As I went through the newspaper over breakfast on Sunday, pulling out the coupon and ad sections to look at, I saw the circulars for the big box stores advertising back to school supplies, backpacks and school clothes. I snapped out of my sleepy, carefree morning bliss.  Is it back to school time already?

Though it feels like the middle of the summer outside, with the humidity and temperatures sweltering in most parts of the country, the reality is that the new school year is approaching quickly. It’s time to prepare. And as you prepare your calendars with programming and events for the upcoming school year, don’t forget to include planning for Teen Read Week 2008-Books With Bite. Now is a great time to get a jump on your planning and organizing. Be sure to register for TRW to receive free promotional materials. Registration closes Sept. 12 and the first 1,000 people who register in between Sept. 1 -12 will receive a free Secret Life of Bees poster from Fox Searchlight.

Once you’ve signed up, poke around the other areas of the Teen Read Week website and the Teen Read Week Wiki for more resources and information. Find inspiration and ideas for your library’s uniqiue celebration.  What gets you excited about Teen Read Week 2008?

The Teen Read Week Committee is happy to finally congratulateLibrarian Elizabeth Kahn of the Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy as the winner of the Teen Read Week Win a Visit With Tiffany Trent Contest! To read the full press release on the ALA website, click here.

Author Trent will be visiting the Academy of 285 students (grades 6-11) during Teen Tech Week on March 7th, just a week away. Trent is the creator and author of the popular Hallowmere book series for teens. The contest judged over 20 creative and inspiring entries of Teen Read Week programs from school and public libraries across the nation.

Kahn’s Teen Read Week efforts included a program entitled LOL @ PFTSTA and included daily email blasts to all students, joke contests and other contests with cool prizes. Kahn’s entry stressed the importance of “develop[ing] a school culture where students see the library as an exciting destination”. Students also received copies of books “Zipped” and “The Boyfriend List”.

Way to go, Librarian Kahn!

Teen Read Week 2008 will take place October 12-18. This year’s theme will be “Books With Bite”.

So this year’s Teen Read Week celebration may be over, but there is still much to do. Teen Read Week doesn’t really end with Teen Read Week. How can you keep the momentum going?

• Tell YALSA about your Teen Read Week plans, and you could win a visit from author Tiffany Trent, courtesy of Mirrorstone Books!
• Share your reading habits with SmartGirl by taking the 2007 Teen Read Week Survey!
• Start reading with the WrestleMania Reading Challenge!

Happy Teen Read Week, everyone!

If you do not receive emails from a YALSA listserv, you might have missed all the excellent information that Stephanie Kuenn, YALSA Communications Specialist, emailed us earlier this week on Teen Read Week. But don’t sweat if you missed it, I have posted here again for you:

Help YALSA celebrate Teen Read Week! We need your help:

• Start by making sure your teens vote for the Teens’ Top Ten
• Ask the teens you serve to visit the Teen Read Week web site and vote on next year’s theme
• Send your teens to SmartGirl.org to take the annual Teen Read Week survey about teen reading habits
• Go to the Teen Read Week Wiki and add your programs to our list
• Check out I Love Libraries, which is highlighting Teen Read Week
• At the end of the week, enter our Win a Visit from Tiffany Trent contest and tell us all about your fabulous celebration! Click here for the rules and application

Thanks to all of you for your help in making this the best Teen Read Week yet!

Need some quick, easy ideas for activities to plan at your library for Teen Read Week 2007?

Here are 11 super-easy ideas for your Teen Read Week celebration (from Pam Spencer Holly’s 50 Ideas for Teen Read Week on the TRW Wiki):

1. Open House with food and volunteers to explain teen activities
2. Paperback and/or Comic Book swap
3. Laugh-In film festival with lots of old funny movies
4. Stand-up Comedy Night
5. Pizza Tasting Contest
6. Night/afternoon of gaming
7. Program on being a clown
8. Librarian Challenge [offer something silly in exchange for # books/pages read]
9. Contest to create new Knock-Knock jokes
10. Joke Swap
11. Write a letter to your favorite author

You can find even more ideas at the TRW Wiki. Remember, Teen Read Week runs from Oct. 14-20.

What are your super-easy TRW ideas?

It’s that time of year again. Teen Read Week™ is just around the corner. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary October 14-20, Teen Read Week™ provides us with a wonderful opportunity to spend a week of our time devoted to and celebrating teen reading.

For those new to YALSA, Teen Read Week™ is a national literacy initiative aimed at teens, their parents, librarians and educators. Since 1998, this important program has encouraged teens to:

• Make time to read for the fun of it
• Use their local library to discover their interests
• Get reading materials and participate in events at their school or public library

This year’s theme, LOL @ your library®, suggests humor as we “Laugh Out Loud” and reminds us that teens love to communicate through the Internet.

Want to get involved with Teen Read Week™? It’s not too late. The Teen Read Week™ website is a great place to start with a range of planning suggestions, tools and promotional information. If this is your first time participating, check out the page for first-timers. Join us at the Teen Read Week™ Wiki for even more ideas and to share your thoughts.

Watch the YALSA blog in the next few weeks for tips and inspiration on planning a fun and successful Teen Read Week™ for the teens at your library. Until then, happy planning!