William Blake's The Great Red Dragon

Here is a list of some “angelic titles” that could sway you on the side of good. Check these out.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Kissed By an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

Murder, ghosts, and eternal love tangle together in this unforgettable trilogy of romance and suspense, now bound together in a single volume.
 
 

Torment by Lauren Kate

Hell on earth. That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts-immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something-something dangerous. What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword and Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret… even if it kills her. Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

In James Patterson’s blockbuster series, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “flock”–Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel–are just like ordinary kids–only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time…like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack jobs. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare–this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb–now her betrayed and greatest enemy–that her purpose is save the world–but can she?

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you are traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead but still walking and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever or “whoever” is hunting her?

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility. Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain. Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

The Fairmont Branch Library’s First Monday Book Club will be reading The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and will meet on Monday, February 6, at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Fairmont Branch Library to discuss this very interesting work.

The Central Library’s Tea-Time Mystery Book Club will be reading The Collectors by David Baldacci and will meet on Monday, January 20, at 3:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the Central Library. Coffee, tea, roses, and CHOCOLATE will be shared in the company of interesting people while discussing this suspenseful work by one of today’s best-selling authors.

Pasadena Public Library proudly took part in the “Stop SOPA” Internet Blackout on January 18th, 2012.

We joined internet presences great and small (including Wikipedia, Google, WordPress.org, and many libraries and individual blog owners) to help raise awareness about this pending bill and the severe ramifications it would have on free speech and the freedom of the internet.

By providing a pop-up with quick information about SOPA, its threat to free speech and access to internet content, AND providing a way to contact local representatives with ease, the voices of U.S. citizens have been heard — Brendan Sasso of the Hill.com technology blog wrote:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) announced on Friday that he will postpone consideration of his Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) until there is wider agreement on the controversial legislation.

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”

Smith’s announcement came just minutes after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced he would shelve the Senate’s version of the anti-piracy legislation, the Protect IP Act.

Smith was the author of SOPA and its most vocal proponent. He had repeatedly said the bill did not need to be changed and accused the critics of “spreading lies.”

But support for the bill collapsed after a massive Web protest on Wednesday. Major sites including Google and Wikipedia either shut down in protest or displayed messages opposing the legislation.

Add to that the Motion Picture Association’s Chris Dodd, saying:

“This is altogether a new effect,” Mr. Dodd said, comparing the online movement to the Arab Spring. He could not remember seeing “an effort that was moving with this degree of support change this dramatically” in the last four decades.

The Pasadena Public Library is actively working to ensure your access to cultural and educational materials by participating in events such as the Internet Blackout.

We are proud to serve the community of Pasadena, Texas both online as well as at both our locations by providing free access to internet resources in both our locations, including free wifi, free computer classes at our business center teaching Microsoft Word, Excel, and classes for Internet en Espanol, as well as easy access to our vast array of online databases both in the library and from the comfort of your home through our site at PPLTX.net.

For more information on the services we can provide, please contact us through this site, or call us at (713) 477-0276.

The 2012-2013 Bluebonnet list contains twenty books selected by the Texas Bluebonnet Award committee. Click below for a copy of the 2012-2013 Bluebonnet book list, and for more information on the Texas Bluebonnet Award please visit the Texas Library Association website. Pasadena Public Library will offer all of the current Bluebonnet titles for students to checkout. The master list is also displayed in the children’s area near the science project books.

Parents, if your child missed the voting deadline for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, please encourage him or her to continue reading the selected books for their value as personal enrichment.

Click here for the master list of 2012-2013 Bluebonnet Award titles

Need more help? Check out these guides!OverDrive Video TourOverdrive Audio | Overdrive E-books
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Audio books are a great way to keep up with all the hot titles from popular authors while maintaining a busy schedule. Up to four audio books may be checked out at one time for two weeks per title. Our audio book collections are all on CD, and we have over 1,500 titles in circulation. Both fiction and nonfiction titles are available. We even have audio book kits to learn a foreign language. All audio books are the full, unabridged text.

For the movie fan, our library has an extensive collection of DVDs. Eight DVDs may be checked out at a time for a period of one week. The DVD collection includes: TV shows, feature films, and nonfiction specials.

If you have an ear for music, check out of CD collection. Our library has current popular artists as well as the old favorites. Eight CDs may be checked out at a time for a period of two weeks.

Additional Links for Teens

Consumer Information and Life Skills
• CU Succeed: Teens Financial Network - A great resource that offers personal finance tools and information for teens. Includes budget spreadsheets, information on buying cars, online calculators for loans, savings, and credit card payoff. Also features articles on choosing a college, finding a job, tracking expenses and related topics. From a credit union league partnership that assists “credit unions in the United States and Canada in attracting teen members.”
• It All Adds Up – A site for teens who want to get ahead in their financial future. Online games and simulations to learn about topics like buying a car, saving and investing, and paying for college. Developed by the National Council on Economic Education.
• The Teenager’s Guide to the Real World - Selected chapters from the book The Teenagers Guide to the Real World, offering advice for teens on how to succeed in life.

Education-College
• Collegeboard.com: SAT - A full-length SAT practice test and scoring guide.
• FAFSA on the Web – U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid online. Includes information on aid and online applications.
• FinAid! The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid - Planning to go to college? Most college students receive some form of financial aid. On this website, learn about student loans, scholarships, and tax benefits. The other sections of this site will help you make better decisions regarding the financing of your college career. The financial aid process can be intimidating, but knowledge is power!
• Princeton Review – Includes financial aid information, ACT and SAT practice tests, and a matchmaker search tool to help you find colleges that match your interests.

Health
• The Cool Spot – Alcohol education for kids 11-13 years old. The Cool Spot includes discussions about the effects drinking can have on physical and intellectual development, how to resist peer pressure, the dangers of underage drinking, and the prevention and treatment of alcohol problems. By the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Girlshealth – A site created to help girls, ages 10-16, learn about health, growing up, and issues they may face.
• Help for Teens – Wondering if drugs are really that bad? Curious why some people can’t handle drinking and drugs? Concerned about a friend’s drug problem? This site from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America answers these and many other pressing questions. Recommended for grades 6 and up.
• My Pyramid - Explore the official new food pyramid from the United States Department of Agriculture to learn about the food groups and to see how much physical activity you should be getting. Take an animated tour of the new pyramid. Discover a wealth of ideas that can help you get started toward a healthy diet. There are tips for each food group, physical activity, eating out, a sample menu, and more.
• TeensHealth – Doctor-approved health information on topics such as depression, eating for sports, the effects of backpack weight, and more. A project of the Nemours Foundation.
• Teenhelp – A network of peer mentors who have a desire to reach out and help fellow teens resolve problems. Includes live chat, support rooms, articles, and a list of resources and agencies who can help with topics like suicide, depression, drugs and alcohol, family violence.

Homework Help
• Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids/Teens – Includes historical documents, including the U.S. constitution, games and activities, links to government web sites.
• Picturing Modern America 1880-1920: Historical Thinking Exercises for Middle and High School Students – Sharpen your observation skills as you decipher clues in photographs that help you interpret history and learn more about the United States.
• Research Project Calculator - helps you plan for and navigate the research process, using reliable resources. This 5-step process includes deadlines and (optional) email reminders. It also offers hints, worksheets, and guides for various types of projects.

Jobs and Careers
• The Fun Works: For Careers You Never Knew Existed – Find out about various careers in the arts, music, sports, science, technology, medicine, and engineering. This site includes quizzes to focus on aptitudes, games and puzzles to provide a glimpse of the jobs, and information about necessary education, typical salaries, and the nature of the work. From the Educational Development Center. For students ages 11-15.
• JobStar Central Guides for Specific Careers – Links to sites offering information on careers. Find out what kind of education or training is required, what it is like for people currently working in a specific field, what you can earn, and more.
• JobGenie – 12,000 job descriptions from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook – This site includes descriptions of different occupations, educational requirements, salaries, working conditions, and more. The print version is also available at the Duluth Public Library.

Reading and Recreation
• Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) – advocates extensive and developmentally appropriate library and information services for young adults, ages 12-18 while promoting reading and supporting the literacy movement.
• Favorite Teenage Angst Books – Book reviews, interviews with selected authors, and more.
• Poets.org -The Academy of American Poets was founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.
• Readergirlz – is the cutting-edge literacy and social media project for teens, awarded the National Book Award for Innovations in Reading. It is a nonprofit volunteer organization. The readergirlz mission is to promote teen literacy and corresponding social service
• Reading Rants – Booklists for teens looking for a good read.
• Teenreads – A great place to find book reviews by other teens, author interviews, and information about new titles.
• ComicZone - more than 25 comic strips.
• All Music Guide – Look for information on your favorite artists, songs, and style of music.

PPL Databases for Teens

Academic Search Complete
Provides full text for scholarly publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

• EBSCO Student Research Center
  Ebsco resources selected especially for youth in grades 6-12.
• Learning Express
  Test preparation materials and interactive practice exams in the areas of academic, civil service, military, and professional licensing and certification exams.
  All users, including home access users, must choose either the New User or Returning User button. If you need assistance, please contact a reference librarian.

MAS Ultra: School Edition
Designed for high school libraries, the database contains full text for more than 700 popular, high school magazines and over 84,000 biographies and primary source documents. Includes more than 350 reference books (including the CIA World Fact Book, World Almanac and Our States reference book series.

Middle Search Plus
Contains full text for more than 140 popular, middle school magazines, includes an assigned reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies, historical essays and student pamphlets.

For the college-bound user, COIN has links to everything a Texas college student will need to plan financially for their tuition, including comparisons of schools in Texas, tuition lists, and virtual tours of universities. There is also a link to ACT/ SAT study materials.

EBSCO COIN Career Database is free to library patrons. To access EBSCO COIN Career Database, click the ‘Research & Databases” button on the library’s homepage, then click the letter “E” from the alphabet list. It will then take you to the section to locate EBSCO COIN Career Database. Users from home will need their library card to access this resource – just click on the “Remote Access” link beneath the database description to reach the login screen. For access within the library, no borrower information not required – just click on the “Library Access” beneath the database description.

Coin Career Community combines the proven reliability and ease of the Coin Career Guidance System with the accessibility of the Internet to make students’ career exploration and planning available 24 hours a day.

Need more information? Call (713)477-0276 or stop in at the Reference Desk for access assistance.