Paranormal Sightings Fall 2019

Whether you are thrilled to return to the classroom (or not), we have some fun programs and movies planned to amuse and astound you this Fall. Are you ready for Fall? We are! Please join us this October/November for the mysterious and mystifying as we investigate the paranormal through a series of programs and movies. Make a Day of the Dead mask, learn tea leaf reading, discover New England witchcraft tales (other than Salem), find out the real story behind the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, or have your mind read. Most programs are scheduled for a Thursday evening but we are also trying out hosting programs on Friday and Saturday evenings. No mystery about it - we really hope you will enjoy our roster of thrills and chills!

New England Witchcraft Tales with Roxie Zwicker

Thursday, October 3, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM 

Join Roxie Zwicker from New England Curiosities - for a most curious evening! Do you know the tales of New England witches outside of Salem, Massachusetts? Roxie will include witchcraft stories from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and Maine for tales that you may not be familiar with - and some that pre-date the Salem witch hysteria.

The presentation will highlight the evolution of customs and superstitions relating to witchcraft throughout New England. Learn about New England place names that relate to old witchcraft tales. You may find yourself checking underneath the front doorstep, in your chimney, or in the backyard for remnants of these stories.

Legends of Sleepy Hollow with Christopher Rondina

Rescheduled to: Friday, October 18, 
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM 

It’s been two-hundred-years since Washington Irving dreamed-up the ‘Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow’, the most iconic ghost in American folklore – but was the famous specter truly just a figment of the author’s imagination, or is there more to the legend?

Join Christopher Rondina, writer and ghost-chaser, for an evening of literary adventure and haunting mystery as we explore the true beginnings of America’s favorite ghost story and unmask the long-lost identity of the phantom horseman himself!

Paint a Day of the Dead Skull Mask with Mandy Roberge

Wednesday, October 30, 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM

Paint and decorate a festive Día de los Muertos style skull mask.

Workshop led by artist Mandy Roberge.

There are two sessions of this workshop as follows:

2:00 PM to 3:30 PM for ages 7 to 10

3:30 PM to 5:00 PM for ages 11 to 18

Space is limited. Register at the Reference desk.

 Brainstorming: An Act of Mentalism with Rory Raven 

 Saturday, November 2, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM 

Brainstorming is an interactive stage mind-reading show. Minds are read, spoons are bent, volunteers test their own "powers", and, if appropriate, the evening concludes with a re-creation of the kind of manifestation you might have witnessed in a séance chamber over a century ago! While the show is "TV clean", it is more suitable for teens and adults than for children..

A life-long interest in all things psychic and paranormal led Rory to pursue a career as a mentalist and mindbender. His goal is to reproduce the kind of effects parapsychologists have been researching for years. What is a mentalist? A mentalist is a theatrical mind-reader; a performer who, using a variety of techniques, is able to produce results that would only seem possible by psychic or paranormal means.

 Learn Tea Leaf Reading with Roxie Zwicker 
 Thursday, November 7, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM 

Reading tea leaves is a fascinating form of divination, which some refer to as a “lost art.” It has been found in cultures all around the world. Roxie has been reading tea leaves for over 25 years. She will customize a blend of organic, herbal tea to suit your needs and situation and the magic of your own tea leaf reading will begin! Roxie will go over the history, lore and methods of tea leaf reading in this presentation.

Scary Movie Schedule:

Thursday, October 10, 6:30 PM to 7:55 PM

Lights Out, Rated PG-13.  

Drama, Horror, Mystery

Description from imdb.com: 

Rebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother. Directed by: David F. Sandberg. Stars: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Maria Bello.

Friday, October 11, 2:00 PM to 3:40 PM

Hocus Pocus, Rated PG.  

Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Description from imdb.com:

A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

Directed by: Kenny Ortega.

Stars: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy.

Thursday, October 17, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

The Final Girls, Rated PG-13.  

Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Description from imdb.com:

A young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom's most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film's maniacal killer.

Directed by: Todd Strauss-Schulson.

Stars: Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Adam Devine.

Thursday, October 24, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Happy Death Day, Rated PG-13.  

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Description from imdb.com:

A college student must relive the day of her murder over and over again, in a loop that will end only when she discovers her killer's identity.

Directed by: Christopher Landon.

Stars: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine.

Thursday, October 31, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

The Craft, Rated R.  

Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Description from imdb.com:

A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.

Directed by: Andrew Fleming.

Stars: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell.

A Spooky Harvest of 16 Tales

 Boo!  Here are books to shudder and shiver with as we enter the dark of Fall. All published within the past nine months. Cheers! 

 Fiction 

Devils Unto Dust, by Emma Berquist, 2018. After her mother's death, Willie must protect her younger siblings from the flesh-eating creatures that surround her town and is forced to enter the dangerous desert to find her father when he steals from the most powerful man in town.

The Dark Beneath the Ice, by Amelinda Berube, 2018. Marianne has felt a supernatural presence since she stopped dancing, and is afraid that she is following her mother into mental illness until a new friend, Ron, helps her find the truth.

Contagion, by Erin Bowman, 2018. Responding to a distress call on the distant planet of Achlys, Thea Sadik and her search-and-rescue crew are confronted by a zombie-like outbreak that forces them to uncover a monstrous enemy.

The Good Demon, by Jimmy Cajoleas, 2018. Clare, miserable since an exorcism took away the demon that was like a sister to her, discovers the occult roots of her small Southern town and must question the fine lines between good and evil, love and hate, and religion and free will.

Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland, 2018. When families go missing in Baltimore County, Jane, who is studying to become an Attendant, finds herself in a conspiracy fighting for her life against powerful enemies.

Scream Site, by Justina Ireland, 2018. Future investigative reporter Sabrina, fourteen, researches a popular website where people post horror videos, hoping to prove they are not as real as they seem until her sister, a big fan of the site, disappears.

Sawkill Girls, by Claire Legrand, 2018. Three teenage girls face off against an insidious monster that preys upon young women.

#murdertrending, by Gretchen McNeil, 2018. Falsely accused of murdering her stepsister, seventeen-year-old Dee fights to survive paid assassins on Alcatraz 2.0, the most popular prison on social media.

The Agony House, by Cherie Priest, 2018. 17-year-old Denise, her mom, and her stepfather are moving back to New Orleans, into the 100 year old Argonne house. Her mother plans to turn into a bed-and-breakfast--but old houses have histories, and sometimes ghosts, and a mysterious old comic book that Denise finds in the attic may hold the answer to a crime and the terrifying things that keep happening.

Not Even Bones, by Rebecca Schaeffer, 2018. Nita's mother hunts monsters and, after Nita dissects and packages them, sells them online but when Nita follows her conscience to help a live monster escape, she is sold on the black market in his place.

The Sacrifice Box, by Martin Stewart, 2018. Five friends discover an ancient stone box hidden deep in the woods. They seal inside of it treasured objects from their childhoods, and they make a vow. Four years later, a series of strange and terrifying events begin to unfold. Someone broke the rules of the box, and now everyone has to pay.

You May Now Kill the Bride, by R.L. Stine, 2018. Two sisters, divided by time, both discover the ancient curse put on the Fear family on their wedding nights.

A Room Away From the Wolves, by Nova Ren Suma, 2018. Teenage Bina runs away to New York City's Catherine House, a young women's residence in Greenwich Village with a tragic history and dark secrets, where she is drawn to her mysterious downstairs neighbor Monet.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Kiersten White, 2018. The events of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein unfold from the perspective of Elizabeth Lavenza, who is adopted as a child by the Frankensteins as a companion for their volatile son Victor.

 Graphic Format 

Onibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter, by Cecile Brun, 2018. Follows the adventures of two young foreigners as they travel to a remote corner of Japan, where they find an old camera that has the ability to capture images of Japan's invisible spirit world.

 Nonfiction 

Mary Shelley: The Strange, True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator, by Catherine Reef, 2018. On the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, comes a biography of its author, Mary Shelley, whose life reads like a dark gothic novel, filled with scandal, death, drama, and one of the strangest love stories in literary history.

Horrors: the Long and the Short

Unearthly creatures and mysterious creepy phenomena; here are a few shivery tales to tingle your spine.


Horror Fiction in the Teen Collection
See also: A Wide-Eyed Bump in the Night: Ghost Stories 

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall, by Katie Alender, 2015. Murdered by a spirit in her house, which was previously an insane asylum, 16-year-old Cordelia wanders the house, meeting other trapped ghosts and learning the houses dark secrets, searching for a way to save her family, and perhaps herself.

Teen Frankenstein, by Chandler Baker, 2016. When science prodigy Tori Frankenstein accidentally kills a teen boy in a midnight car accident, there's only one thing for her to do--use her science project to bring him back to life. Classics inspired.

Little Dead Man, by Jake Bible, 2014. Decades after the zombie apocalypse, 17 year old Garret Weir just wants to be a normal teenager. As if dealing with the zombies isn't hard enough, his annoying twin brother refuses to leave him in peace. And it's not like Garret can just go to his room and shut the door to get away. His brother Garth is a zombie and conjoined to the top of Garret's spine. Good times.

Lucid, by Jay R. Bonansinga, 2015. At the urging of her psychologist, high schooler Lori Blaine faces her fear by going through the door that's been haunting her dreams and finds herself in a terrifying world that serves as the channel between nightmares and reality.

Wax, by Gina Damico, 2016. Seventeen-year-old Poppy stumbles into a secret workshop at the infamous Grosholtz Candle Factory and soon, a wax boy called Dud is helping her uncover an evil plot that threatens her hometown of Paraffin, Vermont. Funny.

The Girl From the Well, by Rin Chupeco, 2014. Okiku has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the innocent ghosts of the murdered-dead and taking the lives of killers with the vengeance they are due, but when she meets Tark she knows the moody teen with the series of intricate tattoos is not a monster and needs to be freed from the demonic malevolence that clings to him.

The Accident Season, Moira Fowley-Doyle, 2015. Every October Cara and her family become mysteriously and dangerously accident-prone, but this year, the year Cara, her ex-stepbrother, and her best friend are 17, is when Cara will begin to unravel the accident season's dark origins.

The Fall, by Bethany Griffin, 2014. A retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher' in which Madeline and her twin brother, Roderick, suffer from the Usher family illness but she hears the House talking to her, filling her dreams, controlling her actions, and ensuring she never leaves the property. Classics inspired.


13 Days of Midnight, by Leo Hunt, 2015. When his estranged father dies, 16-year-old Luke inherits eight spirits who want revenge for their enslavement, and with Halloween fast approaching, he has only thirteen days to give them their eternal rest or he may join their ghostly ranks. Humorous.

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch: At the Edge of Empire, Daniel Kraus, 2015. The story follows Zebulon Finch, a teenager murdered in 1896 Chicago who inexplicably returns from the dead and searches for redemption through the ages.

And the Trees Crept In, by Dawn Kurtagich, 2016. Sisters Silla, seventeen, and Nori, four, are trapped in their aunt's cursed manor and can only escape with the help of a mysterious boy.

Quicksand House, by Carlton Mellick III, 2013. Tick and Polly have never met their parents. Living in a dark corner of their parents' vast crumbling mansion they worry their parents have forgotten them. When the machines that provide them with food and water stop functioning they are forced to venture out of the nursery. But the rest of the house is much larger and stranger than they ever imagined.

The Madman's Daughter, by Megan Shepherd, 2013. Dr. Moreau's daughter, Juliet, travels to her estranged father's island, only to encounter murder, medical horrors, and a love triangle. Gothic horror. Classics inspired.

The Walls Around Us, by Nova Ren Suma, 2015. Orianna and Violet are ballet dancers and best friends, but when the ballerinas who have been harassing Violet are murdered, Orianna is accused of the crime and sent to a juvenile detention center where she meets Amber and they experience supernatural events linking the girls together.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds, by Cat Winters, 2013. In San Diego in 1918, as deadly influenza and World War I take their toll, 16-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches desperate mourners flock to seances and spirit photographers for comfort and, despite her scientific leanings, must consider if ghosts are real when her first love, killed in battle, returns.

Short Horror Stories 

The Living Dead, edited by John Joseph Adams, 2008. A collection of short stories about zombies includes contributions by Sherman Alexie, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Stephen King, and George R.R. Martin.

Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales, edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, 2014. An anthology of stories explores the intersection of fear and romance, ambition and sacrifice, loneliness and rage, love requited and avenged, and the boundless potential for connection, even across extreme borders.

Great Tales of Horror, by H. P. Lovecraft, 2012. Includes classic stories such as: "The Rats in the Walls," "Pickman's Model," "The Colour out of Space," "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Dunwich Horror," "The Shadow over Innsmouth," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow out of Time," and "The Haunter of the Dark."

Scary Out There, edited by Jonathan Maberry, 2016.  Multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry compiles more than twenty stories and poems--written by members of the Horror Writers Association--in this collection about worst fears.

Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales, edited by Deborah Noyes, 2004. Drawing on dark fantasy and the fairy tale as well as horror and wild humor, ten authors pay homage to the gothic tale. Authors include: M.T. Anderson; Neil Gaiman; Gregory Maguire; Garth Nix; and Celia Rees.

Steampunk Poe, by Edgar Allan Poe, 2011. Presents a collection of Poe's short stories and poems, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Raven," accompanied by steampunk-inspired illustrations.



Slasher Girls & Monster Boys, stories selected by April Genevieve Tucholke, 2015. An anthology of stories inspired by classic horror tales.

Terror Poetry Contest

2015 5th annual themed

TEEN POETRY CONTEST
at the 
Hamilton-Wenham Public Library

Open to teens in grades 6 to 12

who are residents of 
Essex County in Massachusetts

Click this link for an entry form 

to submit your poem.

RULES:

Open to teens in grades 6 to 12, who are residents of Essex County, in Massachusetts.

Poem entries must be original work.

A maximum of 3 poems per author may be entered.

THEME: Poem must incorporate the theme of: terror. (Points will be deducted from poems that do not incorporate terror as a theme.) 

All poems must be submitted on or before midnight April 30, 2015.

Each poem must have a title.

An entry form must be filled out for EACH poem submitted.

Contest winners and honorable mentions will be announced at the Poetry Contest Reception at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library, on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. You must be present at the Reception to win.
All winners and honorable mentions are required to read or recite their poem aloud at the Reception. Your poem will be disqualified if you are not present at the reception. Please do not submit a poem if you will not be able to attend the reception. Winning poems will be published on the Library's Informed Teens blog and in local newspaper(s).

Poetry Contest Reception and Awards Ceremony

Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM 

For this year's Poetry Contest Reception, 

Edgar Allan Poe, Master of the Macabre, 

will appear as a special guest 

(portrayed by literary historian Rob Velella).  

Following Mr. Velella as Poe, 

the winners of the Poetry Contest 

will be announced. 

Contest winners will receive their prize 

and read or recite their winning poem. 

Refreshments will be available.

18 Dystopian Valentines

What is a dystopia but a love gone wrong. This list of dystopian fiction is a trove of suspenseful, adventurous, anti-valentines.  Some of them are brand new, just out of the box fresh; feel the angst, live the adventure.  Happy Valentines!  "May the odds be ever in your favor."--Hunger Games

The Hunger Games - Official Theatrical Trailer
Movie Release date: March 23, 2012

If you liked The Hunger Games, then you may like... :

 

The Diary of Pelly D, by L. J. Adlington, 2005.  When Toni V, a construction worker on a futuristic colony, finds the diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down by holocaust-like events, he begins to question his own beliefs.

Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi, 2010.  In a futuristic world, teen-aged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

Ashes, by Ilsa Bick, 2011.  Alex, a resourceful 17-year-old running from her incurable brain tumor, Tom, who has left the war in Afghanistan, and Ellie, an angry 8-year-old, join forces after an electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky and kills most of the world's population, turning some of those who remain into zombies and giving the others superhuman senses.

Matched, by Ally Condie, 2010.  Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her, so when Xander appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate--until Ky Markham's face appears for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, 2009.  Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, 2008.  After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco,17-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

The Eleventh Plague, by Jeff Hirsch, 2011.  20 years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, 15-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

Epic, by Conor Kostick, 2007.  On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, 14-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

Legend, by Marie Lu, 2011.  In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

The Secret Under My Skin, by Janet McNaughton, 2005.  In the year 2368, humans exist under dire environmental conditions. Blay, rescued from a work camp and chosen for a special duty, uses her love of learning to discover the truth about the planet's future and her own dark past.

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, 2012.  As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, 2008.  Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, 2011.  Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, 2011.  Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger on the spaceship Godspeed, wakes up to discover that someone may have tried to murder her.

Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi, 2012.  When Aria is exiled from the enclosed city of Reverie, she forms an unlikely alliance with an Outsider named Perry, who could be her only chance of survival providing they can overcome their prejudices.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth, 2011.  In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice must choose among five factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group.

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, 2007.  In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.

All These Things I've Done, by Gabrielle Zevin, 2011.  In a future where chocolate and caffeine are contraband, teenage cellphone use is illegal, and water and paper are carefully rationed, 16-year-old Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight as heir apparent to an important New York City crime family.