In the Zone!

Hey Teens! The Seattle Public Library is working on new ways to connect with you using technology.   Want to get involved in this exciting project? Email Juan Rubio,  or ask a librarian at your local branch. Starting June 1st, our Push to Talk and Tumblr blogs will no longer be updated, but stay tuned for news about our next project!  We hope you’ll join us!​  

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Free Music! Get It! #1 to Infinity by Mariah Carey

Free Music! Get It! #1 to Infinity by Mariah Carey

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Reflections of a Wannabe Dance Teacher

Reflections of a Wannabe Dance Teacher

As long as I can remember, my life has pretty much revolved around dance. I was three when I first watched an Irish dancing performance, was hooked on Riverdance from the time I was four and my neighbor gave me a VCR. I’ve been taking class the past 12 years of my life, and competing for the last 8. But now I’m seventeen, and it’s time to look into the future: college, a career. How can dance fit…

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Love Among the Walnuts: A Modern Day Farce

Love Among the Walnuts: A Modern Day Farce

Title: Love Among the Walnuts Author: Jean Ferris Gut Reaction: An amusing read that creates humor and charm through its absurdity. Two words encapsulate the essence of this novel: unrealistic characters. Love Among the Walnuts begins with Horatio Alger Huntington-Ackerman, a young businessman who seems to effortlessly make billions, falling instantly in love with aspiring actress Mousey Malone…

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Jonathan Safran Foer: A Teen's Take

Jonathan Safran Foer: A Teen’s Take

I stumbled upon Jonathan Safran Foer by accident. See, my family was on vacation and I really, really needed a book. I was desperate enough to go for a—gasp—supernatural teen romance, but instead, was lucky enough to grab Twenty Under Forty, a New Yorker collection of short stories. This book changed my life, in a large part due to Foer’s addition, called “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly.”  His piece…

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The Rise & Fall of Prohibition @ Mohai, Check Out a FREE Museum Pass @ SPL

The Rise & Fall of Prohibition @ Mohai, Check Out a FREE Museum Pass @ SPL

 Step back in time to the era of flappers and suffragists, bootleggers and temperance lobbyists, and real-life legends like Al Capone and Carry Nation!  Created by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and making its West Coast premiere at MOHAI, American Spirits brings the whole story of Prohibition vividly to life through a re-created speakeasy, films, photos, multimedia, and more…

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Eleanor & Park - honest and real

Eleanor & Park – honest and real

Title: Eleanor & Park Author: Rainbow Rowell Rating: 10/10 stars. Yes, it was that good. Rarely do I rate books 10/10, so this one is definitely special. Gut reaction: I loved the honest, real characters. They were so well developed and the romance was sweet and believable. This book was also great because it ended on a hopeful note. As I got closer to the end, I thought it would have a sad…

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What If - What sort of logistic anomalies would you encounter in trying to raise an army of apes?

What If – What sort of logistic anomalies would you encounter in trying to raise an army of apes?

Title: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Author: Randall Munroe What If? is a book of bizarre hypothetical questions and scientific answers.   But you could learn that just by looking at the cover, so here is my story about it.  I would not have known about this book if I had not gotten if for my birthday from my mom (my mom says I ask a lot of hypothetical…

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Flowers for Algernon - thought-provoking and engaging

Flowers for Algernon – thought-provoking and engaging

Title: Flowers for Algernon Author: Daniel Keyes Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, is the story of a man named Charlie Gordon. Charlie was born with a brain disorder that caused him to have an IQ of just 68. However, Charlie has just been approved to pilot a radical operation that will turn him into a genius. Well, human pilot. It’s already been tried on a rat named Algernon, and it was an…

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Free Music! Get It! Suffer in Peace by Tyler Farr

Free Music! Get It! Suffer in Peace by Tyler Farr

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Hiking in Washington

The Upper Falls Over spring break, my friend and I took a road trip over to Wallace Falls in Goldbar, Washington, and then went on a hike. Wallace Falls is a Washington State Park, and thus we needed a Discover Pass to park there. The Discover Pass is this yellow slip that you hang on the front mirror in your car, which allows you to park at these state parks. The Discover Pass is $10 for a day,…

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Choosing a College: Teen Perspectives

College

It’s just past the time that high school seniors have decided on their college, and juniors are looking ahead to applications. It’s nice being able to talk to someone who’s gone through the same process that many juniors will go through. There’s much to think about: the SAT, the ACT, good grades, finding a school that fits your interests, essays, applications, visits, and more. We have the…

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Thirteen Reasons Why - Filled with suspense, good life lessons

Thirteen Reasons Why – Filled with suspense, good life lessons

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why Author: Jay Asher Summary: No one expected Hannah Baker’s death, but thirteen people would soon find out how their actions and words pushed Hannah off the edge. Clay Jensen is determined to listen to Hannah’s thirteen tapes to figure out her story, and why he is in it. These tapes show a side of Hannah that no one saw, and the truth about who she really was. Gut…

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Philosophy Class - questioning your surroundings is good for the soul

Philosophy Class – questioning your surroundings is good for the soul

Philosophy Class Review

Plato

Philosophy…what does this word exactly mean? Well, it’s derived from the Greek roots Filo, meaning love, and Sofia, meaning wisdom. Thus creating the word φιλοσοφία (Philosophy), the love or pursuit of wisdom. I took this class at North Seattle Community College and initially it was just for the sake of earning the credit, but as the quarter progressed I grew to love…

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Pantomine - a tale of deceit, mystery & magic

Pantomine – a tale of deceit, mystery & magic

Title: Pantomine

Author: Laura Lam

Summary: Micah Grey wants to get away from his life—and the circus seems to be just the right place to do that. He delves into the world of circus arts as a new trapeze artist, but soon learns that the circus may not be quite what it seems. As the story unfolds, more of just who Micah is gets revealed, and between Micah’s past, and Micah’s present, a tale of…

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Mirrors - psychological mysteries

Mirrors – psychological mysteries

Title:  Mirrors

Author:  John O’Brien

Summary: A father’s mental struggle as he switches between two realities: one where his family is alive, and one where his family has died in a house fire.

Gut reaction:  Loved it!

Why: The beginning was somewhat difficult to get through. Although once you get past the first scene with the family everything starts to make since in a sort of creepy yet awesome…

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Grand Budapest Hotel - Won 4 Oscars!

Grand Budapest Hotel – Won 4 Oscars!

Who doesn’t love an indie film every once in a while? I sure do. Director Wes Anderson’s film The Grand Budapest Hotel recently won 4 Oscars, including Best Achievement in Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, as well as Best Original Score. This movie tells of the adventures of a concierge and his lobby boy living in the fictional country of Zubrowka during the 1930s.

The lovely book The…

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Sweep: Book of Shadows - unique plot & clear details

Sweep: Book of Shadows – unique plot & clear details

Title: Sweep: Book of Shadows

Author: Cate Tiernan

Summary: After meeting Cal, a mysterious new student, Morgan is immediately drawn into his personality and his magical Wicca culture and rituals. Wicca soon becomes her passion and she finds out that she is involved with Wicca in more ways than she ever thought possible. She soon starts unraveling the history of her family and her true identity,…

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