This Week in the OPL Teen Department

Monday December 2:

After School Movie @ 4:30 p.m. We will be showing Iron Man 3 (PG-13), starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. When Tony Stark/Iron Man finds his entire world reduced to rubble, he must use all his ingenuity to survive, destroy his enemy, and protect those he loves. But a question remains: Does the man make the suit? Or does the suit make the man? No registration required.

 

Tuesday December 3

Otaku Central @ 4:30-6:30 p.m. Do you love Anime and Manga? You won't want to miss Otaku Central, OPL's teen-run Anime & Manga Club! Watch Anime, discuss your favorite series, Cosplay, and more! This is a great place to meet other fans and discover new series. No registration required.

 

Thursday December 5

$$$ For College @ 6:30 p.m. Thinking about college, but not sure how you're going to pay for it? Attend this helpful annual seminar where expert Sheryl Krasnow (of College & Career Counseling Associates) will talk about how to seek out and apply for financial aid, grants, and scholarships. A must for anyone considering college! Registration required!

You Learned THAT from a MOVIE?

It's no secret that studying for the vocabulary portion of the ACT (or SAT) can be quite tedious, but don't let this seemingly heinous chore leave you in a state of utter despondency. Did you know you can acquire a cornucopia of high-level vocabulary words just by watching your favorite movies? Inconceivable, right? Wrong! Cruise on over to the New Nonfiction Shelf and peruse Name That Movie! A Painless Vocabulary Builder. This helpful guide will show you how you can learn over 1,000 vocabulary words and increase your test score infinitely (yes, just by watching movies). So grab the popcorn, park yourself in front of the tube, and start that movie marathon. If your parents inquire why you're watching TV in lieu of studying for the SAT (or ACT), say you are studying. And if they need to verify that claim, just hand them this book.

Unsolved Mystery or Man-Made Hoax?

From Alien Abductions to the truth about Zombies, this fun little browsable book has it all! Dead Strange, located on our New Book Shelf, contains the latest up-to-date information about 50 of the world's most popular urban legends. Is Sasquatch a native creature or a visitor form another galaxy? Can the practice of Dowsing really be used to find water, oil, and lost valuables? Is there really a Loch Ness Monster? Men in Black--fact or Hollywood fiction? Check out the book and decide for yourself. You may not find all the answers you seek (after all, this book isn't endorsed by the Mythbusters), but it's a lot of fun to read just the same!

"I can't ask my parents THAT!"

Ok... Let's say you've been talking to your friends about life (and stuff) and now you have some really important questions you need answers to, like, soon. You could ask a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor, but, the thing is, these questions are really kind of embarrassing. And these adults might get the wrong idea about you if you did ask them. So the only logical solution is to say silent and believe all the gossip and rumors, right?

 

Not anymore!

 

Look no further than our new book shelf for 100 Questions You'd Never Ask Your Parents (T306.7H).  Here you will find straight, honest, and accurate answers on blush-worthy topics like sex, drugs and alcohol, body issues, and other issues teens need to know about. Does this book make your questions any less embarrassing? No. But you will find the answers you seek without having to endure humiliating confrontations with adults.

Harry Potter: The Stamp?

Love all things Harry Potter? Now you can say it with a postage stamp! Starting this month, the United States Postal Service will have available limited edition stamps featuring characters from each of the Harry Potter movies. These stamps will feature 20 different designs and provide a good excuse to say what you need to say the old school way (with a letter) rather than a text or Facebook post.

Cardboard

Jobless and hopeless, Mike wants nothing more than to buy his young son, Cam, an awesome birthday present. But when there's no money, an awesome present is kind of hard to come by. But then a google-eyed street vender gives Mike an ordinary cardboard box. Or at least it appears to be an ordinary cardboard box. The vendor tells Mike there are two rules if he accepts this gift: 1. He must return all unused cardboard & 2. He can't ask for any more. Thinking the old man is maybe more than a little crazy, Mike takes the box and gives it to Cam. Being an imaginative kid, Cam instantly comes up with something cool to make with his cardboard. Then the unexpected happens: At the stroke of midnight, the creation comes to life. This sets Mike, Cam, Bill (the cardboard creation), and the neighborhood bully off on the adventure of their lives!

Cardboard is something I picked up by chance and started paging through while I waited for my computer to reboot. And, quite unexpectedly, I became caught up in the story. Sure, there's enough action here to grab just about anyone's attention and keep them invested, but there's a lot of heart too.  Cardboard is one of those books I'm very glad I took a chance on. I'd recommend this to anyone. --AJB

We Cause Scenes this Saturday

Whose Line is it Anyway? Yours! We Cause Scenes, OPL's teen-run improv acting group, will be meeting this Saturday @ 1-3 p.m. So if you've ever wanted to run, laugh, jump, and be loud and silly here at the normally quiet library, now is your chance! Try your hand at acting, play interactive games, and be prepared for the unexpected. Program is free for teens 6th-12th grade.

 

Questions? Give us a call! 248-628-3034.

Not The Disney Ending

You know these stories, don't you?
Sure you do!
They were read to you as a child.
You repeatedly watched Disney's versions.
Princesses, Princes, Castles, and Magic.
The Good Guys always won.
The Bad Guys... They were always defeated
(although nothing very bad happened to them)
And Happily Ever After.
Always a Happily Ever After.
Of course you know these stories!

Or do you?

After reading  Ron Koertge's Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses, you won't be so sure about any of these (well-known?) tales anymore.

Teen Reviewer

Teen Reviewer Olivia read Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. She had some reservations about the book, at first, but ended up very much enjoying this historical mystery:

"Out of the Easy is a historical fiction novel set in the New Orleans French Quarter in the 1950s. Josie, an ambitious and brave senior, faces many challenges as the daughter of a prostitute entangled in the middle of a murder mystery case.

Now upon finding this book, I said there was no way I would read a book about prostitutes! It simply wasn't an aspect I enjoyed reading about. But Ruta Sepstys is one of the most gifted writers at coming up with characters. She portrayed The House and the women who worked there perfectly. All the girls were original, fun, classy (yes, classy) characters, all of whom will remain my favorites in the literary world. Also, I was starting to get tired of love triangles and their predictability, but the love triangle Josie is ensnared in was so beautiful and heart-wrenching I was literally jealous of her, a fictional character. This book very quickly became one of my all-time favorites, and Sepetys's characters will forever be some of the best out there for me."

Olivia recommends Out of the Easy for teens 16 and up.

Teen Reviewer

Teen Reviewer Annie read All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry. She was originally intrigued by the book's pretty cover, but ended up loving the story.

"All The Truth That's In Me is about a girl named Judith who was kidnapped at the age of 14. She returns home at the age of 16 having lost the ability to speak. Over the course of the book, we come to know why she can't speak, where she's been, and who murdered her friend Lottie. The novel is told like Judith is speaking to the boy she loves, Lucas, whose father plays a very important role in the mystery.

This book was absolutely fantastic. At first the writing style made me hesitate; I thought it would become irritating after a while. It didn't at all. Actually, it was fascinating. I've never read a book that was written to one of the main characters. The protagonist was an amazing character and I was jumping up and down when she finally found her voice. The story was perfectly paced and never made me feel bored.

All The Truth That's In Me is a beautiful story about a fiercely determined 18-year-old girl who discovers her voice again and then some."

Annie recommends this book for teens 13 and up.