Own The Night-Summer Read

Summer Read Registration is Now Open!  

REGISTER:

· For summer read at the reference desk

· For teen programs in the calendar section of our website: www.derrypl.org

Or call 603-432-6140 or email Erin at erinr@derrypl.org

Summer Read Challenge

June 18th-August 16th

Pick up a summer read packet and reading log at the reference desk!  Log your books from  June 18th-August 16th.  You will receive a prize for every 3 books you read. Bring your final reading log to the end of the summer pizza party to pick out your prizes, have pizza, and screen our teen horror movie. Prizes will include books, magazines, comic books and more!

 

Own the Night Manga Drawing Workshop

July 24th from 3:30-4:30

Join local artist, Kristine Brock, to learn how to draw Manga!  We will be centering our lesson around the summer read theme, Own The Night, so come ready to draw dark, gothic, mysterious characters!  Beginner - Experienced artists are welcome and encouraged to attend.  Registration Required

 

Murder Mystery Party

July 25th from 6:30-8:00

There's been a murder at the book fair!  Put on your crime solving cap and come ready to play a part as we delve into discovering who is responsible for the death of the famed author, Stephanie Milne! Registration Required

 

Forensics Friday

July 27th from 3:00-4:00

Did you know that there are seven common fingerprint patterns?  Join us for an afternoon of sleuthing as we learn about fingerprinting, crime scene analysis and more! No Registration Required

 

Mystery Writers Group

Bi-weekly starting June 20th, from 6:30-8:00

Join us to write mysteries.  You can focus on short stories, novels, or any  length/style that works for you!  Be ready to write, critique, workshop and more.
The final session will be a public reading, so bring your friends and family and come  read your work in a supportive setting! No Registration Required

 

Cooking Club

Bi-weekly starting June 19th, from 3:30-4:30

Join us for some good eats this summer!  We will be making island smoothies, soft pretzels, decorative fruit tarts, guacamole, salsa and pita chips, spring rolls, and lemon lavender cookies.  Learn to prepare great food and have fun with friends, too!  Registration Required

 

 Horror Movie Making

Every Thursday starting June 21st, from 3:00-4:30

Come and collaborate with other teens as we write, rehearse and film our own horror movie.  Be ready to think creatively, get messy with monster make up, and have fun with others.  No Registration Required

 

 Teen Advisory Group

July 10th and August 7th from 3:30-4:30

Join our teen advisory group to help brainstorm, plan and execute programs, displays and more in the teen space.  TAG meets once a month in the teen section to discuss what we can make more inviting to our teen patrons.  

 

Have a great summer!

A Green Summer

Hello all!

I hope you're all excited for the summer to start -- I know I am!  This summer I will be guiding discussions on some of YA author John Green's novels.  To find out more, check out the Facebook event!  If you're interested, I encourage you to sign up at the circulation desk.

I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Womb (2010) Movie Reivew

Title: Womb
Director: Benedek Fliegauf

Starring: Eva Green, Matt Smith, Lesley Manville, Peter Wight

Year of Release: 2010
Genre: Drama
Length: 111 minutes

Rated: R

Tagline: What are the consequences of giving birth to your dead boyfriend?

Summary: A woman's consuming love forces her to bear the clone of her dead beloved. From his infancy to manhood, she faces the unavoidable complexities of her controversial decision.

Source: IMDB.com

Review: This is not your average science-fiction movie. Womb is full of thought-provoking questions, many of which stem from one of the most complicated and simple questions on earth: Who am I?  While the film does not use a lot of obscenities, it does feature one fairly graphic sex scene, however it is tastefully done.  As a European film, the movie is very different from most American/Hollywood flicks.  Dialogue is minimal and there is little if any musical score to accompany the action. 

I had heard of the film several months ago and, as I'm a Matt Smith fan thanks to Doctor Who, I was eager to see it but was unable to until now.  A friend of mine reminded me of the film recently and I happened to see it was streaming on Xfinity, so I watched it.  When I told the friend I was watching the movie, she said she did not think she would be able to handle it.  She is nineteen.  I include this brief digression to emphasize that the topics and themes in the movie may not be suitable for not only younger viewers but also for people who are not interested in jolting ideas that may make them question various aspects of their life and their life in general.  This movie deals with some deep ideas and, while it is not graphic in violence, etc., the movie requires the viewer to be prepared.

Womb is different.  The cinematography is unusual and the characters are, at times, lacking personalities.  However, it is the questions that are important, not the characters, in this film.  While watching, I tried to decide if the film was intended to be a statement on cloning, etc., but I am undecided on this.  I lean more towards the idea that the film is meant to cause questions, not necessarily promote a pro-cloning or anti-cloning attitude.

That said, if you think you can handle it, I recommend it.  Personally, I think watching it alone and encouraging a friend to do the same so you can discuss after is ideal, rather than watching the film together.  It's definitely one to stir conversation.

Grade: B+

People Who Liked This Film Also Liked (According to IMDB): Rabbit Hole, The Ides of March, Another Earth, The Skin I Live In, Shame, and Carnage

Karla and Kinsey Book Review Part II: Shatter Me

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Reviewer: Kinsey Manchester

5/5 stars

Seventeen year old Juliette lives in a futuristic society ruled by a government known as the Reestablishment. Juliette’s parents gave her away to the government because Juliette has a deadly touch. That is, anyone who makes skin contact with her suffers and dies. She is put in an insane asylum, alone and is barely holding on. Juliette hates who she is and when she gets a new roommate in her cell, she struggles to face the fact that she cannot get close to him because she can never touch him. Despite Juliette’s efforts to shut out her roommate, Adam, they grow closer. Juliette in turn, suffers more and more because she cannot touch him (even though she wants to). Later on, Adam is revealed as a soldier in the government and his purpose of being Juliette’s roommate is to see if Juliette is really crazy. Juliette feels betrayed by Adam because she thought they were friends. Once she is deemed sane, the ruthless leader of the sector where they live, Warner, tells her that he wants to use her touch as a weapon in the war the government is fighting. The only catch to Warner’s plan is that Juliette will not cooperate because she refuses to use her touch against anyone. As Warner pushes Juliette to be the monster that she has been forever trying not to be, she finds the strength to remain true to herself through the one person who never gave up on her. With that strength and the help from her friend, Juliette tries to fight back against the Reestablishment.

Shatter Me is a dystopian novel that pulls you in from the first page. I like how the action starts right away. I was not bored or disinterested in the beginning of the book, as I sometimes am in other books. At first, the style of writing was not my favorite. For example, some lines are crossed out as a way of showing what Juliette is thinking but does not say, and I initially found that annoying. However, as the book went on, I found them useful in developing Juliette’s character and I decided that it is a unique approach to showing us how Juliette really feels. I really enjoyed the character of Adam, because he was the stereotypical good guy. Adam reminds me a lot of Peeta in the Hunger Games, because he loves Juliette from the beginning, and neither Juliette nor Katniss (in the Hunger Games) can figure out why he loved her. I liked how just when things are starting to simmer down, a twist comes and the action keeps rolling. I did not expect the end of the book to be as it was at all, and I find that a sign of a good book- when you do not know what is going to happen next. The only thing that I thought could be improved upon is the reader knowing more about Juliette’s history. I wanted to know more about her school days, but it makes sense why we do not know that. Juliette has blocked that part of her life out because it was not a good time for her. I also wanted to know more about Warner. I feel that his character could have been developed better. Other than that, I loved the book. I think that this is a book that could use a sequel, so I hope that there is one coming out! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, romance, and dystopian novels.

Karla and Kinsey Book Review Part I: Shatter Me

Review of Shatter Me

By Tahereh Mafi

Reviewed by Karla Accorto

5/5 stars

No one can touch Juliette, or so she tells people, because bad things happen to those who touch her. Sometimes, even deadly things. Thus, she is thrown into a futuristic asylum where the only rules are the ones that you figure out for yourself. Hundreds of days pass for Juliette—almost a year—before she finally has contact with another human being: Adam, a ghost from her past. Only, Adam isn’t like the rest of the people Juliette has encountered in her life; he can touch her, and nothing bad happens. However, the government has other plans for Juliette, plans that she isn’t willing to be a part of. With Adam’s help, Juliette must figure out how to prevent a ruthless leader from exploiting the lethal weapon that is her body.

Quite simply, I loved Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. It was one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I truly enjoyed Juliette’s narrative and the story was told heavily with suspense—definitely a page-turner. I read it all in one day, almost a single sitting, staying up much past my bedtime to found out the ending that awaited Juliette and Adam. The world Mafi created, something that is really important to me as a reader, was realistic and gritty and quite plainly, scary. I was terrified of the society that Juliette lived in. I cannot imagine what it would be like. Adam was easily one of my favorite male characters in fiction because he was so complex. I never knew what to expect from him and I was constantly wrestling with the idea of him being good, evil, or even a little bit of both. His dialogue was believable, too, and he was quite charming and funny at times. I loved Juliette as a heroine because she was focused with strong inner morals and values. She knew what was right and wrong and stuck to her beliefs. She was not weak at all, and most importantly, she was independent. Adam’s younger brother was adorable, too, and Kenji provided some good comic relief. Warner, however, crept me out, even from the beginning, and when I found out his real age, my jaw dropped. He was obsessive though, and borderline stalker-ish. An interesting character, but downright scary.

I have few complaints about Shatter Me. As I said above, it is one of my favorite fiction books of all time. I was only sad that it ended. However, there is a sequel set to be released next February and even a movie in the works, as Fox has gained the film rights to it. Midnight Premiere here I come!

Kinsey and I both enjoyed this book….Dystopian seems to be a good genre for us. Although, I fell in love with the writing style and voice immediately, it took a little while to grow on Kinsey. In the end, though, we both agreed that the book was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games or Divergent or is just looking for a book that isn’t like all the rest. 5 stars from me.

Karla and Kinsey Book Review: Part II

Babe in Boyland

by Jody Gehrman

Reviewed by Kinsey Manchester

3.5/5 stars

High school junior Natalie Rowan writes the love column in her school’s newspaper. Natalie is sure that her alias, Dr. Aphrodite, gives the best advice and is the only thing keeping people reading the newspaper. However, a bunch of guys tell Dr. Aphrodite that she never looks at the boy’s side of things. Natalie realizes that she has zero dating experience and her advice isn’t exactly perfect. Determined to prove that she can turn the criticism around, she asks boys for their opinions and what they want in a relationship. As a girl, though, none of them take her seriously. Then, Natalie and her best friends, Darcy and Chloe, come up with the best idea: to disguise Natalie as Nat Rodgers and send her to the all boy’s school, Underwood Academy. As a boy, she will be able to figure out exactly what guys think and how they view girls! Natalie can use that information to improve her advice column. It’s a perfect plan, until things start going wrong. Natalie falls for her roommate, Emilio, but can’t do anything since she is Nat, not Natalie; Natalie’s archenemy, Summer, has her sights set on Emilio, too; and lastly, Summer will do anything to ruin Natalie’s life, even if it means blowing Nat’s cover.

Babe in Boyland is a fun, quick read. The characters are developed very well. Natalie is a very relatable main character, and I soon found myself looking forward to hearing more about her situation. Natalie’s voice as a character is funny, and it made the book a lot more enjoyable. As a reader, I really like when the main characters have a sense of humor. In this case, Natalie not only had a sense of humor, but it helped that the whole situation was funny. One of my favorite scenes is when Nat goes on a date with a girl named Erica. Nat feels nothing for her, but goes anyway. Jody Gehrman does a really good job of instilling emotions in the reader, such as what I felt toward Summer Sheers. I definitely found myself making faces whenever Summer came into the picture. Emilio is the quintessential dream guy and of course Summer would steal him from Natalie. I loved the way that the author painted pictures of the campus at Underwood Academy. I could picture exactly what it would be like to visit this place. The descriptions of the scenes were flawless and helped a lot when I was reading. There was only one minor setback. The plot is, more or less, predictable. I guessed most of what happened. It reminded me a lot of the movie, “She’s The Man”. Although it was predictable, I loved the story and the characters, and would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an enjoyable and short read.

Karla and Kinsey Book Review Part I

Babe in Boyland
By Jody Gehrman
Reviewed by Karla Accorto
3.5/5 stars

This month Kinsey and I selected Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman. It follows the life of a teenager named Natalie, a.k.a. Dr. Aphrodite, the school newspaper’s love advice columnist. However, when she is accused of only telling her readers only what they want to hear and nothing that is absolutely close to the truth, she decides that she needs to expand her knowledge of the male sex. The best way to do this according to her? Become one of them for a week. With some help from her close friends, Darcy and Chloe, she enrolls in an all-boys boarding school and becomes Nat. Her goal on the way to school? Discover the inner workings of the male mind. Her goal after the first day? Not to fall in love with her roommate. Babe in Boyland takes you on Natalie’s hilarious journey as she attempts to discover just how alike boys and girls can be and if the grass is truly greener on the other side.

Babe in Boyland was a light, quick, and easy read. I first picked it up because it reminded me of a movie I had really enjoyed, She’s the Man. While the two do prove to be similar at first glance and at some of the silly mistakes the two girls make as they pretend to be boys, ultimately, the stories are very different. Natalie was a very likeable main character and she lived in a fairly believable world. I loved the parts Chloe and Darcy played, especially because they reminded me of how I am with my own closest friends. I was somewhat disappointed, though, because the two seemed to be fairly flat characters. However, I was impressed with the amount of time the author spent on Natalie’s roommate, Emilio, and his sister. Both had believable motives and interesting backgrounds that I loved learning more about. In full disclosure, Emilio did have a few lines that made me swoon, and I was occasionally jealous of Natalie J. The ending was tidy and cute, which, being the sap that I am, I adored. I only wish that I was able to know more about all of the secondary characters and even Natalie herself. I often found myself wondering about her and why she was thinking the way she was. I would also have loved for the author to elaborate on her relationships: with her mother, Chloe and Darcy, her arch-nemesis, Summer, and even Emilio.

All things considered, I enjoyed Babe in Boyland. The story itself was good, but slightly younger than for someone my age. However, there were a few mature allusions made in the story, so I would recommend it to an incoming high school freshman or a mature eighth grader. I loved the ride Natalie took me on and I loved the look that I got inside the male brain.