Library does teen outreach with programs

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The teen summer reading club meets at 2:30 p.m. each Monday at the library, 1014 Charles St. Events for the rest of the summer are:
June 27 — East and West. Think global, act local crafts. Using everyday objects and repurposed items to create new looks for you and your home.
July 6 — Pirate Tech. Piracy is all about the toys. Learn about pirates now and then and how the movies get it right or get it all wrong.
July 11 —CSI Weatherford. Join Weatherford Police’s own Detective Beth Turnbow for a presentation on the science and technology of forensics.
July 18 — Beyond The Books. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Many of us don’t feel as though we fit in. That’s nothing new. Some of us, though…we don’t fit in because one of our parents isn’t what we thought they were. The most popular YA series at Weatherford Public Library has earned a place in the YASRC 2011 line-up. Come and talk all things Percy while enjoying snacks, crafts and games.
July 25 — Tie-Dye the world. Make your life more beautiful by creating easy and colorful clothing and accessories.
Aug. 1 — Gamers’ Circle. End summer with a bang. Play a variety of games consoles and board games while you catching up with friends.

Related Photos

Kirsten Stout decorates a cupcake. The first craft of the day was cupcake frosting inspired by the character Peeta who works in a bakery. CRYSTAL BROWN/DEMOCRAT PHOTO

June 21, 2011

Crystal Brown CNHI The Weatherford Democrat Tue Jun 21, 2011, 08:00 AM CDT

WEATHERFORD — Watch out Harry Potter. Look out Twilight. The Hunger Games is the newest fad in teen fiction.

In a recent database search at the Weatherford Public Library, youth librarian Gwendolyn Dowds-Nash found The Hunger Games to be the second most checked out series, right behind The Lightning Thief which has already had its cinematic claim in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Like so many teen adventure books before it, The Hunger Games is being adapted for the big screen. It is set to premier sometime next year.

This trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, is set in the post-apocalyptic land called Panem where the United States once stood. The government, housed in the utopian city the “Capitol” controls 12 districts. Life in the districts is the opposite — a dystopia, where the people are left to scrounge and fight for survival.

Each year, one boy and one girl is chosen from each district. Twenty-four teens enter The Hunger Games annually, but only one winner survives.

The first book of the series was published in 2008, and even though it has been out for a while, Dowds-Nash said it remains a favorite of the library’s young readers.

“They like to re-read them,” she said. “They are still very popular.”

Dowds-Nash used that popularity to create a Beyond the Books Club activity for the teens Monday at the library.

The kids joined together to discuss the book, play trivia games and make crafts. While some have read all three, there were several who had not yet read the trilogy’s third installment, Mockingjay, published in August 2010.

Keeping that in mind, Dowds-Nash limited the trivia portion on book three to avoid spoiling the book for the group.

The teens were most interested in discussing movie adaptations of their favorite books, especially since they all said they read the books before watching the movies.

They said they are not always happy with the casting choices like in The Lightening Thief where the 12-year-old characters were cast to play 16-year-olds in the movie.

They did say they were happy that the Harry Potter series kept the same cast through all of the filming, even though the actors are just about too old to play their roles anymore.