Teens Blog
In honor of Teen Tech Week, author/blogger/geek Cory Doctorow is giving away free copies of his upcoming book For the Win to any teen blogger or writer interested in publishing a review on their blog or school newspaper! All you need to do is send an email with your address and the name of your blog or newspaper to torpublicity@tor.com with "FTW" as the subject of the email. For the Win is a gritty look at the dungeon crawlers who toil away in digital sweatshops, farming for virtual gold and other valuables in massively-multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft.
If you're not familiar with Cory's work, stop in and pick up a copy of Little Brother, his previous book for teens!
This year's Teen Filmmaker Festival was another huge success. Despite horrible weather outside, over 200 people came out to enjoy the best films from area teen filmmakers. Shown above, a still from Zach Terry's Defining David Dalton, which took home the Best Film and Peoples' Choice awards. We've got info on all of the finalists on our Teen Film Fest page, as well as links to our YouTube channel where you can view all of the award-winning entries in their entirety. Congratulations to all of our area filmmakers!
Come down to the Kalamazoo Institute of Art tonight at 7 PM for the 7th annual Teen Filmmaker Festival! Doors open at 6:30, so there's time to grab some popcorn and soda, snag a seat and prepare to check out the best films by teen directors of 2010. Check out the updated Teen Film Fest page for info on the films to be screened, prizes, dates and times and more!
The Alex Awards are presented each year to books published for adults that have high appeal for teen readers. Ten titles are selected every year. Here is the list of the 2010 Alex Award winners:
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
Everything Matters!by Ron Currie, Jr.
The Good Soldiersby David Finkel
The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My Abandonment by Peter Rock
Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger
Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson
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The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir
9780307396044
The American Library Association recently announced its Youth Media Awards. Over the next several weeks, we'll be highlighting some of the titles specific to teen readers.
The winner of the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature is Going Bovine by Libba Bray, available in both print and audiobook. In this drastic departure from her popular historical fiction trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Bray tells the story of 16-year-old Cameron's quest to save the world in this humorous and sometimes just plain weird modern-day retelling of Don Quixote.
If Bray's entertaining book trailer doesn't pique your curiosity, come on in and take a look for yourself.
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Going Bovine
9780385733977
Whether you plan to submit an entry in--or attend--the Teen Filmmaker Festival , or you just like to watch movies and hope your favorites win during the Academy Awards show on tv, you should come in and see the current issue of the newest magazine in the teen collection.
Kiki goes to the movies this winter. This issue features articles about the history of iconic movie fashion and on film festivals worldwide, as well as movie-inspired looks for its readers and information about how a feature film goes from idea to silver screen.
According to its website, "Kiki shows you all the different ways you can be involved in design. Seven different departments blend style and artistry with intelligence and creativity..." For instance, one regular feature is the Art Bin which, in this particular issue, gives instructions for projects such as flip books, designing your own lace and creative gift wrapping techniques.
Throw in recipes, book reviews, quizzes, and NO advertisements, and we think you've got a winning combination that taps into the interests of many teens. Come on in to the Teen department on the lower level of the Central branch downtown and check it out, along with all the other magazines we have for young adults.
It's time once again to dust off your cameras, find your props and costumes, and call "Action!" on the Teen Filmmaker Festival, presented by Kalamazoo Public Library, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Public Media Network! Want to be the next Tarantino, Scorsese, or Kubrick? Now's your chance to show off your filmmaking skills.
You'll need to submit films and entry forms to the Teen Services Desk at Central by 9 PM on Monday, January 25th, 2010, so there's no time to waste. You can read up on all of the official rules and download an entry form on the official Film Fest page, and don't forget to check out clips of last years' winners at the KPL YouTube channel!
Updated: Due to the library closing on Thursday because of hazardous weather conditions, Mark's visit had to be canceled and will be rescheduled for the spring. Please check back on this page for further information!
Calling all comics fans: Teen Services invites you to join us as we welcome back author and illustrator Mark Crilley! Mark will be talking about all of his books for tweens and teens, including the acclaimed Akikographic novels for tweens and the manga series Miki Falls for teens, which was recently chosen by Brad Pitt's film company to be made into a major feature film. The Comics Buyers Guide also called Miki Falls "a brilliant new series by one of comicdom's best storytellers." The series was awarded a spot on the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens list in 2007, and Akiko has been nominated for the Will Eisner Award over a dozen times since 1995! Come listen to Mark as he tells behind-the-scenes stories from his experiences as a writer and illustrator, provides tips for aspiring writers and artists in the audience, and shares information about writing and storytelling.
For more information about Mark and a look at his work, check out his website or his page at DeviantArt.
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Mark Crilley
markCrilley
http://www.kpl.gov/teens/events/mark-crilley.aspxHere in the Teen Services department, we are constantly striving to provide the kinds of programs that Kalamazoo's teenagers want. We know that gaming, crafts, and Japanese pop culture are popular. And Galley Group attracts new enthusiastic teen readers almost every month. Besides those, however, are there other programs we could offer that would bring you and your friends to the library? If so, we want to hear from you! Among the ideas that we have recently scheduled that either had to be cancelled due to lack of registrants or had few, if any, attendees include reader's theatre and workshops in the library's computer lab.
If you are a teenager and you have some good ideas about how the library can better serve its teen patrons, please leave your comments below. Better yet, consider joining the Teen Advisory Board (T.A.B.), which meets once a month. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 2, from 3:30 to 5 in the Van Deusen Room. We look forward to your feedback!
Karen posted earlier about the upcoming visits by great authors during 2009-2010, and we're about to kick things off with a visit by this year's visiting Youth Literature Seminar authors Lisa McMann and James A. Owen. Lisa's suspense-filled Wake is one of this year's Teen Top Ten award winners, and James' Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series is sure to appeal to fantasy lovers. Hear Lisa and James talk about their work and read selected passages from their books (including possible sneak previews!) There will be time for Q&A and book signing as well, so if you're a fan of Lisa and/or James, or if you're just curious about the writing process, be sure to come to Central at 6:30 PM on Thursday for the Meet the Author event!
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Lisa McMann
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http://www.kpl.gov/teens/meet-the-author.aspx