September 24 -30: Fairfax County Public Library Digital Programs

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Some Digital Events for teens that you may be interested in.

ESPORTS LEAGUE

A league for young gamers to get together via Zoom and play games like DOTA 2, Fortnite, OverWatch and League of Legends. A biweekly get together where we discuss gaming, safe practices, and league ev…

Date: Monday, September 28, 2020

Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Location: Kings Park Library

VIRTUAL YOGA FOR ALL

Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults. (R)

Date: Monday, September 28, 2020

Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm

PURA BELPRE READS FOR HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by reading some wonderful books by and about the Latinx community! Our Teen Services librarian will highlight teen books that have won the Pura Belpre award.

Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Time: 3:00pm – 3:30pm

VIRTUAL YOGA FOR ALL

Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults.

(R)Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Time: 10:00am – 11:00am

CROCHET IN-THE-ROUND

Gather “in-the-round” with other crochet enthusiasts! Virtually, of course. Practice a new technique or stitch each week, share projects, and learn from each other! Perfect for those looking…

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Location: Richard Byrd

AUDIO ALOUD

An round table reading program for parents and children via Zoom. We will read aloud books together, starting with a series of short stories. Open to newcomers!

Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Location: Kings Park Library

Review: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

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Serpent & Dove - (Serpent & Dove, 1) By Shelby Mahurin (Hardcover) : Target

In old-timey France, witches are the vermin of the street. Men trained to kill them are all over the place, with blue jackets, and the title of Chasseurs. Reid Diggory is one of them, and he has sworn his life to exterminating the witches of France. What he doesn’t know is that he is married to one. Lou is a Dame Blanche, a white witch, and her mother is the most powerful one of them all, which is why Lou is running from her. When Lou is caught stealing a magical ring, she is forced to marry Reid or face the punishment.

Of course, as a hidden witch and a witch hunter, they barely tolerate each other in the beginning. That is until they start to warm up to each other with the help of a Chasseur in training, Ansel. With Lou’s mother on the loose and the Archbishop of the Chasseurs hiding a secret, they are constantly in danger. Can they protect each other, or will Lou be lost forever?
           In this slow-burning enemies to lovers story, you will discover that perhaps differences aren’t such a bad thing. In the end, they may be the very thing that keeps you alive. Shelby Mahurin’s debut novel is full of everything you could ask for from a fantasy book: romance, magic, and hope. Serpent & Dove will force you to reevaluate your point of view and look at the world differently.

TAB Recommendations

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Below are some of the books that Reston TAB members have read and enjoyed recently. The call numbers have been included so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted.

Amazon.com: Divergent (9780062024039): Veronica Roth: Books

Divergent, Veronica Roth (YSF ROT)
In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

An Enchantment Of Ravens - By Margaret Rogerson (Hardcover) : Target

An Enchantment of Ravens, Margaret Rogerson (YSF ROG)
A superbly skilled portrait artist who includes among her patrons the sinister, immortal fair folk who covet her talents, Isobel makes the terrible mistake of revealing an autumn faerie prince’s sorrow in his portrait, a choice that strands them both in a hostile land where they risk their lives to pursue forbidden feelings for each other.

Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns, #4) by Kendare Blake

Five Dark Fates, Kendare Blake (First book: Three Dark Crowns) (YSF BLA)
In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the magical island lies in the hands of its queens. It always has.

Amazon.com: Legend (9780142422076): Lu, Marie: Books

Legend, Marie Lu (YSF LU)
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common
enemy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins | Waterstones

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins (YSF COLLINS SUZANNE)
In a prequel to “The Hunger Games,” eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow prepares to mentor the female tribute from District 12 in the tenth Hunger Games, with the fate of his family hanging on the slim chance that he can help her win the Games.

Hatchet (Reprint) (Paperback) By Gary Paulsen : Target

Hatchet, Gary Paulson (JFIC PAU)
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents’
divorce.

Amazon.com: Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels Book 1) eBook: Yee, F. C., DiMartino, Michael Dante: Kindle Store

The Rise of Kyoshi, FC Yee (YFIC YEE)
A latest origin story follows the life of the longest-living Earth Kingdom-born Avatar, Kyoshi, detailing her humble origins, establishment of the Kyoshi Warriors and secret founding of the corrupt and nation-
destroying Dai Li.

The Toll | Book by Neal Shusterman | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

The Toll, Neal Shusterman (First book: Scythe) (YSF SHU)
Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him? The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

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At the age of seven, Jude and her sisters were stolen away from the only life they knew by the man who murdered their parents. Taken to the High Court of Faerie, they grow up there, reminiscing about the human world. Ten years later, all Jude wants is to belong, but of course,
that isn’t possible as fey hate humans and use them as pets. The only way to belong in the courts is to enter the tournament and become a knight. With her sisters and ten years of training at her side, what could go wrong?


           Well, it turns out the answer is everything. Their “father” won’t let Jude enter the tournament, and what’s more, is that the youngest prince has taken a special interest in Jude – and not in a good way. Prince Cardan and his friends have taken it upon themselves to make Jude’s life as miserable as possible. So when Jude has to go against him, she must learn to face
the consequences of her actions.


           In this classic enemies to lovers story, Holly Black has created a world with hidden beauty, a world that Jude must now save. The Cruel Prince will test your patience as you wait to learn what the land of fey has in store for your new favorite character.

September 7 – 16: Fairfax County Public Library Digital Programs

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ON THE FLIP SIDE: PRACTICING POSITIVITY

Things are…not great. The good news is that you can learn how to reframe your thoughts and perspective to make life more enjoyable. Join us on Instagram Stories to practice turning the bad into good…Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Time: 3:00pm – 3:30pm

VIRTUAL YOGA FOR ALL

Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults. (R)Date:Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Time: 10:00am – 11:00am

CROCHET IN-THE-ROUND

Gather “in-the-round” with other crochet enthusiasts! Virtually, of course. Practice a new technique or stit ch each week, share projects, and learn from each other! Perfect for those looking…Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

RESUME TIPS

Get a crash course in resume-writing! After a presentation and Q&A, you can submit your resume to be proofread and returned. A Zoom invitation will be emailed to registrants one day before the eve…Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm

GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB

This month we are reading and discussing El Deafo by Cece Bell. Print copies available at the information desk for check out. Check the library’s digital collection for Ebook format if you prefer….Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Time: 4:30pm – 5:30pm

RESTON TAB MEETING

Join TAB to gain leadership and volunteer experience and share your ideas about how to make the library a wonderful place for teens! Volunteer hours granted. Age 13-18. This is a virtual e…Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020

Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

BAKING BASICS

Don’t know a sourdough starter from active dry yeast? Don’t worry, we got you! In this program, we’ll introduce you to the basics of baking so that you can learn to experiment in the kitch…Date: Friday, September 11, 2020

Time: 3:00pm – 3:15pm

VIRTUAL CHESS CLUB

Learn and improve chess skills using online Lichess tactics. An invitation to join this virtual chess game will be emailed 1 day prior to the start time. Age 8 – Teen. (R)Date: Friday, September 11, 2020

Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm

VIRTUAL YOGA FOR ALL

Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults. (R)Date:Monday, September 14, 2020

Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm

LAUGH OR YOU’LL CRY: DARK COMEDY MEDIA RECOMMENDATIONS

It’s a harsh world out there. You might as well laugh at it. Our teen services librarian will give you some dark comedy recommendations to keep you sane. This program will go live on FCPL’s…Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Time: 3:00pm – 3:15pm

VIRTUAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH DANCE FUN (WITH DANCEINTIME)

Join us for Latin dance with a video featuring DanceInTime performances and a documentary about the world-wide popularity of Salsa. The program also includes information on the history of the dances, …Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm

VIRTUAL YOGA FOR ALL

Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults. Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Time: 10:00am – 11:00am

CROCHET IN-THE-ROUND

Gather “in-the-round” with other crochet enthusiasts! Virtually, of course. Practice a new technique or stitch each week, share projects, and learn from each other! Perfect for those looking…Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Review: Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

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On the futuristic planet of Laterre, humankind has gone backward in civilization. With three estates roaming around, most of the population falls into the Third Estate, or the working class. Chatine is one of them. She will do anything to get off of Laterre and keep herself alive, including hiding her true identity. As a boy named Theo, she is offered a reward by the general
of Laterre: spy on Marcellus, his grandson, and be granted transport off of the planet. What Chatine didn’t plan for was her feelings getting in the way.


           Marcellus, on the other hand, feels nothing for the boy he knows as Theo and instead is fascinated by Alouette, the mysterious girl who seems to appear randomly with no connection to anyone on Laterre. What he doesn’t know is that Alouette lives underground with her father and
the Sisters, who guard the last library on the planet. With new threats coming out and the future of their planet at risk, the three teenagers must find a way to fix the corrupt rule of the Regime.

           In this breath-taking retelling of Victor Hugo’s classic Les Miserables, Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell have created a story that will have you hanging on to its every word, hoping for the best.

Get Ready for Fall Reading!

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compiled and summarized by Emma Shacochis

The school year beginning means a bittersweet end to the free time summer gave us to pour through as many books as we wanted. However, with the seasons about to change, it seems like the perfect time to start thinking about which spooky, autumnal reads we can borrow from Fairfax County’s libraries this fall!

GRAPHIC NOVELS

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Pumpkinheads, by Rainbow Rowell

Seasonal best friends Josiah and Deja devote their last night working at their local pumpkin patch to talking to their longtime crush (Josiah), trying every snack available (Deja), and avoiding the need to say goodbye to one another.

Mooncakes, by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu

When the woods of their town begin to fill with ominous and supernatural creatures, werewolf Tam reunites with their childhood best friend Nova and her family of witches to whip up some magic to stop it.

Fake Blood, by Whitney Gardner

In order to get the attention of his vampire-obsessed crush Nia, AJ decides to go big and pretend that he’s the undead boy of her dreams. Foolproof, right? …Too bad that she’s secretly a vampire slayer.

Sheets, by Brenna Thummler

Lately, the bedsheets at Marjorie’s laundromat have been scattered across the floor each morning. It’s not the fault of faulty machines or the seedy businessman who’s trying to buy the store from her family – only ghosts!

NOVELS

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The Lantern’s Ember, by Colleen Houck

Cross the bridge alongside Ember, her town’s only witch, and “lantern” Jack, the guardsman between worlds, into a nightmarish realm of every Halloween monster you’ve ever heard of – and worse.

When We Were Magic, by Sarah Gailey

Six teenage witches struggle to maintain their friendship while covering up crushes, insecurities, and an unfortunately high number of magical murders.

The Babysitter’s Coven, by Kate Williams

A group of teenage girls team up to make dinner, put the kids to bed, and use their supernatural powers to protect the world from evil – all in an evening’s work.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, by Kiersten White

When she’s taken out of her abusive home to be a companion of the serious, mysterious Victor Frankenstein, Elizabeth is delighted by her new life. But the closer she gets to the family’s terrifying secrets, the more she realizes her own capabilities for darkness.

 

Grab your candy corn and dive into these fascinating reads!

Review: Sara J. Maas’s The Throne of Glass

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     Celaena Sardothien has been trained as an assassin since she was eight. When she was captured at 17 and taken to the Endovier prison where most people don’t live more than a month, Celaena focuses on the only thing she can: staying alive. So when the Crown Prince and his Captain of the Guard come to visit her and offer her a way to earn her freedom, of course, Celaena says yes. All she has to do is defeat 23 of the kingdom’s best thieves and assassins, and she will become the King’s Champion with her freedom coming soon after. Sounds easy, right? Wrong.

     Besides the fact that both the Captain of the Guard and the Crown Prince have caught Celaena’s eye yet both seem to provoke her in their ways, there is dark magic roaming the hallways of the castle and more and more competitors are being murdered. With a foreign princess as one of her only allies, Celaena must discover as much as she can about the forbidden magic that has entered the castle without the king finding out. After all, magic has been banned for many years and the king doesn’t respond kindly to people who disobey the law….

     Sara J. Maas spins another breath-catching tale that has roots in the Cinderella fairytale but soon takes on a life of its own. The Throne of Glass will make you question authority and teach you that sometimes life isn’t fair, so you have to play by your own rules. The Throne of Glass is perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Game of Thrones!

 

Review: Jenn Bennett’s Alex, Approximately

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     Bailey Rydell lives in DC with her mother, where she spends most of her time online chatting with a guy who calls himself Alex. They both love movies, and when Alex asks Bailey to come to a movie festival with him in his home town in California, Bailey realizes that he lives in the same town as her father. So when Bailey goes to live with her father at the beginning of the summer, she starts looking for him but doesn’t tell him that she’s here. With her new summer job, new best friend, Grace, and new mortal enemy, Porter, it just slipped her mind.

     With Porter seemingly always around, Bailey and he just can’t seem to get along! However, as Bailey gets to know this cute little surfing town better and Porter along with it, her feelings start to change into something different, something … sweet? Bailey can’t help feeling bad about “cheating” on Alex, even though they’ve never met or dated, but it turns out that she doesn’t need to worry. You see, Porter is Alex … approximately.

     Alex, Approximately is the cute beach romance that everyone dreams of, and if we can’t all have it, why not read about it! Jenn Bennett spins a sweet, irresistible story that will get you sucked in and gasping with all the plot twists, steamy scenes, and drama that happens in Coronado Cove, California. Population: all romance lovers.

 

 

Review: Mary E. Pearson’s The Kiss of Deception

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Amazon.com: The Kiss of Deception: The Remnant Chronicles, Book ...

     Princess Arabella Celestine Idris Jezelia has it all – including an untraditional name tacked on to the end of her official title. But to her, that is the name that has always felt the most real to her, and so she decides to go by Lia. On the day of Lia’s wedding, she runs away with her attendant Pauline to escape an arranged marriage. As she sees it, the prince of Dalbreck doesn’t deserve her hand in marriage if he can’t even be bothered to meet her beforehand. With only the clothes on their backs, their horses, and a stolen secret, Lia and Pauline set off in search of a new life.

     They reach the town of Terravin and start over by working at a local tavern. There, Lia meets two men, Kaden and Rafe, but what she doesn’t know about them is that one of them is the prince she was supposed to marry and the other a hired assassin there to kill her. As Lia realizes that she is in more danger than before, she also finds herself falling for one of the new men in her life. Will love be enough to save them all?

     The Kiss of Deception is a riveting novel that will grasp you and not let you put it down until you’ve finished. With plot twists keeping you hooked until the very end, Mary E. Pearson has created a story that will never let you go. You’ll find yourself rooting for love and hoping that Lia doesn’t pick the wrong person and damn them all.