Friday Fun: Escape the Room

Can you Escape the Room? This puzzle game, titled "Vision," will test your problem-solving wits as you try to find keys, stones, gears, and more, all with the hope of escaping a room without any visible doors or windows. The point-and-click game requires you to check everywhere - in narrow crannies, on top of cabinets, even on "empty" walls and floors. It may not always be clear how to use what you find, but try taking a closer look at everything you pick up, and combining the items.

Hints for the game can be found on-line, but we'll give you one to start: You'll find a piece of paper with letters on it. They only look like they spell something -- what's more important is that there are only four letters used - N, E, W, S.

The Inauguration: One Amazing Photo

Check out this single moment from President Barack Obama's Inauguration -- a megapixel, panoramic photo that takes in a very large area with surprising amount of detail. The picture has a wide range of zooming and scrolling possibilities -- allowing you to play "I Spy" at this historic event. Can you spot the living ex-Presidents and Vice-Presidents sitting behind him? The Marine Band in front? The photographers up on the dome? The people in tents on the roof of the far buildings? What else can you find?

UPDATED: For more pictures of the Inauguration in Washington, as well as reactions across the U.S. and around the world, check out Boston.com's Big Picture feature.

New Books

All New Books listed may be found in the Young Adult collection.

Chicken Soup for the College Soul

Twins: A Novel by Marcy Dermansky
Follow identical twins Chloe and Sue as they try to survive adolescence and each other. Over the course of five years, they’ll overcome breakups, unhappy vacations, unicycle lessons, eating disorders, pill abuse, and the first painful explorations of love.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Marantz Cohen
Years ago, Anne Ehrlich’s family persuaded her to give up the love of her life, Ben. Now a high school counselor, Anne hasn’t seen Ben since – until his nephew turns up in her high school and starts applying to college. Can Anne fix her old mistake before Ben gets married?

The Seven Deadly Sins series by Robin Wasserman
(Lust; Envy; Pride; Wrath; Sloth; Gluttony; Greed)
Alpha girl Harper wants all-American boy Adam, but he’s dating blond, boring Beth. Kane secretly wants Beth, too. Miranda wants Kane, even though he’s out of her league. And then there’s Kaia, who only wants trouble, and Reed, who only wants a good time. Before their senior year is over, hearts will break, one will die, and the others will pick up the pieces.

Something Rotten: A Horatio Wilkes Mystery by Alan Gratz
Horatio Wilkes arrives in Denmark Tennessee to learn that his best friend’s father has been poisoned, and the killer is still at large. A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan
Battle Hall Davies is spending the summer with her long-lost brother Nick, at the group house he shares. While she’s there, she’ll be swept into their community Shakespeare production, its all night card games, and the arms of her new housemate, Meryl. She’ll also discover who Nick really is, and who she is as well.

Delia’s Heart by V.C. Andrews

A sequel to Delia’s Crossing. Delia Yebarra, a beautiful and popular senior at an exclusive private school, finds herself at the center of horrific rumors sparked by her cousin Sophia. To salvage her reputation, her aunt introduces her to the handsome son of a wealthy politician.

Broken Music by Sting
The rock musician’s memoir.

Chinese New Year

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. This year is the Year of the Ox, which symbolizes prosperity through calm, dependable hard work. For a look at how it is celebrated, check out the Big Picture.

Because the Chinese use a lunar calendar, based on the cycle of the moon, it falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year. But in China, it begins the first day of the first month, and continues until the fifteenth day.

(Photo: Chinese earthquake survivors toast the Year of the Ox in a temporary shelter.)

FunBrain

http://www.funbrain.com/
FunBrain is a site with online educational games for kids of all ages. (math , grammar, science, spell, history)

New Books: Fantasy and Sci-Fi

All new books listed are in the Young Adult collection.

Little (Grrl) LOST by Charles De Lint
Fourteen-year-old T.J. is forced to move to the suburbs with her family, where she meets Elizabeth, a punked-out teen runaway with a big attitude and a small body – she’s just six inches tall. Their friendship is put to the test in this winner of the World Fantasy Award.

Tracing the Shadow by Sarah Ash
The Kingdom of Francia has purged itself of magi, condemning them to burn on fiery pyres. Now a young orphan will use her gift of song as a weapon to track down the traitor responsible for her father’s death.


Breath and Bone by Carol Berg
Everyone wants to get their hands on the rebel Valen – a murderous priestess, a prince who steals dead men’s eyes, even the Danae guardians, whose magic could cost him his life. Valen risks certain death to rescue a child, seek justice for another, and bring the dying land of Navronne to its rightful king.

The Darkness by L. A. Banks
The latest installment of the Vampire Huntress series.


Star Wars: Legacy of the Force – Invincible by Troy Denning
The explosive conclusion to the Legacy of the Force series, which pits the New Jedi Order against the evil Darth Caedus and his Galactic Alliance many years after the events of Return of the Jedi.



Wonder Woman by S. D. Perry and Britta Dennison
Based on the animated movie.


The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
Soon after Lizzie Brown finds an ancient demon on her toilet, her hyperactive dog starts talking, and her long-lost biker-witch grandma is hurling Smuckers jars filled with magic. Lizzie learns she is a demon slayer – and all hell is after her.


The Dark Princess by Amanda Kostro
Evil can be a corrosive force… especially when you live within it. The Dark Princess realizes that the evil reign of her uncle the king must be stopped. Fourteen-year-old Riverside, IL resident Kostro started writing this fantasy adventure at age twelve.

New Books: Chick Lit

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Samantha Sweeting walks away from her high-paying job and gets lost in the suburbs, where she’s mistaken for an interviewee and offered a job as a housekeeper. Her new employers have no idea that she can’t cook, sew, or even open an ironing board.

Why Not? by Shari Low
Jess and her circle of friends plan to get payback on her ex-boyfriends.

The Nanny by Melissa Nathan
Jo Green leaves her small town to take a job as a nanny in the big city. But if the three crazy children she takes care of weren’t bad enough, things get more complicated when their father’s all-grown-up son moves in as well.

I Do (But I Don’t) by Cara Lockwood Wedding planner Laura Crandall may create perfect days, but she lives lonely nights. Until she meets firefighter Nick Corona, who saves two of her weddings from disaster – and who might just save her as well.

The Second Assistant; The First Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare
Former Washington D.C. intern Elizabeth Miller takes a new job as an assistant in a high-powered Hollywood talent agency.

A Match Made on Madison by Dee Davis

Matchmaker Vanessa Carlson pairs up the rich and famous in Manhattan, but she’s got competition from her friend and mentor Althea Sevalas. Now, to prove who’s best, they compete to see who can score Mark Grayson as their client and send him walking down the aisle.

The Matchbreaker by Chris Manby
After Lindsey Parker scares off her father’s fiancée, she realizes he’s crushed. Now, with a change of heart, she decides to convince her to come back. It won’t be easy – her almost-stepmother already has a new boyfriend. But breaking people up is what Lindsey does best.

Welcome, Mr. President

Barak H. Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. For an in-depth look at his inauguration, check here.

This picture, by the way, is his official portrait -- the one that will appear in schools and government buildings all over the country. It is also the first taken with a digital camera.

And speaking of digital cameras, a satellite high above the inauguration captured this image.

ASPCA's Animaland

www.animaland.org

This entertaining and educational site is loaded with information about animals, pet care, careers in animal care, animal issues, and plenty of fun and games. Sponsored by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Amazing Space

http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/

Learn about astronomy, space, telescopes, stars, discoveries. Includes “Tonight’s Sky” constellations, deep sky objects and planets.

Video Games at the Library

The Oak Lawn Public Library has added video games to our collection - games you can check out!

Systems include Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, and XBox 360. All games are rated E or T (M games may come in the future).

There is no fee to check out games, but there is a limit of 2 at a time. You can take them out for 5 days, or 10 if you ask at the desk. But turn them in on time, because there is a $1 fee for every day they are overdue.

We will continue to order new games throughout the coming year, so if you have requests, please let us know in the Youth Services Department, in the Movies, Music, and Audiobooks section, or on this blog using our comment form.

Teen Earns Every Merit Badge

Boy Scout Shawn Goldsmith has completed every merit possible - 121.

What will you accomplish in the coming year?

Neopets

Neopets www.neopets.com/
Neopets is a free online gaming community, where players can create or adopt virtual animals.