10.30.2014

A.M. Teen Spa


"homemade face scrub" by Becky Striepe, licensed under CC BY SA 2.0.

Tired of trying out facial cleanser after facial cleanser? Don't empty your wallet, head to your kitchen! Come learn how to make your own facial masks and scrubs - we'll show you what yummy things are actually good for you inside AND out. 

Saturday, November 8 from 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Children's Story & Craft Room, Upper Level
Open to grades 9 - 12.

10.27.2014

Staff Pick: My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
Halloween is too much fun for just one day. All October, we'll be looking at our favorite horror/supernatural/paranormal/all-around spooky books. 

For the last scary staff pick, we're choosing something a little different: a combination graphic novel and true story.  

From goodreads.com:

You only think you know this story. In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer — the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper — seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, “Jeff” was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides.

In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche — a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget.

  
Pick it: for a chilling but yes, ultimately sympathetic, look at an American tragedy and a sick young man. We have copies of this book both in YA and the adult collection, so keep in mind that this subject matter can be dark. Proceed with caution and judgment.

Pair with: I Hunt Killers by Jeffrey Liga for a fictional look at serial killers and twisted family relationships.


Reviewed by: Deena 


10.24.2014

Teen Desk Trick or Treat

"Boylan Lanterns II" by Nathan Walls, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Visit the Teen Desk on Halloween and get some free candy. Costumes encouraged, but not necessary!

Friday, October 31 from 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.
Teen Area, Upper Level
Open to grades 6 - 12.

No registration required!

10.22.2014

Teen Sewing 101

"Buttons" by las - initially, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Learn the basics of sewing so you can breeze through future "Make It Sew!" Projects. We’ll provide the sewing machines and all supplies (needles, thread, buttons, pins). Participants are encouraged to bring garments that need mending!

Wednesday, November 5 from 7 - 8:30PM.
Children's Story & Craft Room, Upper Level
Open to grades 9 - 12.

10.20.2014

Staff Pick Flashback: The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Halloween is too much fun for just one day. All October, we'll be looking at our favorite horror/supernatural/paranormal/all-around spooky books. 

Today we're highlighting a fun, creepy mystery set in the 1920s that we reviewed a while back.  

From goodreads.com:
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-tute-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.
Pick it: if you love a good mystery with plenty of spooky-ghosty overtones.

Skip it: if you're quick to blush. Evie is a wild child to say the least!

Pair with: a nonfiction title about the Roaring 20s. We recommend Flapper: A madcap story of sex, style, celebrity, and the women who made American modern by Joshua Zeitz. That's Evie to a tee!

Reviewed by: Melissa

10.13.2014

Staff Pick: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Halloween is too much fun for just one day. All October, we'll be looking at our favorite horror/supernatural/paranormal/all-around spooky books. 

From goodreads.com

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.


Pick it: for a weird, time-traveling story that's more strange than scary. I particularly loved the photography interspersed throughout the book.

Pair with: the sequel, Hollow City, or Asylum by Madeleine Roux for more found photo creepiness.

Keep your eyes out for the movie adaptation! Tim Burton will direct (perfect) and it's due to hit theaters in July 2015. 

Reviewed by: Deena 

10.06.2014

Staff Pick: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
Halloween is too much fun for just one day. All October, we'll be looking at our favorite horror/supernatural/paranormal/all-around spooky books.

From goodreads.com:

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.


Pick it: to find out why the scariest part of this book isn't the threat of ghosts, but the seemingly unstoppable Spanish influenza. A beautifully tragic piece of historical fiction.

Pair with: The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler for more early 20th century Spiritualism. This one's set across the pond in England. 

Reviewed by: Deena 

10.02.2014

Thrill the World: Cherry Hill

Thrill the World: Cherry Hill has been canceled.


It's that time of year....

Cherry Hill is set to to Thrill the World again! It's time to show off your Thriller dance moves in this worldwide event.

Don't know the dance? We've got you covered.

Rehearsal: Saturday, October 11 from 10AM - 12PM
Conference Center, Lower Level
Thrill Time: Saturday, October 25
Friendship Grove
Registration begins at 2PM and we start thrilling at 5PM.

Bring your family and friends!