Teens

Magic: The Gathering is a tabletop collectible card game that first launched in 1993 when I was 13 years old.  I never got into it myself, but I had a lot of friends that spent A LOT of time playing.  I hadn't thought about it in years, but teens are still playing it!  And the library is hosting two gaming sessions this month.  Both are open to players of all skill level, including anyone who wants to play for the very first time.  Registration is required, so click on the date in this blog to sign up.  You can also call the Teen Desk at 205-444-7826.

Friday, September 9, 2022 at 3:45 p.m.
Friday, September 23, 2022 at 3:45 p.m. (registration opens 09/09/22)

It's almost time for our first Homeschool Hub of the school year!  Join Miss Emma for LEGO Engineering on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 1 p.m., where you'll use LEGO bricks to complete several different challenges.  This event is open to grades K-8 and requires registration.  Sign up online or by phone (205-444-7830) today.

So you think you know everything there is to know about the Disneyverse?  The old, the new, the Marvel?  Prove it!  Take part in All Things Disney Trivia with Miss Lindsay on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.!  Sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826) today!

The third and final book in The Inheritance Games series comes out August 30th!

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know hers.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

It's aliiiiive!  The tremendous trio of authors are back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley!  I love the way Kirkus Reviews summed it up.  "The novel effortlessly and entertainingly combines “Cinderella,” Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, and Hamilton, and the ending reminds readers not to underestimate quiet women."

My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brody Ashton & Jodi Meadows (08/02/22)
Mary may have inherited the brilliant mind of her late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but she lives a drab life above her father’s bookstore, waiting for an extraordinary idea that’ll inspire a work worthy of her parentage—and impress her rakishly handsome (and super-secret) beau, Percy Shelley.

Celebrate the end of summer and our Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading program at a Beach Party on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.  Play with kinetic sand, craft with shells, hone your beach volleyball skills, and eat pizza.  And will there be classic beach tunes the whole time?  Definitely.  Register online or by phone (205-444-7826).

When I was in 8th grade, we did a calligraphy unit in my school art class.  And I became OBSESSED!  If you're a teen also interested in taking your words to the next artistic level, sign up to be part of our Hand Lettering class on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.  Grace will go over some basics, talk about the different tools used, analyze the different styles (to understand how to create your own), and give some handy tricks to make lettering easier.  There will be both guided exercises as well as a handout to take home.  It will be a quieter, more focused setting than some of our previous summer programs.  Registration is now open.  Sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826).

Take a break from the heat to celebrate Christmas in July at Hoover Public Library on Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.!  Make tacky Christmas t-shirts and decorate gingerbread houses!  And I bet you'll listen to some holiday tunes, too.  Registration is already open, so sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826) today.

Want to include some holiday books on your summer reading list?
All I Want for Christmas Is the Girl Next Door by Chelsea Bobulski
Blame It on the Mistletoe by Beth Garrod
I'm Dreaming of a Wyatt Christmas by Tiffany Schmidt
So, This Is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

Usually, adults encourage you NOT to play with your food.  Our teen librarian, Wendy, is not like most adults.  She's hosting Fruit and Veg Art on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.  Teens will get an assortment of fruits and vegetables, "not super sharp" knives, and veggie/cookie cutters.  Then they can make an edible work of art.  There will be a few examples to help get the creative juices flowing.  Registration is already open.  Sign up online or by phone (205-444-7826).