Best Chef a Success....AGAIN!!

Thanks to all of the participants and judges who came out and made last night's event such a fun time! Below is a collage - more pictures will be posted soon! You can click on the collage to enlarge.

And the Finalists Are...

Again, the Shrewsbury Public Library received an overwhelmingly large amount of stories to read and judge for this year's competition. Of the over 70 entries, below are the top eight in no order whatsoever. As the judges are still working on selecting the top three, we are only going to list the titles, not the names at this point.

The Top Eight Stories (in no order):

• Being Known
• The Flaming City
• Marki, The Tiger, and the Snitch
• The Adventures of Bluelow
• The Brain Vs. The Bully
• Sarah's Adventure
• The Book Without a Title
• The Mysterious Library

The winners will be notified within the next few weeks, as well as posted here on this blog as soon as the news break. Remember, while we try to list things as fast as possible, the judges are trying to choose the best three stories which takes some time due to the length of each submission. Good luck to all, and to those who didn't make the finalist list, thank you so much for trying. It's always tough to eliminate stories, but it's important to know that if you didn't win this go around, that doesn't mean you aren't a great writer. Stephenie Meyer, author of the "Twilight Saga", was rejected by at least 15 publishers before getting her break - so keep writing!!

Holiday Party Update!

Thank you all for coming out to the fun holiday party! Below is the group photo that we took. Over 25 people attended the event and ended up with a t-shirt, gift, and pizza! Thanks to everyone who brought desserts to share!

Have a great and safe holiday season!

Dan, Young Adult Librarian

Exciting Raffle Basket News!

The winners have been notified and the money has been tallied! SPLAT would like to thank everyone who bought tickets into the annual Fall basket raffle, and to those who helped put the baskets together through various donations. 100% of the money raised goes to teen programs and teen materials in the library.

The total raised, drum roll please.....
$1,031.00

Way to go! That money will go a long way in helping the teen department at the SPL!
Look for more baskets to be unveiled this coming spring! If you have any ideas or would like to donate a basket, please e-mail me, Dan Barbour, at dbarbour@cwmars.org.

Peace!

Holiday Party

CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE.

Hope to see you at this great event! Click the image and print as many as you can to pass out and hang up around town. This will help get the word out! Thanks for your help!

Best Teen Chef is BACK!!!

COME TO THE LIBRARY TO REGISTER BEFORE SPACE RUNS OUT!!!

This event was a huge hit last year, so we're doing it again! The next installment of the popular event will feature the same rules, but new ingredients! Teams of two people - one of which must be a Shrewsbury resident, and both of which must be in grades 5-12, must register for their chance at taking home the mystery grand prize. PLEASE NOTE: Due to limited space, not all teams of two will get the chance to participate. We will do a random drawing at the beginning of the night to determine which teams will compete. Only teams that are preregistered will get the opportunity to be in this drawing. Everyone else will get to watch in the audience, as well as try and win a small prize in our food trivia game. Adults, friends, and family members are encouraged to be in the audience.

Great News!

I have some great news! The Shrewsbury Public Library was recently awarded a grant from the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System!! With the funds that they are providing, we will be able to get some gaming equipment for trivia competitions, as well as a new video camera to film the events! Thank you so much CMRLS!

An Event That Won't Suck!!

Book Giveaway - Friday, October 30th, 4PM-5PM



In celebration of “The Vampire’s Assistant”, the SPL will be giving away copies of the the book the film is based on - from the Cirque Du Freak series by Darren Shan. To get a book, teens (grades 5-12) must come dressed as the ‘Freak’iest monster they can be. Everyone who is registered and in costume will get a free copy of the book. The person with the best costume as voted by the group and library staff will win a four-pack of movie passes! There will be snacks and a ghoulish game in addition to the contest, so be sure to register before it’s too late!

To register, stop by the library or call 508-842-0081 ext. 5. Note, if you leave a voice message, it is not guaranteed that you are registered! The event is limited to 15 teens only.

Did you see our pumpkin?

The Library displayed our Big Read 2009 pumpkin this past Sunday - did you see it? If you missed the lineup, here's a picture of the carved out creation we put together. What do you think? You can blow the picture up just by clicking on it:

Meet the Baskets (Click to Enlarge)

Stop in the library before Nov. 20th to purchase your tickets. 100% of the proceeds go to sponsoring teen events and materials at the library! Click on any picture to enlarge and see what's inside each basket!

Ticket prices:
1 for $1
6 for $5
15 for $10

Teen Trivia Showdown Pictures

Last night, about 22 teens from Central Mass gathered at the Shrewsbury Public Library to take part in the first ever "Youth Trivia Showdown!" We also had a great group of other teens, parents, and siblings cheering on from the crowd! A special thanks to ULTRA, teens from Upton, as well as Sutton, for joining in on the fun! Also, I want to say a very special thanks to Dunkin' Donuts of Shrewsbury who sponsored the event!! Here are some pictures from last night - no specific names will be used in this post:






The Runner-Up (left or top, depending on monitor size) & The Winner (right or bottom)


Interesting Survey Facts from the Competition:

Out of 23 responses, teens prefer ("neither" was also an option - so if the numbers don't add up to 23, that means more selected "neither"!) ....

Facebook (12) to Myspace (0)
Harry Potter (12) to Bella Swan (4)
Transformers (15) to G.I. Joe (2)
Moe's (11) to Qdoba (3)
(tie) Papa Ginos (10) to Dominos (10)
Chocolate Ice Cream (12) to Vanilla Ice Cream (11)
Coke (13) to Pepsi (6)
Fall (15) to Winter (5)
Dogs (12) to Cats (7)
Survivor (10) to American Idol (3)
Hannah Montana (3) to Jonas Brothers (1) (yes, neither received 19 votes!)
Math (11) to History (10)
Rock Band (10) to Guitar Hero (8)
(tie) XBOX 360 (10) to Wii (10)
Democrats (13) to Republicans (2)
Dunkin Donuts (18) to Starbucks (3)

WRITING COMPETITION IS ON!!

CLICK THE GRAPHIC BELOW TO PRINT THE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM, OR PICK ONE UP AT THE LIBRARY. READ ALL THE RULES - LAST YEAR WE HAD TO WEED OUT A FEW ENTRIES FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES. LAST YEAR WE HAD 82 ENTRIES, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN BEAT THAT THIS YEAR!! HAPPY WRITING!

EXCITING UPCOMING EVENT!

EXCITING UPCOMING EVENT:
Youth Trivia Showdown

Wednesday, September 16th, 6:30PM

If you're a trivia buff, or just seem to know a lot of useless information, it's time to put your skills to good use! Teens and 'tweens from any central Massachusetts town are invited to the SPLAT "Youth Trivia Showdown!" Covering topics like movies, music, history, science, local interest, and some surprises, this event is something not to miss! Register by calling the Shrewsbury Public Library at 508-842-0081 ext. 5. If you leave a voicemail message, be sure to include your age, town, and phone number. FREE OF CHARGE until slots are filled. Teams will be comprised of members from each community, so we'll see which Central Mass town has the smartest (or luckiest!) teens and 'tweens! There will be free pizza and plenty of prizes!

CAREER WORKSHOP NOTICE

CLICK TO ENLARGE

New Things!!

Stop by the Loft to see a great new addition - artwork from Shrewsbury teen Angela Zhou. I am no art critic, but I think the work is great! Also, be sure to check out great France posters in the YA Book Room.

In other news...

The library is now circulating "The Way Cool Game of Science" - a series of DVD games that feature Bill Nye the Science Guy. You can check out two at a time - they are shelved behind the DS games.

All right, that's all I've got for now!

Seen Harry Potter Yet?

If you've seen the new Harry Potter movie, e-mail me your review along with a star rating (one star to four stars, four being the best) and I'll post it on this blog! dbarbour@cwmars.org

New Poll

It's the battle of the ages!!!

Well, maybe not, but still - vote in this month's poll to support two of the most popular book series of our time. Do you prefer Harry Potter or Bella Swan? Do you like wizards or vampires? Check back often to see how the voting goes!

Also, welcome Marlboro readers - last month we actually had more readers from Marlboro than Shrewsbury!

www.readsinma.org/shrewsbury


Area 609 is now open!!

This is the 2009 Summer Reading Program for Teens and 'Tweens in grades 5-12. Register at the link above (you will have to select the Area 609 tab) to begin entering your books and following clues to win prizes!

Updates!

Hello everyone! Here are some updates...

*The Shrewsbury Public Library is now on reduced hours due to budget cuts. The biggest differences you will see it that we are no longer open on Thursday nights, and every day we open at 10AM as opposed to before where we opened at 9AM on certain days. Also, Saturday, June 27th, will be the final Saturday we are open until the fall.

*The Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union made a generous donation to the library by sponsoring Optimal Resume - an online resume creator that is state of the art. It's never too early to start learning how to write a resume, and it will impress anyone you might be looking to get a job with for the summer. You need a valid library card to log-on (which you can do from home!), but it's free thanks to the Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union! For more information, click here.

*We are now taking sign-ups for the Heritage Night. For the event to go off, we need to have people sign up to take different country booths. Find out more information in the previous post (below).

*I am looking for ideas for educational DVDs to purchase - preferably career skills titles. If you have any ideas, e-mail them to me: dbarbour@cwmars.org

*A bunch of new manga is on the way. Thanks to the SHS Manga Club for all of the great suggestions.

Peace!
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Heritage Night - NEW DATE SET

Due to a poor date selection, the previous Heritage Night event was postponed from this past May. The new date is Monday, July 13th, from 6:30PM-8:30PM - if you are running a booth, the room will be open from 4:00PM-6:30PM for you to put things together.

If you don't remember or were too busy to notice what the event is, it's a cultural event run by students in grades 5-12. What you need to do is select a country and prepare a booth in our large meeting room to show off that culture. You do not have to be from that country - you just need to research it. Japan, China, and India have been taken so far, but there are plenty more countries to go around!

Prepare things like snacks, music, outfits, and other items to educate visitors on your chosen country. The country team that puts together the best booth as determined by judges will walk away with a great mystery prize valued at $100 thanks to Dunkin Donuts in Shrewsbury.

Like before, we need at least five booths or the event will be canceled. E-mail me to register or stop by the library. If you had signed up before, you have your country reserved - please just confirm with me that you still want to do the event.

**HELP** Below is a poster I designed to promote the event in town. Please print off as many as you can and put them up everywhere!! If you see a spot with ads, ask if this can be put up too! I really would appreciate your help with this, even if you cannot come to the event! Thanks!

CLICK GRAPHIC TO EXPAND

Further information below:

Register your country at the library now. There will be only one booth allowed per country, but no limit to the number of people helping at that booth. The first person to sign up for each country will be in charge of that specific booth, but must provide contact information if others want to help them with that country. Participants have to be in grades 5-12, but do not have to be from the country they are representing. Instead, everyone involved in running a booth must be educated about their chosen country. There is no charge for this event, but people running a booth must provide all of the items and materials.

Thanks,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian
Shrewsbury Public Library

Dan in Japan

Hello friends!

So I can now tell you a little bit of information about "my adventure" as referred to in previous posts. Some of you know that I was cast on the reality program "I Survived a Japanese Gameshow." If you've seen "Hell's Kitchen", it's sort of like that show, but replace cooking with crazy, off-the-wall, colorful games, and a yelling head chef with a comical Japanese host. I cannot legally say any more, other than you can watch the show on ABC beginning on June 17th (a date that has changed recently - the original date was in July) at 9PM.

I hope you watch, cheer me on, and stop by the library to tell me what you thought!

Here are some neat links with more info - please note that I did not write ANY of this information as I am not allowed to give away info until I either win or am eliminated from the show:

Cast Picture and Information
I Survived A Japanese Game Show - Home - ABC.com

Peace!

A Memorial Day Poem

Thank you to Sahil Suresh for sending us this poem! Leave your comments below.

Stop and Think
A Memorial Day Poem by Sahil Suresh

Imagine you were outside playing with your friends on May 25,
Take a moment to stop and think on those who helped to make America what it is now,
Memorial Day is the time of the year when we recognize the superior deeds the U.S. Army did for our country,
It’s the time of the year when we realize who were the people that fought for our country,
The people that risk their lives,
Just to protect our country,
The U.S. Army defends our country no matter what,
They are the true audacious and fearless heroes in our life,
Memorial Day is a day not only dedicated to those war heroes,
Such as Grant or Washington,
But to those soldiers whose names are unheard of,
Memorial Day is the day when we identify those soldiers who died,
And let them know that there death wasn’t in vain,
Because these soldiers died for our country,
They molded America into what it is now,
Memorial Day is the day we acknowledge the people that serve our country,
To those who are currently serving our country,
Or to those served our country at one point,
Memorial Day is when we recognize these people,
We acknowledge them not only for the excellent deeds they have done for our country,
But for their Bravery and Courage,
So next time it’s Memorial Day,
Stop and think,
On those that helped to make America what it is now.

And the winner is....

CLICK TO ENLARGE

This is a pretty cool video....

Making of a Graphic Novel from Capstone Publishers on Vimeo.

WOW!!

Keep voting and telling your friends to watch the show - but great job in already voting over 35 times in a matter of days!

Peace,
Dan

Shrewsbury Teens on TV!!

WATCH THE SHOW AND VOTE ABOVE!!!

The show will begin by May 5th, and air for at least two weeks.

SPLAT Teen Writing Competition can be seen on SETV channel 29.

Mondays at 8:30pm & 11pm

Tuesdays at 5:20pm

Wednesdays a t 5:52am

Thursdays a t 4:30pm

Fridays at 6:30pm & 10:30pm

Saturdays at 7pm

This show can be seen at these times until May 17th - when voting closes. The show may air after that, but votes will not be accepted. The contestant who gets the most votes will win a $50 Borders gift card. The voting results will not be revealed until the end of the competition, and the winner will be posted here on or around May 20th.

Feel free to forward this to as many people you know in town! Remember, one vote per computer, so it's up to you to get the word out about voting!

I cannot wait to see how it all turns out, so spread the word and happy voting!!

Sincerely,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian
Shrewsbury Public Library

TEEN WRITING COMPETITION

HITS THE SMALL SCREEN

AND ONLINE VOTING BEGINS SOON!

Back in March, 13 students from grades 5-12 entered a unique writing contest at the Shrewsbury Public Library. They had three hours to write a story that would take only three minutes to read and present to what they thought would be a small crowd.

There were a couple of surprises though, and one of them is that they would not only be reading their stories for the other participants, but also for the entire Shrewsbury community.

Thanks to SETV Channel 29 and Library Trustee Laurie Hogan, the presentations will soon be airing for a two-to-three week period in which online voting will be conducted. The 40 minute program will let the public decide who they think did the best job. The student who receives the most votes will win a special prize!

So tune in and catch the presentations, and then come back here to vote.

Voting will begin soon and run for about two weeks.

We Need Volunteers!

HERITAGE NIGHT

THURSDAY, MAY 28th - 6:00-8:00PM

We are looking for teenagers who can set up booths in our large meeting room to represent different countries.

These participants should:

... come dressed in clothing from their chosen country.
... bring games and toys from their chosen country.
... teach other participants words from the language of their chosen country.
...bring candy and appetizers from their chosen country.
...provide detailed information for participants to take home with them.

Judges will vote on their favorite country booth, and the winners will take home a great prize!

Register your country at the library now. There will be only one booth allowed per country, but no limit to the number of people helping at that booth. The first person to sign up for each country will be in charge of that specific booth, but must provide contact information if others want to help them with that country. So far India and China have been taken.

Participants have to be in grades 5-12, but do not have to be from the country they are representing. Instead, everyone involved in running a booth must be educated about their chosen country. There is no charge for this event, but people running a booth must provide all of the items and materials.

Back!

I cannot say much, but many of you were here when you (and I!) found out about the "adventure" I was embarking on for a little while, thus why this blog has not been updated since the middle of March. I can let you know that I am back safely (if not bruised and exhausted), and look forward to updating you with all sorts of great upcoming events and the status of my "adventure"....I will post more next week. Until then, have a great holiday on Monday, and a great vacation week!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Blog Update

Thanks to all of the loyal readers of this blog. This blog is going to be "on vacation" until the end of April, so be sure to check back then for exciting updates on spring and summer events at the library. Be sure to read the posts below too though to make sure that you haven't missed anything!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian
Shrewsbury Public Library

CLICK TO ENLARGE. THIS IS A GREAT NEW EVENT!!

Easy Reads

New Section in the Teen Room:

The new "Easy" section in the Young Adult Room is intended for anyone who doesn't have the time to read a longer story, may have trouble reading, or just enjoys a simpler storyline. They may at first glance look like children's books, but they are geared towards grades 5 and 6. They are great transitional books - a good first step from the Children's room into the Young Adult Room. You can find this section above the fireplace for now, and you can tell which books are "Easy" by the bright orange sticker on the side. Let us know what you think!

FULL

The 3-Hour Writing Showdown is full! Sorry if you were hoping to attend, but look forward to more great events in the future!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Thanks!

Thank you everyone for coming to the event yesterday with ice cream and surveys and that extra little exciting moment! It was awesome to see so many of you!

The themes that got the most votes were horror/crime scene and space/aliens, so we'll be developing a combo of those elements to form the program. We announced that the grand prize is going to be a Nintendo DSi system - the brand new gaming device that comes out this spring!

FREE ICE CREAM FRIDAY!!!

Like ice cream?

Like winning stuff?

Get to the library this Friday at 4PM and get a free ice cream sundae when you help us choose a theme for this year's summer reading program! Every teen or 'tween who attends will get some free ice cream and a raffle ticket to win a DVD! The winner can choose either Wall*E or Twilight (which will be held for them when it releases later this month!).

Tell your friends, because we need as much input as possible!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Halo Book Chat THIS WEDNESDAY

Hey everyone!

Remember, the book chat for the Halo book "Ghosts of Onyx" is this Wednesday (March 4th) at 7PM. If ten or more people come, everyone will be entered in a raffle to win a $50 Gamestop giftcard! So tell your friends to come! If you haven't read the book yet, you still have a couple of days (it's a quick read) and we have a bunch of copies kept aside at the library. You don't need to finish the entire book to enter the raffle, you just need to know something to contribute to the conversation!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian
Shrewsbury Public Library

Get Your Mystery Movie Tickets!

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't updated in a little while - I was on vacation but now am back to it!

The tickets to our mystery movie are going already, and if you want to have some free pizza and see a smash hit movie on our library big screen, get your tickets soon! The movie is rated PG-13, so those 13 and under will have to have the permission of their parents to attend. When you pick up your tickets, you can find out what the movie is!

The event will be held Thursday, April 23, at 11AM. It's 100% free, but limited to 30 participants!

And tell your parents that registration for the adult cooking competition is now open!!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Rivalry Race THIS FRIDAY!!!

There are still a few spots to be a contestant on the Shrewsbury Public Library original game show/hunt event "Rivarly Race." There will be some awesome prizes and those in grades 3-12 are welcome to team up (at least two people per team) and enter. There are two sessions Friday night - one at 6:00PM and another at 7:30PM. There are two team openings for the 6:00PM and four for the 7:30PM at this point, but the spots will fill in quick. Call the library at 508-842-0081 and dial extension 5 to begin the registration process! Seeya there!

How Much Do You Save By Using the Library?

Hi there! I found this really fascinating calculator that estimates how much you spend per visit at the library. You can plug in the various items you get per visit, and then see how much you are saving by having your library card!

Check out how much you spend, and then post a comment with the amount in the comments section (you can do this without posting your name or joining blogger!)

http://www.masslib.org/value-new/calculator.html

Funny Comic Strip

I think this comic strip is hilarious and totally relevant!

And people think we're just about shoooooshes and books!

(Depending on your monitor size, you may have to click the strip to see it fully.)

Volunteers Needed!

Hi friends!

Due to a great event suggestion from an anonymous blog commenter, we are going to go ahead with a special Heritage Night event. The event will be a celebration of the diverse community we live in, all run by teens and 'tweens from Shrewsbury. Here's what I need now though:

*I need between 5-10 volunteers to help organize the event. I put together the basic rules and so forth so we could get the information in our next newsletter. I need people to help make more concrete plans. Volunteers would be expected to meet a few times prior to the event to help get things in line for a successful Heritage Night.

I think this event has HUGE potential, but it will require the help of a small team of you guys and gals. Ask your friends if they can help out, because this is YOUR event. I enjoy putting things together - it's my job - but I also want you to enjoy it!! So contact me at dbarbour@cwmars.org as soon as you can with the best days and times you could meet, and we will work on scheduling our first session.

Peace!
Dan

E-mail from the author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

Hi guys and gals! I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out to the launch party last week for the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, and as I said I would do, I sent the picture that is in the previous post to the author of the books, Jeff Kinney. He managed to take time out of his crazy schedule to send us a brief e-mail message back, and I thought I would post it here for you to read! Totally cool!!

Thank you so much for having a Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 launch party! It was so gratifying to see the picture of the kids holding books. I put a lot of work into the kit and am so glad that it was well received!

Jeff

'Wimpy' Event Super Cool

Thank you to Dunkin Donuts, Fidelity Investments, and Amulet Books for sponsoring this great event!
If you're visiting the blog for the first time, WELCOME!! This is the place to get the first notice of events for grades 5-12, and sometimes younger ages for our scavenger hunt events. Bookmark this site and check back often, and be sure to vote in our polls.....they sometimes help shape different events we have!!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Program Ideas!

Hey there! So I just wanted to seek out some program ideas from you guys and gals. We're going to be doing more video game nights and cooking competitions as those have been quite successful.

What other types of events do you all think would be good to have in the library?

I've received a couple of good suggestions, but am always looking for more ideas to enhance the programming here at the SPL. It's your area - make it your own! Post a comment or e-mail me (dbarbour@cwmars.org) and we can work something out around your idea. Whether it be another or more specific type of game night, or having someone come to the library to teach you some skill, or a competition of some sort, let me know what you think would attract a lot of people!

Peace!
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

The Search for Atlantis is on....ALL MONTH

Drop in ANYTIME during the month of January to make your way through a maze in hopes of finding the lost city of Atlantis....right here in the library!! Here is the first part of the adventure:

The following is fiction:

Welcome library visitors! You are about to embark on a unique adventure right here
in the library. If you are “in-the-know” on the topic of Greek history, you are well
aware of who Eratosthenes was. For those of you who may not know him, he is the
guy who theorized about many things, including the lost city of Atlantis. A lot of
historians have had ideas about where this ancient city is located - or whether or not it
even exists. Eratothenes however had a team of investigators who thought they discovered the whereabouts of this mythological land. When they unveiled their findings at a “press release” type of event, they concluded the city was located in the Strait of Sicily. There was very little evidence to conclude this though, and the team became the laughing stock of the entire community. What many people didn’t know however is the person doing the talking at the “press release” was Oopsithenes, a philosopher who made many mistakes (this is where the English word “oops” is derived from.) Instead of saying the lost city of Atlantis was in the “Straight of Sicily”, he should have said the city was located in a “Street in Shrewsbury.” The library has compiled a lot of evidence and theories about these findings, and if you choose to continue on we must warn you: There are some evil people hunting for the information that you will seek. Make your decisions wisely along the way, or risk falling into a treacherous trap! So, want to continue on?

Look under the YA Fireplace to make your next move.....