This week's big event!

Can you name the celebrity here?

How much would you love to give him a sparkly makeover? Or maybe add a zit or two to his face?

Want to watch a movie on the big screen? Eat treats?

If any of these things sound appealing, come out to our School's Back Lock-in THIS Friday, starting at 7 pm. We'll have food and activities that will be open to those 12-19 only. We are keeping this super laid back, meaning we'll do what you want to do -- so let us know. Games? Reading? Legos? A movie? We're open to it.

No need to sign up. Just show up at 7. We'll let you in. Event ends promptly at 10 pm.

Teen Book Club

We're having a little trouble getting copies of October 6th's book club pick, Glow, by Amy Kathleen Ryan, so we're going to try something else out -- we'll discuss Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin, since last week's meeting didn't work out, and we'll have a chance to talk about everything else we've been reading. So, read anything you want to and we'll talk about it.

We'll skip our reading and discussion of Glow until the winter, and at next week's meeting, we'll have copies of Want to Go Private? for you to pick up.

I'm sad because I think Glow would have been an excellent discussion, but we'll have a chance to get to it when more copies become available. Plus, I'm eager to hear what you guys are reading, and I'm eager to pass on some of the books I think you'll love to you, too.

See you next Thursday, October 6, at 3:30 pm. We'll meet upstairs, rather than in the meeting room.

What you're reading and watching

I've gotten a ton more reading logs in from summer reading and thought I'd share more of what you guys said are your favorite books, tv shows, and places/ways to read. Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite books?

Canterwood Crest: City Secrets

Party Princess

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

On the Run by Gordon Korman

Kidnapped

Graphic novels

Drizzle

Twilight

What book should be made into a movie?

Chestnut Hill

Canterwood Crest

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules

Princess in the Spotlight

On the Run 1-6

Drizzle

Where and when do you usually read?

I usually read on the couch and when it's hot outside or when I don't have anything to do.

My room

My mom's room

Outside

In the car

In my room in the afternoon

Living room at night

At night in bed

At home in my room at 7 pm

I read in the morning and at night in my bed

24/7! Anywhere, but usually in my room

What's your favorite tv show?

Shake it Up!

I Love Lucy

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Good Luck Charlie

Dude, What Would Happen

Pair of Kings

Kicking It

Suite Life on Deck

House

WWE

Extreme Home Makeover

New Books at Aram Public Library for Teens

More new books for you to enjoy! Remember, if you want to request the book from home, all you need to do is click the link then request it with your library card number and pin. Easy!


Dark Souls by Paula Morris: Sixteen-year-old Miranda Tennant arrives in York, England, with her parents and brother, trying to recover from the terrible accident that killed her best friend, and while in the haunted city she falls in love for the first time as two boys, one also suffering from a great loss and the other a ghost, fight for her attentions.


And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibinsky: Devastated by her parents' decision to split up, pressured by her boyfriend to have sex, and saddled with a case of chicken pox, fifteen-year-old Keek finds consolation in her beloved, well-worn copy of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar."


The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin: Fourteeen-year-old Sunni, her stepbrother Dean, and an art-student friend trace the footsteps of a labyrinth built in Blackhope Tower by a mysterious and brilliant sixteenth-century artist, and suddenly find themselves trapped inside his enchanted painting, trying desperately to get out.


The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler: Through a letter to her English teacher, fourteen-year-old Lizzy Mortimer of Crabapple, California, relates her discovery that she and her eccentric grandmother are kin to Morgan le Faye, charged with saving the last descendant of King Arthur from an untimely death that would endanger the world.


Sweetly by Jackson Pearce: When the owner of a candy shop molds magical treats that instill confidence, bravery, and passion, eighteen-year-old Gretchen's haunted childhood memories of her twin sister's abduction by a witch-like monster begin to fade until girls start vanishing at the annual chocolate festival


Death Sentence: Escape from Furnace #3 by Alexander Gordon Smith: After his failed attempt to escape from Furnace Penitentiary, Alex struggles to survive the bloodstained laboratories beneath where monsters are manufactured, with a death sentence--or worse--hanging over his head.


Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Shecter: Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, recalls her life of pomp and splendor in Egypt and, after her parents' deaths, capitivity and treachery in Rome.


Between by Jessica Warman: By weaving through her memories and watching the family and friends she left behind, eighteen-year-old Liz Valchar solves the mystery of how her life ended in the Long Island Sound.

This week @ APL

Join us Thursday at 3:30 pm for our teen book club! We'll be discussing Cris Beam's I am J. Here's the description:

J, who feels like a boy mistakenly born as a girl, runs away from his best friend who has rejected him and the parents he thinks do not understand him when he finally decides that it is time to be who he really is.

If you don't have a copy, there are some available at the upstairs desk to check out.

Can't make it? We'll have another book discussion September 1 @ 3:30 pm. Copies of Clarity (click the link for a description!) will be available by the end of the week at the desk upstairs.

New books at the library

Now that summer reading club is over, we're catching up on processing all of the new books that have come in lately. That means, tons of new books for you on the shelves. Here's a glimpse at some of the stuff we're putting out. Links go to the catalog record so you can place a hold on anything that looks good right from home!

Conspiricies by Mercedes Lackey: When a series of magical attacks disrupts Oakhurst Academy, a boarding school for orphaned future magicians, a suspicious alumnus is hired to secure the campus and start training the students for war.



Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schreiber: Sixteen-year-old Raven, a vampire-obsessed goth girl, is in love with Alexander, a real vampire.

The Lucky Kind by Alyssa B Scheinmel: Having always felt secure within his small family, Manhattan high school junior Nick is unsettled to discover the existence of an older brother that his father put up for adoption many years ago.

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L Jones: After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.

Clean by Amy Reed: A group of teens in a Seattle-area rehabilitation center form an unlikely friendship as they begin to focus less on their own problems with drugs and alcohol by reaching out to help a new member, who seems to have even deeper issues to resolve. If you like Ellen Hopkins, this is a book you must pick up.

The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young: Imaginative Massachusetts seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon confesses she has been troubled by thoughts of harming Alex, the little boy she loves to babysit, triggering gossip and a media frenzy that makes "Dani Death" the target of an extremist vigilante group.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight: After a killing for which she feels responsible, sixteen-year-old Ashline Wilde moves cross-country to a remote California boarding school, where she learns that she and others have special gifts that can help them save the world, but evil forces are at work to stop them.


Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker: High school junior Lacey finds herself questioning the evangelical Christian values she has been raised with when a new boy arrives in her small town.

The grand total is...

78.5.

What does that number mean, anyway?

That is the number of days -- yes, days -- you guys spent reading this summer. Over the course of 8 weeks of summer reading club, you read over 1,885 hours, or a total of over 78.5 days. That's over two and a half straight months of reading non-stop.

You guys rock!

All-You-Can-Read Cafe chats with Nova Ren Suma (author of IMAGINARY GIRLS)

Last week, the teen book club had the chance to chat with author Nova Ren Suma about her book Imaginary Girls. She was kind enough to agree to let us post the chat for anyone who might be interested in knowing more about the book -- enjoy!


Nova Ren Suma: Hi there!

AramTeens: Hello from Wisconsin!

AramTeens: I am handing you over to Ashley, one of our teens.

Nova Ren Suma: I'm ready! Thanks for having me on today.

Nova Ren Suma: Hi, Ashley.

AramTeens: we're glad to have you.

AramTeens: 1st question- where did this strange and eerie idea come from

Nova Ren Suma: Ah! The idea first started as a short story about two sisters, Ruby and Chloe... As a sister myself with a little sister I adore, it's something I always wanted to write about. But the idea got more eerie when I began writing about the reservoir in the story (much like the reservoir in the town where I lived as a teenager). I read about the history of the reservoir, and the towns drowned and it began to inspire some very strange things in my own writing.

AramTeens: Is that how it grew into a full length novel?

Nova Ren Suma: I wrote the story first and took it to a summer workshop. There was no magical realism in it at all... and there was something missing. So when I started writing it again, it turned weirder, and became a novel. Writing workshops can be so helpful that way.

Nova Ren Suma: (Not in making your fiction weird! I mean in helping you focus your ideas.)

AramTeens: So was it a more realistily based story before you took it to the writing workshop?

Nova Ren Suma: Yes, it was entirely realistic. The story was called "Mythical Creatures" — though there were no "creatures" in it. And it was simply about Chloe moving in with her older sister's new boyfriend.

AramTeens: Is there a reason why the story was set where it was? Small town on the east coast?

Nova Ren Suma: I live in New York City and I have for over ten years, but I'm from the Hudson Valley. That's where I grew up, and the town in the novel is very much like the town where I lived when I was in high school. For some reason, even though I moved away, I find myself very inspired to write about the place where I grew up. So I write about small towns like that often.

AramTeens: As we're all small town residents we appreciate having a setting we can relate too.

AramTeens: Do you relate too or see yourself in any of the characters in the book?

Nova Ren Suma: I do relate.

Nova Ren Suma: I think I'm more like Chloe than Ruby. But in real life I'm the older sister... my baby sister is named Laurel Rose. (I call her Rose.) She and I joke about how Chloe and Ruby have traits of both of us. But they are definitely their own people.

AramTeens: I'm an older sister too- the rest of the group doesn't have sisters and think I'm the real life version of Ruby but less crazy.

Nova Ren Suma: Ha! Glad to hear less crazy

Nova Ren Suma: I love being an older sister, and it was interesting to put myself in the shoes of the little sister while writing.

AramTeens: Was it hard to write from a younger sister's perspective?

Nova Ren Suma: Sometimes it was. But Chloe really grew as a character for me... I couldn't help but see the story through her eyes. And like I said, she's a lot like me sometimes. (Except she can swim and I really can't swim that well.)

AramTeens: Is London really dead?

Nova Ren Suma: Ooh tricky question!

Nova Ren Suma: I think there are different ways to see the story at the end... and I'd never say that any one perspective is wrong.

Nova Ren Suma: But, to me, London is no longer dead at the end. I believe Chloe, and Chloe believes London has been brought back to life.

AramTeens: oooooh good answer

Nova Ren Suma: Do you think anything different?

Nova Ren Suma: I get some emails with different views on what happened, and I love that.

AramTeens: We all have a different idea on the subject

Nova Ren Suma: That's awesome.

AramTeens: What's your favorite inturptetation?

Nova Ren Suma: I don't have a favorite... but sometimes people tell me they think Chloe made it all up in her head. That the story isn't actually magical at all. And I find that fascinating.

AramTeens: We can see the logic behind that inturpretation.

Nova Ren Suma: I like that. I like that it can be read more than one way.

AramTeens: Burning question from the group- have you ever written a request on a balloon and let it go?

Nova Ren Suma: GOOD QUESTION.

Nova Ren Suma: No, I have not!

Nova Ren Suma: And now I will have to.

AramTeens: We just did it, with red ribbons, it was fun!

Nova Ren Suma: Seriously??? That is so amazing!

Nova Ren Suma: I hope all the requests come true for you.

AramTeens: Why was Ruby obsessed with sunglasses?

Nova Ren Suma: Heh. That's taken from my sister. She is OBSESSED with sunglasses.

Nova Ren Suma: She always gets very fancy movie-star sunglasses...

AramTeens: There's no deeper meaning?

Nova Ren Suma: ...and I guess as I was writing Ruby it slipped in, and I couldn't take it back out.
Nova Ren Suma: I didn't write it originally with that intention, but I do see so much symbolism for it now. It's one of those perfect little details that were meant to be, I think.

AramTeens: Last question...

Nova Ren Suma: Ready

AramTeens: Who would you cast to play the characters in the movie adaption of the book?

Nova Ren Suma: Aha! The question I've been mulling over...

Nova Ren Suma: I hope this doesn't disappoint, but this thing happens when I write. The characters have very clear faces in my mind. I know exactly what Chloe and Ruby and Owen and Pete and Jonah and London look like, so I have a hard time picking an actor to play them.

Nova Ren Suma: But someone suggested Megan Fox as Ruby, and I can see that.

Nova Ren Suma: If you can recommend a movie cast for me, I'd love it.

AramTeens: We agree with the Megan Fox suggestion.

Nova Ren Suma: I've heard it more than once. So maybe the part is meant for her... who knows.

AramTeens: Dakota Fanning is our suggestion for London.

Nova Ren Suma: Oh, that is perfect.

AramTeens: Kelly suggests we resurrect devin sawa from his 90s hey day and make him Owen

AramTeens: A younger Luke Wilson would be good for Jonah

AramTeens: (if he could be serious )

Nova Ren Suma: Ha! Could work. He'd have to dye his hair.

Nova Ren Suma: I love these casting suggestions!

AramTeens: (we're glad you got that reference)

AramTeens: There's also a crowd suggestion for R Pattz to play EVERYONE

AramTeens: We aren't sure on Chloe

Nova Ren Suma: Hahaha. Amused.

Nova Ren Suma: Chloe would be hard to cast. If there ever is an IMAGINARY GIRLS movie, I wonder who they'd pick.

AramTeens: Selena Gomez, maybe. But we dont like her being with Justin Bieber.

Nova Ren Suma: Hahaha. Laughing again.

Nova Ren Suma: Agreed on Justin Bieber.

AramTeens: Miranda Cosgrove!

AramTeens: From iCarly (I didnt know that reference)

Nova Ren Suma: I just Googled! She looks the part.

AramTeens: Thanks so much for chatting with us! We appreciate your time.

Nova Ren Suma: Thanks so much for having me on! And for reading IMAGINARY GIRLS.

Teen Book Reviews

Ashley turned in a few book reviews for summer reading club, and they were all so thoughtful and worth sharing. If you're looking for a good book to sink into, try one of these out. All links go to our catalog, so you can request the book from home.

Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison: This was a fun read, especially if you liked the first book in the trilogy. It picks up right where the previous book left off and builds on the world Harrison crafted. My one criticism was the way too obvious red herring. You know from the start that it's a red herring, but the main characters fail to realize this until the end.

It still had the charm of the first book and Marison's quest to change the world one innocent at a time is admirable. It saddens me that there's only one book left in this series, as I adore both Harrison's writing style and the way she crafts her main characters.

This book's writing style reminded me how Kim writes her other series, as she did some of the same central themes of right/wrong. I would recommend this books to fans of urban fantasy, angels, and the war between good and evil or fate vs choice.

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald: All three of the main characters were different from each other, but I never felt connected or like I could relate to any of them. I did enjoy their whack predictable story, though. Having alternating points of view was a little confusing, especially when you stop reading in the middle of a chapter. But all in all, it was a cute read. Nothing serious, just pure fun.

This book's plot was like a plot from a summer chick flick, but I can't think of a specific example. I would recommend to this book to impatient prom goers and lovers of chick flicks.

White Cat by Holly Black: Once you get a feel for the characters and what kind of a world they live in, I thought it was a really good mystery/fantasy book. The story was fast paced but we got to get into Cassel's head and see what kind of person he was, even thought he didn't know what kind of a person he was, which I liked. I also liked that there were some good plot twists worked in with the occasional predictability and that it ended with most of its strings wrapped up so you could stop reading the series if you wanted to (which I don't). But the loose ends don't give away too much plot for the sequel. I'm certainly interested in seeing how this series plays out.

This book reminded me of books that involve witch craft but nothing specific. Maybe a little bit like The Demon's Lexicon. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magic, mystery, and complicated main characters.

This week @ APL

Check out the awesome penguin the kids at Newark Library made! Can you and your friends build something as big or creative? Come on out for a special Lego Club for TEENS ONLY on Thursday at 3 pm. We'll dump out buckets of Legos, and you'll be able to build any and everything you want to. If you like what you made and want to show it off to others, we'll let you display it upstairs in the teen area.

New Books @ APL for Teens

Check out some of the new books that just came in for teens at the library! All links go to our catalog so you can request the books from home. This week, it looks like lots of girl-friendly titles came in, but I promise to showcase tons of great guy books in the next weeks, too (though make sure to check out that awesome sounding baseball book -- the cover of ours looks cooler than the one pictured below)!

Unfriended by Katie Finn: After months of upheaval, seventeen-year-old Madison MacDonald of Putnam, Connecticut, is glad when summer brings some normalcy, but soon her deepening relationship with Nate is putting a strain on her friendships.

Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia: In the 1970s, a teenaged Iranian princess, a German-Canadian girl, and a Cuban-Jewish girl from New York City become friends when they spend three summers at a Swiss boarding school.

The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt: Thirteen-year-old Drew starts the summer of 1986 helping in her mother's cheese shop and dreaming about co-worker Nick, but when her widowed mother begins dating, Drew's father's book of lists, her pet rat, and Emmett, a boy on a quest, help her cope.

Beanball by Gene Fehler: Relates, from diverse points of view, events surrounding the critical injury of popular and talented high school athlete, Luke "Wizard" Wallace, when he is hit in the face by a fastball.

Eye of the Sun by Diane Hofmeyr: When Tuthmosis and Isikara return from Egypt, Tuthmosis's sister-in-law, Nefertiti, is terrified that he has come to usurp his brother's throne, and will stop at nothing to keep the two brothers apart.

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard: Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren--a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for--or the love she can't live without?

Starstruck by Cyn Balog: Sixteen-year-old Dough is surprised when her long-distance boyfriend returns after four years and still finds her beautiful, despite her seventy-pound weight gain, until Dough learns that he is a member of the Luminati--an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives.

Your Favorites!

Ready to see what other teens are reading and watching this summer? Here's another round of responses we've gotten on the backs of our summer reading logs. If you're looking for a good book or a good show to watch, check out one of these!

What are some of your favorite books?
Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Harry Potter
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Vladimir Todd series
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Zombies vs. Unicorns (which the person notes they are TEAM ZOMBIE [me too!])
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Lord of the Rings

List Some Books You Read This Summer
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Torment by Lauren Kate
Monster High by Lisi Harrison
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Ask Elizabeth by Elizabeth Berkley
Gone by Michael Grant
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Divide
Cafe Wisconsin
Missing Witness
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Kiki Strike by Kirstin Miller
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Haunted Wisconsin
Alienology
Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
Saving Jessica
Saying Goodbye to Christina

What book should be made into a movie?
Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
Super Mario Advance: Choose Your Own Adventure
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Vlaidimir Todd by Heather Brewer
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

When and where do you usually read?
In my room at night or when it's quiet
In my room when I have the time
In my room when I'm bored
In my room whenever I have time
Whenever and where ever
In my bedroom

What's your favorite TV show?
Monk
Big Time
Rush
World's Dumbest ...
Dr. Who
Victories
Degrassi :)

This week @ APL

Join us on Thursday, July 28, starting at 3:00 pm to discuss Nova Ren Suma's new book Imaginary Girls. We'll talk about the book, then we'll chat with the author about it.

Here's what the story's about: Two years after sixteen-year-old Chloe discovered classmate London's dead body floating in a Hudson Valley reservoir, she returns home to be with her devoted older sister Ruby, a town favorite, and finds that London is alive and well, and that Ruby may somehow have brought her back to life and persuaded everyone that nothing is amiss.

There are a few copies left for check out, so stop by the desk upstairs to snag a copy. This is a creepy story, and one that will leave you a bit haunted.

The Hunger Games: The Movie Poster

Check out the official movie poster for The Hunger Games, courtesy of Scholastic's website:

Is that not cool? If you click on the link above, you can even see the animation (and I think there might even be sound to it, too). Only 247 more days to wait. . .

Librarian Favorites: A Booklist

Need a good book or two to get through these last few weeks of summer reading? Try one of your librarian's recent favorite titles. Links take you to our catalog, where you can reserve the book from home.

Recovery Road by Blake Nelson: While she is in a rehabilitation facility for drug and alcohol abuse, seventeen-year-old Maddie meets Stewart, who is also in treatment, and they begin a relationship, which they try to maintain after they both get out.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly: When Drea and her mother move in with her grandmother in Bellingham, Washington, the sixteen-year-old finds that she can have real friends, in spite of her Asperger's, and that even when you love someone it doesn't make life perfect.

Scrawl by Mark Shulman: When eighth-grade school bully Tod and his friends get caught committing a crime on school property, his penalty--staying after school and writing in a journal under the eye of the school guidance counsellor--reveals aspects of himself that he prefers to keep hidden.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny--one she could never have imagined...Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school...or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth--that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy hear.

This week for Teens @ Aram Public Library: Death by Chocolate

This week, come out on Thursday from 3 - 4:30 for our Death by Chocolate party. We've got a ton of fun chocolate contests for you to participate in and we'll give all kinds of prizes -- chocolate, of course!

Be prepared to get a little messy and come hungry!

Teen Book Reviews

Ready for more book recommendations from fellow teens? Check out these titles! Remember, you have your book reviews posted here, too, by either filling out a book review form in the teen area and turning it in or by emailing us at aramteens [[[@]]] aramlibrary.org. Just remove the brackets.

Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder

It was an awesome book. I loved how it was suspensful and was something that could happen to anyone. Recommended to anyone who likes suspense.-Brianna

Break By Hannah Moskowitz

This book was scary/sad. I kind of disliked this book because of what went on in it. I thought it was scary because this guy tried hurting himself to cover up the pain of his family. 3 stars-Kylie

Before I Fall By Lauren Oliver

This book about a girl who thinks she has it all...boy was she wrong! She has to live the same day over and over again till she gets it right, but will it cost her life? I love this book and recommend it.-Carlie

HARRY POTTER!

Here are some fabulous ideas to throw your own party for the premier of the final Harry Potter movie.

Recipes

Pumpkin Pasties

Makes about 3 dozen miniature pasties.2 eggs, slightly beaten3/4 cup sugar1 1 lb. can pumpkin(or 2 cups fresh, roasted in the oven then pressedthrough a strainer to save your Pumpkin Juice to drink!)1/2 tsp. salt1 tsp. cinnamon1/2 tsp. ginger1/4 tsp. cloves1 2/3 cups evap. milk (1 can)1/2 tsp. allspice9 oz pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts)

Bake the pie filling only (no crust) in a large casserole dish in hot oven (425 degrees) for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temp to moderate (350 degrees F/180 degress Celsuis) and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.Make or purchase pie crust pastry. Roll thin and cut into circles approx 4" in diameter. Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle. Fold over the crust into a half-circle and firmly crimp the edges closed. Slice three small slits in the top for venting, place on a greased cookie sheet, and bake only until crust is a light golden-brown. Great served at room-temperature, then you don't have to worry about your guests possibly burning their mouths from the steaming hot pumpkin inside! :)

Treacle Fudge

Ingredients:1/2 cup light cream or evaporated milk3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/4 teaspoon salt4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate2 tablespoons unsalted butter1/3 cup molasses

Directions:In a large bowl, mix cream, brown sugar and salt together, set aside. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from heat and add molasses. Add the chocolate mixtures and cream mixtures together. Pour mixture into a pan and let cool. Cut into squares after cooled and serve.

Treacle Tart

The perfect dessert for the sweet-toothed is a Treacle Tart. A treacle tart recipe involves first making some pastry but if you are short of time ready rolled but make sure it is sweet pastry.Treacle Tart is full of delicious, sweet golden syrup and black treacle. If you can't find golden syrup then use corn syrup. And, likewise, can't find black treacle dark molasses will do.

Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesIngredients:* PASTRY* 225g /8oz plain flour* Pinch salt* 25g /1 oz fine sugar* 115g /4oz very cold unsalted butter* Cold water to mix* FILLING* 300g /10oz golden syrup* 1 heaped tbsp black treacle* Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon* 4 medium free range eggs* 25g /1oz fresh bread crumbs

Preparation:* Heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4* Place the flour, salt, sugar and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the processor running add the water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.* Roll out the pastry and line a loose bottomed tart tin the place in the fridge for 30 mins.* Meanwhile, mix together the golden syrup and treacle with the lemon juice. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add to the treacle mixture. Finally stir in the bread crumbs.* Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared tart case.* Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the crust and filling are golden brown and firm to the touch.* Serve warm with crème fraiche which balances really well with the sweetness of the tart or a good vanilla ice cream.

ButterbeerChilled Butterbeer Ingredients:8 ounces cream soda3 teaspoons of butterscotch syrupWhipped cream
Directions:Stir soda and syrup gently in tall glass. Serve over ice. Add whipped cream for a frothy top.


Decorations Ideas

• Get poster board and draw on the Harry Potter house symbols




• Cauldrons




• Fake owls, ravens, bats, and spiders




• Apothecary jars




• Brooms




• Witch hats




• A plastic creature from a toy store, in colored water.

Games

• Ancient Runes: Create word jumbles using Harry Potter words and characters, such as “muggle,” “wizard,” and “Hagrid.”




• History of Magic: Test kids on their trivia knowledge of Harry Potter or use the game Scene It?, Harry Potter edition.




• Divination: Get a friend to dress up as a fortune teller and tell the kids their future with crystal ball, tea leaves, or tarot cards.




• Herbology: Have the children decorate pots and then plant seeds or sprouts to take home with them as party favors.

Hogwarts Sorting Hat
Before playing any group games, you will need to sort the players into two different teams. Make a list of who will go on which team before the party. During the party, seat a cone-shaped pointed wizard hat on a stool or chair. (Wizard hats can be purchased at a party supply store or made of construction paper.) As you call out each guest's name, have him take a turn at sitting on the stool or chair and having the wizard hat placed on his head. As in the Harry Potter stories, whisper in each guest's ear which team she has been chosen to be on.
As at Hogwarts, award "house points" to teams when playing games

This Week for Teens @ Aram Public Library

It's time for the All-You-Can-Read Buffet! Come out on Thursday from 3-4:30 to talk about Holly Black's White Cat. Here's the description:

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Need a copy of the book to read? We've got some upstairs you can check out with your card. We'll also pass out copies of our last summer book club pick, Imaginary Girls, this week.

What YOU'RE saying...

On the back of the reading logs are a bunch of fun (and non-required) questions about what you like to read, where you read, and more. I love reading this stuff and thought I'd share some of the fun responses from the sheets that have come up so far this summer!

Name some books you've read this summer

Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser
Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder
I Am Number Four by Pitticus Lore
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by AS King
Break by Hannah Moskowitz
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (every volume, in fact!)
Why I Fight by J Adams Oakes
Split by Swati Avasthi
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Willow by Julia Hoben

What book should be made into a movie

Split by Swati Avasthi
The Cold, Cold Shoulder
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder

What are some of your favorite books

Twilight saga (by more than one person!)
Warriors saga
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margie Stohl
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Thristy by MT Anderson
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Blood Thirsty by Flynn Meaney
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Willow by Julia Hoben
Dragon Ball Z

When and where do you like to read

I read in my room or outside and I read when I don't have anything to do.
Any time, any where!
Outside
Home
At night in my bed

What's your favorite tv show

"Two and a Half Men"
"Criminal Minds"
"Raising Hope"
"The Middle"
"Modern Family"
"Ghost Whispers"
"Extreme Couponing"
"Say Yes to the Dress"
"What Not to Wear"
"George Avila"
"Dragon Ball Z"
"My Wife and Kids"

Keep reading throughout the rest of summer (and after!) to see some of the other fun books and shows your friends are enjoying.

Teen Book Reviews!

It's time again to share some of the great reviews we've gotten at the library written by other teens. We're always happy to share a review, whether you loved or didn't love a book, so feel free to turn one in. Forms are in the teen area, or you can always email at aramkids [[[@]]] gmail.com (remove the brackets).

Dragon Ball Z, Volume 1 by Akira Toriyama

It's about one hero of name Son Goku. Son Goku is married, and he has a child,Son Gohan. They got a visit from outer space bearing terrible news for Goku. But Goku has a brother and his name is Raditz. Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family, especially his son Gohan. And this story keeps going in other volumes. -- Cristal.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Interesting. Definitely an original story and I love all the unique naming! Overall, a 4.5 star book. It reminded me of the show "Secret Life of the American Teenager" and I'd recommend it for anyone who has a very best friend in the world and would never let them go. -- Grace

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

I really liked how the book mixed historical with a fantastical tale. I liked that it was told through the grandchild's eyes about the grandmother. 4 Stars -- Katie

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

I think what I didn't like about this book was that it seemed ridiculous. The magic/witch thing seemed promising and the world pack working for witches was interesting, but there wasn't enough of it to keep me interested in finishing -- the protagonist seemed to get more desperate and girly as the story went on and that pretty much stopped me in my reading tracks. Halfway through I realized that the plot was almost exactly the same when you stripped it down to the bones as another book I had just read (Firelight by Sophie Jordan) and that annoyed me. In both, the books deal with magical creatures who are going to be exploited by their clans and they fall in love with an outsider and then run away. 2-3 Stars -- Linnea