First, I would like to apologize for my prolonged absence. I am back at work now and ready to blog like crazy. Since I'm still catching up from being gone, there will be no meetings for the Teen Advisory Groups this month. However, I will be hosting a night of Guitar Hero in the McManus Room tomorrow night, Wednesday, January 3rd at 7PM. Bring your friends and your urge to rock. I received a second controller as a gift, so now we can play on multiplayer mode!! Snacks and good times will be provided. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me. Hope to see you there!

As you know, Midterms take place next week at Staples High School. In order to make your study time more enjoyable (if this is possible…), I have reserved the McManus Room and Seminar Room for you Monday-Thursday evenings next week. There will be areas for quiet study as well as group study. The library will provide snacks and soda and I will be around with my trusty laptop, should you need help. Spread the word and bring your friends.

The library was PACKED on Wednesday night with students frantically studying for midterm exams! Good luck everybody and keep coming back for study space! Thanks to everybody who let me give them the paparazzi treatment :)

As I've mentioned in this blog before, I am totally obsessed with Greg Galloway's As Simple As Snow. I've tried to get everybody I know to read it. I need people to discuss it with, since the book is about a mystery that is never solved. And guess what? Greg Galloway is coming to the Westport Library on Monday, March 26th!!! I am so excited! In the meantime, I've ordered extra copies of the book so that everybody else can read it. Also, be sure to check out the book's website, where you can learn more about the book and even have clues e-mailed to you on a weekly basis! More details to come as the event draws nearer.

By now you know that the pick for this year's WestportREADS book is The Soloist by Mark Salzman. The book is centered around a formal child cello prodigy coming to terms with his adult life while participating in a jury in a murder trail involving a Buddhist monk. There are many events at the library centered around the book, including a Buddhism workshop this Monday.You can see the full event list here.

We will be having a Teen discussion of the book the evening of Monday, March 19th at 6:30 in the McManus Room. Bring your friends and bring your appetite because as always, we'll be having pizza. E-mail me with any questions. The book is short and is a quick read (I read it all in about two Metro North trips), so don't worry if you haven't started yet!

Next Friday, March 23rd at Toquet Hall Teen Center in Westport,CT:

Westport's First Ever Library Rock Concert!!

In Flight Radio: 7:30pm-8pm
The Queen Killing Kings: 8:15pm-8:45pm
The High Strung: 9pm-10pm

Doors open at 7:15. This event is FREE, but you will need tickets! Contact me for more info:

Jaina Lewis
Teen Librarian, Westport Library
jlewis@westportlibrary.org
(203) 291.4809

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!!

Saturday, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day! Come celebrate at the library from 12-4 on Saturday afternoon in the Library's McManus Room. We will eat pizza, watch anime', and of course, pass out free comic books. This is also a chance for you to give us input on what you would like to see in the library.

Hope to see you there!

Here are photos from Saturday's Free Comic Book Day Event. Special thanks to Heroes Comics & Cards in Norwalk for their generous donations!

If you missed Free Comic Book Day, we still want to hear your opinions on what comic books, graphic novels, and anime' that the library should collect. You can e-mail me or pick up a survey in the Teen section of the Library.

Come join us on Monday evening as we discuss Michael Cunningham's novel The Hours and watch the film starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore. Enjoy pizza and refreshments and take this opportunity to help select the next title for the new Westport Library Teen Book Club. E-mail me if you have any questions.

The event will take place in the Higgins Room, located in the Children's Department, from 4-8PM.

Are you coming to the Harry Potter release party on Friday night? If so, you'll have a chance to play the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game for the Nintendo Wii. You will learn how to cast spells and navigate through Hogwart's. These skills will come in handy when we play the game at future gaming events. Hope to see you there!