Teens & Reading

Teens & Reading

Some teenagers like to read. Others don’t. It’s that simple. Or is it?

As adults, we know that reading is important and we obviously want to make sure that the teenagers in our lives grow into adulthood with all the skills they need to succeed. But how can we encourage them…safely?

Before we list ways to encourage teen reading that may work, here are a few tactics that likely will not.

Try to avoid…

• Pressuring, nagging, or bribing. Encourage, don't hound.
• Criticizing what they choose to read. Forbid as little as possible- accept differences of opinion.
• Lavishing too much praise. Show interest, but don't make a big deal out of it. They'll see right through you.

Ways to encourage teens to read...

• Set an example. Let teens see you reading for pleasure.
• Make reading materials available. Leave books, magazines, and newspapers around.
• Acknowledge their mature interests. Suggest some adult reading you think they can handle or that may interest them.

What can teens get out of reading? They have to get something out of it, right? Through reading they can:

• Become an expert. An expert on any subject they like—from sports statistics to spelunking, coins to carburetors, ballerinas to barbecues, or anything in between.
• Live dangerously. Through reading teens can share the challenges, fears, thrills, and achievements of those they are reading about - without the risk.
• Have a few laughs. Many teens will enjoy sitting down with a book by their favorite comedian or a collection of jokes or cartoons.
• See the world. Without leaving town, teens can visit places that fascinate them.
• Travel through time. Historical fiction and science fiction can move a reader back and forth in time.
• Use their brains. Teens may enjoy solving a mystery, outwitting a crafty villain, or thinking through a perilous situation.
• Get some free advice. Lots of novels feature teenage characters that have problems and pressures common to many teens, believe it or not.
• Discover new interests. Through reading, teens may develop an interest in something they knew nothing about before.
• Find a cause. Teens can get smart on an issue that matters to them.
• Escape. Teens can escape noise, tension, or boredom by escaping into a book.

Teen Read Week is October 18-24, 2015. The purpose of Teen Read Week, created in 1998, is to encourage teens to be regular readers and library users.

In recognition of Teen Read Week, the Independence Public Library is hosting an after-hours Teen Read-In for those students in 6^th grade and up. Activities will include mish-mash book skits, telling ghost stories, book character charades, scavenger hunts, building forts, reading, snacks, and more! Join us after hours from 7:00-10:00 pm. The event is free. Please call the library to sign up @ 319-334-2470.

Happy Birthday Jan Berestain!

Jan Berenstain's birthday is today (July 26th) and she would have been 92 this year. She is best known for the children's books she wrote with her husband (Stan Berenstain) and later her son (Mike Berenstain).

 

The popular Berenstain Bears Books have been a favorite among kids for almost four generations. The first in the series, The Big Honey Hunt, was written and illustrated by Jan and Stan Berenstain in 1962. The husband and wife duo continued to publish nearly 300 books together in the Berenstain Bears series until Stan's passing in 2005. Jan Berenstain then continued the series with the help of her son Mike Berenstain until her passing in 2012. Mike Berenstain now continues the beloved children's series his parents started, with new releases each year.
Celebrate Jan Berenstain's birthday by reading one of her great stories. The IPL has many available to enjoy. What's your favorite Berenstain Bear book?

The Last Day to Claim Prizes Is Almost Here!

Today is the last day to count reading days in your Reading Log! Be sure to claim your prizes and ice cream. July 31, 2015 is the last day to claim your prizes, and enter for the Grand Prize! The Grand Prize Winners will be announced on August 3, 2015. Good luck to all our readers!

It's The Last Week of The Summer Reading Program!

The last day to mark reading days in your Reading Log is July 24th, 2015. Be sure to stop in to pick up your prizes, and enter for the grand prize! The last day to claim prizes is July 31st, 2015. The Grand Prize Winners will be anounced on August 3rd, 2015. Good Luck to all our readers!

Flutterby Bits

Imagination and Rockets

The 2015 "Every Hero has a Story " Summer Reading Program
 has taken off. 

We started with the soaring program “Rockets Away”.

Jason from the Grout Museum was our guide.  Rockets of all sizes were launched from the library parking lot.  The largest rockets landed in various locations, somewhere out of sight!.   The interesting demonstrations were also filled with facts. Jason did say that if we found a rocket in our back yard, it would be ours to keep. 

“Drama time” at 9:30 on Friday mornings has been so much fun, even hilarious.  High school drama students have been leading this program.  We read 3-4 stories and then participate in warm-up activities used by the drama group.  We really use our imaginations by becoming the suggested people, objects or animals.  Drama time is throughout the month of June.

There are many more programs this summer and still time to register for the summer reading program.  If you are registered online but have not picked up your reading log, you need to do so by 5:00 pm on June 19^th.  All  registrations have the June 19^th deadline. 
All programs are free to the public and you do not need a library card to attend. 

Hope to see you soon!

   

Vonnie

Be a hero! Explore new worlds.......read! 

IPL411 Is Officially One Year Only!

We've come back to that time of year again. School is out, and the Summer Reading Program is just up ahead. So the library is gearing up for a summer full of fun. Last year, Fizz Boom Read! had us reading into the world of science and bicycles...

...This year, we'll be soaring into books with our very own superheroes.

The adventure begins June 1st...

...but be sure to test out your reading superpowers with EVIL BINGO before then.

How's That 5-5-5 Reading Challenge Coming?

So far we have fifty patrons reading toward the May 5th challenge deadline. If you got started on January 1st, you should have about nine books down. If you're a little behind, don't panic there is still plenty of time. In fact, if you started the 5-5-5 Reading Challenge today, you would still have a little over three days for each book to read. Sound impossible? Think again, we've already had one patron complete the challenge. (That's right! 25 books read in under two months!)
So if you still want to get in on the challenge you can sign up online and pick up your challenge log the next time you are at the library, or sign up directly at the library.
And if you're looking for book ideas for that challenge, give Iowa author Carol Gorman a try. Tomorrow is (February 16th) is her birthday. You can find her books in the Young Adult and Junior Fiction sections of the library.

TIPLINE: Metafiction

The Independence Public Library's Interesting Nuggets of Exploration: Metafiction

The 5-5-5 Reading Challenge has taken off and many of us are finishing up our first Genre. If you've already got your first Genre in the bag, be sure to stop in at the library to pick up your first prize. If you're looking for a Genre to dig into, try Metafiction.
What's Metafiction? Well, it's fiction...about fiction,...or writing fiction,...or living in fiction,...or something else fiction related. It's complicated, but it's fun. If you want a definition that is a little more exact try Dictionary.com they define Metafiction as "fiction that discusses, describes, or analyzes a work of fiction or the conventions of fiction."
Metafiction is more common than you might think, you may have already read some metafiction. Mo Willems' "We Are In A Book" is metafiction, and so is Jodi Picoult's "Between The Lines." Even some of the newer fiction at the library is metafiction, like "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield and "The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin. There are plenty more, you can find a short list by going to the 5-5-5 Reading Challenge's Genres Page, and clicking on the Metafiction Page. If you know of a book that fits the bill at the IPL, and isn't listed, feel free to add it. Just double click and type in the title and author. You can also add books to the other genre pages, just double click and type.

Try The 5-5-5 Reading Challenge for New Year's

2014 is coming to a close, and the new year will be here before we know it, so give yourself a reason to sit back and read after all the hassles of December are over. Sign up for the 5-5-5 Reading Challenge! Join the Independence Public Library in 2015 to branch out your reading and find some new favorite authors and books.

Here's how it's done. Pick 5 Genres (like Mystery, Western, or Fantasy), then pick 5 Books in each or those genres, start reading on January 1st, 2015, and finish all 25 books by May 5th 2015. If you complete the challenge you will have read 25 books in 125 days, and have a chance to win $25 in Chamber Bucks. You can register for the challenge by calling (334-2470) or stopping in at the IPL, or you can register online right now by clicking this link. Once you are registered,you can pick up your 5-5-5 Reading Challenge Log the next time you visit the Library.