Teens in grades 7 to 12 are invited to celebrate by decorating cupcakes for their Valentines. Decorate a cupcake to let someone know how you feel, show off your favorite story, or disguise your cupcake as something else entirely.

Date: Monday, February 13, 2012
Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Location: Main Library, Hunneman Hall

TUESDAY JANUARY 3rd 5:00-6:30PM
Open to tweens & teens ages 10-18
Sign up at the Main Library Reference Desk or RSVP on Facebook here
(if it’s your parent who RSVPs on Facebook, that’s ok, we’re just making sure we know how many attendees to expect)!

Join us for a one hour workshop to introduce library patrons, ages 10 to 18, to the fun, excitement, and challenge of Chinese martial arts practice. The workshop will include warm up exercises and stretching, learning some basic unarmed kung fu techniques & exercises, learning a basic unarmed kung fu form, learning some basic sword moves using a foam padded practice sword, and finishing up with cool down exercises to relax the muscles to prevent soreness.

Head Instructor Paul DiCrescenzo and Assistant Instructor Rosalie DiCrescenzo have been martial arts practitioners since 1977. Their training has included Korean karate and swordsmanship, Japanese classical weapons, and they have been training/teaching Chinese martial arts for the last 13 years. They currently teach Bai Long Quan Kung Fu, Wudang style Tai Chi/Qigong, and Wudang Internal Kungfu. More information about them and the arts they teach can be found at http://www.twodragonspath.com.

Wednesday, October 19 · 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Are you curious about writing novels? Want to hear about the life of a writer? Curious about how publishing works? Join us for a reading and panel discussion with upcoming authors writing for children and young adults. This month we’ll feature writers including Anna Staniszewski, Alisa Libby, Brittany Schlorff, and Shoshana Flax.  Readings will take place in the Teen Room with a reception following catered by the library cafe, Kookoo’s Nest, in the Rabbit Hole.

Questions? Call or email librarian Robin Brenner at (617) 730 2370 or teenlibrarian@brooklinelib​rary.org

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15
10:30 am – 12 noon in HUNNEMAN HALL
OPEN TO TWEENS & TEENS AGES 10-18
Breakfast will be served at 10am!  SIGN UP @ the Reference Desk Main Branch OR at the Facebook event!

Falconry, once known as the sport of kings, is the use of trained birds, usually hawks or falcons, in hunting.  Featured in a wide variety of fantasy adventures, part of being a hero or heroine often means discovering an ally in an animal, from a clever horse to a lightning-quick raptor.

But what is falconry really like? What kinds of birds are raptors, and why are they so suited to the conditioned response, instinct, and imprinting required in falconry? Join trainers from the New Hampshire School of Falconry to discover the history, technique, and training in this sport.  Best of all, everyone will be able to see live falcons and hawks with a lucky few getting a chance to directly interact with these striking animals.

Here’s our complete list of Shelf Respect Teen Lit Book Club titles for our 2011-2012 meetings.  We meet at 7pm the second Wednesday of every month unless otherwise noted.  Join us!

9/14: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
10/12: The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
11/9: Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
12/14: Girl Genius by Phil & Kaja Foglio
1/11/2012: The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
2/8: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
3/14: Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
4/11: The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
5/9: A Drunken Dream and Other Stories by Moto Hagio
6/13: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
7/11: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
8/8: The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

Every month on the second Wednesday, at the Brookline Main Library, our young adult lit loving alliance of teens and adults are uniting for book club and fight crime!  Errr - maybe we will leave the crime fighting to the protagonists - but if you love to read, wonder what all the cool teens and adults are reading, and want to chat, rant, or rave, come on down!

We welcome ladies and gentlemen ages 13-113, but do advise parents that some titles may contain mature topics and language. 

Wednesday, August 17 · 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Are you curious about writing novels? Want to hear about the life of a writer? Curious about how publishing works? Join us for a reading and panel discussion with upcoming authors writing for children and young adults. This month we’ll feature local author Sarah Smith plus a roster of new writers including Karsten Knight, Jillian Melnyk, Amy McDonald, Janet Daniels, and Jessica Angotti.  Readings will take place in the Teen Room with a reception following catered by the library cafe, Kookoo’s Nest.

Questions? Call or email librarian Robin Brenner at (617) 730 2370 or teenlibrarian@brooklinelib​rary.org

Wednesday, July 20 · 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Are you curious about writing novels? Want to hear about the life of a writer? Curious about how publishing works? Join us for a reading and panel discussion with upcoming authors writing for children and young adults. Our panelists include Jennifer Churchill Riopel, Juana Ines Dehesa, Lindsay Sorenson, Natasha Gilmore, & Shara Hardeson. Readings will take place in the Teen Room with a reception following at the library’s cafe, Kookoo’s Nest.

Questions? Call or email librarian Robin Brenner at (617) 730 2370 or teenlibrarian@brooklinelib​rary.org

If you’re going into grades 7 through 12, challenge yourself to explore through reading and getting out into the community!

Sign ups start now! Start logging your reading & activities Monday June 27th.

Get credit for reading and writing reviews, as in years past, but this year you also get credit for challenging yourself to do something different.  Go see a play.  Visit a favorite museum.  Have a picnic in your favorite park (or graveyard.)  Uncover a piece of local history.  Go play laser tag.  Test your skills at a gaming night.  Head to the beach.  Check out our list of ideas for passport destinations. (PDF)

The Teen Passport Challenge is open to teens who live or go to school in Brookline.

Gain up to 18 stamps in your passport for reading, attending concerts, heading out to museum, or exploring local history & parks. Three stamps will get you one raffle ticket for our finale raffle, including a grand prize of an iPod touch and over 10 prize bags containing a themed collection of books, gift cards, and small prizes.  Once you get 9 stamps, come in to get a book of your choice from our stash of excellent teen titles for making it half-way to the final goal.  Keep in mind you can only earn credit for visiting the same place up to three times.  After three visits, branch out and find another destination.

You can register any time starting in June.  Start logging your reading and activities June 27th, and make sure to finish recording them all by August 29th, the final deadline.

Mini-golf?  At the library?  For one evening only, the Brookline Public Library will be transformed into a mini-golf course!  Teens 12-18 are invited to come play, eat, game, and beautify with a gorgeous henna tattoo.  There will, of course, be mini golf, but there will ALSO be games (video & board), henna tattoos, and food (pizza!).  We will be raffling off prizes all night.

Tee Off @ the Library

Friday April 1st
Doors open at 7:30pm (and the event will end at 10pm)
Open to teens 12-18

Tickets are $5, and we encourage folks to preregister online at:
http://brooklinerec.com/
  Check out the Facebook page for the event here. When you register, you pick a tee time (i.e. when you want to start your round of mini-golf) but otherwise you’re free to hang out and take advantage of the rest of our activities.

A big thank you to the Friends of the Brookline Library, Trader Joe’s, Upper Crust, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline Access TV, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Container Store, Peet’s Coffee, Body Shop, Anna’s Taqueria, The Brookline Spa, Starbuck’s & Dunkin’ Donuts.

Meet Laurie Halse Anderson, award-winning author of Speak, Chains, and Fever 1793.

OCTOBER 28
7:00PM

Brookline Public Library in the Teen Room

Presented by The Children’s Book Shop in partnership with the Brookline Public Library

Meet Lisi Harrison, author of the Clique series. Celebrate the release of her new book, Monster High.

SEPTEMBER 22
4:00PM

Win one of four t-shirts in our raffle.
Brookline Public Library in Hunneman Hall
Presented by The Children’s Book Shop in partnership with the Brookline Public Library

There’s still time to enter your time spent reading and/or any reviews you might want to record.  You can all still log in and record your hours until this coming Friday, September 10th.

Remember, the deal for the raffle is:
Every two hours you read = 1 chance
Every 100-word title review = 2 chances
Every event you attend = 3 chances

Second, and here’s the fun part, this finale will be held (weather permitting) outside on the lawn near the library, 3:00-4:30pm, on Monday September 13th. 
We will have henna tattoo artist Sangita Desai here to give twelve of you beautiful (temporary) henna tattoos! Think of it as a last hurrah for the end of summer. Ms. Desai will tell us all about the history of henna tattoos. She can unfortunately only do twelve designs, so if you would like to be one of the teens to get a henna tattoo, please let me know ASAP sending along your name and grade (email me at teenlibrarian (at) brooklinelibrary.org). I’ll sign you up for a spot.  First come, first serve.

We’ve got some amazing prizes this year for the raffle! Our grand prize is a Barnes and Noble e-reader, the Nook. I’ve also got one Mockingjay collection prize (A stamped copy of Mockingjay, a special Hunger Games bag clip, and a Catching Fire mockingjay pin!) and a signed copy of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile: A Dental Drama. As with years past, we’ll also have an assortment of gift certificates and smaller prizes to win. As we’ll be outside, we’re doing the raffle the old-fashioned way (with paper tickets).

This event is open only to those teens who participated in our summer reading program I hope to see everyone who joined us this summer there!

Meet Suzanne Collins! Celebrate the release of MOCKINGJAY, the final book of The Hunger Games Trilogy.

Tuesday, August 31st, 1:00pm.

Ms. Collins will be giving a brief reading from Mockingjay and then will stamping (see note below about signing!) copies of the book for interested readers.

PLEASE NOTE:
This event will be first come, first serve. Tickets will be handed out starting at 12noon to maintain order for the line.
...Due to an existing hand strain, Ms. Collins will not be able to sign books but she will be stamping books with her one-of-a-kind Mockingjay stamp only available during this author tour. There is a limit of one book per customer and Ms. Collins cannot personalize any books. Ms. Collins cannot pose for pictures, but taking photographs is allowed.

Whatever you read this summer—books, comics, magazines, audio books, or reading to someone else—it’s the time spent reading that counts.  Open to all teens going into 7th to 12th grades.

Sign up today here! You can sign up any time, but you can start tracking your time starting on June 22nd.

Log your hours online any time, and join the Facebook group to participate all summer long, no matter where you are.

Here’s how it works:
Sign up in the library or online, and you’ll automatically be entered into our big finale raffle. All you have to do is read! The more you read, the more chances you get.
Every two hours you read = 1 chance
Every 100-word title review = 2 chances

Every event you attend = 3 chances

Grand prize this year is a Barnes and Noble nook e-reader!

We’ll have special events every month over the summer.  Stay tuned for a BIG announcement for a special author visit in August!

ALL SUMMER
CREATE A DRAGON
Over the summer we’ll be creating a giant origami dragon out of recycled papers.  So READ!  The more hours you log, the grander the dragon will become.  At the end of the summer, you could win the dragon as a prize!

JUNE 18
  2:30-4:00pm
ICE CREAM CONES THAT WON’T MELT!
Join us for decorating cupcakes that look just like ice cream cones.

JULY 19
2:00-3:0pm
GET CRAFTY
Use duct tape, recycled magazines, old hardcover books and comics, and creativity to make a new wallet, bag, or jewelry.

AUGUST 9
  2:00-5:00pm
GO GREEN, ANIME STYLE
Join us for a special meeting of the Manga and Anime club featuring green titles and a kit-kat taste off!

SEPTEMBER 13
  3:00-4:30pm
FINALE
Join us for our finale raffle for prizes large and small.

JUNE 23, JULY 14, AUGUST 11
READ A TRILOGY
Join the Shelf Respect Teen Lit Book Club to read Patrick Ness’s gripping Chaos Walking trilogy: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men.  The best part?  Book club members get to read the third and final book, Monsters of Men, two months before it’s officially out thanks to publisher Candlewick!

Tonight is our big teen festival as part of celebrating libraries for National Library Week!

Join us for:
1. Video game tournaments (Super Smash Bros. Brawl and/or Rock Band, you decide!)
2. A pizza taste-off (you decide the best pizza from a selection of local pizzerias), and
3. Duct tape crafts (learn how to make a woven duct tape wallet or bag.)

This an after hours events, so it will start at 5:30pm (we’ll be there to let you in to the library at the front steps.)  We’ll be upstairs in Hunneman Hall.  You must arrive by 6:00pm to attend the events, and we’ll let everyone out again at 8:30pm.  FYI, you may not leave the event—or if you must leave, you cannot come back in.  Sorry!

Make a 30 second video about your favorite book. Submit it online. Win the Grand Prize or Two Runners Up Prizes!  ENTRIES DUE MONDAY APRIL 12
Check the library website for prize announcements.

OPEN TO TEENS 7-12th GRADE

Check out the rules of the contest and tips & tricks on how to make a book trailer!

Hands On How to Make Trailers Workshops in the Teen Room 4:00-5:00PM, Tuesdays March 23 & 30

If you’re a teen (6th through 12th grade) and you love Japanese manga, anime, and pop culture, join us monthly to watch anime, discuss manga, create our own manga, eat Japanese snacks, and let us know what to buy next.

The first meeting is Tuesday October 9th from 3:00-4:30pm in Hunneman Hall at the Main Library.  Sign up online here or come into the library to sign up in person.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the club is here:
http://www.brooklinelibrary.org/teens/mangaanime

Do your parents ever wonder just why you’re reading or watching manga and anime?  Let them know—there will be a Parents Information Session on Thursday October 4th (that’s next Thursday!) from 6:30-7:30pm in the teen room.  Teen Librarian, club moderator and manga expert, Robin Brenner will be there to answer everyone’s questions.

The first meeting of the Teen Advisory Group for the fall will be on next Thursday, September 13th from 5-6pm in the Main Library in the Conference Room on the second floor.  Dinner will be served!

The basic info:
What: Brookline Library’s Teen Advisory Group Meetings
Where: The Main Library, 361 Washington St., 2nd Floor Conference Room
When: Every month, date to be announced, 5-6pm
Who: Any and all teens who want to find out more about how to help change the library and teen services. The Teen Advisory Group is open to teens who live or go to school in Brookline, ages 12-18.

Find out more about the Teen Advisory Group here.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Teen Summer Reading program!  Our Teen Summer Reading Finale Raffle went off without a hitch this past Saturday, and everyone went home happy with their prize and a slick new duct tape wallet.

For the record, you all spent over 800 hours reading and wrote 64 reviews (which will soon have a permanent home on this very site.)  Excellent job!

Upcoming we will have announcements about a new teen manga/anime club, a book club, and special events for Teen Read Week.  All the new will be posted here.

If you participated in the Teen Summer Reading program, please join your fellow readers for the the finale raffle.

The raffle will begin at 3:00pm on Saturday in Hunneman Hall on the second floor of the Main Library.  We’ll have three grand prizes (drumroll please…): an iPod nano, a Nintendo DS Lite, and the complete DVD set of Fullmetal Alchemist (including the movie!).  We’ll also have a variety of smaller prizes, including gift certificates to Starbucks, Brookline Booksmith, Serenade Chocolates, and Game Spot!

So, get something extra for all the reading you did this summer.

Remember, you can only bid on prizes if you participated in our summer reading program—if you signed up but didn’t get a chance to log hours before the finish (August 31st) email Robin at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) ASAP to participate in the raffle! 

You do not need to print out your tickets!  I will be printing out everyone’s tickets so you can pick them up at the door.