Can't Sign Up for TeenSRC?

AARGH! For reasons beyond my control, St. Albert Public Library isn't showing up on the list yet! Please be patient, I am hoping it will be rectified on June 29th. I'll keep you posted.

Summer Reading Club is Open!

It's here! The Teen Summer Reading Club is waiting for your reviews. St. Albert Public Library is participating in an online summer reading project sponsored by the British Columbia Library Association so you will be interacting with teens from across the country. In order to participate you need to set up an account with the site. Be sure to indicate that you are from St. Albert Public Library so that you are eligible for our prize draws.

So how does it work? The TeenSRC summer club will run from June 28th through August 19th with the summer windup party on August 23rd. You get to read what you like for the summer and then submit reviews to the TeenSRC website through your account. Each week I will draw a prize winner from the reviews submitted from our library. Anyone who submits at least four reviews in the seven weeks of play will be eligible to come to the final party and their name will go in the draw for the grand prize iPod Nano!


Each review you post is moderated before it shows up on the listings. So how do you write a review? Don't panic, it's not that complicated and this isn't school. Here are some tips.

• Tell a bit about the book. Where is it set? Are the characters believable? Is it creepy, sad, funny, boring, realistic? Remember detail is good but NO SPOILERS. Reviews with spoilers don't get posted.
• Tell us your opinion! What made you like it or hate it? Did you like the dialogue, the characters, the plot, or the artwork? Why was it boring?
  
• Does it remind you of anything else? A movie, tv show or another book?
  
• Do you recommend it? This is where you get to rant or rave. Reviews are all about your experiences not anyone else's.

You can probably do it all in four good sentences. Please check out the FAQ section of the TeenSRC website for the full details about review posting.

If you need some suggestions of books to read, check out the online booklists at the TeenSRCbooklists in the Teen Corner. You can always check out what other teens have been reading by looking at the reviews online.

Log on to www.TeenSRC.ca and get reading.

If you have questions, contact Kathleen at 459-1751 or ktroppmann@sapl.ab.ca

Tamar by Mal Peet

The subtitle of this book is A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal which defines the story.
On one hand it is a compelling mystery and thriller. Another plot line looks at the joys and perils of love and how loneliness and fear can make you mad. Set in Holland in 1944 as well as England in 1995, Tamar follows the story two SOE agents working as resistance fighters and the fifteen-year-old granddaughter of one of the men. She knows that she has been named Tamar at her grandfather's request but she has never known why. When her grandfather commits suicide he leaves her with a box full of items that send her on a journey of discovery (literally) where family secrets are revealed. The author gives you glimpses of what might come and yet the discoveries are still surprising. This book won the Carnegie Medal for Children's Literature in the U.K. but it is aimed at young adults in the 14+ age range due to the emotional complexities of the story.

Teen Summer Reading Club Coming Soon!

The online Teen Summer Reading Club (TeenSRC) will launch soon. It will run for seven weeks and offer weekly prizes as well as a chance to win the grand prize of an iPod nano! Watch for details here and in the library, and get ready to `Book a Trip`with the Teen SRC!

Tattoo by Jennifer Barnes

Bailey and her three best friends are hanging out at the mall on their usual Friday shopping trip. Strange things start to happen after they decide to wear the temporary tattoos Bailey bought from the strange lady at the accessories booth. The girls discover that the tattoos have given them supernatural powers that they will need to fight the ancient fairies who control fate. It's a crazy mix of supernatural oddities, Celtic mythology and high school mean girls. This is a fast paced fun read for fans of Charmed and Buffy.