Program - Marvelous Manicures

Marvelous Manicures
Thursday, November 12
4:30-6:00
Miss Kathy will show you the proper technique for doing your own manicure. Get your free nail kit to take home with you too. Class limited to 15, please sign up at the front desk.

Program - Bead It!

Friday, Dec. 18th 4:30pm
Create your own amazing jewelry using beads & wire. Keep them for yourself or give as gifts this holiday season. Free, but space is limited. Sign-up at the front desk. For teens in grades 7-12

Program - CR@SH

Cr@sh
November 13th 5:30-7:30
This month we will feature the game Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for Wii on the big screen. Feel free to bring your system and your extra controllers, or just use ours. Please make sure games are not rated M, please, and be willing to share with the group. Teens in grades 7-12 are welcome to join in the fun!

There will be no CR@SH in December so make sure to come on down on Friday, November 13th. See you again in January!!

Book Review - Messed Up by Janet Nichols Lynch

R.D. is a a teacher's worst nightmare. He is repeating the eighth grade. On the very first day of school, he winds up in the principal's office, after trying to break up a fight between two girls in rival gangs. Of course, no one believes that R.D. was doing the RIGHT thing for once, and he is suspended. R.D. has had it rough, so it's easy to understand why he is having such a hard time in school. His mother had him when she was just a kid, and now she is serving out a sentence in a California prison. He lives with his grandmother and her boyfriend Earl. That is, until his grandma decides to dump old Earl and hops in the cab of her new boyfriend's truck, leaving R.D. behind. R.D. is happy to stay with Earl, but can't help feeling abandoned. And one afternoon, R.D. comes home to find Earl dead, and he must decided what to do. He knows that he will be sent to live in a foster home if anyone finds out he is home alone. He is terrified, and must make some very difficult decisions about his future.

R.D. is a wonderful character, full of humor and heart. He stumbles and struggles, and makes some poor choices, but through it all he remains true to himself. I hope this author continues to write more stories like this!

Book Review - Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick

If you have read any of Patricia McCormick's other books, like Cut or Sold, you know that she is a fantastic writer that tackles difficult topics. Purple Heart is no different. The story is about a young man named Matt who is stationed in Iraq when he is seriously injured during a mission. He is in a military hospital, trying to figure out what happened to him, and freaking out that he will be forever damaged by his traumatic brain injury. He is haunted by dreams of a young Iraqi boy named Ali, who often played soccer near where Matt's unit patrolled, and Matt can't shake the feeling that he was in some way responsible for his death. Above all else, Matt wants to be back fighting for his country with his boys, and it is loyalty to his friends that is most striking in this story. Matt's story gives us a brief glimpse into the messy and painful consequences of war.