Book Bag: Friendswood Youth Services Blog

Along with table top games we'll have other ways to entertain yourself throughout Zaki Con. Try your hand at a race or two in Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch, test out the green screen, play various board games such as Five Minute Dungeon and more! You'll also be able to make some crafts based on the movies to take home with you! Crafts like Turnip Head from Howl's Moving Castle a firefly, paper airplanes, and a witch's flower! Plus, coloring pages from the movies we'll be watching!

Our 3rd annual Zaki Con is on its way!  Join us Friday January 4th and Saturday January 5th for a FREE celebration of Hayao Miyazaki and the movies of Studio Ghibli! There will be movies, games (board games and table top games for beginners), a cosplay contest, an Artist Alley, Ramen bar, crafts, video games, and more! If you're an artist who would like to reserve booth space in the Artist Alley fill out this form:  Artist Alley Application This is an event for all ages, but it is planned and put on by the Friendswood Library Teen Advisory Group

If you know me, you know there are several different days I would hyperbolically refer to as The Best Day of the Year. You also know that I mean it wholeheartedly every time I say it. So when I say that Teen Book Con is the Best Day of the Year, know that I am telling you the truth. Imagine a day designed for teen readers. A day where there are photo booths for selfie-taking, a tree to hang your poetry on, 3D printers to gawk at, buttons to make, books to buy, food trucks in the parking lot, and authors. Lots and lots of authors. And admission is free (you have to pay for the books and the food, unfortunately)! That day is Teen Book Con. It happens every year in April and is put on by a committee of amazing librarians and the coolest independent book store. I love going to Teen Book Con because, even though there are lots of librarians and other adults around, it's really focused on the teens. During the panels, teens are given priority seating and only teens are called...

It was recently brought to my attention that I haven't updated this blog in a while. I thought to myself, 'That's true, I should really go look at it!' Then I came and actually looked at the page and...it's been a whole year?! Unacceptable! So my new year resolution (a little late in coming) is to regularly update this page with library happenings, book reviews, and more. We didn't do a March Madness this year, for the first time in 5+ years, but that's because the Teen Advisory Group and I have had our plates full. Back in January, we hosted our first ever Comic Convention- Zaki Con. It was a 3 day event that was both exhausting and so much fun. Looking forward to planning it again for next year!  We just had another first, our first ever SherLock In. A lock in dedicated to watching the first two seasons of the BBC Sherlock. We even had our own, original Escape the Room Challenge, created by our Technical Services Librarian, Keith! We were all in ne...

That was totally all of y'all this morning, right? RIGHT? No? That's okay. Because the start of school also means the start of weekly YA programming here at the library! Here's the schedule for August and September! See you soon!  DFTBA, Sti

Looking for fun things to do this summer? We've got you covered!* I'm posting the Young Adult programs here (since this is, you know, the Young Adult blog), and I'll explain a few of the programs for those of you who like to know exactly how your day is going to go . So here's the rundown on what everything means: 6/2-3 Doctor Who Marathon:  join us as we watch this British Sci-Fi show about a time traveling alien! 6/10 Elemental Superheroes: Create and draw your first superhero of the summer using one of the Elements on the Periodic Table as inspiration. 6/12 Action Hero Mash-Up: Create a wacky superhero by taking apart old toys and gluing them together in new combinations 6/17 Comic Book Workshop with Artist Jessi Jordan: Exactly what it sounds like! Artist Jessi Jordan is joining us to talk about what it's like to be an artist, and teach how to draw our own comics! 6/19 Heroes Unmasked Trivia: Superhero-themed trivia game (there may be priz...

I hope everyone's first day of school was fantastic. Or at the very least, not awful! I thought I'd give y'all a week to get used to school. To acclimate, if you will. And then we'll start with all of our awesome programs!  As usual, Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 will be video games and snacks Then Teen Advisory Group meetings will be on Wednesdays 4:30-5:30 And Fridays will be different programs like snack making and board games and hedgehogs made out of books.  I've uploaded the program brochure below, so you can see just what we've got going on this fall. But you can also come in to the library and get a paper copy. AND you can get reminders on your phone if you text the message @yaprograms (516) 342-4409 See you next week! DFTBA, Sti

Were you at Science Fiction Trivia Day with guest author Adam Holt? Would you like a personalized copy of The Conspiracy Game? Just print and fill out this form and bring it in to the library this week! DFTBA, Sti

I know you're excited about summer, who can blame you? But you know who is even MORE excited about summer? ME! I've got a bunch of excellent things planned in June and July, for instance:  See that last program on the brochure? It's an overnight lock-in. That's right, 12 hours IN THE LIBRARY. No one allowed in or out but Young Adults. BUT, you have to attend 3 programs and read 21 hours in the Summer Reading Club. "But Sti, how do you join the Reading Club?", you ask. Or you would if this were an infomercial...This year we're going digital, so starting June 1 (yes, a Sunday and yes before school is technically out) you can go to the library's website  or the library (free) app  and sign up to log your hours spent reading this summer! Here's what the website will look like when you get there:  Create an account and log your hours! The website will keep track of them and tell you when you've earned a prize. Just as in...

Hey all! Thought I should dust off the blog and talk about our plans for this Spring! As usual, we've got Video Games every Tuesday (4:30-5:30), Teen Advisory Group Meetings every Wednesday (4:30-5:30), and crafts every Friday (4:30-5:30).  But we've got a few special things in store for you as well! Starting with... The Reichenbach Ball Do you watch the BBC series Sherlock? If you haven't heard of it, let me tell you all about it! It's a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, and it is fantastic. Seriously. We're big fans of it here at the library, and, with the conclusion of third season the Teen Advisory Group decided we needed a celebration that was all Sherlock! We're calling it The Reichenbach Ball and it is going to be excellent. On Saturday February 8th from 6:00-8:00 we'll be meeting at the library dressed in our finest (or cosplay if that's what you'd prefer). We'll have some discussions about all the fangirly feels we...

I don't know if you're aware, blog readers, but I am a huge and I mean HUGE fan of the British series Doctor Who. Like a big, dorky fan  If you've never heard of Doctor Who, it's a British science fiction series about a time traveling alien. It's a scary, funny, poignant, and- in my opinion- important show. And if you hang around at library YA programs long enough, I will make you watch it. And you too, will become obsessed. Or at least learn the valuable virtue of patience while the rest of us obsess. This year Doctor Who will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on November 23. There will be a special episode airing and all the fans will lose their minds. It'll be great fun! BUT I couldn't let the celebration end after the 23 soooooo the Teen Advisory Group is hosting a 50th Anniversary Party! Join us on Saturday November 30 from 2:00-5:00pm to celebrate  All Things Who!  Snacks, crafts, games, and clips from the show! We're also having a co...

I don't know if you've heard, but I've started a new series of Young Adult programs called Adulthood 101. These are hands on classes that deal with lots of things you'll find helpful in the 'real world' when you're an 'adult' (I say this because I sometimes find it hard to believe that I am actually an adult in the real world). Things like learning how to do your laundry or changing a flat tire. Some people learned these things from their parents or driving school and just need a refresher. Some people just straight up ignored all those lessons. Whatever category you fall into, these things might get you out of a jam in a few years when you're on your own. Our first class Lessons in Laundry was September 28, if you couldn't make it you can still access my presentation and practice on your own laundry at home. Your parents will be very impressed, I promise.

Check it out! The Young Adult programs for Fall/Winter 2013 have been announced! Here's a look at what we'll be up to once school starts.   If you'd like a physical copy, drop by and pick one up at the library! DFTBA, Sti

So, Man of Steel premieres this week! To celebrate it's release and just celebrate superheroes in general, we're having a Superman Party from 2:00-4:00 on Saturday June 15! Come out for some Superman crafts, goodies and check out some books about superheroes! This is a come and go event, so you're welcome any time between 2:00 and 4:00.   DFTBA, Sti

Welcome to summer! Our Tween and YA programs start today at 1:30 for Tweens (8-10 year olds) and 3:30 for Young Adults (11-18 year olds. Today the Tweens are making Super Hero Masks and the YAs making Smash Books!  On Friday at 1:30 the Tweens are making Bouncy Balls and at 3:30 the YAs are dropping eggs! And don't forget! The YAs are playing Muggle Quidditch on Saturday at Noon! See you there! DFTBA, Sti

Hey, it's nearly summer! Are you ready for the Summer Reading Club? We have some really cool prizes for the YA Summer Reading Club this year. For Stage 1 (3 hours)- you'll get a certi ficate and envelope full of free stuff around town. Free Whataburger, Astros tickets and lo ts more! Stage 2 (6 more hours)- earbud holder. I hate it when my earbuds get all tangled, th is is a great way to stop that! Stage 3 (12 more hours)- Superhero Rubber Ducky! And Pool Party permission slip ( the Pool Part y is July 14) Stage 4 (24 more hours)- Stressball with the cutest little fa ce! Stage 5 (48 more hours)- Backpack you may already have one or two of the se, but do they say Friendswood Public L ibrary on them? I th ou ght not! We also have tons of awesome things going on YA programming wise. As you know, we have a YA program every Wednesday and Friday at 3:30 during June and July. Come join us for all the fun! And don't forget , TAG will still be meeting on Wednes...

Hey y'all! Hope your Spring Break is off to a great start! Despite your vacation, I'll be hard at work and we'll have all of our regularly scheduled programs. That means video games on Tuesday, TAG on Wednesday and a craft on Friday. PLUS! The Girls' Only Slumber Party on Friday from 8:00pm to 8:00am. If you're in town, I hope you can make it, we always have a lot of fun. All you need is a signed permission slip (found at the desk in the Children's Department), your sleeping bag/pillow/whatever you like to bring a to a slumber party, and a snack and drink to share with everyone! We'll play everyone's fa vorite book game (if you don't know what that is, come learn). We 'll also be having a Disney movie marathon, a dedicated Doctor Who room, Mario Party Wii area, and of course some sort of freeze tag (mostly likely of the Weeping Angel variety!). DFTBA, Sti

We're playing Mario Kart today! See you at 4:30 in the Activity Room!

Duct Tape Art on Friday from 4:30-5:30. Come create stuff with us! DFTBA, Sti

Hey everyone! Tomorrw (Saturday February 16) we're going to be playing a game of the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game from 11:00am-2:00pm. It's a really fun game where you act as the Doctor and his companions and work together to save the day! So bring a snack to share and join us for an adven ture through time and space! DFTBA, Sti