Thursday, September 29, 2011

Banned Books Week





Happy Banned Books Week! The American Library Association describes this week this way: "Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States."


Did you know that some of your favorite young adult books have been banned or challenged in schools and libraries all over the country? Titles like Twilight, Gossip Girl, The Hunger Games, Speak, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, ttyl, and To Kill a Mockingbird. This is just a small sampling of the books that have been challenged in the past couple of years (incidentally, all of these books are available at your local CMRLS library).


Be subversive this week. Read a banned book and make a statement about reader freedom. Think for yourself, and let others do the same.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

In case you missed it....

Teen programming has started back up at the Pearl Library! Join us for these upcoming programs:

Game On! October 13 and 27th, 4-6pm.
Join us to play games on our XBox360!

Teen Scene: October 15th 1:00PM
Photography workshop, part two: Using pictures that teens took last month, arrange them in frames for yourself and for your Teen Center!

TEEN READ WEEK! October 16-22
Stop by the library any time this week and write a short review of your favorite book to be entered in a drawing for a $25 Wal-mart gift card!

Break the Binding Book Club, October 17th, 6pm
Read and come prepared to discuss any book that has been banned, challenged, or censored in schools or libraries. Click here to see a list of frequently challenged books or come see your local librarian for some titles!

Anime and Manga Night, October 24th 6pm
Do you like anime or manga? Do you like to read, discuss, and draw characters from your favorite shows and books? This night is for you!

We hope to see you at some of our upcoming programs!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Anime and Manga Night at the Pearl Library



Monday September 19th will be the first meeting of Anime and Manga night at at the Pearl Library. This program will be at 6pm. If you like anime and manga, this meeting is for you! This is the first meeting, so we will be discussing ideas for the direction of the program and how to structure future meetings. Come have a say in how this program continues. We will also be swapping recommendations for manga and anime. Bring your favorite manga to discuss! We hope to see you there!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children



Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs has been getting a lot of press. Like...tons. So those of us at the Pearl Library purchased a copy for our collection to see if it lives up to the hype. Check out this synopsis:


"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children , an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive..."


See why we were curious? We dove right into it. The book is interspersed with creepy photographs that the author actually found (he didn't take them for the book). Check out the cover image above. Now look at it closely...what's a little weird about that little girl? Yeah...she's definitely levitating! All of the photos in this book are just as creepy and off-kilter and add to the unease and spookiness of the story. We loved it. Check out our copy and find out if Jacob will discover what's truly going on in the ruins of this orphanaged. Or...is it ruined at all?? Click here to be put on the waiting list to read this book...you don't want to miss this one.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Game On!



Join us at the Pearl Library tomorrow, Thursday, September 8 from 4-6pm for Game On! Open to teens ages 13-18, come enjoy a time to hang out in the Teen Center and play our XBox360. Hope to see you there!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Break the Binding Book Club

Break the Binding, the teen book club at the Pearl Library, will be starting back up on September the 12th. This month's selection is Stolen by Lucy Christopher. Here's the description:


"Gemma, 16, is on layover at Bangkok Airport, en route with her parents to a vacation in Vietnam. She steps away for just a second, to get a cup of coffee. Ty--rugged, tan, older, oddly familiar man pays for Gemma's drink, and drugs it. Before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty steals her away. The unknowing object of a long obsession, Gemma has been kidnapped by her stalker and brought to the desolate Australian Outback. Stolen is her gripping story of survival, of how she has to come to terms with what happened to her and her confusing feelings."

You still have over a week to read the book in preparation for our discussion (and once you start, you won't be able to put it down!), so click here to request it. Hope to see you at the Pearl Library on September 12 at 6:00!