Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, is observed during the last week of September each year. Since 1982, this annual American Library Association event has reminded Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. 2008 marks BBW's 27th anniversary! Banned Books Week "celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met." [www.ala.org]

Visit the American Library Association's BBW website to learn more!

This program's goal is to improve teen literacy, and is sponsored by YALSA (The Young Adult Library Services Association), a branch of the American Library Association. Started in 1998 it is celebrated annually during the third week of October. The overarching theme is "read for the fun of it," the sub-theme for 2008 is "Books with Bite@ your library," promoting a variety of books—from vampire stories to cooking to technology (byte).

Every year a popular event associated with Teen Read Week is voting for the "Teens' Top 10." During Teen Read Week 2008, over 8,000 teens voted for their favorite books from a list of 25 nominees. The 2008 "Teens' Top 10" winners are:

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Visit YALSA's "Teens Top 10" webpage to learn about all of the 2008 nominees. The 2009 nominees will be announced (and a link posted here) during National Library Week in April. So, get reading and get ready to vote online for your favorite any time during Teen Read Week next fall!

Read Across America Day

"In May 1997, a small reading task force at NEA [National Education Association] came up with a big idea. "Let's create a day to celebrate reading," the group decided. "We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don't we do something to get kids excited about reading? We'll call it 'NEA's Read Across America' and we'll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss's birthday." And so was born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen." [from the NEA's Read Across America webpage, www.nea.org/readacross/]

Hoover will again join the national celebration on Monday, March 2, 2009. Make sure to read today, and every day!