You heard me. There’s only one more Teens Take Over this summer and it’s next Tuesday, August 12 at the Carrollton Public Library at Josey Ranch Lake from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Will there be pizza? oh, yeah!
Will there be Rock Band? oh, yeah!
Will there be DDR? oh, yeah!
Will there be Guitar Hero? oh, yeah!
Will there be fun? oh, YEAH!!!
Will YOU be there? we hope so!

Get this permission slip signed and join the fun Tuesday, August 12 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Right now it’s 101° but it FEELS like 104°. That’s hot. Like if you had a fever that hot you’d go see the doctor. And tomorrow will be hotter - 104° feeling like 107°. It’s going to be like this all week.

What can you do to beat the heat? You could:

• Go swimming - in your own pool, your complex’s pool or check out Rosemeade Rainforest or another Carrollton pool
• Go to the movies - there are plenty of great summer movies to see
• Get a snow cone or make your own fruity drink in the blender at home - try these books for recipes or one of the sites below
  • Smoothie Web
  • Smoothies Recipes from All Recipes
  • Healthy Smoothie Recipes
• Run through the sprinklers - just do it after 7:00 p.m. and only on the days your family is allowed to water - If the last digit of your address is an odd number, water on Saturdays and Wednesdays. If the last digit of your address is an even number, water on Sundays and Thursdays
• Have a water fight - guns, balloons, whatever weapons you choose.
• Read a great book inside where’s it’s cool - we’ve made plenty of suggestions!

That’s what I thought of, but there must be more to do to beat the heat. Comment and let us know what YOU do to cool it on a hot day!

Are you looking to cleaning off your bookshelves before school starts? Before you toss the books you no longer want into the recycling, think about donating them to the Friends of the Carrollton Public Library Annual Book Sale. They’re actually looking for more than just books–DVD, VHS, CD and cassette donations are also being accepted. You’ll find donation bins at both library locations. The book sale is in September and I think they’re taking donations until the end of August.

The Friends of the Carrollton Public Library is an AWESOME organization that helps the library out with so many things. In the past they’ve bought the books we’ve given away as Summer Reading Club prizes and, most recently, they’ve paid for the FOOD for Teens Take Over! So, if you can, donate materials to the Friends’ book sale today. If you help them, they can keep helping us help you!

It’s definitely the summer for sequels. Check these out. (If you haven’t read the books that come before these, I’ll leave you to figure out what the titles are. Come on, it’s not THAT evil! )

Excellent news for fans of the Sisterhood of the traveling pants series. Not only is the new movie coming out very soon but a series spinoff is on the way as well!

In January 2009, 3 Willows: the Sisterhood grows will be released. It will follow the lives of three girls entering the same high school Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget attended. Even though the story doesn’t feature the Sisterhood, be on the lookout for characters and details from the other books. Want more details? Read the article. It hasn’t been updated yet, but I’m sure you’ll eventually get more info at author Ann Brashares’ website.

Need a quick Sisterhood fix? Check out Sisterhood Central for all kinds of goodies including a chance to win tickets to the movie premiere and a quiz to find out which sister is your Sisterhood soul mate.

Who’s YOUR favorite sister and why? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Click on a cover to search the catalog.

It may not come out until August 2nd, but you CAN put a hold on Breaking dawn today. You’ll need your library card number and your PIN. If you need help, let us know!

How far away is the future? Is it a century from now? Is it a decade from now? Is it tomorrow? Is it today!? The Starry Rift : Tales of New Tomorrows edited by Jonathan Strahan takes a look at the various shapes the future will assume through the eyes of teens. Are you a gamer, a musician, a sports fiend or just anxious to find out what the future holds? Then there are stories about someone just like you in this collection!

You’ll find favorite authors like Scott Westerfeld, Garth Nix and Neil Gaiman amongst these pages and perhaps discover new favorites as well. What happens when a flu pandemic forces a young American soccer player to flee to South America with his father just in time for the return of mysterious otherworldly visitors? What if you found out that your actions in an MMORPG had tangible real world results? What would you do if your sister started channeling trans-dimensional deities because she used too much self-tanner? Read this book and find out!!

Everyone remembers being told, “look left, right, then left again” when you were taught to cross the street as a child. Or maybe you were just told “look both ways”. That part seems to have stuck. The looking part. The part that didn’t stick is cross at the corner and cross with the light.

Texas is a state for drivers. People in Texas love their cars. Public transportation was horribly under-used here compared to other major cities. I say was because the gas prices have started a trend of more and more people taking a bus or train to work. But most people still drive.

People in Texas don’t walk a lot. Except maybe in their local neighborhood or in downtown Dallas. Because they don’t walk a lot they forget all they were taught as children about using the crosswalk and waiting for the green light. The way people cross the street in Texas is dangerous. People dash across the street in the middle of a block because going all the way to the corner seems like a pain to them. Nowhere near as painful as getting hit by a car would be, but still enough of a pain that they will risk death or severe injury for the convenience.

OK, that’s bad, but what is UP with the people crossing within 20 feet of a corner without going to the corner. The corner is RIGHT THERE and they still won’t go there to use the cross-walk. They run across the street assuming no one is going to turn at the corner and hit them. Or they weave between cars stopped at the light. It’s insane. Really, really nuts.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2006 Texas ranked third out of all 50 states in the number of pedestrian deaths with only California and Florida having more deaths. They did a statistical report in 2003 that found that 30% of pedestrian deaths are caused by improper crossing, 25% are caused by walking, playing, or working in the roadway, and 15% by failing to yield the right of way (crossing when you don’t have a green light).

So, here is my plea to you, the teens of Carrollton. Please cross at the corner. Please cross with the light - when it is green for you. And of course, look left, then right, then left again.