Teen Library Council
Teen Library Council (TLC) meets to discuss teen books, movies, music, and programs that you would like to see in the Library. Teens in grades 7 – 12 who are interested in joining, or who need volunteer hours, are always welcome. Help make the Teen Department what you want it to be! TLC applications are available here: TLC Volunteer Application (PDF). The next TLC meetings are Monday, October 7 and Monday, November 4 at 6 p.m.
Books & Bites
Books & Bites is a book club just for teens in grades 7-12. Join us for a lively discussion and pizza. Upcoming book club dates are below.
Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve | Monday, September 20 at 6 p.m.
The great traction city London has been skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. Thaddeus Valentine, London’s Head Historian, and his daughter are down in The Gut when the young assassin strikes toward his heart, saved by the quick intervention of Tom, a lowly third-class apprentice. Racing after the fleeing girl, Tom suddenly glimpses her hideous face: scarred from forehead to jaw. “Look at what your Valentine did to me!” she screams. And with that she jumps down the waste chute to her death. Minutes later Tom finds himself tumbling down the same chute and stranded in the Out-Country, a sea of mud scored by the huge caterpillar tracks of cities like the one now steaming off over the horizon.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman | Monday, October 28 at 6 p.m.
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family…
Dry by Neal Shusterman | Monday, November 25 at 6 p.m.
When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival,
The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.
Until the taps run dry.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson | Monday, December 16 at 6 p.m.
Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.
Teen Research Sources
General
Britannica School High – Multimedia, reading-level appropriate nonfiction content for 9-12 grade students and educators.
How to Study – Learn tips for better notes, test-taking and more.
MAS Complete – Offers coverage of popular high school magazines and reference books and covers a wide range of subjects including art, history, sports, and music.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context – Features contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today’s hottest social issues.
Citation Machine – Learn how to format your citations and create bibliographies.
Teens Health Test Anxiety – Do you struggle with maintaining your nerves before that big exam? Learn tips and tricks for managing these stressful times.
Teens Health – Information about health, growth, and emotions.
The Mint – Tips and tools for managing money.
Time Zone Converter – Find out what time it is anywhere in the world.
Unit Converter – Convert a variety of mathematical and scientific data.
College and Beyond
These websites are suggested to help you think about that next step in life…where you want to go and what you want to do after high school.
College Board – Tips on preparing for college, registering to take the SAT and more.
FinAid – Find scholarships, military aid, calculators and more.
FAFSA – Anyone attempting to get college loans, scholarships and more need to fill this out after income tax forms are completed.
Kaplan Test Centers – Get help on the ACT, SAT and AP Exams.
LearningExpress Library – Interactive learning centers with test and job preparation.
Mapping Your Future – One stop shopping for exploring colleges, majors and financial aid options.
Occupational Health Handbook – Information about various careers.
Princeton Review College Majors – Browse lists of college majors and which schools offer them. Take quizzes, get test help and explore colleges.
Vocational Studies Premier – Designed specifically for the research needs of two-year colleges, relevant to vocational programs. Subjects covered include counseling, biotechnology, cosmetology, fashion design, forensics, graphic arts, health information technology, law enforcement, and veterinary assistant.
Math
Ask Dr. Math (High School Archives) – A great website for help with algebra, pre-calculus and other math homework.
IXL Math – Practice problems for fractions, geometry and more.
Math2.org – Get help with mathematics equations.
English
Absolute Shakespeare – Have a Shakespeare assignment? Just interested in learning more? This website has you covered.
Dictionary.com – Daily words, crosswords or look up the meaning of troublesome words.
eBook High School Collection – Specifically for high school students and educators, this collection offers full-text eBook coverage that aligns with school’s curriculum. There is a selection of teacher resources and titles align with Common Core Curriculum Standards.
Grammarbook.com – Helpful rules, real-world examples, and fun quizzes.
Project Gutenberg – More than 50,000 free eBooks.
Purdue Online Writing Lab – An all-encompassing website to help you throughout the writing process from research and writing tips to citation help.
Rhymer.com – Find rhymes.
Symbols.com – Western symbols and ideogram explanations.
University of Michigan’s Dictionary of Symbolism: Symbolic meanings of words are discussed here in a convenient alphabetical listing.
History
Ben’s Guide to US Government – Get help with a government project.
CIA World Factbook – Site for information on country’s, including its people, history, commerce and more.
History Reference Center – Covers U.S. and world history topics and features historical reference books, magazines, and thousands of primary source documents.
National Geographic Maps – One stop website to find maps of all kinds.
StateMaster – Great resource for reports on US states and for comparing states.
University of Texas’ Historical Maps Collection – This site is the place to go when you need a map to help with a US history project or are curious what the United States looked like throughout history.
Foreign Languages
Pronunciator – Free with your library card to learn any of 80 provided languages.
BBC Languages: Spanish – Free podcast for beginner Spanish learners.
French Tutorial – Free resource for learning French.
Google Translate – Translate passages and text.
Notes in Spanish – Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced Spanish student, this website is invaluable.