 2006 - Jail North

My first program at the jail was an interest session for the book club and a quick history of graphic novels and comic books. Four teenagers came and were enthusiastic about the book club. They were interested in reading but had trouble picking good books for their reading level or they were bored and reading and a book club offered diversion. I had a list of about 20 books that I thought might be good. Most of the guys had already read a couple of the books on my list, like Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. They were interested in reading murder mysteries and suspense, not science fiction or romance. So I pulled together a list of seven books, which are listed below. I had some trouble deciding on a name for this book club. There were some great suggestions such as Juvie Lit, but Freedom Reads! was chosen as the final name.

Books for Freedom Reads!
2/15 - Girl Got Game, by Shizuru Seino
3/1 - Deathwatch, by Robb White
3/15 - Curious Incident of the Dog in the nighttime, by Mark Haddon
3/29 - Hatchet and/or Guts, by Gary Paulsen
4/12 - The Killer's Cousin, by Nancy Werlin
4/26 - Funny Little Monkey, by Andrew Auseon
5/10 - Maximum Ride, by James Patterson

I brought lots of example to show during my talk on graphic novels. All of the information for my talk came from the introduction of Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel, by Mike Chinn, 500 Manga Heroes and Villains, by Helen McCarthy and my notes from a talk on graphic novels I attended at NCLA in 2004. The guys were interested in the graphic novels and not familiar at all with Manga. I explained to them how some graphic novels, like Girl Got Game had to be read back to front. I really hope the format doesn't discourage them from reading it. I wasn't uncomfortable working with teens in a jail setting, but I was uncomfortable when I realized that I make a lot of cultural references and use certain words in my everyday speech that these teens wouldn't necessarily know. For example, they didn't know who Hans Solo was from Star Wars but they did know Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Louie from the animated series Duck Tales back in the late 1980s.

Example Graphic Novels that I took:
The Encyclopedia of American Comics, edited by Ron Goulart, ISBN 0816018529
The Smartest Kid on Earth, by Jimmy Corrigan
Building a Better Life By Stealing Office Supplies, by Scott Adams, ISBN 0886876370
The Adventures of Tintin, by Herge, ISBN 0316359408
Maus, by Art Spiegelman, ISBN 0394747232
9-11: Artists Respond, ISBN 1563898810
Meridian: Flying Solo, by Barbara Kesel, ISBN 1931484031
The Boondocks, by Aaron McGruder, ISBN 0740706098
Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships, by Eric Shanower, ISBN 1582402000
Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl?, by Brian Bendis, ISBN 158240223X
Girl Got Game, volume 1, by Shizuru Seino, ISBN 1591826969

Jail North - Introduction

2006-01-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

Background: The Mecklenburg County Jail - North

The North branch of the Mecklenburg County Jail is located on the north side of Charlotte, NC. More information about it can be found on the web at: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/MCSO/Divisions/Detention/Jail+North.htm

Most of the inmates at Jail North are adult males. There is a small population of 16 and 17 year old guys that I will be working with. The population at Jail North is serving sentences of up to two years, so during the three months that I will be working there I can expect the population to have a lot of turnover. Teens at Jail North who haven't finished high school are required to work toward either their CMS high school diploma or GED.

Jail North has a great library for its size with a full time librarian. The library is one big room about 15 x 30 with a well-thumbed collection of about 4,000 volumes. Some of the more popular items in the collection are books by James Patterson, the Goosebumps series, and the collection of books on tape. There is no Internet access for the inmates.

The book club that I will be facilitating will be advertised in the library and in the PODS or housing units. Teens will need to fill out a short application of interest to participate. I'm not requiring the teens who participate in the book club to read every book or come to every meeting. Unlike their classwork the book club is a voluntary activity. The incentives to participate will be new books to read, time for free discussion and possible snacks.

I filled out an Intern Application to volunteer at the Jail, and had a background check. I also attended an orientation session and got an ID badge. My first meeting with the Jail North teens will be February 1st.

Yoga For Teens

2006-01-30T22:51:00.000-05:00

January 24, 2006 - In the Library

"Life got you tied in knots? Come to the library for a quick and interactive introduction to yoga."

This program was the fitness part of Fit Lifestyle Month in January. I decided to do yoga because it was something that I felt capable of teaching if an instructor didn't show at the last minute. Also there are only so many fitness programs that can be done with a group of teens in a small (20 x 10) meeting room. I really like the meditation and breathing aspects of yoga; it's very helpful for dealing with stress which teens can have a lot of.

I wanted to bring in an instructor, because the teens always get me and I also thought it would be fun and different to participate too. My boss recommended that I look around for a male yoga instructor, because the majority of the teens at these programs are guys. I did find a local male yoga instructor, but his price was very steep. Then I saw an ad in a local paper and called Kelly. She usually teaches private in-home yoga classes, but agreed to come to the library for a program at the right price. January 28, 2006 was also National Yoga Day when yoga instructors and other enthusiasts try to educate others about yoga.

Kelly was great because she knew how to talk to and work with teens. She was infinitely patient with all of their questions and didn't mind when they interrupted or blurted out a question during quiet meditation. She was also about to give the teens general information about yoga like what the poses mean, what they are supposed to do, and and how to pronounce the names correctly. She was also flexible with her routine and when one of the teens requested a pose she worked it in. I wish that I had the kind of budget that would let her come every month and do a teen program.

Four guys and two girls attended this program.

Books that I pulled for a display during this program:

Ludy, Thia. Yoga For Teens, ISBN 157416032X
Finestone, Jeanne. A Girl's Guide to Yoga, ISBN 0764128396
Cooper, Evan. Um, like....OM: A girl goddess's guide to yoga, ISBN 0316980013
Capouya, John. Real Men Do Yoga, ISBN 0757301126
Pilobolus. Twisted Yoga, ISBN 1587171368
Christensen, Alice. The American Yoga Association's Beginners Manual, ISBN 0743219414
Austin, Miriam. Yoga For Wimps, ISBN 0806943394
Gordhamer, Soren. Just Say Om!, ISBN 1580625495

Movie Double Header

2006-01-30T22:25:00.000-05:00

January 17, 2006 - In the Library

I decided to try to take advantage of teacher work days this semester by offering two movies from 3-7 p.m. on those days. I wanted this to be an informal program with no emphasis on punctuality. Teens could come for both movies, just one, or even parts; whatever they were interested in and during the 15 minute break between movies I could provide pizza and chat up other library programs or materials. Since I had to cover the circulation desk during part of this program I was also able to chat up teens who had come to the library for other reasons and invite them to check out the movie.

This program had a superhero theme; I showed Sky High (PG) and Batman Begins (PG-13). I also pulled an assortment of graphic novels for a superhero display in this program. Three teens came to watch the movies and three more walked in for a bit. I shouldn't have been but I was really surprised that six teens managed to eat three large pizzas.

A movie license is a great tool for programming in a library. I've heard that it's better to show new popular movies at library programs for teens because that's what they will be interested in seeing. But I've also heard that older classic movies are better because it is less likely teens will have already seen them. I've tried it both ways and try to show a variety now. The movies seem to be equally well attended whether it is Pirates of the Caribbean or Ghostbusters. Pirates of the Caribbean was well attended because there were teens at that program who were on a parentally approved date. Charade, which is an murder mystery/comedy, was also well attended I think because I sandwiched it between two Forensic Science programs I was doing around Halloween.

Healthy Eating for Teens

2006-01-18T20:09:00.000-05:00

January 10, 2006 - In the Library

I felt that this topic would make a great teen program, because diet and body image are two things that teens are becoming more aware of. It is also easy to present this type of information in a fun, interactive way. It tied in nicely with New Year's Resolutions and January being Fit Lifestyle month.

I provided a variety of interesting an unique food that I pick out at a local health food grocery store. This included mangos, chard, 5 varieties of apples, almond butter, ginger salad dressing, blue potatoes, chard, free range chicken chili, oatmeal, nuts and seeds, two types of tea, and unsweetened cranberry and grape juice. The teens could sample most of these. They sampled the food first and then we talked about things like looking at the serving size on packages and reading the ingredients.

Next we talked about the new food pyramid from the United States Department of Agriculture. The new pyramid is available on their website and it is interactive. Teens can go to the site and put in their age, sex, and level of physical activity and see their customized daily calorie requirements and also how many cups/serving of grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and beans are recommended. The new food pyramid website is located at www.mypyramid.gov.

We talked about what they usually ate and exercised each day in a positive way. I encouraged the teens to get involved in helping with grocery shopping and preparing meals if they didn't already. Planning and cooking meals for their family is a great way for teens to be involved in what they eat rather than counting calories. I also showed a clip from the movie Supersize Me, as a way to bring in other library materials besides big old health books.

I should have planned an ice-breaker activity at the beginning of the program or some type of moving around in the middle. It was hard for some of the teens to sit still and not be silly. I had 6 teens, 5 guys and one girl.

The resources that I found most useful were:
www.mypyramid.gov
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/ific/ific.teen.trends.html

Books that I used to put together my presentation:

Lopez, Ralph, The Teen Health Book: A Parents' guide to Adolescent Health and Well-Being. 2002. ISBN 0393020460

Henner, Marilu. Healthy Kids: Help them eat smart and stay active for life. 2001. ISBN 0066211123.
This second book had a chapter on teens. It also had easy recipes and food themed games and activities like word searches and crossword puzzles.

Books that I recommended to the teens:

Rio, Linda and Tara. The Anorexia Diaries. 2003. ISBN:157954729.
There are many books on eating disorders, I really liked this one because it gives you both the mother and the daughters view in their diary entries.

Lipsyte, Robert. One Fat Summer. 1977. ISBN: 0060238968

Dessen, Sarah. Keeping the Moon. 1999. ISBN: 0670885495

Introduction

2006-01-18T19:46:00.000-05:00

Hello,

I've created this blog for everyone who is a teen (at heart or actually in years) and also anyone who works with, lives with, or is offended by teens.
This site is a resource for working with teens specifically in a library setting. I will include all of the programs that I present to teens for the next five months in three different settings In-the-Library, at the local Correctional-Institution and at the local Schools. I will also post resources that I found helpful, book discussions and reviews and anything else that is relevant.
This blog is part of a class I am currently taking toward my Master's of Library Science