Read + Review is Back!

Happy first week of school everyone!  Read + Review is now open – so you can start earning community service hours for submitting your reviews of our New YA books. You can earn up to two credit hours for each review, up to ten hours a semester. Check out our website for the latest reviews!

Visit our Read + Review page to learn more, and check out our handy guide to getting awarded the maximum two hours service credit for your reviews below.

Best wishes for an excellent school year, and happy reading from your HCPL Teen Librarians!

Read Review Infographic

Teen Summer Songwriting Challenge

Teen Summer Songwriting Challenge

In celebration of our music themed Summer Reading Club, we will be featuring a series of songwriting challenges over the next month and a half. All aspiring teen songwriters are encouraged to get creative and participate.

Each week from June 18 to July 23, we will introduce a different musical genre. We will give a little background history of the genre and its Virginia roots. We will then provide you a writing prompt and you will have a week to submit a song (no more than 300 words).

All songs submitted must be the original work of the person who is submitting. That means they need to be written in your own words; do not plagiarize.

The winner will receive a songwriting book appropriate for that week’s theme.

Check in with us during the next six Mondays to learn about and enter the weekly challenge. The winner will be announced the following Monday.

Featured genres will include:

  1. June 18 – Pop / Rock
  2. June 25 – Blues / R&B
  3. July 2 – Country
  4. July 9- Hip Hop
  5. July 16 – Punk
  6. July 23 – Your Choice – Enter here for this week’s challenge

And don’t forget to stop by your local library and sign up for the Summer Reading Club. Make sure you register in time to get one of our HCPL custom kazoos! Available while supplies last.

Kazoo

 

Henrico County Public Library Presents: LibraryCon 2018 @ the Twin Hickory Library

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Like comics? Do you have a favorite fandom? Like to read? Do you like to dress up as your favorite character? If you answered yes to any of those question, then you will want to go to Henrico County’s LibraryCon that is happening June 30th from 1-5 PM at the Twin Hickory Library! (5001 Twin Hickory Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059).

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There are going to be events for all ages! Including an all ages costume contest, green screen photo booth, door prizes, teen gaming, anime screenings, karaoke,  and Harry Potter and Star Wars themed escape rooms! There will also be local vendors you can buy comics and fan gear from. Plus there will be a special appearance from local storm trooper squad, the 501st Legion. You are not going to want to miss this event! For more info call the Twin Hickory Library at 804-501-1920, or ask your teen librarian! Check back here or at henricolibrary.org for more info leading up to the event.

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Read + Review is Back!

Happy first week of school everyone!  The first day of school is also the first day of Read + Review – so you can start earning community service hours for submitting your reviews of our New YA books.

Visit our Read + Review page to learn more, and check out our handy guide to getting awarded the maximum two hours service credit for your reviews below.

Happy reading from your HCPL Teen Librarians!

Read Review Infographic

Read + Review: The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz

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The Crossroads, sequel to The Only Road, continues the story of Jamie Rivera, a refugee from Guatemala. In the previous book, he entered the United States due to gang violence in his home country. After both he and his cousin, Ángela come to live with their brother, Tomás, Jamie is extremely reluctant to start school. This entrance into his new school is made even worse by the fact that he can barely speak English. Throughout all the bullying, embarrassing moments, and the fact that everything around him is strange, Jamie never truly feels like he fits in. He wants nothing but to go home to Guatemala, but violence back in his home country prevents him and his cousin from returning. It almost seems as if he’ll never belong in the United States, but has no choice but to stay. Through the unknown, will Jamie finally make friends and truly learn to belong?

I honestly liked this book. It was just amazing with a unique story, one that I had never heard before. I had never read a story about two Guatemalan refugees before, and was intrigued by the synopsis. I liked how real all of the characters seemed; they just seemed so believable. I could completely understand how strange and afraid Jamie felt when entering a new school, even more so since he couldn’t speak English that well. Also, the scattered details throughout the book, like Jamie’s artwork and even descriptions of Vida, their dog, made the whole read quite endearing. However, I didn’t really understand some of the details and references in the book, since I hadn’t read The Only Road.

One of the most memorable parts of the book was how Vida, the dog, was described. Vida was described using all of the most tantalizing details possible. Sometimes, I even felt like she was in the room with me while I was reading. In the previous book, Vida was rescued by Ángela and came with them to the United States; which is similar to Jamie and Ángela being “rescued” from the gangs in Guatemala and being taken to the U.S.A. Throughout the book, she was a true companion to everyone, and the way she could sense when people were upset was just so endearing. The attention and accuracy of all these canine details make me wonder if the author had a dog similar to Vida.

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Reviewed by Sanika Renatkwar, Grade 8, Twin Hickory Area Library

International Games Week

Come play some old school games with us!

This week is International Games Week! Henrico County Public Library is celebrating with lots of great gaming sessions. Several locations will have various “old-school” table top board games and other locations will also have gaming consoles to play!

Game Day for Teens
Libbie Mill Library
Tuesday, November 6, 9:00am – 9:00pm
Celebrate International Games Week! Stop by the Teen Room to play board games and video games! We will be gaming all day. No registration is required.

International Games Week
Tuckahoe Area Library
Monday, November 5 – Saturday, November 10
Drop by Teen Planet to play board games! We’ll have a variety of games, old and new. Try out your clever strategies!

NASA Game Break
Twin Hickory Area Library
Tuesday, November 6, 2:30pm
Board games and group games on the Election Day holiday! This month we are highlighting games about space science.

International Games Week
Varina Area Library
Monday, November 5 – Saturday, November 10
The Teen Department will have various board games available to you so drop by and play, and special open hours for your gaming consoles.

Read + Review: Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal

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Bonnie and Clyde were a legendary criminal couple. Constantly on the run, their numerous crimes include murder, robberies, and many, many cases of grand theft auto. They were sensational headliners, famous throughout the country in a time when money was scarce and resentment towards authority was on the rise. But how exactly did these lovers wind up on the path of crime? How many of the stories are true? From humble beginnings to a violent end, this book chronicles the lives of these famous outlaws.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It provided not only an informative retelling of the lives of two famous figures, but it also provided an interesting insight into what life was like during the Great Depression. Bonnie and Clyde were always people I heard mentioned or referenced many times in pop culture, but never really knew anything about until now. I definitely recommend this book to any history lovers.

My favorite part is probably the part that details their lives and upbringing before they became criminals on the run. I find that you can tell a lot about why someone went down the road they did by learning about their early years, and it is always interesting to hear what started it all.

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Reviewed by Dahlia Sherif, 10th grade, Twin Hickory Area Library

Read + Review: The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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This book was about two girls named Avery Armistead and Kayla Butts. They were very close friends when they were little, but now that they are older they rarely see each other. This summer, they’re going to Spain together. Both girls try to figure out why their families made them come on this trip together, but they can’t seem to find a reason until Avery loses her passport. After they find out the truth, they are very angry at each other, and their families. Throughout their time in Spain they keep their distance from each other, but when something happens to Avery’s dad, they finally realize they don’t have to be mad at each other for the decision their parents made.

I thought this book was a very great book, and it was written very well. I liked how the book was written in both of the girls’ perspectives which made the story more interesting, and made me want to keep reading. I think my favorite character was Kayla because she always knew how to handle a situation, and always tried to have a positive attitude. At the beginning of the book I did not like the character Avery because she was always being rude to Kayla and making fun of her, but at the end she learned not to do that as much.

I think the most memorable part of the book was when a scary situation happened to Mr. Armistead. The two girls worked together to help him get to the hospital, in a whole different country the hardly knew anything about. Then, when they were at the hospital they really became close in their friendship, which was a sort of turning point in the book.

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Reviewed by Helen Levy, 7th grade, North Park Library

Read + Review: This Noble Woman by Michael Greenburg

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You’ve probably heard of famous political activists and abolitionists like Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. But have you ever heard of Myrtilla Miner? A headstrong woman with a huge desire for knowledge, she wouldn’t go on to settle down and become a housewife like her father wanted, but instead establish the first school for colored girls, several years before the Civil War. Thanks to the dedication and work of Ellen O’Conner, a close friend of Myrtilla who didn’t want her legacy to be forgotten, the life, the struggles, and the achievements of this unsung hero are together in the form of this book.

I found this book quite informative. It details the story and the determination of a not as well known abolitionist and political activist whose name and accomplishments, despite all her flaws, definitely warrant some recognition. It also told of the differing perspectives across the country, painting a picture of the gradually shifting cultural and political climate at the time. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history and great activists.

For me, the most memorable part about this book was the part about her childhood. I honestly had no idea about the things it mentions about woman’s rights and education at that time, so it was very interesting to me.

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Reviewed by Dahlia Sherif, 10th grade, Twin Hickory Area Library
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