Meet A. S. King
A. S. King
Here is A. S. King’s bio from her website:
“A.S. King (you can call her Amy) has recently returned from Ireland, where she spent a decade dividing herself between self-sufficiency, teaching adult literacy, and writing novels. She has also been a rare poultry breeder, photographer, master printer, contractor, life skills and juggling teacher, summer camp counselor, pizza delivery driver and, for a week or two, a complete loser who did nothing at all. Amy now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and children and is a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, corn on the cob, nice weather, and fleece socks.”
Here is the trailer for her latest book, Please Ignore Vera Dietz:
You can meet Amy at the Teen Book Festival on May 14th, 2010 at Nazareth College in Rochester.
Rockin’ Read-a-thon
You’re invited…to the Rockin’ Read-a-thon!
We’re going to have a rockin’ good time on Friday, February 11 from 6-9 pm. Brush up on your Rock, Paper, Scissor skills so you can win a turn in the Rocking Chair. Rock music is optional…but on your headphones, please. Expect rock-related sweet treats – rock candy, pop rocks, Rock Star (jk- only if you bring it).
This event is to raise money for the Teen Book Festival, which we’ve been talking about all along, so it should be no surprise. Collect money from your friends and family – we’re hoping for at least a $10 donation from every teen. If you want to come (and bring your friends!), please fill out a registration form. They are available by clicking on the Rockin’ Read-a-thon Page link on the right. This form needs to be turned it at the library by Wednesday, February 9 – one per attendee. Grades 7 and up only, please.
Any questions, comments, or suggestions for additions to the line-up of events? Let us know!
If you liked Stormbreaker…
Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz
They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. Alex Rider knows that’s a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle’s car confirm the truth. But nothing can prepare him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. Enlisted to find his uncle’s killers and complete Ian’s final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out.
Little Brother
Little Brother – Cory Doctorow
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.
Silverfin
Silverfin – Charlie Higson
What does it take to become the greatest secret agent the world has ever known? When we first meet young James Bond, he’s just started boarding school at Eton in the 1930s, and from there, the action moves to the Highlands of Scotland, where Alfie Kelly, a local boy, has gone missing. James teams up with the boy’s cousin, Red, to investigate the mystery, and they soon discover that Alfie’s disappearance is linked to a madman and his sinister plot for global power.
Sure Fire
Sure Fire – Jack Higgins
For twins Rich and Jade, their lives have just been turned upside down. When their mother is tragically killed in a car crash, their long-lost father, John Chance, appears to collect them at the funeral. He’s a bachelor who lives on his own, and it’s clear that Rich and Jade aren’t welcome. But when Chance suddenly disappears, Rich and Jade uncover the truth: He’s a spy. And now, whoever kidnapped their father is after them, too.
To find any of these books, search here.
Other teen library sites
Talky Teens isn’t the only fun library site for teens out there. Here are some more you may want to visit.
Hennepin County Library Teens – Suggestions of books to read, other interesting places to visit, and you can even change the color of the webpage while you’re reading it.
Los Angeles Public Library Teen Web – Make sure you click on Teen Reading Club to see a picture of a carousel horse made out of household trash!
Central Rappahannock Regional Library – From a library system in Virginia, you’ll enjoy seeing what other teens are interested in reading. Don’t forget to take the poll!
What’s new 1/26
Famous
Famous – Todd Strasser
All Jamie Gordon wants to do is to take pictures of celebrities…and maybe to become famous herself. She’s only fourteen, but already her pictures are sought after by fanzines and websites, and she’s invited to all the best parties. And now she has the chance of a lifetime. She has been invited to spend a week with Willow Twine, taking pictures of the teen superstar’s new chaste life. But when Jamie gets her hands on some sensational shots of Willow, she’s suddenly in over her head. The pictures could make her career…and destroy Willow’s. Everybody seems to want to get their hands on the photos, and Jamie has to decide what she really wants…and what she’s willing to pay to get it.
To find this book, search here.
Celebrate Good Times!
Last week, the official Teen Book Festival blogger, Carly, posted her 100th post, which of course calls for a celebration. Check out her site, Carly Reads for TBF!, to enter a contest to win all sorts of great things!
Meet Jackie Morse Kessler
Jackie Morse Kessler
Here is Jackie’s bio from her website:
Jackie Morse Kessler grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with a cranky cat and overflowing shelves filled with dolls and books. Now she’s in Upstate NY with another cranky cat, a loving husband, two sons, and overflowing shelves filled with dragons and books (except when her sons steal her dragons). She has a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature, and yet she’s never read any Jane Austen (with or without zombies). She also has a master’s degree in media ecology. (The living study of technology and culture. Which is cool, but she still can’t figure out how to use Tweetdeck.)
Jackie spends a lot of time writing, reading, and getting distracted by bright and shiny new ideas. (She just came up with a new idea right now.) She has a weakness for chocolate and a tendency to let her cat take over her office chair.
You can meet Jackie at the Teen Book Festival on May 14th, 2010 at Nazareth College in Rochester.
Handwriting Day
Here is a lovely quote by the French poet, novelist, actor, film director, and painter Jean Cocteau:
“Poets don’t draw. They unravel their handwriting and then tie it up again, but differently.”
Cool! How do you feel about your handwriting?
If you liked Coraline…
Coraline
Coraline – Neil Gaiman
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
Skeleton Man
Skeleton Man – Joseph Bruchac
After her parents disappear and she is turned over to the care of a strange “great-uncle,” Molly must rely on her dreams about an old Mohawk story for her safety and maybe even for her life.
Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat – Lynne Jonell
When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal.
To find any of these books, search here.
You look different!
There are lots of sites on the internet that will let you play with your portrait to make yourself look completely different. Here are just a few:
Yearbook Yourself - Want to see what you might have looked like in a yearbook from 1990? 1980? 1970? You get the idea! Visit Yearbook Yourself to make it happen.
Clay Yourself – Make a virtual character of yourself or someone else. You’ll even be able to use it on Facebook when you’re done!
Face Your Manga - Create your own manga avatar.
Befunky - Add all sorts of effects to your photos, from speech bubbles to graphics.
