Free Music Downloads!

Hey Teens!

The Smoot Library is happy to announce a new service for all library patrons in good standing -- Freegal!  Freegal is a downloadable music service through Sony Entertainment that allows you to download three free songs each week! All you need is your library card number to log in and begin browsing song titles!  Every song has a clip you can preview prior to downloading. 

So grab your library card, and begin downloading your music today! The Freegal link is also available at our website's homepage, www.smoot.org.

If you have any questions regarding our music downloading service, you may contact us at 775-7951 or email questions to Katie at Ysl1@smoot.org. There is also a FAQ page on the freegal website which may help you! Enjoy!

Hunger Games Trivia Quiz....

Remember to turn in your Hunger Games Trivia quiz to the front desk today by closing time (9:00 PM)!! The drawing for the $25 gift card to the movie theater will be tomorrow afternoon. Winner will be contacted after the drawing!

Good luck! :)

Numbers....

by Rachel Ward.  Check out this book today!

What if you knew things you shouldn't.... like when people would die... what would you do?

The Adoration of Jenna Fox -- Book 1 of The Jenna Fox Chronicles

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox awakens after more than a year in a coma to find herself in a life—and a body—that she doesn't quite recognize. Her parents tell her that she's been in an accident, but much of her past identity and current situation remain a mystery to her: Why has her family abruptly moved from Boston to California, leaving all of her personal belongings behind? Why does her grandmother react to her with such antipathy? Why have her parents instructed her to make sure not to tell anyone about the circumstances of their move? And why can Jenna recite whole passages of Thoreau's Walden, but remember next to nothing of her own past?

As she watches family videos of her childhood, strange memories begin to surface, and she slowly realizes that a terrible secret is being kept from her. Pearson has constructed a gripping, believable vision of a future dystopia. She explores issues surrounding scientific ethics, the power of science, and the nature of the soul with grace, poetry, and an apt sense of drama and suspense.  This is a beautiful blend of science fiction, medical thriller, and teen-relationship novel that melds into a seamless whole that will please fans of all three genres, along with dystopian elements. 

Watch the book trailer:

Also, be sure to check out The Fox Inheritance, book 2 of the Jenna Fox Chronicles!  Available at the Smoot Library today! 

Teen Programs for 2012

Summer Reading Program 2011 Lock-in Finale Fun!

Hey teens -- the 2011 year is winding down and I'm starting to plan events for 2012 -- do you have any ideas for what types of programs you'd like to see at Smoot Library for teens?

A preview of what's coming up at Smoot for teens to kick off the new year: 

Teen Movie Night -- Saturday January 21 at 6:30pm

Anti-Valentine's Day Party -- Tuesday February 14, time TBD

We'll also look into beginning teen game nights again in 2012.  If you have any suggestions comment here! Or come visit our Teen Advisory Board to throw out your ideas -- next meeting is tomorrow, Friday Dec 16 at 4pm. 

New Reads Dec 2011

Teens!  Check out some of the new books here at Smoot Library this December! Along with several other titles, be the first to check out one of the following:

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

He was getting ready to play on stage in Manhattan (the most exciting night of his life!)...and then is forced to take the crazy foreign exchange chick to Prom. Can you say BORING? Or is it?

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst 

Can't get enough of the vampire craze? Check out this new one with best-selling author Sarah Beth Durst.  She talks a little bit about her new book featuring romance, humor and a kick-butt heroine!

The Shattering by Karen Healey



Seventeen-year-old Keri likes to plan for every possibility. She knows what to do if you break an arm, or get caught in an earthquake or fire. But she wasn't prepared for her brother's suicide, and his death has left her shattered with grief. When her childhood friend Janna tells her it was murder, not suicide, Keri wants to believe her. After all, Janna's brother died under similar circumstances years ago, and Janna insists a visiting tourist, Sione, who also lost a brother to apparent suicide that year, has helped her find some answers.

As the three dig deeper, disturbing facts begin to pile up: one boy killed every year; all older brothers; all had spent New Year's Eve in the idyllic town of Summerton. But when their search for the serial killer takes an unexpected turn, suspicion is cast on those they trust the most. As secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?

 

Fans of urban fantasy and thrillers won't want to miss this new title!

Introducing the Smoot Teen Writing Club!

                               Video made by Smoot Teen Advisory Board. 

Teens! Are you interested in writing your own stories?  Poetry? Fanfiction? The Smoot Library will be starting a writing club for teens in grades 9-12 who would like to meet other teens who share their interest in creative writing and/or would like to share their work with peers.

Our introductory meeting will be on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 from 4 to 5pm.  This club is completely teen run and those who join will help shape the future of the club -- everything from monthly writing contests with prizes, to author visits to games and writing activities are all possibilities for future activities!  Snacks and beverages will be provided at meeting. 

If there's significant interest, we'll continue meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.  Be sure to come check us out! 

Questions? Feel free to contact Teen Services Librarian, Katie at Ysl1@smoot.org. 

New heartbreaking, historical story of the Holocaust...

REVIEWS: "While the protagonists are young, this book is for older readers as it spares nothing in its imaginings of the losses and horror that were the Holocaust.” --School Library Journal, STARRED review

 

"There is no triumphant climax, and right up until the shocking end, the story of hidden children will grab readers with its details of the daily tension of rescue and betrayal.” --Booklist

 

About this book: Felix and Zelda have escaped the train to the death camp, but where do they go now? They're two runaway kids in Nazi-occupied Poland. Danger lies at every turn of the road.

 

With the help of a woman named Genia and their active imaginations, Felix and Zelda find a new home and begin to heal, forming a new family together. But can it last?

 

Morris Gleitzman's winning characters will tug at readers' hearts as they struggle to survive in the harsh political climate of Poland in 1942. Their lives are difficult, but they always remember what matters: family, love, and hope.

Tamora Pierce & Fantasy Fans....

You won't want to miss the latest that has just come out to Smoot's teen shelves!

Collected here for the first time are all of the tales from the land of Tortall, featuring both previously unknown characters as well as old friends. Filling some gaps of time and interest, these stories, some of which have been published before, will lead Tammy's fans, and new readers into one of the most intricately constructed worlds of modern fantasy.

New York Times bestselling writer Tamora Pierce captured the imagination of readers more than 20 years ago with Alanna: The First Adventure. She has written 16 books about the extraordinary kingdom of Tortall, with another to come in fall 2011. She lives in upstate New York, with her husband and an assortment of wildlife.

Welcome to Bordertown...

edited by Holly Black; stories from many great fantasy authors of today...just released on to Smoot's shelves! Be the first to check it out!