VETERAN'S DAY, NOV. 11

Veterans' Day has its origins in "Armistice Day," observed in 1918 to commemorate the end of World War I. "This day is not to honor war," said FDR, "but the sacrifice made by others for our freedom." Learn more about the holiday from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Infoplease. What's life like for troops today? Check out our many new books on the war in Iraq.

LA SEMAINE DU FRANCAIS, NOV. 4-10

Celebrate all things French this week. See what the main themes of the week are at the National French Week Website. Want to travel to France? Get information at VisitEurope. Interested in studying there? Have a look at the AFS France website. Check out French TV online, and the music playing on French iPods! Amuse-toi bien!

HALLOWEEN IS AROUND THE CORNER!

The scariest holiday of the year has its origins with the ancient Celts, who lived more than 2,000 years ago. The Celts believed that, on the eve of their New Year (which was November 1), the boundaries blurred between the living and the dead. On the night of October 31, the ghosts of the dead returned to walk among the living. To celebrate, the Celts wore costumes (usually animal heads and skins) and danced around bonfires.Check out these links to make this the most terrifying Halloween ever! Halloween Online features costumes, scary stories, pumpkins, recipes, and more. Don't know what to wear? Check out Costume Idea Zone. Having a party? Go to razzle-dazzle for recipes, party tips, and games. Need help with your pumpkin? Click on Pumpkin Carving 101. Need something scary to read? Check out the library window display; find more titles here.

TEEN READ WEEK, OCTOBER 18-24

What is it?? Teen Read Week is a national literacy initiative that promotes reading among teens. It is celebrated the third week in October every year. This year’s theme is "Read Beyond Reality @ your library," encouraging you to read something out of this world … just for the fun of. Browse the bookshelves in search of "otherworldly," fantasy, science and speculative fiction, as well as books about computer gaming. Read the kind of books that interest YOU! Need help? Just ask!

WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY

October 1 is World Vegetarian Day--the annual kickoff of Vegetarian Awareness Month. What we eat has an impact not only on our own health, but on the health of the planet. Find out how a vegetarian diet can benefit you personally, as well as the planet--and get a full menu of ideas, recipies and more--by visiting http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/. You don't have to be a vegetarian to participate! Find more recipies and resources at Vegetarian Times and Gourmet Magazine.

BE REVOLUTIONARY! READ A BANNED BOOK!

Banned Books Week is celebrated between Sept. 26 and Oct. 3rd this year. Did you know that the process of banning a book begins with a "challenge"? Challenges are "an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library." At the high school level, this is usually because some parents are concerned that the content is unsuitable for their children. If the challenge is successful, and the book is removed, then the book is considered "banned." Fortunately for us, most challenges are not successful.

The American Library Association received hundreds of challenges last year and among the top five most frequently challenged books were Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials (for political and religious viewpoints and violence), Lauren Myracle’s TTYL series (for offensive language, and being sexually explicit and “unsuited to age group”), and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (for drugs, homosexuality, offensive language, suicide, and being sexually explicit).

Challenges come from all over the country—check out this book censorship map that shows more than 120 book challenges across the country from Maine to Florida, New York to California. Check out the ALA site for other information, and look at some of the other banned/challenged titles in our library collection. Take the time to check one out and proclaim your freedom to read!

9th GRADE ORIENTATIONS

9th Grade Orientations took place in the library this week, with a powerpoint presentation and a scavenger hunt. I'm very happy to meet so many great new people who obviously (or so it seems to me!) like to read. We'll be updating our NEW BOOKS shelves in the coming weeks, so be sure to check them out. Reviews of some of the new books are available on our "New Books" page. Send us your comments on what you're reading, as well as some suggestions. If you need a reminder about some of the library policies we discussed at orientation, check out the FAQs page. And, remember: If you need something, JUST ASK!