Read, Watch, Listen, Play

Teen Writing Group Summer Writing Contest Instructions

2011-06-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

1. Choose an illustration from Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick and Elizabeth will make a copy of it for you to take home.

2. Determine the perfect nom de plume for your work.

3. Decide what type of narrative (a short story, a nonfiction essay, or poem) you wish to write by our meeting on July 13. Only one piece per contestant will be eligible, and all submitted short stories, essays, and poems must be typed in size twelve Times New Roman Font and double-spaced. Please note that these pieces can be no longer than three pages, and each must incorporate the chosen illustration’s original caption somewhere in the work.

4. Hand in your chosen piece at the beginning of our session on July 27. Remember to sign your work with your nom de plume!

5. Read all of the entries posted in the Teen Room and vote for your favorite piece between July 28 and August 16.

6. Celebrate our growth as writers as we wrap up at our last session with pizza and announce the winners of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Teen Summer Writing Contest.

For more information on Chris Van Allsburg’s own The Mysteries of Harris Burdick story submissions, see his website.

Join the Teen Summer Writing Group at the West Lafayette Public Library!

2011-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Like to write poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction? Interested in building a friendly and supportive writing community this summer? Want to win cool prizes?

The Teen Summer Writing Group will meet at the West Lafayette Public Library from 5:30 to 7:30 on Wednesday

June 1*
June 15
July 13
July 27
August 3
August 17

*At our first meeting we will discuss both our own summer writing goals and our favorite authors, so feel free to bring a passage from a piece you admire with you!

WLPL Updates

2011-03-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone, I hope you're enjoying the last few weeks left of school. Before you know it, the summer will be right around the corner! With that said, I am excited to announce our Summer Reading program is underway. I have met with TAB members and we are currently planning out the summer program. If you are interested in helping out, feel free to email me at teens@wlaf.lib.in.us.

We have an exciting summer planned. The One Great Book read is titled Feed. Here is a quick summary:

This brilliantly ironic satire is set in a future world where television and computers are connected directly into people's brains when they are babies. The result is a chillingly recognizable consumer society where empty-headed kids are driven by fashion and shopping and the avid pursuit of silly entertainment--even on trips to Mars and the moon--and by constant customized murmurs in their brains of encouragement to buy, buy, buy.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!

Summer Poem

2010-07-18T13:48:00.001-07:00

It’s summer! It’s summer!!
Time for vacation!
Grab your swimsuits
And head for the beach!
The water’s cool (both ways!),
Perfect for the hot weather!
The sand is perfect for sand castles
That the little ones love to build.
Is there anywhere else
You would like to go
Other than the beach?
The answer should be no,
So come on in and enjoy!

Poet: Melinda L.

Words

2010-06-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

There aren't enough
words to fill all
the spots.

How many words
do you know that
can replace the
word
dot?

How about fear,
simply describing
fear, not horror
or shock, but
fear.

We need more
words for every
word there is,
dear (darling, honey,
my sweet, beauty etc.)

Poet: Ch.Eg.Ey.

The Once and Future King

2010-06-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Melinda C.
Melinda C. “Loved It”

The Once and Future King
Author: White, T.H.

This is basically a version of King Arthur. However, unlike some King Arthur tales, this one has humor poked in with facts. It has the classic pulling-the-sword-out-of-the-anvil, but instead of having that at the beginning, it is introduced at page 150 out of 638. It may be long and tedious, but it is still fantastical, and, in my opinion, should be introduced into the schools' list of books. For those looking to learn new words, this is also a good alternative. I HIGHLY recommend that people read it at least once in their lives.

Calm

2010-06-14T10:52:00.001-07:00

If calm was a color,
It would be light blue
as cloudless as a clear day sky.
If calm was a taste
it would be just like ice cream
on a hot summer day.
If calm was a feeling
It would be as relaxing as
someone swinging
in a hammock on the beach.
If calm was a smell
It would be as nice
as an air freshener just plugged in.
If calm was a sound,
It would be a seagull crying out
as a small wave crashed on the shore.

Poet: Melinda L.

No One Ever Knew (Woman Observed at the Library)

2010-06-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

No one knew that purple sweater with
that common pattern and black sock necklace
would be worn that day.
No one knew that that look of 50
would wear down more heavily than usual.
No one knew that her blond highlights
would contrast so heavily against her natural
brown hair.
No one knew that she usually was
leaping in the air and flipping in majestic arcs.
No one knew that she had saved
more lives than she could count
or seen far more than she cared to count,
taken.
No one knew that, usually, not always, but
usually, there was a green light saber on her hip.
No one knew I was her apprentice.

Poet: Ch.Eg.Ey.

Tornado Above the Cotton

2010-06-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

A blinding wind surrounds
all who dare cross my path
My swirling fury knows no bounds
such weakness makes me laugh

The car I flung from the highway
The girl who barely survived
The houses I threw sky way
My fury is all they see

The tornadoes that tore Mississippi
like the ones near Eagle Lake and Yazzo City
No, I ain't picky
I am the tornado who destroyed all

Poet: Ch.Eg.Ey.

Orange

2010-04-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Orange looks like the sun setting
right above the trees, disappearing
for the moon to take over
Orange looks like the cheez-its
resting in the box I want so much
Orange smells like fresh tangerine
as I peel off the natural "skin"
Orange sounds like a bus
honking for a late student
to come out and board the bus for school
Orange feels like a dent
in the paper from someone
pressing the pen too hard

Poet: Melinda L.

List Poems!

2010-04-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

A hanging tooth:
extremely annoying
fun to wiggle
lasts longer than anything
slightly sore
something you want to rip out
not worth your mother's anger

Poet: Ch.Eg.Ey.

My sister smells like:
Old pizza
Armpit sweat
Fish
Vinegar
Sunshine

Poet: Kathryn R.

The Setting

2010-04-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

The setting.
The place
where it all happens.
The area
that doesn't seem so important
but that a story
can't go without.

The setting.
The place
which we always forget.
The area
in which we need to work.
The part
that might not seem so important
but is integrated so deeply into the plot
it would be murder to forget it.

Poet: Kathryn R.

Queste

2010-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Melinda L.
Melinda L. “Loved It”

Queste
Author: Sage, Angie
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Copyright Date: 2008

Do you like fantasy? Do you like exciting, suspenseful books? If so, you would love Queste by Angie Sage! This book is about an apprentice named Septimus Heap and the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand. Their lives seem well--until the troublemaker Merrin Meredith comes in and decides to mix things up to get rid of Septimus Heap. In that case, he gets things and makes a trade with Tetris Fume (a ghost) to send Septimus on a Queste that no one comes back from. When Septimus has to draw from a pot, he runs away with Beetle and Jenny to search for Nicko, his brother who got lost in the last book, Physik. But, before he leaves, a ghost guard gives him the stone, saying it is a safe-charm. When he realizes this, he doesn't know what to do next. To see what he does, read Queste!

No More Dead Dogs

2010-03-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Melinda L.
Melinda L. “Liked It”

No More Dead Dogs
Author: Korman, Gordon
Publisher: Hyperion
Copyright Date: 2002

Do you like hilarious books? Do you like mysteries? If so, you will enjoy No More Dead Dogs. Wallas always told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So, when his class had to write a book report on Old Shep, My Pal, a book he disliked, he got in trouble and went to detention, where a play was rehearsed. Doing so, he was banned from football (something he was a champion of) until a proper report was written. This is a tale of what happens when you don't write a proper book report (and a bit more than that!)

Angels and Demons

2010-03-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Rose E.
Rose E. “Loved It”

Angels and Demons
Author: Brown, Dan
Publisher: Pocket Books
Copyright Date: 2000

A legendary anti-Catholic secret society, called the Illuminati, was believed to have been disbanded long ago. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon soon learns otherwise when he finds himself faced against them. Their goal: destroy the Catholic center of the world, Vatican City. Their course of action: during the meeting of popes from around the world, a bomb hidden somewhere in the city will explode, powerful enough to blow up all of Rome. Now Langdon is in a race against time to follow the Illuminati's trail of clues. Will he succeed, or will some of the most important religious leaders in the world be blown to smithereens? An amazing story with mystery and suspense that always keeps you guessing. Read about Langdon's first adventure. (Note: This story is rated for people ages 15+ for some profane language and disturbing images.)

Busted: an SAT vocabulary novel

2009-11-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Lucretia Y.
Lucretia “Liked It”

Busted: an SAT vocabulary novel
Author: Harrison, Emma
Publisher: Spark Publishing
Copyright Date: 2004

Kim Straford, the main character of the novel, is a Freshman at Stanford University. However, when her mother, a cop, needs to catch the drug dealer, or the drug dealers in the Hereford Academy, Kim goes under the name Kim Sharpe, and attends Hereford to help her mom catch the dealer(s). The book has a surprise ending, and I recommend the book to teenagers who like those kind of endings. The story is a realistic fiction and a romance. The novel is also a good source for memorizing vocabulary for the SAT, because the book has the definitions for challenging vocabulary (which is printed in bold black) in the book. The book is 170 pages long and has about one thousand SAT vocabulary words. Overall, the novel is pretty good and sometimes humorous, but I would not recommend this book to people who hate romance, because that is the main genre.

Animal Farm

2009-11-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Lucretia Y.
Lucretia “Liked It”

Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Publisher: Signet Classics, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright Date: 1946

Strangely, at the beginning of the novel Animal Farm, the book is called a fairy story. Usually a fairy story reminds people of children’s literature, but Animal Farm is set for adults. But like a fairy story, Animal Farm has no moral. The book was written by Orwell to criticize Stalin, when Stalin ruled over the Soviet Union. The ending is unsatisfying, so the resolution does not seem like a resolution. The story itself is about animals overthrowing humans and gaining freedom, but conflicts lead one after another after the rebellion. After the rebellion, there are disputes between animals. However, when the disagreements do stop, there are conflicts between the neighboring farms. Rules that were first made at the beginning of the book become broken, but the animals never lose hope. Overall, the book gives a fresh message with its satirical fairy story.