Welcome to Hot Topics!

Each month a different topic that is a hot spot either in the news or amongst our teenage readers will be highlighted. The purpose is to put the information out there for you to have, to show both sides of the story to get you thinking, and then for you to add your comments so that you have a forum for your voice and can learn what other teens think too.

This months issue is illegal immigration. It’s been in the news a lot lately. It was a topic discussed with the recent elections. And many community teens have been voicing their opinions about this in local schools. But how much do you really know, and how much do you think you know?

To get a good understanding of both sides of the issue, check out this article
(The article will appear as a pop up, so if you have a pop up blocker temporarily disable it. Also, you might be prompted to enter your library card # & PIN)

What is the White House Guest Worker Program? Find out here

For a summary of the Real ID Bill click here

Whenever trying to understand current issues, it’s always a good idea to understand the history leading up to the present. For a brief overview look here

If you have ideas for future Hot Topics please either leave them as a comment, or email me at mtspiller@hdpl.org.

DDR Recap

Thanks to all the teens who made our DDR event a success! We had about 25 of you here at the Paseo Verde Library on Saturday afternoon. We had some expert players there who really tore up the floor and some beginners who had a good time learning to play.

DDR

We're hosting a Dance Dance Revolution party at the Paseo Verde Library this Saturday, October 21 at 2:00PM. Play DDR with your friends on our big screen. We'll have water and healthy snacks to keep you going.

October Book Club Book

The book we are discussing for our October Book Club is The Hole by Guy Burt. It is about six teenagers who find a small deserted cellar at their school. Inside the cellar is a hole. Five of the teens climb down a rope ladder into the hole, and the sixth teen pulls up the ladder, closes the door, locks it from teh outside, and walks away. They were planning on staying in the hole for three days, then emerging to become part of the greatest prank ever played at the school...except it doesn't work out that way. No one returns to let them out. Read this book and post your comments here to participate in our online book club!

Check Out this Resource!

Do you ever have to write papers about current issues? Need some background about these issues? Or maybe you need opposing viewpoints? Check out the CQ Researcher database for all the information about current issues. You can access the database by going to our home page (http://www.hdpl.org/). Once there, you'll want to click on the "Online Databases" link. If you are accessing this page from home, you'll have to enter your library card number next, so make sure you have it handy. Once in the databases, scroll down to where the databases are listed alphabetically, and click on the "CQ Researcher" link. This will take you to all the information you might need on current and controversial issues!