Have Nerdfighters invaded your library? They’ve certainly invaded mine! So for our kick-off party this summer, I hosted our own Nerdfighter Gathering, “An Evening of Awesome.”
What’d we do? So glad you asked!
- Pizza, because after all, the answer is always pizza.
- Charms of John’s books & Hank’s CDs (print out 1″ images, cut out, glue onto folded paper for the “cover”, then staple 4-5 pages inside. Punch a small hole & loop a jump ring through – voila! Super easy & cheap craft your teens will spend HOURS making. It’s a great “merit badge” for book clubs, too.)
- “Okay” bracelets with TFIOS book charms
- DFTBA bracelets & keychains (you can get specific letters at most craft stores)
- Stamped pennies (usually with names & DFTBA)
- Viewing of the “official” Evening of Awesome (freely available on YouTube!)
- General nerdiness: giant Jenga & Star Trek Monopoly
Zen & the Art of Teen Services 
Just stumbled across your blog (I’m a youth librarian in Canada!) and I can’t wait to start stealing your ideas. Can you tell me a bit more about how you stamp your pennies?
Hello! I use this metal stamp set (https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-6610-32-Inch-Letter-36-Piece/dp/B000NPUKY8/). Tape a penny down onto a metal block, then choose up to five letters (maybe six if you can really squeeze them in) to stamp across. I think I do about 12-15 pounds with a hammer for each letter. It is incredibly loud, however – just be aware of that. If you’d like to punch a hole in them for keychains/necklaces/etc, pick up one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TMSJZU/
The punch goes through the penny really easily.
Have fun!