Book Displays

Next time you're at Freedom, be sure to check out our book displays in the Teen Zone!

Right now, there is a special Banned Books Week display

that I will keep up for a few more weeks
just because I want you to read a book
that was either challenged or banned in the last year!

Our September (Celebrate Your Freedom to Read) display is officially down,

and October (Celebrate Books with Bite) is up.

This display has a variety of books with bite!
They could be about technology (byte...written in e-mails or IMs),
vampires (bite...vampires, bite, you get it) ,
food (bite...eating...cooking)
or they could be about how biting reality can be!

More info to come on Teen Read Week (October 12-18), so check back soon!

La Catrina Quartet

La Catrina Quartet

The La Catrina Quartet visited Freedom Regional Library today and played music for Phillip O. Berry students.

In addition to playing music,

the group told stories and answered questions about their music.

To learn more about La Catrina Quartet, visit their website:
http://www.lacatrinaquartet.com/

BBW Open Mic

Let Freedom Ring Open Mic

Teens celebrated their freedom to read at Freedom Regional Library on 9/29/08 in celebration of Banned Books Week!

There was an open mic for all teens who wanted to read a short passage from a book that was either challenged or banned in the past, or something of their own. All participants enjoyed snacks while listening to other teens read and received more info about Banned Books Week (Sept 27-Oct 4, 2008).


Teens read from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, TTYL, Whale Talk, Fat Kids Rule the World, Black Boy, Totally Joe, Bad Boy, The Catcher in the Rye and one teen read a poem of her own! Here are some of the participants:

Teens won prizes for participating - a book, a movie rental card and an iTunes gift card!

To find more challenged and banned books, visit the Teen Zone and check out this display!

Thank you to all the participants...you rocked the mic!

See you next Monday from 3-4pm for Teen Writer's Cafe
where you can share your poetry with other teens
while working on new material and getting published!

Also in celebration of Banned Books Week, I visited Harding University High School to give all English classes BBW booktalks. All in all, I met with nearly 400 students! Thanks for being a great audience and for celebrating your freedom to read! Hope to see you at the library soon to find more banned books!

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week 2008
September 27-October 4
Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Celebrate your freedom to read @ Freedom in one or all of the following ways:

1. Checkout and read at least one book from our BBW display, which includes books that were banned or challenged in the past year.

2. Pick up our BBW booklist and request additional books that may not be at FRL.

3. Find out more about BBW by visiting the following:

BBW Facebook Page

BBW MySpace Page

Frequently Challenged Books

Support BBW

4. Write a review for one or more books that were recently banned or challenged.

5. Participate in and/or come to our BBW program:

Let Freedom Ring Open Mic
Celebrate your freedom to read at Freedom! In celebration of Banned Books Week, read an excerpt from a book that was challenged or banned, or read us something of your own dealing with "Free People Read Freely."
Location: Freedom Regional
Date: Monday, 9/29/2008 at 3:00 PM (Program Length: 2 hours)
Age Range: Teens

Take Responsibility for Oneself

Dr. Gloria Edmunds, licensed psychologist and author of Take Responsibility for Oneself, visited Freedom Regional Library on September 15th.

A select number of Phillip O. Berry High School students were able to come hear her speak. Dr. Edmunds talked about how you can take responsibility of your life and your actions by outlining the necessary steps you need to take in order to be responsible and achieve your goals.

Dr. Edmunds was generous enough to donate a copy of her book for the teens at FRL. If you would like to look at it while you're in the library, please sign it out at the reference desk on the second floor.

Find out more about Dr. Edmunds and her work at her website: http://gloriaedmunds.com/book_author.php

New Arrivals @ FRL

Check out one of these new teen fiction books that we just got in! Click on the cover and it will take you to our catalog to find out more information about it. Enjoy!

Dark Dude
by Oscar Hijuelos

The Devouring
by Simon Holt

The Juvie Three
by Gordon Korman

The Dragonfly Pool
by Eva Ibbotson

Melting Stones
by Tamora Pierce

The Stowaway
by R.A. and Geno Salvatore

Bog Child
by Siobhan Dowd

Cybele's Secret
by Juliet Marillier

The Other Side of the Island
by Allegra Goodman

We Want To Hear What You Have to Say About Books & Other Things

Write a Review for Freedom Teens Blog

Do you feel like nobody cares about what you think? Well, Freedom Library does and we want to hear from you. So, review a book, graphic novel, CD, movie or magazine and see it posted right here on our blog! Reviews will be featured on the blog not only to let other teens know what you think and feel but also to get other teens interested in new literature, music, movies, etc. We think your opinions can help do that. Just write a review and submit it to the library and you could be published on this blog. For more information, attend any one of our daily programs after school and find out how you can share your thoughts with other teens.

Things for Teens After 2:15

Not Just About Books @ Freedom

School is back in session and that means we'll be seeing more of you. In case you don't know, the Freedom Regional Library (FRL) is connected to the Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology and right down the street from Harding University High School. We invite you to come and do your homework, study, read, check materials out (books, graphic novels, manga, DVDs, CDs, etc.), do research, use the Internet (after school), and come to our programs.
There's a lot going on this fall, so don't miss out!

FRL Fall Programming 2008

If you're a writer or a poet, then get involved in our "Teen Writer's Cafe" and help publish our first-ever online magazine!
When: Mondays 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, 11/24, 12/1
Time: 3-4pm
Where: Computer Lab (second floor)

If you're a gamer, then be sure to come to "Wii Got Game" and play Nintendo Wii, XBox, chess, board games and cards!
When: Tuesdays 9/2, 9/9, 9/16, 9/12, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 11/4, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25, 12/2
Time: 2:30-4:30pm
Where: Conference Room

If you're going green and trying to be healthier, then "Body Works" is just for you!
When: Wednesdays 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15
Time: 3-4pm
Where: Conference Room

If you're into discussing books that you've read, music that you listen to, movies that you like, then don't miss out on "Speak Up" - not your ordinary book club!
When: First Thursday of every month - 9/4, 10/2, 11/6, 12/4
Time: 3-4pm
Where: Community Room

If you want your voice to be heard and you want to make decisions that make a difference, the "Teen Advisory Council" (TAC) is where you should be every 3rd Thursday of the month! Join today!
When: Every third Thursday of the month - 9/18, 10/16, 11/20, 12/18
Time: 3-4pm
Where: Community Room

If you need a place to unwind and relax before the weekend, bring your own snacks and watch a movie - "Cinema @ 3".
When: Fridays 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 11/28
Time: 3-5pm
Where: Community Room

Special Event Programs Coming Up:

"Get Schooled"
Start getting ready for college when FRL and ThinkCOLLEGE team up to help you get the resources you need!
When: Friday September 5th @ 2:30pm
Where: Conference Room

"Personal Finances for Teens"
Make sense out of your personal finances!
When: Thursday September 11th @ 3pm
Where: Community Room

"Teen Crafting"
Make and take a craft and have an art attack!
When: Monday September 15th @ 3pm
Where: Community Room

"Let Freedom Ring Open Mic"
Celebrate your freedom to read at Freedom! In recognition of Banned Books Week (September 27-October 4), read an excerpt from a banned or challenged book.
When: Monday September 29th @ 3pm
Where: Conference Room

RESPECT
Yourself. Others. The Space.

New Arrivals

Check out one of these new TEEN FICTION books:

The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay
by Rebecca Sparrow
Fact of Life #31
by Denise Vega

Likely Story: Book One
by David Van Etten

The Compound
by S.A. Bodeen

Don't forget to click on the book cover to find out more!

Endings & Beginnings

Teen Summer Reading 2008 has come to an end. We have seen many teens in the library this summer, and we hope to see many new faces in the fall. We had some really great teen volunteers help us out with book displays, children's programming and much more this summer. We'll be sad to see them leave, but expect that we will continue to have amazing teens helping out in the future.

We had a teen intern this summer who was part of the Mayor's Youth Employment Program. Latonia was a tremendous help this summer with the Children's Department.

Latonia helped design the children's bulletin board,

she recommended books for other teens,

she assisted with all aspects of children's programming,


and she even helped shelve books!

With the summer coming to an end, the school year is creeping up fast. Be sure to stop by the Freedom Library this fall to be a part of some of our great programs. We've got weekly and monthly programs as well as special events. Check this blog for upcoming programs.

Come in to Freedom, introduce yourself, get involved and make a difference!