It's the most wonderful time...of the year! Tra la la!

What pops into your head when you hear the phrase "Most wonderful time of the year!"? I'm guessing 70% of adults would say "Christmas!" due to a certain massively over-played song.

I bet 90% of teens would say...

That magical, dream-like time when you can do whatever you want ALL. DAY. LONG. Hang out at the beach, work on your tan, lounge by the pool, chill with your friends. Late nights, late mornings, long days. No school, no homework, no.... WAIT! Who said no homework?

Wa-Wa-WAAAA!!! Busted. Your teacher just told you that you do have homework. It's called required summer reading. And everyone in the Southern Lehigh School District from 5-12 grade has to do it.

Now hold on a minute...before you start with the "Goodbye, cruel world!", let me tell you something. SLPL makes it so easy for you to complete your assignment. We have multiple copies of all the summer reading books for every grade. We even have fun e-readers that you can check out to ease the burn. Get in, get out, get it done, and get back to the pool. Easy-peasy.

High School lists (grades 9-12) here.
Middle School lists (grades 7-8) here.
Grade 6 list here.
Grade 5 info here.

Speech Bubble Invasion

We asked...you answered!

For the past several months, we have been asking teen patrons who stop by our front desk a very important question. "What do you love best about our library?"

The answers were filled in on fluorescent-colored speech bubbles, and now that we have reached a grand total of 50, we are invading the Teen/YA room and posting them all over the place!

Did I mention this is in honor of the Southern Lehigh Public Library's 50th Anniversary year-long celebration? No one can say the teens haven't contributed!!!

Stop by and discover 50 reasons to visit the library....again. And again. And again. And...I guess you can see where I'm going with this. Happy 50th, SLPL!

May is Get Caught Reading Month!

Are you willing to "get caught" reading? Would you be embarrassed? Like if your crush bumped into you in the YA section of the library, you would be like "Uh, my mom wanted me to get this book for her..."

Don't be afraid! Stand tall, and join the ranks of the unashamed! Put a stack of books on the floor for your soapbox and step up! Reading is awesome and nothing is ever going to change that. So don't wear a fake mustache when you come to get the latest Pretty Little Liars book. Invite your friends to join you and you can all "get caught" together.

In honor of Get Caught Reading month, I'm posting some pics of me reading all around our community. See if you can figure out where...

The Southern Lehigh community is a great place to "Get Caught Reading"!

Calling All Artists

Are you an artist? Or maybe you are an artiste? (said with a fancy French accent).

Why not enter your latest masterpiece into SLPL's Vacation Art Show? Running May 13 - June 24, artists ages 16 + are welcome to participate. Here's the facts:

- This is a non-juried show. Let you imagination run wild, have fun, and do something "out of your comfort zone". The pieces should reflect vacation places, real or imagined.

- The artwork will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

- Any 2D art, photos and small needle arts (quilts, fiber, etc.) that can be hung in the library are acceptable.

- All 2d works must be suitably mounted for hanging. They must be securely wired or braced. No wet, fragile, or ill-prepared work will be accepted. Unframed canvases may not have staples showing.

- Works must not exceed 24 in. in width or 36 in. in height, including the frame.

- The works may be placed on sale. The library requests 15% commission on all sales.

- Delivery: Saturday, May 11, between 11:30 am and 3:30 pm.

- Pickup: When the exhibit is over, pick up work.

Get your stuff out there! This is an easy, non-judgmental way to let people other than your family see your work...you could even make some cash! Questions, call the library @ 610-282-8825

I'm on fire!

Ok, not literally. But I'm super excited because I just watched the just-released trailer for Catching Fire, the 2nd movie based on the 2nd book in The Hunger Games series! Here, you should watch it too.

Oh, Katniss! When will you ever be happy? I feel a library staff movie outing in our future.

Anyways, back to the real world. Or not! The Hunger Games series is what we book-people like to call a "crossover series"...meaning that while written for young adults, it actually appeals to everyone. Meaning that your mom, or possibly your tween cousin have read it too. And that's not a bad thing!

I just finished another "crossover series" that I just loved. Although it's shelved in the adult fiction section, teens/YA will definitely be into The Chathrand Voyage series by Robert V.S. Redick. Not to be attempted by the faint of heart, this series has the world-building depth of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and the stellar character development of Rowling's Harry Potter. You will end up caring about every single character, cheering on the heroes, struggling with the weak, and despising the villainous.

The main characters are themselves teens, 2 tarboys aboard a massive, ancient ship called the Chathrand, and a Commander's daughter, trained in physical combat, but fragile of the heart. Around them swirl dozens of friends, enemies, and entities. After reading all four books, you will feel like you witnessed an age. Subplots come and go, but their true quest always remains - rid their world of evil and hopefully save their own lives in the process. Or maybe not.

I have to admit I stayed up until 4 am one night reading the last book in the series. And I had to work the next day. That's how impossible it is to put down. Worlds you've never imagined, everyone with a secret agenda, epic battle scenes, and a surprisingly innocent romance. Seriously, what more could you ask for? Maybe a movie!

The Chathrand Voyage quartet:

The Red Wolf Conspiracy
The Ruling Sea
The River of Shadows
The Night of the Swarm

...And April 14-20 is National Library Week!

Wow, April is a cool month. Not only is it FINALLY starting to warm up, with flowers blooming and rain coming down in sheets, but it also plays host to one of the best weeks in the library year.

I'm not even making it up. The theme from the American Library Association for National Library Week 2013 is "Communities Matter @ Your Library".

Guess what? You're a part of the Southern Lehigh Public Library community, and you matter! To show you how much we care, we are having several fun events going on all week.

Teens/YA, come in and try our "Check-out Challenge"...there's candy involved!

You can also take a stab at our "First Lines" book trivia...but you don't get any candy for that.

Did I mention "Fine amnesty"? Now that you've starting running to your car, let me explain. Fines will be forgiven for any overdue items returned to the library during this week. Not something you returned last week, but haven't paid for yet. Not that DVD you lost and haven't paid for yet. Questions? Give us a call.

April is National Poetry Month

Maybe when you hear the word poetry, you are thinking this:

BORING!

When you get older, poetry isn't the funny, silly stuff of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein anymore. All of a sudden, everything has to be all...serious and mature. But that doesn't mean you should throw poetry out the window...many, many teen authors and authors who write for teens are using poetry (especially free verse) as a way to talk about all kinds of interesting things.

For some reason, poetry has always been a popular way to express your deepest emotions. It's easier to get all emotional in a poem, than in a paragraph. If you don't believe me, check out this cool video posted by a teen poet on Teen Ink (where you can submit your own poetry and read poems written by other real-life teens).

 
If you're not quite ready to tickle the pages with your own feather pen, why not read a novel written in free verse?

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies - Sonya Sones

Tilt - Ellen Hopkins