Retro Cassette Tape Wallets

 Hi Teens! This is Nikki taking over today’s blog with another fun craft that you can do at home! They make a cute gift or you can make one to keep for yourself! This craft is also budget friendly and you might even have some of the materials lying around your house.  Yay Recycling! I love recycling things that can be made into something else! So let’s get started!

Materials you will need:

 1) Cassette tape (Your parents or grandparents might have one that they do not want any more so ask for permission if you can recycle it! If you do not have one, you can buy one online if search the internet, or search local thrift stores).

2) Screwdriver to take apart the cassette tape. You will only be using the outer part of the cassette tape, we will be taking the inside stuff out.

3) Paint (optional) If you do not like the color of your cassette tape you can use paint to change the color! You can even paint it to look like the mix tape from Guardians of the Galaxy.

4) One zipper in the color you desire. It will need to fit around the tape, so make sure to measure.

5) One piece of felt in the desired color (you can match it to the zipper if you like) or you can use scrap fabric or a pair of old jeans!

6) A pen or fabric chalk to mark the felt

7) Hot glue and glue sticks

8) Scissors

How to make it:

Step 1: Take your screwdriver and unscrew all the screws holding the cassette tape to open it up. Throw out the all of the insides of the tape.

Step 2: It’s painting time!! Paint the outside of your cassette tape any color you like and let it dry. You might have to do more than one coat to cover the entire thing well.

Step 3: After your paint has dried completely, measure the felt or fabric for the inside, this will be your lining of the wallet. To do this, take both of your tapes and place them on top of each other lined up like in the picture below. Then trace with marker or pen the outside so you have rectangle shape and cut it.

Step 4: Now it is time to start gluing, so fire up your hot glue gun. Start by having the front of the cassette tape facing to the outside to the left. Now start dabbing hot glue little by little on the side of the cassette tape while adhering the fabric part of the zipper (do not unzip just yet leave it close). Make sure to not get glue on the zipper part or else you will not be open it for the next step.

Step 5: Unzip the zipper and glue the other half of the cassette the same way you did the first one, by gluing the zipper on the side. Make sure to test if the zipper can open and close.

Step 6: Glue the felt or fabric inside the cassette’s one side at a side. Just place some glue lines on the inside of the cassette tape little by little, then fold it and do the other side. Then, if you want to cover the bottom just add a piece a felt so you don’t see any glue. And you’re done!

Anime Valentines

 Hi Teens, Nikki here with another DIY Craft blog post! This time I am keeping our yearly Anime Valentine’s day cards tradition alive! If you are new to the library or the blog, we typically (pre-covid) make these  during Teen Anime Club  the Saturday before Valentine’s Day and it was always popular! I want say a Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my teens that used come to Anime club and to our new teens that have been coming into library to get books! Remember we are still open to come in and check out books. At the end of this post, we will tell you some of our favorite romance manga that you can check out to read! Now let’s get started!

Here is list of materials you will need:

* Printable anime Valentine’s Day cards (or any fandom ones if you are not into anime). If you do not have printer at home, you can come into the teen room to print them out. It is .25 cents per page for color prints, and you will need to have your own library card to access a teen computer. If you do not library card, it is free to get one! Just have parent come in with you because they will need to sign for you. They will also need valid ID that has your current address or a piece paper that shows your current street address with their ID.

* Cardstock in colors red, white, & pink or any colors you want.

* Valentine’s day theme washi tape (can be found online or local craft stores)

* Valentine’s day stickers & foam hearts to decorate (again can be found at local craft stores or online)

* Scissors, decorative craft scissor (optional) & Glue stick

* Gel pens

Step 1: Copy and print out the cards

Search for printable anime Valentine’s Day cards or your other favorite fandoms like Animal Crossing. Copy and paste the pictures into a Word or Publisher document and adjust the size to your liking, print them and cut them out.

Step 2: Time to decorate

Gather your cardstock colors you want to use as a background. Take your glue stick and glue the photos onto the cardstock in the corner while leaving some room to decorate. I used some craft scissors that have different edges to make the cardstock have some flair. Then, take your washi tape and place some around the edges to make border. You can also put the tape first before you glue your photo to make it look like border also. If you notice your washi tape isn’t sticky enough, you can use a little bit of mod podge to help adhere it or use the glue stick on the washi. Then use your stickers or foam hearts to finish decorating. You can even decorate the back of the card too.

Step 3: Personalize it to someone special

Whether it is giving the card to a friend, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your secret crush or a family member, it is nice to personalize a message on the back of the card. You can even just do the normal To: and From: if you like. I like to use gel pens when writing it out the message but you can use markers too.

Step 4: Give it to that special someone

When you are satisfied with how your valentines card is made, give it to that person in a safe way (don’t forget your face mask). If you are doing virtual schooling and can’t see your friend, see if you can mail your card to your friend. Who doesn’t like getting happy mail?! You can even find a template online on to make to an envelope if you do not have one. Doing small gestures like making Valentine’s Day card is a nice way to let someone know you are thinking about them and makes their day.

Below are some recommendations for romance manga, if you feel like reading something romantic!

   

  

   

What's New On Overdrive?

 Ok, so we might have gone a little bananas and ordered WAY too many great new books for you to check out on Overdrive. Here are four we think you might enjoy for the month of February:

City of Villains by Estelle Laure: All we can say about this one is: it's Disney villains, meets DC comics. No, seriously, it is, and it's kind of awesome. Mary Elizabeth is an intern at Monarch City PD, and she FINALLY gets to work a case like a real detective when a young woman goes missing. It all seems pretty straightforward until she meets a girl with horns, a sea monster (well, ok, technically a LAKE monster, but still!) and a bunch of other weird things that definitely should not be in the dark and mysterious city! If you are a fan of anything Disney, or Batman/Barbara Gordon, you just have to read this one. 

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson: Noa goes to bed on a typical night, and somehow wakes up on a space ship, with no idea how he got there. Also, the ship is about to explode. Which is bad. Luckily there are two other people on the ship... but neither one remembers how they got there either. Which is also bad. Of course this is the worst possible time to fall in love, but that is exactly what starts to happen to Noa as he develops feelings for DJ, one of the other passengers. As if you needed more reasons to read this one: there are also aliens and a murder. This is a fun, LGBTQ+ romance, set in.... well, space. Duh. 

Unchosen by Katharyn Blair: Ok, so first, it's a standalone fantasy, which as you may know is SUPER hard to find these days! Also, there are elements of fairy tales AND horror here so what's not to love. Charlotte is dealing with two massive disasters: one, the boy she is madly in love with is in love with her sister, and two, everyone around her is basically turning into zombies thanks to the Crimson, a disease spread by eye contact. Only the Chosen One can rid the world of the Crimson, and it turns out Charlotte is most definitely NOT the chosen one... but the band of marauders looking for the chosen one THINK she is, which is just... bad. Perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings with a twist!

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle: Rue is a typical girl just trying to live her life in Houston, Texas until the day her world is shattered completely. When her mother is shot dead right outside their home, Rue must not only cope with her loss, but she must cope with something she never expected in her wildest dreams: the father she never knew comes into her life to take custody of her and her sister. Oh, and by the way, her father is actually a God. who wants to take Rue to live in a magical city for those with magical powers, which now, includes Rue. Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Angie Thomas. 

All of these books and many more are available for you to borrow from Overdrive today!

What's New On Hoopla for December?

 Here are some of the great new books now available on Hoopla Digital for you to borrow in December:

The Girl Who Wasn't There by Penny Joelson: Kasia is a watcher. Watching is all she can really do, since her illness keeps her from leaving her home most of the time. Unfortunately for Kasia, this means she is usually bored, since nothing really happens on her quiet little street. That is, until the day Kasia witnesses what she believes is a kidnapping. A kidnaping that is also witnessed by another girl Kasia sees watching from a window across the street from her own. But, when Kasia sets out to find the other witness, so they can both report what they have seen and potentially save a kidnap victim, things get even stranger, because the girl Kasia saw in the window, doesn't seem to exist at all. 

The Liar's Guide to the Night Sky by Brianna R. Shrum: Hallie is NOT happy that her parents are making her move during the last semester of her Senior year. She's ESPECIALLY not happy that they've moved her to Colorado, all the way across the country from all her friends in Massachusetts. It couldn't possibly get any worse... and the it does. When on a family camping trip in the freezing Colorado wilderness Hallie and her family fall victim to an avalanche, and with people in desperate need of medical care, Hallie decides to brave the extreme environment in order to try to help them survive. 

This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson: Lindley is a new kind of pioneer. She is a crew member on Space Station Luca, daughter of the Captain and one of the first of a new generation born in space. Then comes the horrible day when a virus breaks out, killing just about every first-generation crew member, and leaving teenage Lindley in charge of a broken station, quickly running out of food and unable to contact Earth for assistance. This seems terrible enough, until the day one of Lindley's fellow second generation crew members develops symptoms that look terrifyingly similar to the disease that wiped out their parents. But is disease really what's happening here? Or is one the crew secretly a murderer?

Four Three Two One by Courtney Stevens: One year after surviving a horrific bus bombing in New York City that claimed 19 people's lives, Go Jennings is struggling to heal and move forward with her life. Her boyfriend, Chandler, another survivor, refuses to talk about it at all, and Go NEEDS someone, anyone to talk to. So she reaches out to some of the other survivors in the hopes of forming some sort of support group. But will Go's actions do more harm than good? And can you really ever get over something so massive that it changes your life forever?

New Manga for Checkout!

Can you believe it's already December? The year might be over, but we're not done bringing you new books to check out and love. Here are some of the best new manga titles that have just arrived in our teen rooms around the district and are ready for you to borrow. 

Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi (winner of the 2020 Manga Taisho Award! Rated "Older Teen" for mild language & LGBT themes): Yatora is the perfect high school student, he gets good grades and has a lot of friends. But he finds his life dull, and nothing excites him. One day, he wanders into the art room at school and is captured by the beauty of a lone painting that sparks life into him. He dives head first into learning everything there is about art and even joining the art club. Join Yatora on his new journey as he discovers himself, makes new friends who also have a passion for art and sees the world anew!

Weathering With You - story by Makoto Shinkai (Director of Your Name) and art by Wataru Kubota. (Rated "Teen" for mild language and teenage drama): Based on the breathtaking movie (which you can watch free on our library resource, Hoopla), Hodaka runs away from home during the summer of his first year of high school to Tokyo. Alone and exhausted from traveling, he decides to kill time at local fast food place where he meets Hina who works there. Little does he know, she possess power that affects the weather and not just in Tokyo but the whole world. Hodaka, wants to save Hina and tries to do everything in his power to do so because the love he feels for her. With themes about love and sacrifice, this beautiful and heartfelt story will move you and is a must read for fans of Your Name.

Dramacon: 15th Anniversary 3-in-1 volume Omnibus Edition by Svetlana Chmakova. (Rated "Older Teen" for some foul language, abusive relationship & relationship drama): Join amateur writer Christie at her first comic con! She gets to be in artist alley where she promotes the manga she started with

her artist boyfriend. But as the con goes on, she starts to see and hear how boyfriend treats her terribly. Then a she meets mysterious cosplayer named Matt. She feels more of a connection with Matt than her own boyfriend and starts to fall for Matt. As the two get to know each other the drama unfolds at the con! Will Christie have the courage to tell her boyfriend how she feels about the way he treats her and break it off? And how do you deal with developing feelings for a guy you just met and who lives across the country?  This is a 3-in one complete collection featuring the full manga, and is perfect for anyone who has ever been to a con or has dreamed of going to one. 

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Complete Omnibus Edition- story by Magica Quarter and Art by Hanokage. (Rated "Older Teen" for fantasy violence and fighting, some blood and LGBT themes): When a mysterious transfer student joins her class, Madoka Kaname cannot help but think she has seen this dark-hair girl in her dreams. In her dream she is approach by a cat-like creature who offers the opportunity to make a wish to change destiny. Madoka has always thought that stuff like magic was fantasy… that is until she actually sees the new transfer student transform and fight witches! And the cat-like creature is actually real and is giving her chance to become a magical girl. What will be the cost of having her wish come true, and will Madoka take the offer? Find out in this omnibus manga edition based on the hit anime!

New on Hoopla Digital

 Hoopla is loaded with new titles for you to borrow from the comfort of home on any web-enabled device. Just create a profile using your library card number and you can borrow up to 10 titles a month, and it's not just books either. Hoopla also lets you stream movies and music and download audiobooks and comics. Here are some of our favorite new titles available now:

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards: Mira is halfway to Pittsburgh to spend Christmas with her mom as the city is hit by a truly epic blizzard that cancels the final flight of her trip. Desperate to get home, Mira accepts a ride share with some college kids she made friends with on her flight. But as conditions get worse, she realizes these people don't know each other at all. She's trapped in a car with a bunch of strangers, and horrible weather conditions... but one of the passengers seems to be determined that none of them will make it to their destination alive. 

Pretty Funny For a Girl by Rebecca Elliott: Hayla is a girl with a dream: one day she hopes to be a stand-up comedian. She knows it's a cutthroat business, and that it's mostly dominated by middle aged white guys, but she knows she's funny and is determined to make it big. Then she meets super hottie Leo, who is also on the path to becoming a famous comic and offers Hayla a chance to co-write some of his sets. Hayla's friends don't rust Leo, and keep telling Hayla he's just using her, but Hayla doesn't want to listen for one particular reason: she's afraid she might be falling in love with Leo. 

We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu. Noemi's best friend is dead. He died under the most mysterious of circumstances, too: drowned on dry land, with no lakes or other bodies of water to be found for miles of where his body was discovered. Only Noemi knows the truth: there is a lake hidden in the woods, and only Noemi has the ability to find it. This is where Link died... or did he? Because now, Noemi is starting to get weird messages from someone claiming to be her dead best friend. And the messages are a warning of terrible things to come. 

Winter, White and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore: Sylvi lives a very unusual life. She's an orphan, and lives all alone in her truck on the island of Layce, which is cursed by a never-ending winter. Sylvi is actually pretty ok with her life though - no one really bothers her, and she has a really great best friend Lenore and the protection of an ice spirit to keep her company. That is until the day Lenore runs away to join a band of northern rebels, and Sylvi gets roped into a dangerous smuggling operation in order to try to saver her beloved friend. 

New Manga in November

 Fresh hot new manga series have just arrived at the YCLD and they're ready for you to check out from your nearest branch! Here are four of our favorites!

Fushigi Yugi - Byakko Senki by Yuu Watase: 24 years after the original Fushigi Yugi manga finished its original, massively successful run, we are once again invited to journey into the Universe of the Four Gods. The setting is 1923, and Suzuno's father is the keeper of a very special book: The Universe of the Four Gods, a book which Suzuno has been warned since childhood is only every supposed to be touched by men. But, when a massive earthquake strikes and Suzuno and her father become trapped, dad makes the ultimate decision: to saver his daughter's life by letting her touch the book - and allowing her to be sucked into its pages and into the Universe of the Four Gods. 

Manga Yokai Stories - Ghostly Tales from Japan by Lafcadio Hearn: Ok, yes, we know, Halloween is over, but come on! It's always a good time for a creepy story! This book contains seven different creepy short stories, illustrated in manga form spanning some of the creepiest legends from Japanese history. The illustrations are both beautiful and creepy, and there's something here for fans of all kinds of creepy stories from ghosts, to haunted items and more. 

Sayonara Football by Naoshi Arakawa: Nozomi wants nothing more in the world than to play football (soccer). It's her complete obsession. Unfortunately there are no leagues in her area for girls, and the boys do not ant her on their team. When she finally meets Midori and Sumire, a couple of other female players (who also happen to be bitter cross-town rivals) she sees this as her chance to be accepted and make a team... if she can bring the two rivals together somehow. The problem is, despite her obsession and tough talk, Nozomi is kind of a terrible soccer player, and is constantly kicking goals into her own net! 

Spy X Family by Endo Tatsuya: Twilight is the world's greatest spy, and has just been assigned his most complex mission of all time. Unfortunately for him, the mission requires him to infiltrate a super fancy private school, which means Twilight needs a family, so he can have a child to enroll in the school. At the world's shadiest orphanage, Twilight finds a little girl named Anya, who he figures will do just fine. What he doesn't know is that Anya is actually psychic and can read his mind, so she knows exactly what he's up to, and thinks she's the luckiest kid alive to be adopted by a real-life spy. When Twilight meets shy, unassuming Yor he figures he has also found himself the perfect fake wife... except for the fact that Yor is the world's deadliest assassin. No one realizes this except mind-reader Anya though, and stuff starts to get SUPER weird and SUPER fun!