Teens Who Like to Write

There are many teens and tweens who are self-proclaimed authors. We should encourage these creative individuals to hone in on their craft and continue writing stories.
Here's a fun book that is full of ideas for novice teen writers or for those adults who are interested in writing for young adult, written by the infamous Ally Carter, author of the The Gallagher Girl Series and many more. Enjoy!

Books by Ally Carter 

Get Smart on Art for Tweens

Hello all,
Here's a new idea for a fun art program for tweens. It can be scaled up for high school students or scaled down for the young ones as well.
Host a Get Smart on Art Program featuring the abstract art of Wassily Kandinsky and have student create their own impression of Squares with Concentric Circles 1913.

Art for Children and Tweens

Supplies needed:
1. A simple biography book on the artist
2. Large colored construction paper
3. Construction paper circles cut out in advance.
4. Crayons, paint, and/ or colored pencils.

Describe the artist and talk about the elements of art, which include:
1. Line
2. Form
3. Shape
4. Texture
5. Color
6. Value
7. Space

Draw out a sample of how these elements are used in art and print out pictures of work by Kandinsky to demonstrate how he may have used these elements in his work. Then, allow tweens to create their own masterpiece! Voila!

Summer Teen Volunteers

Good morning everyone! Happy 3rd of July ( hence all libraries are closed on the 4th) I want to share with you some fun tips to deal with summer volunteers, the benefits of having your teen volunteer, and what volunteering entails:
1. Volunteering at a library enhances the teens social skills for the workplace. They learn how to gain confidence, public speaking skills, and also how to deal with random questions from the public.

2. Why not volunteer someone cool with central air during the summer heat?

3. They learn to give back to their community.

4. They learn to be role models for children and teens their age.

5. Scheduling your teen volunteers and having a consequence for " no shows" is a must.

6. Teach your teens about the library and how things are organized to help them improve skills needed for school and college.

Here is a 4th of July craft our teens helped us prepare at the library:

Summer State of Mind by Jen Calonita

My new favorite teen author wrote a lovely book about rich girls, summer camp, and staying true to who you are. As our main "it girl,"  Harper gets in trouble for double maxing out her American Express, she is sent off to Sleepaway Camp at Whispering Pines. It is here that she needs to get used to being the odd girl out where her "girly" traditions of scented candles and makeup just won't cut it with all the other campers, or "lifers," as she calls them.
She soon finds a way for the entire camp to win a special prize that they all long for, but then makes a bad decision that puts the campers against her and ruins their chances in a once in a lifetime contest.
Can she still gain back their friendship and remain who she is? Will the campers and her love interest forgive her?

Jen Calonita 

A lovely book about friendships, summer camp and a little romance too! Teens of all ages will enjoy this fun book!

It's Showtime at Your Library

 Summer is in full swing. Our wonderful and talented part time staff at East Los Angeles created this fun decor to match the theme. I hope all of you have registered for your local summer reading program at your library. Teens, kids, and adults get free books for reading and completing activities. Some libraries even offer raffles! Get to it!

Summer reading 

Rules of Summer by Joana Philbin

There are definitely two sides to every summer with this perfect summer book set on the prestigious East Coast. It  features two wonderful teen characters Rory and Isabel. When the two of them meet it is not friendship at first sight, as Rory is working as an assistant for Isabel's family during the summer. Also, Isabel is a girl who plays by her own rules and sneaks into the house through Rory's bedroom.

The turn of events featuring both of the girls' love lives are a something you don't want to miss and the author does a perfect job of showing us the perspective of both worlds. I can wait to read the next one in this series.

Perfect Beach Reads

Ahhh summer? Will our June gloom every give up so we can see some sunshine? Well, the great thing about books is that we can dive into any kind of weather simply by opening a summer read. I've been listening to a fun audiobook titled The Rules of Summer. Our main gal, Rory goes to work for a posh family in the Hamptons; The Rules. She soon gets thrown into their world of money, fancy restaurants, and eventually finds a love interest of her own; Connor Rule. Will she be able to enjoy herself working and playing in the same household?
This is the perfect beach read! Enjoy!

Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin

Great books for Moms

Hello all! Happy Memorial Weekend. The weather will be wonky this lovely three day weekend, so what a great time to catch up on reading for us women- whether we are moms, aunties, single or the like... married without children. You can read by the pool or indoors when the rain comes down on Sunday
( according to Dallas Rains aka So. Cal's Weather Dude).

 Here are a few of the picks on my list for adults... Some older teens may enjoy these books also! 🙋

Teen Summer Reading

Can you believe it's almost Memorial Weekend? In California, that means it is time for sun, surf, sand and summer reading!
I've been listening to a fantastic teen audio book titled Rules of Summer, by Joanna Philbin. The perfect summer read about a teen named Rory who escapes to work for The Rule Family, an elite family who lives near the Hamptons. What I love about this story, is that it gives the perspective of two different teens; one working as an assistant who doesn't come from much and the other a spoiled rich girl, who is part of the Rule family and has been in plenty of trouble and is about to stir up more. Both delve into steamy summer romances but can the two teens live under the same roof in peace?
This author has written multiple summer themed books that you should check out.
Make sure you take advantage of your summer reading program at multiple libraries throughout the nation. You can win prizes, free books, and enjoy free movies as well. Most programs start in June.

Rules of Summer- Book One 

Happy reading!

Mad Hatter Tea Party Library Program

As most of you know, we threw an amazing Mad Hatter Tea Party with the help of our creative part-time staff. Our library program was a success!

Here's the agenda
1. Children listened to the picture book version of Alice in Wonderland
2. I then printed out pictures on cardstock beforehand and shared information about the author, Lewis Carroll, how Walt Disney was inspired to create the movie Alice in Wonderland, and small tidbits about the ride at Disneyland.
3. Children were asked to make a house with playing cards at four different tables in groups. * This proved to be a little difficult as the table cloths were slippery. This activity would be better on the carpet with older kids.
4. We then created our Mad Hatter hats out of paper, felt, feathers, and random stickers.
5. Children played a Red Queen tossing game and could take their picture with our lovely Chesire Cat as a backdrop.
Everyone had a great time. Comment below if you have questions or would like to see more.


#madhatterteaparty
#childrensbooks
#aliceinwonderland

See You on a Starry Night by Lisa Schroeder - Tween Book Review

I've read many books by tween and teen author Schroeder and this one didn't disappoint. This is a great title for young teens that are dealing with divorce for the first time and navigating the waters of moving to a new school or town.
The main character Juliet has recently moved to San Diego, after her parents recent divorce. She still has time to adjust and relax before school starts up again. She meets a quirky friendly gal named Emma who suggest they send a message in a bottle across the ocean to see who will answer. They are surprised that this individual wants to start a club based on making wishes happen for people in need. Juliet soon discovers that she too has wishes to still strive for and things to overcome as she deals with her new beginning in a new town. Schroeder's writing is poetic, entertaining, and detailed. The series will continue in her upcoming book, "Wish on All The Stars," which will be released in July 2019! We can't wait!

Photo by: Lisa Schroeder