There’s No Time Quite Like Summer.

Summer is here.  School is out.  Time to let the good times roll.  Whether you are staying in St. Louis, or travelling further a field, there’s no time of the year quite like summer.  With that in mind, here’s a list of things to do, see, or read this most excellent  of summers.

If you only do one thing this summer, it should most definitely be taking part in St. Louis Public Library’s Summer Reading Club.

Pop into your local branch to pick-up your blue registration card. Once you’ve read 5 books, bring it back to the library for a free messenger bag, and a free book.

You’ll then receive a ruby card. Complete 5 more books, return your card, and get a voucher for free baseball tickets (whilst supplies last). You will also receive an entry form for our “First Pitch Contest”. Tell us why you should get to throw out the first pitch at a Cardinals game, and you could win the chance to do just that.

After ruby, comes your emerald card. Read 5 more books, return your card, and get a rainbow lollipop. What’s that I hear you say, “No more incentives, why should I continue reading”? Well, each card you turn in gets you an entry into our grand prize drawing. This gives you the chane to win movies tickets, an iPod Shuffle, or an iPad 2. So, the more you read, the more entries you get, thus the better your chances of winning one of our grand prizes are! For more information, check out our website http://www.slpl.org/slpl/library/summer_reading_club.asp

Our Summer Reading Club runs from May 6th – July 27th.

 

Summer wouldn’t be summer without a few Hollywood blockbusters.  So, if the Missouri heat gets a little too much to bear, take a nice air conditioned break, and enjoy a couple of movies:

Man of Steel – hits theatres on June 14

Pacific Rim – hits theatres July 12th

 

If you’re like me, a large part of summer is spent catching up on video games.  Summer isn’t traditionally a big release time for games, but there’s always a few games worth checking out:

Madden NFL 25 – hits store shelves on August 27th

For the handheld gamers out there, Nintendo drops their new Animal Crossing this summer.  Beware!  This game can be seriously addictive.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf – June 9th

 

If movies and games aren’t your thing, you can always settle for that tried and tested summer activity – reading a book.  Check out this list by NPR of great summer reads for teens: http://www.npr.org/2012/06/07/154425745/books-for-you-and-your-bff-summers-teen-reads

Gonna Be There, Gonna Do That.

Stuff to do at St. Louis Public Library the week of May 20th – May 26th:

Monday, May 20th

Central: Travelling Teens: India 3:30-4:30pm.  Get a Henna tattoo.  Grades 6-12. First Floor Teen Lounge.

Julia Davis: Poetry Slam 6-7pm.  Read, write and discuss poetry and rap. Practice your slam skills. Grades 6-12.

Tuesday, May 21st

Julia Davis: Manga Club 4-5pm.  Share favorites and current reads. Compare and contrast adaptations of your favorite titles. Grades 6-12.

Carondelet: Apples to Apples 4-5pm.  Grades 6-12.  Play board and card games. Grades K-12.

Wednesday, May 22nd

Machacek: Got Game? 5-6pm. Play Xbox 360 or Wii games. Grades 6-12.

Thursday, May 23rd

Julia Davis: Got Game? 3:30-4:30pm.  Play Wii and Xbox 360 games. Grades 6-12.

Buder: Henna Tattoos 4-5pm.  Temporary body art. Grades 6-12.

Baden: DIY: Scratchboard Art 4-5pm.  What will you uncover? Grades 6-12.

Kingshighway: Henna Tattoos 4:30-6pm.  Temporary body art. Grades 6-12.

Friday, May 24th

Central: Got Game? 3-5pm.  Play Xbox 360 & Wii games. Grades 6-12. First Floor Teen Lounge.

See you there.

Teen Book Review

Keirsten D. who visits Central Library, read and reviewed Breathe by Sarah Crossan for us:

She was a big fan of this dystopian novel, “Breathe was certainly a good book.  I enjoyed how it went back and forth between narrators, the plot just kept thickening.  I could hardly put it down!  I can’t wait for the sequel “

Keirsten also mentioned that if this book was a friend she would definitely like it on facebook.  She loved the story, and would most certainly reccommend it to a friend.

If you would like to review a book for us, pop into the downtown Central library and make your way to the Teen Lounge on the first floor.  Ask for an free advanced reader copy (ARC) review book and get reading.  Remember, any ARC books you read count towards your Summer Reading Club totals.

School’s Out For Summer . . . Well, Almost.

Here’s the lowdown for what’s happening at St. Louis Public Library the week of May 13th – May 19th:

Tuesday, May 14th

Baden: DIY: Seed Bombs 4-5pm.  Help spread flowers and plants this spring. Grades 6-12.

Carpenter: Teen Urban Lit Book Club 5:30-7pm.  Discuss “Locomotion” by Jacqueline Woodson. Grades 9-12.

Wednesday, May 15th

Central: Summer Reading Club Kick-Off Party 3:30-4:30pm.  Play “The Wizard of Oz” bingo. Grades 6-12. First Floor Teen Lounge.

Thursday, May 16th

Carondelet: Henna Tattoos 4-5pm.  Temporary body art. Grades 6-12.

Buder: Got Game? 4-6pm.  Does reading, writing and arithmetic have you seeing stars as you prepare for final exams? Take a break from studying. Play Wii games and munch on brain food. Grades 6-12.

Barr: DIY: Flip Books 4-5pm.  Create your own mini comic flip book. Grades 6-12. Groups of 5 or more register in advance.

Friday, May 17th

Central: Got Game? 3-5pm.  Play Xbox 360 & Wii games. Grades 6-12. First Floor Teen Lounge.

Saturday, May 18th

Carpenter: Got Game? 3-5pm.  Play Wii games. Grades 6-12.

Hope to see you there!  Remember, Summer Reading Club has started, so if you haven’t already gotten involved, ask how at your local St. Louis Public Library.

Summer Reading Club is Here!

It’s that time of the year again.  Summer Reading Club is a go at your local St. Louis Public Library.  Whether you’re an adult, a teen, or a tot, we have something for you.  The teen program is a great way to continue reading over the summer.  Best of all, we’ve got lots of great incentives to help you along.

Pop into your local branch to pick-up your blue registration card.  Once you’ve read 5 books, bring it back to the library for a free messenger bag, and a free book.

You’ll then receive a ruby card.  Complete 5 more books, return your card, and get a voucher for free baseball tickets (whilst supplies last).  You will also receive an entry form for our “First Pitch Contest”.  Tell us why you should get to throw out the first pitch at a Cardinals game, and you could win the chance to do just that.

After ruby, comes your emerald card.  Read 5 more books, return your card, and get a rainbow lollipop.  What’s that I hear you say, “No more incentives, why should I continue reading”?  Well, each card you turn in gets you an entry into our grand prize drawing.  This gives you the chane to win movies tickets, an iPod Shuffle, or an iPad 2.  So, the more you read, the more entries you get, thus the better your chances of winning one of our grand prizes are!  For more information, check out our website http://www.slpl.org/slpl/library/summer_reading_club.asp

Our Summer Reading Club runs from May 6th – July 27th.  So, pop into the library and get reading today!

St. Louis Storytelling Festival

SLPL Hosts the 34th Annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival:

Two internationally acclaimed storytellers will grace the Central Library stage on Saturday May 4.
- 11 a.m. Kala JoJo, a Philadelphia music teacher weaves songs and dittys born of African heritage into stories of cultural diversity, healing, conflict resoluton, and side splitting humor.
- 1 p.m. Michael Parent, a French-Canadian native of Maine performs in both English and French.

Sessions especially for school groups are scheduled for Wednesday May 1 at Central and Cabanne, Thursday May 2 at Carondelet, and Friday May 3 at Central. Call the Library (314 539-0384)  or go to www.stlstorytellingfestival.org to reserve group seating.

All Library storytelling sessions are free and open to the public.

Hear all the 2013 Featured Tellers at UMSL, Touhill Performing Arts Center on May 4, 2013 7:30-9 p.m. Call (314) 516-4949 or go http://stlstorytellingfestival.org/ to purchase tickets.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Last week was the 75th anniversary of the creation of Superman.  So what better time than this to list some great superhero books, graphic novels, and movies.  So, grab your cape and let’s go:

Because it’s Superman’s anniversary, lets start with a classic Superman story.  We all know now that Superman can never be killed, but this seminal comic by DC Comics shocked the world when it killed off Superman:

Death of Superman by Dan Jurgens

One of the bestselling graphic novels of all time tells the staggering story of Superman’s demise.  Released in January, 1992, “The Death of Superman”, covers the saga of Superman’s death and rebirth, and introduced the unstoppable death dealer known as Doomsday.

Another graphic novel, dealing with an equally famous hero, is DC Comic’s, “The Killing Joke”.  This compelling novel tells the story behind Batman’s greatest villian – The Joker.

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brain Bolland

The Killing Joke stirred a bit of controversy because the story involves the Joker brutally, pointlessly shooting Commissioner Gordon’s daughter in the spine. This is a no-holds-barred take on a truly insane criminal mind, masterfully written by British comics writer Alan Moore. The art by Brian Bolland is so appealing that his depiction of the Joker became a standard and was imitated by many artists to follow.

Now for a novel about superheroes.  This debut novel by Austin Grossman is a exploration of what it truly means to be all-powerful, and dealing with the responsibilty that comes with that burden.

Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman

Doctor Impossible—evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator—languishes in a federal detention facility. He’s lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress.

Over the years he’s tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He’s traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He’s commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it’s going to be different…

Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world’s most famous superteam. She’s a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, we watch as Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, having to come together in the face of unthinkable evil.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is a thrilling first novel; a fantastical adventure that gives new meaning to the notions of power, glory, responsibility, and (of course) good and evil.

And finally, what would superheroes be without a good movie to tell their story.  This summer sees the release of another batch of superhero movies, but the highlight is surely Iron Man 3.  The third movie in this series, sees Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) face off against Manderin (Ben Kingsley).  Although St. Louis Public Library doesn’t have Iron Man 3 for you to check out, we do carry both the prequels.  So, you have no excuse not to catch-up before seeing this summer’s blockbuster movie.

Iron Man 3