Join us for an afternoon of art and inspiration as Susan L. Roth, illustrator of Listen to the Wind, discusses her best selling book and collaboration with author Dr. Greg Mortenson. Ms. Roth will also demonstrate her unique style of collage illustration.

Posted by: Ms. Albano

Friday, March 12th at 7:00 p.m.
Register at the Circulation Desk

Come out for a family night of fun and games. It is an old favorite game with a new name. Lots of great prizes to win, lots of smiles, laughter, and family time. It is $5 per person payable at registration. Bring your own markers, crayons, or highlighters. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. for this exciting event. As you check in the night of the event, you will be given your game pack. Additional game cards may be purchased at the door for $2.00 each. This is a non-refundable event.

Posted by: Mrs. Pastore

I’m sure you’ve all heard in the Middle School and High School about the One Book, One Community project that the Commack School District, Commack Public Library, and Smithtown Public Library Commack Branch have come together to work on. For those of you who were at the Community Service 101 program on January 19th, the stories that we heard from the student speakers and volunteers were inspiring to say the least. The book chosen, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson is the story of his journey to change the world.
I’ve decided this year to really take the One Book, One Community theme of Community Service to heart, and am going to try to do my part in making this community the great place that it is.

Please join us for one or both of the programs centered around the One Book, One Community prorgram by clicking on this link! Did you know you can even sign up now from your home computer?! All you need is your library card’s barcode! We’ve made it that simple for you to come to all of our exciting programs!

Starting in April, we will be forming a Teen Volunteers club at the library. The club will meet monthly and do different projects that will benefit our community. From creating bookmarks and cards for senior citizens, to working with animal shelters. It’s a great way for you to earn you service learning credits and having fun with friends at the same time! Keep your eye on the April Colophon for more information and our first meeting date!

It’s that time of year again, when the Oscars of the book world are handed out! I have to confess, I wait for this day all year. I read all year long just to find that one book that I think is deserving of bestowed the title of Michael L. Printz winner. The Michael L. Printz award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. The 2010 Michael L. Printz award winners are:

Printz Award Winner:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob’s (aka fatal brain disorder related to mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

Honor Books:

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

Once Charles Darwin sets his rational mind to marry the religious Emma Wedgeworth, they both must take a leap of faith in order to build a life together.

The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey

Will Henry, orphan and assistant to a monstrumologist, races against time to save his town (and himself) from the anthropophagi, a pod of monstrous creatures who prey on humans.

Punkzilla, by Adam Rapp

“Punkzilla” is on a mission to see his older brother “P”, before “P” dies of cancer. He embarks on a days-long trip from Portland, Ore. to Memphis, Tenn., writing letters to his family and friends. Along the way, he sees a sketchier side of America and worries if he will make it to see his brother in time.

Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973, by John Barnes

In September 1973, as the school year begins in his depressed Ohio town, high-school senior Kurt Shoemaker determines to be “normal,” despite his chaotic home life and the deep loyalty and affection he has for his friends in the therapy group dubbed the Madman Underground.

Viola in Reel Life
by Adriana Trigiani

I’m marooned.
Abandoned.
Left to rot in boarding school . . .
Viola doesn’t want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.
Ick.
There’s no way Viola’s going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.
Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.
But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.

Check it out today!

Stay tuned for my next book… How To Steal a Car by Pete Hautman

The Commack Public Library has partnered with the Commack Public Schools and the Smithtown Special Library District Commack Branch for an exciting multi-generational project beginning mid-January. The title selected, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, was chosen for its true inspirational story of one man’s quest to make a difference in a remote part of the world. Three Cups of Tea is also available in a young readers and picture book format which makes this selection a wonderful inter-generational read. The goal of the One Book, One Community project is to promote Commack as a community of readers, and to foster a sense of community service for all participants. During the months of January, February and March, you will find many programs both here at the Commack Public Library and throughout the Commack community. Copies of the three versions of Three Cups of Tea are available on the One Book, One Community Display by the Reference and Information desk.
Click here for a list of community events!
We encourage you to take part in this uplifting project as we become one community through one book.

Welcome to 2010! All of you know that I am an avid reader, however I usually read books because they are on a “list”. A list of the Teens Top 10, or the Best Paperbacks for Teens, or the ALA Printz Award, and I rarely pic up a book for pleasure reading. This is where my New Years Resolution has come into play, this year I am going to read a book a week that I WANT to read (Young Adult of course!) and blog about it here on CPL Teen Central. So 52 weeks, 52 books!

Do you think you are up to the challenge? If you would like to join me in reading 52 books in 52 weeks, than I welcome the company! All you have to do is comment each week on my blog post or send me an e-mail to albano@suffolk.lib.ny.us and I will keep track of all your books. On December 31, 2010, anyone who has matched me with 52 books will be invited to join me for a New Years Eve brunch at the library!

Check back next Friday, January 15th for my first book review! I encourage you to join along on this fun project! Let’s spend a little less time on television and computers in 2010 and more time on reading!

Happy Reading!
Ms. A

I know this sounds like a funny topic for a “Teen” Blog.. But I know there are a lot of teen bakers out there! I myself love to bake and with the holiday season upon us, I thought I would share some fun sites for you to find some great holiday cookie recipes! I’m baking mini-black and white cookies for a cookie swap I will be attending this week, the recipe comes from Epicurious! I’ll post pictures when I’m all finished!
Click on the sites below to go to these great pages!
Disney’s Family Fun
Food Network
Epicurious
What sparked this funny blog post on baking and cookies, was a little trip I took last weekend with my mother and my aunt to Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken NJ, home of the “Cake Boss” from TLC. What a great bakery this was and what a treat it was to meet Buddy the “Cake Boss”, Mary, Mamma, Mauro and all the sisters! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!
Ms. A

I have a few favorite Young Adult authors, this fact is not something I hide from everyone.. On any particular day if you ask me to reccomend a book, I go directly for books by; Sarah Dessen, Maureen Johnson, Pete Hautman, Gabrielle Zevin, Libba Bray, John Green, Rachel Cohn, and David Levithan.

A few weeks ago, I picked up David Levithan’s new book, Love is the Higher Law. Excited because this was David’s newest book and like other books of his, it is set in New York City. I started reading this book and could not put it down. Here is the summary of the book in David’s words:

“Love is the Higher Law was published by Random House on August 25th. It’s the story of three teenagers in New York on 9/11, and how their lives intertwine in the days and weeks and months that follow. I know this sounds grim, but it’s really the story of things coming together even as it feels like the world is falling apart – because that’s how it felt to be in New York at that time, both tragic because of the events that happened and magical in the way that everyone became their better selves in the face of it. It’s a love story between friends, a love story for a city, and a love story for love itself, and the way it can get us through things, however daunting or shocking they may be. Or at least that’s what I aimed for. I hope you’ll read it and let me know if I got there.”

With permission from David Levithan, the following is a recent e-mail exchange:

Hi David –
I’m a Young Adult Librarian at the Commack Public Library on Long Island. First of all I hardly ever write to authors, because I rarely find a book that touches me enough to let them know that. But I had to let you know how Love is the Higher Law made me feel.

Thank you again!
David

I RARELY write to authors, but when a book evokes so much emotion inside of myself, I feel the need to share that. I wanted to show you, the teens who read these books, that authors do care how you feel about their work and in fact appreciate knowing that what they write touches lives.

Check out David Levithan’s website for a ton of information on all of his books, and look for his new book written with John Green (Yes this is a dream come true for me!) Will Grayson, Will Grayson, due out in April!
http://www.davidlevithan.com/

-Ms. A

I decided I would confess something to you all on this blog, something that my Young Adult Librarian card should probably have been revoked for looooooong ago lol.. I was never a fan of the Twilight Saga books. I started reading Twilight about two years ago when everyone started talking about this “GREAT” book… I got through the first six chapters, put it down, and never picked it up again. I know, I know, your gasping…BUT.. I than saw the movie the weekend it came out with some of my librarian friends, thought it was OK at best, but decided that I was going to attempt to read the series again. So last Christmas one of my co-workers, gave me all four books as a gift, no there was no excuse for reading them! I sat down, started Twilight, got through 7 chapters this time, and gave up again. (I promise there is a point to all of this!)
Fast forward to this past weekend..Saturday, November 21, 2009. The hype for New Moon has been INSANE and I was taking my cousin out for her 13th birthday and she chose to see New Moon of course. I went into this movie with an open mind. I figured there was no way New Moon could be worse than Twilight. I was right.. I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire movie.
I found myself feeling the emotions Bella felt when Edward left, cheering for Jacob, wanting to scream at the movie screen when Bella started doing all of the reckless things Edward told her not to do, holding my breath when Bella jumped off the cliff, and wanting to vote no with the Cullen family to turn Bella into a vampire, because of course I am now on TEAM JACOB!
I loved New Moon so much that I immediatly ran home and started reading Eclipse. I am over halfway done with Eclipse as we speak, and am ready to move onto Breaking Dawn !
My purpose of this blog post was basically to show you that sometimes you have to give something a second and third try before you really grasp onto it. I will go back and re-read Twilight and New Moon, but for now I can’t wait to find out what happens after New Moon ended.
Oh two more things:
1. Even half-way through Eclipse, I am still on Team Jacob
2. I have since now seen New Moon TWICE! I guess I am officially a Twilight Groupie!
-Ms. A