Teens 2015-09-25T14:35:38Z http://www.bpl.org/teens/feed/atom/ WordPress rschmelzer@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Banned Books Week September 27th – October 3rd, 2015]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5099 2015-09-25T14:35:38Z 2015-09-25T14:35:38Z Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. It highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week supports the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

bannedbooks10 bannedbooks11

Find out more here: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

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rschmelzer@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Girls Who Code]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5076 2015-09-15T15:12:42Z 2015-09-10T21:08:55Z  

GirlsCode

 

Check out this awesome article about two high school students who created their own video game called Bias Breaker, “a game that addresses the lack of representation in media and attempts to break down sexist, racist, and anti-gay stereotypes.”

They learned how to code through the organization Girls Who Code, an organization that works to provide young women with the skills to pursue opportunities in the STEM fields.  We’re excited to announce that a new Girls Who Code club will be starting this fall at the East Boston Branch every Saturday morning from 10:00-12:00 starting on Saturday, October 17th.  For more details contact Jay, the East Boston Teen Librarian.

If you’re interested in coding, you can get started online for free.  Here are some great sites to get you started:

Scratch

Code.org

Stencyl

Code Academy

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rschmelzer@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Back to School, Finding You]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5033 2015-09-08T18:57:35Z 2015-09-04T15:57:57Z Nervous about starting a new school year? Looking for some advice and answers? Your local library has books just for you. You can reserve your copy online at https://bpl.bibliocommons.com

BreakRulesBetweenUSuccess7HabitsGirlGuide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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jsnow@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Video Game Review: Part 4 of 4]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5022 2015-08-26T20:13:25Z 2015-08-26T20:13:25Z My name is Angie, your local, fresh outta high school, video game and comic book nerd. For a total of four weeks, I will be reviewing four games that the Teen Central is thinking of including into the video game library. These games are highly colorful and vivid, with great story lines and fantastic storytelling. If you like the game, or have any questions, feel free to comment. We want to know if you think these games are good additions for Teen Central.

Title: Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China

Rating: Teen

Platform: PS4/Xbox

Graphics: 9/10

Storyline: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

Overview:

A sub-plot of the Assassin’s Creed games in the form or a colorful side-scroller, taking place in China with a previously introduced character, Shao Jun, who fled to the West to complete her training under the legendary Assassin Ezio Auditore in the animated short Assassin’s Creed Embers and has returned, determined to restore the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins.

Plot:

16th-century China: The newly appointed Jiajing Emperor instigates a sudden and ruthless purge of all he felt were a threat to his recently-acquired throne, including the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins. In Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, players come back to Shao Jun’s story as she returns to China hell-bent on retribution. Her story takes players to famous locales including the Maijishan Grottoes, Port of Macau, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. Armed with stealth, agility and a combination of deadly weapons and equipment including a sharp and swift jian, a secret shoe blade, lethal rope darts and daggers, players deliver payback to those who decimated the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins.

Review:

Though the game is lacking the right story, the art style and gameplay are new and refreshing. A strong female lead and wonderful colors make this game fun for a playthrough. The game is heavily based on stealth, giving the player more points for avoiding combat and confrontations. The smart use of layering background images to make it look more three dimension is fun and interesting. The developers were very innovative with connecting pathways for the player to explore, making it one of the best parts of the game.

 

Teen central has elected to buy these 7 games for the Media Lounge.

  • Infamous: Second Son (PS4)
  • Never Alone (PS4)
  • Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (PS4)
  • Guacamelee (PS4)  
  • Slender: The Arrival (Xbox)
  • Splatoon (Wii U)
  • Batman Arkham City (Wii U)
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jsnow@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Video Game Review Part 3 of 4]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5019 2015-08-18T20:20:08Z 2015-08-18T20:20:08Z My name is Angie, your local, fresh outta high school, video game and comic book nerd. For a total of four weeks, I will be reviewing four games that the Teen Central is thinking of including into the video game library. These games are highly colorful and vivid, with great story lines and fantastic storytelling. If you like the game, or have any questions, feel free to comment. We want to know if you think these games are good additions for Teen Central.

Title: Guacamelee

Rating: Everyone

Platform: PS4

Graphics: 9/10

Storyline: 8/10

Overall: 9/10

Overview:

Inspired by Mexican culture and lore, this side scroller, multiplayer, is action-packed and full of fun. Through use of colorful graphics and fun humor, follow the story of Juan, the luchador.

Plot:

Juan, a former agave plant farmer, was killed by an evil skeleton named Carlos Calaca, only to be saved by a luchador mask with incredible powers. He must go on to face Calaca, allthewhile trying to understand his new powers that have been bestowed upon him. Travelling through his town and new worlds, he collects new abilities allowing him to explore more of his world he did not know of before.

Review:

This game is wonderfully colorful and hilarious. From turning into a chicken to talking to a giant chicken, this game’s fun never ends. It brings a new spin on the side scroller genre as it allows you to go up, down, backwards, and of course, forwards. You can change Juan, the protagonist, into a female heroine, and play with up to 3 friends. Trying to navigate the world is difficult and full of fun challenges. The characters are humorous and none of them bland. Truly, this is an action-packed game with the addition of hilarity.

 

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jsnow@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Video Game Review Part 2 of 4]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5012 2015-08-10T17:26:21Z 2015-08-10T17:26:21Z My name is Angie, your local, fresh outta high school, video game and comic book nerd. For the next 4 weeks, I will be reviewing 4 games that the Teen Central is thinking of including into the video game library. These games are highly colorful and vivid, with great story lines and fantastic storytelling. If you like the game, or have any questions, feel free to comment. We want to know if you think these games are good additions for Teen Central.

Title: Never Alone: Kisima Ingitchuna

Rating: Everyone

Platform: PS4

Graphics: 7/10

Storyline: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

Overview:

An atmospheric puzzle platformer that explores the hard terrain and weather of Alaska. Playing through the game, you immerse yourself into the traditional lore of the Inupiat people.

Plot:

Play alone or with a partner, exploring the Alaskan terrain with your artic fox. As you proceed through the game, solving puzzles to conquer the harsh terrain, you learn about the traditional folklore that surround the beliefs of the people. Face polar bears, hunters, and spirits on your journey through the Arctic.

Review:

This game is incredibly creative in melding the traditional folklore into the game, it really makes learning about the culture a fun experience for you and a friend. It not only conveys the tales through visual and auditory storytelling, also going above and beyond to explain the stories and their context. They interview natives about their life growing up and their personal stories on how the folktales have impacted their life. It is really an incredible and creative way to learn about a different culture.

 

 

 

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jsnow@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Video Game Review Part 1 of 4]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=5002 2015-07-30T19:33:06Z 2015-07-30T19:33:06Z My name is Angie, your local, fresh outta high school, video game and comic book nerd. For the next 4 weeks, I will be reviewing 4 games that the Teen Central is thinking of including into the video game library. These games are highly colorful and vivid, with great story lines and fantastic storytelling. If you like the game, or have any questions, feel free to comment. We want to know if you think these games are good additions for Teen Central.

Title: Infamous: Second Son

Rating: Teen

Platform: PS4

Graphics: 9/10

Storyline: 8/10

Overall: 9/10

Overview:

Infamous: Second Son is a Playstation 4 exclusive, and the third game in the series, introducing a completely new protagonist and taking place in Seattle.

Plot:

The “DUP” (Department of Unified Protection) has been rounding up conduits (people with superhuman powers) for years and imprisoning them in Curdan Cay. Delsin Rowe, lives in a small Native American town, lives with his brother, Reggie,  far away from any conduit activity. But when a DUP truck crashes in the town, releasing three conduits, Delsin finds he can absorb the powers of other conduits. When DUP reinforcements arrive, he tries to hide his powers from the DUP. Know he’s keeping secrets, they attack him and his town. When he regains consciousness, he charges to Seattle with his brother to avenge his family and friends and stop the DUP from taking conduits against their will.

Review:

Delsin struggles with his sense of right and wrong, willing to do anything to save his friends and family. The addition of powers makes him all the more sensitive to the unfair treatment of the DUP. As the player, you are able to choose between good and bad, facing the consequences of each as the game progresses and revealing two different endings. He comes across others, wronged by their friends and family, simply because they were different. Delsin can choose to show them that the world isn’t all that bad or have them embrace their dark side. Though in a fictional settings, many people can relate to those feelings of abandonment, exclusion, and frustration. Living through Delsin’s life, one can see how two paths of acceptance lead to two completely different outcomes.

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jsnow@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Teens- Vote for your Favorite YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Book]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=4988 2015-07-20T14:07:06Z 2015-07-20T14:07:06Z What is the YALSA Teens’ Top Ten? YALSA is the Young Adult Library Services Association. It’s a national division through the American Library Association that a number of Teen Librarians belong to and it helps provide support for serving teens in public libraries through a number of resources.  What is the YALSA Teens’ Top Ten?  It’s a teen choice list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year.  There are 24 2015 Teens’ Top Ten nominees this year.  Boston Public Library locations have these books and you can request them, read them and then VOTE on your favorites!  Teen Central  and the Grove Hall Branch  both have displays and several of the books from the Teens’ Top Ten.  Voting begins on August 15 and ends October 24, 2015 and you can vote at Teen Central, Grove Hall and online.

YALSA

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jsnow@private.bpl.org <![CDATA[Summer in the Boston Public Library]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=4982 2015-07-07T19:00:32Z 2015-07-07T19:00:32Z Trimmed BeatBus Logo (1) LPauthorphoto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer is here!  And what does that mean for Boston teens?  School is out, you may be working, looking for fun, interesting and stimulating things to do, maybe you have summer reading to do too.  The Boston Public Library has all kinds of great things to do, and they’re all free!

Summer Reading for Teens

The teen summer reading program will run from June 1-August 30. Earn a badge for every book you read, review you write, quiz you take and library program you attend – and more. If you earn 30 or more badges, you will be entered to win one of six grand prizes sponsored by the City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library. Grand prize winners will be announced on September 5.

 

Summer Programs for Teens

Check out the Beat Bus! It’s a music workshop and performance venue on wheels, here’s the schedule for the summer.

Check out the Liz Prince programs. Liz is a graphic artist and cartoonist who has published four books.  Discover the empowerment that comes from telling your story when Liz demonstrates how to make your own autobiographical comic book. Learn how Liz discovered her drawing style and explore your own style as you create a six-panel biography of your life.

Find out other summer programs for teens in Teen Central and in the teen serviced locations.

Did you know you can request FREE museum passes by using your Boston Public Library library card? You can!  Check out if the ICA, MFA, Museum of Science, Natural History Museum and others are available for use.

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Anna <![CDATA[One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – A Review]]> http://www.bpl.org/teens/?p=4980 2015-08-04T16:22:27Z 2015-07-03T16:04:19Z one flew over the cuckoo's nest

(Book 3 of 8 of my Summer Reading book reviews.)

Title/Author: One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Read by: Anna, Teen Central Librarian

Summary: In Nurse Ratched’s ward of the mental hospital Chief Bromden is a patient pretending to be deaf and dumb for the last twenty years. When a new patient, Randall Patrick McMurphy, walks through the door, swaggering larger than life, Chief watches him begin the hard task of rallying the other patients to challenge the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched with fishing trips, alcohol, gambling, and even women. Along the way, however, Chief realizes that McMurphy isn’t just challenging the other patients, but Chief as well.

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre/sub-genre: Classic Fiction

Diversity: Yes.

Relatable characters: Yes.

Would I recommend this to others?: yes.

Personal thoughts: This is not for the feint of heart. It’s a very dark book covering some dark topics, some that are only hinted at, while others are blatantly spelled out. That being said, I loved this book. Along with Chief, I was able to watch the men slowly regain their personalities, regain the right to be human against a nurse who sought complete control over them, which was a beautiful thing to see. The ending came as a huge surprise I wasn’t expecting, and yet, I found it oddly fitting for these characters. While it was published in 1962, I also think it’s still very relevant in today’s world. I highly recommend it.

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