Christine Carlson

The results are in! Our first ever Teen Video Contest brought us six funny and informative videos, all made by our super-talented local teens. The theme was, “Why My Library is Important to Me.” From dogs who know best to fireside chats, each video was unique and enjoyable. We applaud all the great work! What was most heart-warming was seeing how many ways our teens use and appreciate the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Some pointed out that it’s a safe place to hang out with friends or work on group projects. Many admired the free Internet access, computer use, databases and online searching. They see their library as a quiet study retreat, a place to get professional research help, and most of all, a treasure trove of free books, music, and movies.

So, without further ado, here are the winners.

In first place, receiving the prize of a Flip digital video camera is Erik Martinsen, creator of the video, “Libraries are Doggone Fun!”

Teen Tech Week may be officially over, but our Teen Video Contest is only at its halfway point. While it's been widely advertised that winners’ videos will be featured on our library website, we just found out that Best Buy has also generously donated some incredible prizes. The first place winner will receive an Ultra Flip video camera, second place a $100 gift card to Best Buy, and third place an official library t-shirt.

It’s one of life’s ironies that you don’t realize how much someone’s impacted your life until they’re gone. More specifically, you realize that you never told that person how much they meant. It isn’t until they pass that you think, “Oh! I wish I had said something!” You think about how that person shaped who you are, in major or even subtle ways, and sometimes realize that you wouldn’t be you if it weren’t for that person’s influence, guidance, or mere presence in your life.

1989. 2000. 2012. It’s not just lately that certain years and dates have struck fear into the heart of humankind. Pretty much every year in recorded history has been predicted by someone to be the date of the end of the world. The Apocalypse. Armageddon. Our fascination with our own end can be humorous or depressing, but either way, we can’t stop dreaming, writing, and talking about it. And teens, like many of us, love reading about it.

Here are some books to get you started (after you finish the rest of her books, of course!):

If you like The Midinghters by Scott Westerfeld, you may like these titles. If you haven’t read the rest of the books in the trilogy, you’ll definitely want to start there (Touching Darkness is #2 and Blue Noon is #3). Here are some other books with magical aspects and teens doing cool things:

You were looking for historical fiction, for teens but also possibly for adults. Since Angels Watching Over Me is also a Christian fiction title, I included a few YA books in that category as well.

Historical fiction:

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.

This readalike is in response to a patron's book-match request. If you would like personalized reading  recommendations, fill out the book-match form and a librarian will email suggested titles to you. See our other Book Matches.

H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden: "Swept away to a hidden academy for training budding evil geniuses, Otto, a brilliant orphan, Wing, a sensitive warrior, Laura, a shy computer specialist, and Shelby, an infamous jewel thief, plot to beat the odds and escape the prison known as H.I.V.E." (Book Description)

If you like H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education, you may also like these titles:

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer.
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. You will love this evil-doer! Read all of the books in this series!

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester.
The perfect companion to H.I.V.E., except a little less evil. This is one of my favorites! When homeschooled farm girl Piper McCloud reveals her ability to fly, she is quickly taken to a secret government facility to be trained with other exceptional children, but she soon realizes that something is very wrong and begins working with brilliant and wealthy Conrad to escape.

Here are similar titles to The Sight, by David Clement-Davies.

Wolf-Speaker, by Tamora Pierce.