Teen Blog

If you're an aspiring writer or a lover of teen fantasies, you'll want to put the date, December 21st on your calendar. Local author, Maggie Stiefvater, will be visiting the Salem Church Library to talk about books and writing. Teens and adults are invited to drop in during our regular Lit Bistro time, 3:30-5:00. Ms. Stiefvater will be joining us from 4:00-5:00. Ms. Stiefvater is the author of two fantasy series. One of her books, Shiver, has been on the New York Times bestseller list.

 A recent New York Times article on school reading has been making the rounds among librarians, teachers and parents.  In “A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like,” Motoko Rich reports on the “reading workshop” model of engaging middle school students in reading.  Unlike the traditional assignments, where the whole class reads and analyzes a classic book together, this approach encourages kids to choose their own titles.  “If your goal is simply to get them to read more, choice is the way to go,” says one literacy professor.
 At local middle schools, even kids with assigned reading can participate in a voluntary reading program. Café Book, a collaboration between the public library and eight middle schools in Fredericksburg, Stafford and Spotsylvania, encourages seventh and eighth graders to read from a list of twenty new books, discuss them during lunch periods, and vote on their favorites.

Do you love Japanese anime? Join the club! Anime enthusiasts meet at the Salem Church Library every month on the 1st Monday, 6:30-8:00PM at the Salem Church Library. Watch anime episodes, show off your anime-inspired artwork, cosplay your favorite characters, win door prizes and hang out with lots of like-minded fans. See you there!

Come vote for your favorite of the 3 pumpkins that library staff members decorated. There's "Some Pig," a tie in with Charlotte's Web, a Day of the Dead jack-o-lantern, and a howdy partner cowboy pumpkin. This is just one of the many fun things you can do @ your local library.

Will is small for his age and can climb a tree quicker and higher than any of his Ward mates. He hopes to be accepted into Battleschool on Choosing Day so he can become a hero like his father, whom Will never knew. Will is an orphan, left on the steps of Castle Redmont's ward, and Choosing Day is the opportunity each ward has to be apprenticed to a master craftsman. 

A daughter of union organizers, Mary grew up in Greenwich Village and while only a teenager sang backup for the legendary Pete Seeger. Today, her clear, warm vocals on songs written by Seeger and Bob Dylan remind us of the softer aspects of 1960s social struggle. "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "Blowin' in the Wind" are still favorites for youth groups.

Students in grades K-12 and college-intro classes can get live homework help through the library's Web sites. Connect with real tutors online in sessions up to 20 minutes. Available 3 pm - 10 pm seven days a week. Spanish-speaking tutors are available 4 pm - 9 pm Sunday-Thursday. For minimum system requirements, click here.

To access Live Homework Help all you need is your 14-digit barcode (located on the back of your library card). If you don't have one, click here to fill out an application online.

Connect now!

With cooler weather just around the corner, now is the time to knit something to keep you or a loved one warm this winter. If you are not a knitter don’t worry, it’s easier than you think. Don’t let words like knit, purl, cast on, yarn over or decrease two fill you with anxiety. They are the terms used to guide you through your project and are explained in almost every knitting book or Web site. Read on for suggestions on how to get started in knitting.

Percy Jackson is not a normal 12-year-old. Strange things always seem to happen around him, and he has a problem with getting into situations that lead to getting kicked out of school. Things get even stranger when, on a class field trip, Percy vaporizes his (really creepy) math teacher (a monster in disguise) and learns that he himself is a demigod. A whole new world is opened to Percy when he goes for the summer to Camp Half-Blood, where he meets other demigod friends and finds out his father's identity. Of course, he immediately gets plunged into a quest to save the world.

Porter:
Friday, September 4 - Thursday, September 10 (Library closed Sunday, September 6, and Monday, September 7)
Friday, October 2 - Thursday, October 8

Salem Church:
Friday, September 18 – Thursday, September 24
Friday, October 16 – Thursday, October 22

Headquarters:
October 17–21, 2009: Fall BIG Book Sale

See more book sale dates.