Ahoy mates! Talk Like a Pirate Day! ARR!

Ahoy there! Don't be worried today if someone talks like a pirate, or if someone just replies with "ARRR" or "Aye." It be a special day today: Talk Like a Pirate Day! It also be a very special Talk Like a Pirate Day today: 10 year anniversary!

Not sure where to start? Here's a few tips:

• Make a Pirate Hat today with these instructions from Patch.com.
• Learn Pirate Speak by using Mango Languages (a free resource)
• Stop by the Children's Ship* and check the first porthole** for books for your little pirate-in-training as well as a list of Pirate Reads to take home.

Keep on reading!
-Miss Tegan
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 *Er, Children's Area
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Teen Tech Club Topics

Join our newly forming Teen Tech Club! This multi-week session includes an hour lesson and playtime on an online tool that you can use. The Club meets on Wednesday afternoons from July 11 to August 8, at 4 PM to 5 PM. Sign-up today as class sizes are limited to 8 students. You do not have to attend every session. Sign up and attend those you would like to attend. For ages 13-17 and at Blue Bell Library.

Teen Tech Club Topics

• July 11 - Topic: eResources at WVPL
• July 18 - Topic: Online Comic Creation
• July 25 - Topic: Image Editing
• August 1 - Topic: Edit a podcast
• August 8 - Topic: Video Editing

Visit this page for more Teen Events!

Fresh Picks - New Teen Reads (May 24)

Despite the weather, we have a few, new fresh picks for teen readers. All titles are click-able and will take you to the catalog for more information and to request the books! 

Don't forget to follow our Tumblr page this summer!

New Teen (YA) Fiction

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin - YA GRI

37 Things I Love (in no particular order) by Kekla Magoon

 New Graphic Novels

Explorer : the Mystery Boxes : Seven Graphic Stories - YA GN EXP

Ichiro by Ryan Inzana - YA GN INZ

Fresh Picks - New Teen Reads (May 17)

Check out these new, fresh picks for teens at Blue Bell. All titles are click-able and will take you to the catalog for more information and to request the books!


One of these titles will be featured on our Tumblr page this summer!

New Teen (YA) Fiction

The Wicked and The Just by J. Anderson Coats - YA COA

Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth  Eulberg - YA EUL

Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom by Emily Franklin - YA FRA

The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson - YA HOP

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber - YA SCH 

Fresh Picks - Teens

Check out these two new reads, fresh on the shelf. Clicking the title will take you to our catalog. We hope you'll check out these books and more!

Graphic Novel
I date dead people : or My boyfriend is so transparent : or My so-called afterlife : or Your memory still haunts me : or Soul mates : or I love Boo: by Ann Kerns - YA GN KER

Fiction
The Nightmare Garden: by Caitlin Kittredge - YA KIT (sequel to Iron Thorn)

Stay tuned next week for more!

May Children's and Teen Events!

Greetings!

May is going to be a quiet month at Wissahickon Valley Public Library as we gear up for a fun filled and busy summer! We hope you’ll stop by and enjoy some of our events this month and this summer.

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Science in the Summer Registration is open now until May 12!

Does your child like machines or science? Register for a chance to participate in Science in the Summer happening June 25 to 28 at Blue Bell. Those going into grades 2-3 will meet at 10 AM and those that are going into 4, 5, or 6 grade will meet at 11 AM. The theme is simple machines (exploring pulleys, wheels, ramps, and more). Lots of fun, hands-on experiments in this summer enrichment class. Stop by the library to fill out a registration form. (Registration does not guarantee a spot in the class. Due to limited class sizes we choose by lottery. Must attend all four days.  Parents must remain in the building).

Can’t make it to Blue Bell’s Morning Secessions? Science in the Summer returns to Ambler with afternoon sessions. Those going into grades 2-3 will meet at 2 PM and those that are going into 4, 5, or 6 grade will meet at 3 PM. Register at Ambler for Ambler sessions.

Feel free to register at both locations and see which location you are accepted into first.

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Blue Bell Children’s and Teens Events

 Blue Bell Continuing Children’s Events

Let’s Read Math

Wednesday, May 2 at 5 PM for Grades K-2

Let’s Read Math! where stories and math combine! For grades K-2 and 3-5. Registration required, space is limited.

Grades K-2 meets at 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM Register here

Blue Bell Lego Club

Lego Club continues to meet on the second and third Thursday of the month! May dates are May 10 and May 17 at 4:30 PM. Build, design, and create @ Your library. Legos and Duplos provided. For ages 3 and up (parents of children ages 5 and under must stay in the room). Walk-ins welcome!

*Please note! There will be no Lego Club in June and August, but we’ll have four sessions in July that you will need to register for. More information coming soon!*

Family Movie Matinee

Saturday, May 12 at 1:30 PM

Featuring Dolphin Tale. Stop by the library for a free movie on our big screen! Special front row seating for children. For all ages and FREE!

Guitar Story Time with Miss Michelle

Mondays and Fridays at 10:30 AM, Wednesdays at 4:30 PM

Bring your friends and sing along!

Blue Bell Special Children’s Events

Mother’s Day Craft

Saturday, May 12 at 11 AM

 Enjoy a story about Moms and a last minute craft to make just in time for Mother’s Day.
Ages 6 to 12. Registration required.

Who Wants to Eat Your Garbage?: Compost Ecology for Kids

Thursday, May 31 at 7 PM

In this hands-on workshop, kids will learn about compost from Master Gardner Judy Groban.
For ages 6 and up. Registration required.

Blue Bell Teen Events

Teen Advisory Group

Saturday, May 5, at 11AM

Help the library plan teen events or volunteer opportunities! Earn 1 volunteer hour for attending. For ages 13-17. E-mail Youth@WVPL.org if you are interested in joining.

Tween/Teen Crochet

Thursday, May 17 at 7 PM

Bring your crochet projects and work with friends new and old. Miss Tegan will be there to assist with stitches such as single crochet, double crochet and help you through patterns. Ages 9 to 17. Registration required.

Register now for the 4-H Babysitting Course happening June 18 to June 22. For ages 11 and up. Stop by Blue Bell to pick up a registration form. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn skills you could use all summer.

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Ambler Children’s and Teen Events

Ambler Continuing Children’s Events

Lego Club

Monday, May 21 at 4:30 PM

Build something amazing with the Legos and Duplos provided. For all ages.

Guitar Story Time with Miss Michelle

Tuesdays at 10:30 AM, Thursday at 4:30 PM

Bring your friends and sing along!

Ambler Special Children’s Events

Art with Benita

Saturday, May 12 at 10:30 AM

Preschool crafts for ages 3-7. Sign up at Ambler.

Eric Dasher’s Game Show For Kids!

Thursday, May 17 at 7 PM

Be part of a real game show with sets and buzzers and lights. Watch or play along. For all ages. Sign up at Ambler.

Miss Michelle’s Story Hour at Relay For Life

Saturday, May 19 at 11:45 AM

SPECIAL LOCATION: Wissahickon High School

Ambler Tween and Teen Events

Dave Bell’s Animation Workshop

Thursday, May 10 at 7 PM

Make a flip book and learn how cartoons are made! For students in 4^th to 9^th grade. Register at Ambler.

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Don’t forget to check out our event calendars for more events, at WVPL.org (calendar is located on the left hand side or you can click events for a listing of all upcoming events).

"Like" us on Facebook! Click "Like" to go to our Facebook page!

Find us on Twitter: WVPLYouth

Check out our Youth Blog and our Youth Blog at Ambler Patch.

We hope to see you at these events and around the libraries!

College Planning

Is college planning in your future? Give yourself a head start by attending the last two College Planning Sessions at WVPL - Blue Bell.

On Tuesday, March 20, at 7 PM, learn how to craft the perfect college essay at our College Essay Workshop. Essay experts will tell you what you will need for that winning essay. Register to be reminded. Presented by Chyten of Blue Bell.

On Tuesday, March 27, at 7 PM, learn how to Select a College that is best for your student. Choosing a college is not as simple as it may seem. There are many factors to consider. Join Willoughby Consulting as she tells you what you need to know to begin selecting the perfect college. Register to be reminded.

All events are free and we ask that you register to be reminded of the event. These events are open to teens and parents of college bound teens (recommended for juniors or seniors).

GEEK OUT AT YOUR LIBRARY - eBooks

Grab your eReader, your library card, and get to WVPL.org by computer or eReader. Click “Overdrive Ebooks” and experience a new way of reading a library book. In Overdrive you can check out books for 1, 2, or 3 weeks and make a “wishlist” to return to when you are looking for some books.

Overdrive works with the majority of eBook readers and we have a large selection. HINT: Before you browse, sign in with your library barcode number and then take a look around. Those orange “A” Advantage books are extra books, just for you. When time runs out on the book, that’s it. You’ll have to check it out again, or place a hold. Feel free to place a hold on your next favorite title. Overdrive will email you when the book is ready to “check out.”

Overdrive also features eAudio books which work with many popular devices.

GEEK OUT AT YOU LIBRARY – Test Prep

Test season is just around the corner. If you’re a junior or a senior, this resources is a must in your test taking strategies.

On our site, you’ll find an unassuming little lightbulb. That lightbulb is another addition to your test prep tool box. Learning Express Library, as the little light bulb is actually known, features a great College Preperation section with AP, ACT, and SAT practice exams. The best part of these is that you take the test and it is instant about how you did. When AP students were introduced to this last year, many were excited to have a resource to use before the test. This is probably one of our best kept secret eResources available to you.

Not taking a college prep test? There are certainly courses to help you brush up on your reading, writing, math, and science skills. You can also take some time to look at career help or GED preparation. There are eBooks available to help you study as well. Take some time to look around Learning Express Library.

GEEK OUT AT YOUR LIBRARY – Must See Homework Help

It’s the middle of the night. You have a paper due tomorrow. You need one more resource to round everything out. You need one more factoid. The library is close. In fact, a lot of stuff that could help you right now is closed. What are you going to do?

Visit WVPL.ORG and check out one of FOUR resources that are open while the library is closed. Think of this as the virtual, 24 hour library because these resources, don’t care if we’re open or closed. They are open for business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

eReference Books: You need one more book. Take a look at our E-Ref books available on our home page. These are virtual books, based on actual books (this should count as a book resource, but it is in eBook format). Everything is searchable, save-able, and citable with nifty citation tools (always make sure it  matches what your teacher wants). We have a variety of topics available from art to history to medicine to science. Even if you don’t have a project due, or you  just got your project, this eBook collection is a must.

Philadelphia Inquirer: A full text, searchable database of the popular Philadelphia Inquirer. You can search from 1829 to 1922 in the historical archive or you can search the full text from 1981 to present. Don’t have an assignment? Take a look for your birthday and see what happened on your day of birth.

Ambler Gazette: Search our local paper’s historical archive (1894-1945) or search present issues in this database. We admit it is a little clunky to look for and you really need a good idea of what date you are looking for, but it is fun to look around at what happened in Ambler years and years and years ago.

EBSCOHost: A searchable full-text magazine database. Simply that.

GEEK OUT AT YOUR LIBRARY – Learn a Language

Learning a language? Want to learn a language? MANGO is the resource for you.

Mango Languages is similar to another popular language computer program, but this one is online and has mobile apps. Yes, apps that you can download to your favorite devices like the iPod or iPad. All you need to do is create a username and password, log-in and start learning. Mango is a simple-to-use interface with lessons from basic to more advanced. You can also use a feature to “talk” to the computer and it’ll rate how you did.

If you need extra language help, there is a translator available on Mango as well. Type in text, tell it which way you want to translate, and you’re done! Easy (although it may not be perfect).

Mango does work both ways: Learn from English to a language or from a language to English. There are over 32 different languages to learn and many features to try.

Hey, they have Pirate.

GEEK OUT AT YOUR LIBRARY - Teen Tech Week Intro

You may have seen our poster with the words “GEEK OUT” on it. Or maybe you saw our Young Adult (Teen) book display (pictured) with science fiction and steam punk books. You may have seen the words “Teen Tech Week.”

Just what is “Teen Tech Week”? I look at Teen Tech Week, which is happening this year from March 4 to March 10, as a week long celebration of techy fiction, tech books, and the various technologies you can get from your library. For example did you know we have a test prep database or that we have eBooks? How about our learn-at-home language database? Not to mention Internet computers to use and free Wifi. Didn’t know we had this stuff?

Well, we’ll spend this next week showcasing our eResources and technology available to you at WVPL. And all you’ll need is a library card to Geek Out with our resources.