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So...Much...Yes!

So…Much…Yes!

I subscribe to some really great blogs and I just had share one of the posts that I received in my inbox today from Teen Services Underground. The post is about recommending books to our patrons/students that are relevant to the times. In short, while The Outsiders, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Hatchet are solid, YA classics, there are certainly awesome (more current) YA books available that…

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What do reptiles, the problem of infinite regress, and young adult literature have in common?

Private: What do reptiles, the problem of infinite regress, and young adult literature have in common?

The title of John Green’s forthcoming novel, of course! Turtles All the Way Down is scheduled for release in the U.S. on October 10 and you can bet your YA lovin’ heinie that I am counting down…   Check out this website for more information on the book and where to get your probably signed (or unsigned) copy. I am so looking forward to reading this! Check back in the coming weeks for a review!  

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Meaningful Making: e-NABLE Hand Challenge

Meaningful Making: e-NABLE Hand Challenge

This summer, in honor of building a better world, I decided to use my Teen Room’s 3D printer (purchased by our Library Friends group) to make an impact in the world by printing and assembling prosthetic hands for kids that need them. I got the idea for this program from a fellow librarian, Neenah Public Library’s Richard Zaborowske. Richard presented a session at the 2017 WAPL conference in…

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Flashback Book Review: They Call Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Flashback Book Review: They Call Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

The following review is about a book published in 2010, but I totally think it’s well worth another read. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. “Boys, let us get up a club. With those words, six restless young men raided the linens at a friend’s mansion, pulled pillowcases over their heads, hopped on horses, and cavorted through the streets of Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866. The six friends named…

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What I do and how it relates to President Trump’s proposal to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services

What I do and how it relates to President Trump’s proposal to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services

I am a Youth Services Librarian, specifically Teen Services. This is a career that I am proud of. I get to help people every day and that is worth something. I connect kids, tweens, and teens, but also their accompanying adults, parents, teachers, guardians, etc. with the materials they need to succeed in school, in the workforce and later in life. I advocate for your child at the library, in the…

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We made portable speakers for Teen Tech Week and boy, are these things cool! Check it out:

Wanna know how it’s made? Read on, my friends!

Supplies:

Empty altoids tin

Old headphones/earbuds

Discarded singing greeting card

Drill

Foam (like the kind that comes with a new TV)

Felt

Hot glue

Matches/lighter (flame)

Electrical tape

Wire strippers (and/or flathead screwdriver)

Scissors

Directions:

Prepare your Altoids tin by drilling a hole in the side.

Prepare your headphones/earbuds by choosing how long you want the cord to be and cutting the earbuds off at that point. You will only need one wire, so choose one and trim off the other. You will be using the jack-end and discarding the buds. Strip about 1/2″ of the insulation off the wires.

Taking a match or lighter, run exposed portion of the speaker wires through the flame briefly to remove any coating that prevents new connections.

Take your greeting card and carefully remove the speaker by snipping the two white wires that connect it to the chip (as close to the chip as possible). Strip 1/2″ of insulation off the wires (you might need to carefully use a flathead or your fingernail to scrape off the insulation, as these wires are too thin for a standard wire stripper).

Connect your headphone jack wires to your speaker wires by twisting them together. Be sure to run them through the hole in the Altoids tin first. Secure all points of exposure with electrical tape.

Trim the foam to fit snuggly into your Altoids tin.

Set the speaker where you plan to affix it on top of the foam and trace the outline. Repeat with the felt. Using a scissors or blade, cut/gouge out a little cove for your speaker to sit in so that it lies flush with the top of the foam. Using a little hot glue, dab the connection points on the back of the speaker and then a few spots around the speaker and set it back into the foam. Dab some more hot glue on the top of the foam and set your felt on top so that your speaker is peaking through.

  credit: giphy.com

Close the lid and there you have it. A portable speaker in an Altoids tin!

    Super cool Altoids Speaker #ttw17 We made portable speakers for Teen Tech Week and boy, are these things cool! Check it out:

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Review: Anna and the Swallow Man

Review: Anna and the Swallow Man

Publisher Description: “Set in Poland during the Second World War, Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning, literary, and wholly original New York Times bestseller and Publishers Weekly best book of the year perfect for readers of The Book Thief and All the Light We Cannot See. Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just…

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On Monday, my supervisor shared with me a link on Facebook for a really creative drop-in program idea and I ran with it. Having a small collection of typewriters (and one word processor) at home, I decided to bring one in and set up a little “Old School Love Letter Station” for Valentine’s Day. Here’s how it turned out:

  Here’s the link to the original idea on Facebook.  In hindsight, I should have used a regular electric typewriter instead of my Brother WP-500 because word processors are not as intuitive to teens as you’d think. I’ll keep that in mind for next year.

  Old School Love Letter Station On Monday, my supervisor shared with me a link on Facebook for a really creative drop-in program idea and I ran with it.

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It’s December! And, you know what that means!?…everyone is going to want a copy of Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, or My True Love Gave to Me by various authors. Since these books will inevitably be checked out, I’ve created a display and booklist with other wintery books. Please note that not all of the books on this display and list are Holiday books, though some are. Not everyone celebrates “the Holidays,” so I thought it might be nice to include some books that have a winter, cold, and/or arctic theme as well…and, some just have snowy cover-art…because, it’s all about presentation.

Enjoy! And, stay warm!

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Winter in a YA Wonderland It's December! And, you know what that means!?...everyone is going to want a copy of Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, or My True Love Gave to Me by various authors.

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If you missed Jan Brett‘s visit to Waupaca, have no fear–I’m reporting about it here!

  Credit: http://www.giphy.com

  While the preceding post discusses Jan Brett’s visit to Waupaca, WI on Sunday, Dec 4, 2016, I would just like to make it clear that I played no part in getting her to come. I just wanted to be able to take my daughter to see her and enjoy myself because visits from major authors the likes of Jan Brett can be a lot of work and really are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Waupaca Area Public Library has a very nice exhibit room that is used to showcase various displays: some local, some national, all amazing. We were fortunate to have been able to come up with enough money to showcase “The World of Jan Brett” which features more than 50 original paintings and illustrations. Original artwork introduces cultures from around the world and draws visitors into the world of their favorite books. It also features 66 original paintings from Jan Brett’s bestselling books.

This amazing, free exhibit has been open to the public during library hours, and was sponsored by the Waupaca School District, Waupaca Library Foundation, Wisconsin Public Service, Waupaca Breakfast Rotary, the Shopko Foundation, Neuville Motors, Farmers State Bank, Riverhill Dental, Crystal River Inn Bed and Breakfast, Waupaca Foundry, Embellishments, the Bookcellar and Dianna and Jim Klismet.

Jan Brett sometimes makes stops along her book tour at places showcasing her exhibit — so, when I heard that she was making a stop in Waupaca, my inner-child did this…

  Credit: http://www.giphy.com

  She gave a brief presentation about her new book, Gingerbread Christmas, offering quips and anecdotes on her writing process. She also introduced the audience to two of her muses: Elf, and his wife, Gabriela, two polish chickens touring with Brett and her husband. She concluded her presentation with a drawing lesson and then proceeded into the commons to sign books and briefly chat with fans.

My daughter, being only 17-weeks old, had had enough excitement right around the time Ms. Brett began her drawing lesson so I was not able to meet her. Still, seeing her presentation live and getting a signed copy of The Mitten for my daughter to enjoy as she grows up was priceless. Check out these photos from the event:

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As always, thanks for reading!

  Jan Brett in Waupaca…My inner-child just exploded! If you missed Jan Brett's visit to Waupaca, have no fear--I'm reporting about it here!

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Makey Makey Whack-a-Potato 

International Games Day was a success yet again this year thanks to our Makey Makey and a sack of potatoes. Yes, you read that correctly. I said potatoes. If you are not familiar with what a Makey Makey is, check out this Ted Talk. Or this video. Back in September of this year, I attended a Tech Day workshop at the Fond du Lac Public Library at which I got to see this Makey Makey Potato…

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Disclaimer: I have included links in this post to items that I purchased. I do not get any kickbacks from you clicking the links. I just wanted to share what worked for me.  Enjoy!

I am in the process (…a long process) of setting up a Makerspace in my Teen Room. My vision for this space is one that maintains the industrial-meets-modern décor that can be found around the rest of the Teen Room. I want a space that promotes STEAM activities, without completely losing its YA Book-appeal. With that said, our first task in getting this space underway was to purchase workbenches and stools for use during Maker activities. I wanted workbenches that could be pushed up against the walls if we needed more floor space or if we’re working on individual activities but also could be combined creating a more collaborative work space. Gladiator makes some really nice workbenches that fit the bill…and they were relatively inexpensive. As for stools (the real purpose of this blog post), I purchased stools from School Outfitters that are reminiscent of what you’d find in a shop or art class or science lab – aluminum frame with a Masonite seat. I chose these stools for what I perceived as their paintability. I had a vision that I wanted to involve my teens in and it all started on Pinterest….

Credit: Giphy.com

I was scrolling through Pinterest one day, quite some time ago, when I stumbled across these really cool bookends painted to look like YA books. I pinned it and forgot about it until I saw those stools and their blank slate of Masonite…I could totally adapt that project and bring YA fiction into my Makerspace! So, I made it happen, with the help of some REALLY artistic teens.

Behold!

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These stools are currently my pride and joy at work. We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into them to get a perfect finished product. So, here’s the “How-to” because painting on Masonite is not as easy as you’d think.

Supplies Needed:

Adjustable height stools

Paint brushes of varying sizes (both artistic and heavy duty)

Acrylic paint (as many colors as your designs require)

Gesso primer (I used ProArt brand, but Golden is another quality brand)

Acrylic gloss and varnish

Painter’s tape

Bookish designs/book covers

Some really artsy teens

Step 1: Assemble the stools. They come in a huge box with some assembly required since they are adjustable. You could also buy the fixed height stools, which would already be assembled. Your choice.

Step 2: Apply painter’s tape to any surface that you don’t want to get painted.

Step 3: Prime the stools with Gesso. The Gesso helps the acrylic paint to adhere to the Masonite, as well as give you a flat white surface to paint on, helping the colors stay true. While you might be thinking, “Hey, I can probably skip this step by simply sanding the shiny Masonite surface!” I am going strongly advise that you reconsider. For some reason, Masonite sucks up paint. You might paint on it and think, “Darn, that looks cool!” but, revisit your hard work later only to find that your colors have really, really dulled. To avoid this heartache, just prime it with Gesso and thank me later. ;)

Step 4: Once the Gesso is dry, repeat Step 3. You’ll really want at least 2 coats of Gesso. Don’t worry, Gesso dries really quickly, so this will not take as much time as you’d think. You can definitely get the priming done in a couple of hours.

Step 5: Assemble your ideas/designs or let your teens come up with these. Supply them with paint, artistic brushes, and anything else they need to begin painting on the stools. It might be helpful to have some pencils available so they can lightly draw their designs on the white surface first. Painting the designs might take several days due to the fact that you’ll be painting several layers with different colors (depending on the designs you choose). You’ll want each layer to dry completely before starting another layer, otherwise, you’ll end up with a sloppy-looking finished product.

Step 6: Once your designs are fully painted, fully dry, and fully cured (several days later…I waited a week), you can apply the acrylic gloss and varnish using a 2” brush (or roller). Voilà! Perfection!

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      YA Book-inspired Seating Project Disclaimer: I have included links in this post to items that I purchased. I do not get any kickbacks from you clicking the links.

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If you like "The Walking Dead"...

If you like “The Walking Dead”…

Check out my Zombie display! Click the link for my Zombie Fiction for Young Adults book list. Happy (belated) Halloween!

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LOL!

BOOK TALKING UPCOMING RELEASES

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Author visit - Gordon Korman

Author visit – Gordon Korman

Okay…so this is cool. In March, my library took part in a mini Wisconsin library tour with Gordon Korman…yes, THE Gordon Korman. What a great guy! Before I gush all over the place, I wanted to explain how this program offering happened and how you, yes you, can make a major author visit happen for your library. First, this library tour would likely not have occurred if not for one ambitious 8th…

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What to read on a blustery, winter afternoon...

What to read on a blustery, winter afternoon…

Hello from the Groundhog Day Storm/Winter Storm Kayla 2016 in central Wisconsin! I hope everyone affected by this storm, here and in other states, are staying inside their cozy homes, reading good books, and enjoying a warm beverage (hot cocoa is my favorite!). Not sure what to read? Here are some of my favorite snowy day reads!   Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, & Lauren Myracle…

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Hahahaha!

What if instead of gilly weed Harry had showed up to the black lake challenge in muggle scuba gear like “like where’s your advanced magic now bitches? Got me a free fishing knife with this thing”