Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Last chance to take part in Teen Read Month contests!

Quick reminder, October is almost over, which means our Teen Read Month contests are coming to an end :(

Be sure to get your entries in by the end of the day on Halloween/Thursday/31st.




Teen Art Contest - four talented teens will win $50 Amazon gift cards, and have their art displayed on posters in all our libraries!  Get your Art Contest Entry Form now!









Teen Review Contest - one lucky reviewer will win this awesome artist-signed Harry Potter poster!








Shelfie contest - enter for a chance to win one of our awesome Sno-Isle Teens Infamous for Information tshirts!





All entries must be completed by 11:59:59 October 31, 2013 (Pacific Time), and you must be 12-18 (or 6th-12th grade) and live in Snohomish or Island County to win.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Trailer Tuesday: Spellcaster


Spellcaster by Claudia Gray sounds like just the sort of spooky read you want around Halloween!

A boy cursed with visions that lead to madness. A girl granted the powers to save him. As soon as Nadia arrives in Captive's Sound, she knows something is seriously wrong. The town is shrouded in dark magic, more powerful and complex than she has ever seen. Mateo has lived in Captive's Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is "cursed" with insanity. When the mysterious girl he has been dreaming of every night appears (Nadia), he fears the curse may be true. But danger is coming, and Nadia and Mateo must work together to stop this unknown force before it destroys everything in its path.




What are your favorite spooky books?

Friday, October 25, 2013

Weekend Book Giveaway: Antigoddess

This week's book is Antigoddess by Kendare Blake, who wrote the chillingly delightful Anna Dressed in Blood and its sequel Girl of Nightmares.

Old gods never die... . Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health. Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra - an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. These days, Cassandra doesn't involve herself in the business of gods - in fact, she doesn't even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Kendare will be at the Mukilteo Library on Monday November 4th at 3:30pm, as one of our National Novel Writing Month guest authors!

For a chance to win an Advanced Readers Copy of her new book, tell me about your favorite figure from mythology, and what is so great about them.

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Tuesday, October 29, 2013. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

"Tech Thursday" - Google+Maker #WeekendProjects - chock full of great tech ideas

Today I thought I'd share a great online community maker source, google+MAKE.

Whether it's a "Crittergram" Capture Cam:

Read more: http://goo.gl/wbGgoz
a DIY solderless breadboard circuit that pulses LEDs in time to music:


http://makezine.com/projects/easy-led-color-organ/
or a "Drawdio" -- a simple sound synthesizer that you build on a pencil:

http://makezine.com/projects/drawdio-musical-pencil/

this google+ site will provide some fun tech projects to chase away the blues during all those rainy weekends we enjoy here in the Pacific Northwest. Whether you build a project that's listed, or whether you see a project and it gives you an idea, serving as the basis for your own inspired creation, it's a fantastic site to visit. 

I'm currently thinking about the making the drawdino, the pallet wall nursery, or the homemade speaker box...I hope there's something there that piques your interest as well!

If you do find a project and build it, please let us know!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Trailer Tuesday: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

This week's trailer is for an exciting sequel: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers!


 Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.

Sybella arrives at the convent's doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge--but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

Have you read Grave Mercy?  Do you plan to now?

Monday, October 21, 2013

YALSA Announces 2013's Teens' Top Ten Reads

Most readers of this blog probably know that October is Teen Read Month, and many may also know that last week (Teen Read Week, Oct 13th - 19th) was the final period during which to vote for the 'best of the best' of last year's Teen Reads, and that on  Oct 21st the winners would be announced.

The task was undertaken and completed, and since it is the 21st, YALSA has announced the ten favorite Teen Read titles: 

 



10.  Lange, Erin Jade. Butter.
9. Cross, Sarah. Kill Me Softly
8.  Levithan, David. Every Day
7.  Albin, Gennifer. Crewel
6.  Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. (Ms. Stiefvater's book, "Scorpio Races", was #8 in the 2012 Teen's Top Ten Reads)
5.  Cole, Kresley. Poison Princess
4.  McGarry, Katie. Pushing the Limits
3. Roth, Veronica. Insurgent. (Divergent, the first book in this series, was the #1 choice for the 2012 Teens' Top Ten Reads)
2. Nielsen, Jennifer. The False Prince
and the number 1 book: 
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yes...you have to wait at least a little bit!....
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1.  Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity.

--> --> Find these books at Sno-Isle: 2013 YALSA TEEN TOP TEN

Congrats to the authors, thanks to the teens who voted* -- and the next set of nominees comes out in April 2014.

Don't forget to visit Teens Top Ten Tumblers for cool YA graphics, info, and summaries of the nominees.

*I know 'd have had a hard time choosing among the original choices, as I've read many of the 28 nominees and so many were awesome...if you pick up any of these, you'll not be sorry to spend time reading them.

Is your favorite book in the list? Do you agree with the results? Comment below!

Win a beautiful Harry Potter print, signed by the artist!

You know I mentioned before that if you wrote a book review during Teen Read Month (October 2013) you would get entered in a drawing for a fabulous prize, but I didn't say what the prize was?  Now it can be unveiled!

For each book you review this month, you will get a chance to win this wonderful poster of the new Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone cover, signed by the artist Kazu Kibuishi himself!


Drawing will be held on Monday November 4, 2013, and winner will be announced here!

Friday, October 18, 2013

A little Teen Read Week fun: shelfies!

I saw this idea and thought it would be fun to do for Teen Read Week/Month!

Here I am with some of my favorite audiobooks of the year!
  1. Take a selfie with your bookshelf, or some of your favorite books.
  2. Post it to Facebook.
  3. Friend us at Sno Isle Teens
  4. Tag "Sno Isle Teens"
  5. At the end of the month, everyone who entered will get placed in a drawing to win a Sno-Isle Teens Infamous for Information t-shirt!   (If you already have one, we can come up with a little something else ;)
Have some fun with it!

Weekend Book Giveaway: Sick

Looking for a new zombie book? Sick by Tom Leveen might be just the thing!

Brian and his friends are not part of the cool crowd. They're the misfits and the troublemakers;the ones who jump their high school's fence to skip class regularly. So when a deadly virus breaks out, they're the only ones with a chance of surviving. The virus turns Brian's classmates and teachers into bloodthirsty attackers who don't die easily. The whole school goes on lockdown, but Brian and his best friend, Chad, are safe (and stuck) in the theater department far from Brian's sister, Kenzie, and his ex-girlfriend with a panic attack problem, Laura. Brian and Chad, along with some of the theater kids Brian had never given the time of day before, decide to find the girls and bring them to the safety of the theater. But it won't be easy, and it will test everything they thought they knew about themselves and their classmates. 

For a chance to win, tell me about a time you got sick, and what was memorable about it.

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library. 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Tech Thursday: Learn How to Design a Video Game - for free!


Gamestar Mechanic will teach you how to design a video game by playing a video game. Each "Quest" contains missions --challenges where you play, modify and design games to help you level up from player to designer. As you complete the missions in "Addison Joins the League", you earn items that you can use to make your own games.

So who is Addison in "Addison Joins the League"? You are...because Jhansi and Samson's colleague, Rodney, has stolen sprites and vanished into the night - and they need you to be the new designer.

In addition to playing/learning from straight-playing "Addison Joins The League", you can also download a few templates to practice your own game designs. They also offer special challenges where you can earn sprites and other components for ultimately awesome games.

The have a great social media aspect: you can publish your games and connect with a other designers, a community of over 250,000 GM enthusiasts.

NOTE:
"Addison's Complete Quest" is the full introduction to game design and is available for a one-time cost of $19.95. But I think that playing the free version is good enough because it will allow you to learn/understand game design theory...Plus it's fun to earn Sprites!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Trailer Tuesday: Far Far Away

If you love fairy tales, you are going to love Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, which has been nominated for the National Book Award.

 Jeremy Johnson Johnson hears voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But Jacob can't protect Jeremy from everything. When coltish, copper-haired Ginger Boultinghouse takes a bite of a cake so delicious it's rumored to be bewitched, she falls in love with the first person she sees: Jeremy. In any other place, this would be a turn for the better for Jeremy, but not in Never Better, where the Finder of Occasions--whose identity and evil intentions nobody knows--is watching and waiting, waiting and watching. . . And as anyone familiar with the Brothers Grimm know, not all fairy tales have happy endings.


Are you a fan of the Grimm brothers' tales?  If so, which is your favorite?

Friday, October 11, 2013

Weekend Book Giveaway: Teardrop

Did you know that Lauren Kate (author of the Fallen series) has a brand new series coming out?!

Teardrop is an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away. Never, ever cry... Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before. But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance--a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined.

Teardrop doesn't hit the shelves until the 22nd, but we already have 9 people waiting...but you have a chance to get an Advanced Readers Copy next week! 

For a chance to win, tell us about a good piece of advice someone has given you, that you try to live by.

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library. 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Tech Thursday - Google Maker Camp: Make a Ghoulish Halloween

For many teens, 2013 Summer Maker Camp is but a distant memory. Fear not - over the next few weeks you can re-join Google Maker Camp hosts each Thursday thru Halloween for special Hangout-on-Air sessions, where they will feature their favorite costumes, makeup projects, pumpkin carving...and even a virtual field trip showing what happens after an Alien Invasion!

Schedule:

Thurs. 3 — Welcome to Maker Camp
Thurs. 10 — Macabre Makeup and Costume Design
Thurs. 17 — Fiendish food and the Art of Pumpkin-Carving
Thurs. 24 — Haunted House How-tos and Spooky Alien Fieldtrip
Thurs. 31 — Halloween Parade

Watch the first Halloween Hangout-on-Air:

Screenshot of Maker Camp Halloween Edition



Sign up for Maker Camp Alerts: http://makezine.com/maker-camp/sign-up-for-maker-camp/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Teen Halloween Party

Halloween is just around the corner and to get you in the spooky spirit, the Mill Creek Library and Mill Creek Parks and Recreation Department are teaming up for the third annual Teen Halloween Party on Friday, October 18th from 7-9 p.m.

This Halloween Party has something for everyone. You can play "Minute to Win it" games, board games, enjoy pizza and snacks, and compete in a costume contest. Four prizes will be awarded for best costume: cutest, scariest, funniest, and most original. Check out some of the winners from last year.


We'll have some creepy crafts. Make "Horror"-gami, decorate mini pumpkins or create spiders out of pipe cleaners. While you're here, check out a scary thriller or mystery from the "Horror-ible Books" display! 





You could win this!
Make sure you stay for the door prizes. We'll be giving away gift cards to local businesses books (including Finding Bigfoot), and other miscellaneous prizes.

Space is limited to 50, so please preregister on the library website. The Teen Halloween Party is open to teens in grades 6-12. Pizza and snacks are provided by the Friends of the Mill Creek Library. We hope to see you there!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Weekend Book Giveaway: All Our Yesterdays

This weekend's Advance Readers Copy is an exciting new time travel adventure called All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.

You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain. Only Em can complete the final instruction. She's tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present--imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. 

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America's most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James's life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina's hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was. 
 
For a chance to be entered in the drawing, tell me about one thing (big or small) you wish you could change about your past.

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library. 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Tech Thursday - Free App: SHAZAM

One app that I use often, whether I'm watching a movie/TV show or listening to the radio and want to know what song is playing, is Shazam...I'm amazed that it's free because it's such a cool product!
Once downloaded, simply tap the Shazam button to instantly tag the content, and then you can also explore, buy, share and comment about it. Tagging is unlimited, so use Shazam as much as you want.

When it first came out, it was for music only, a somewhat recent addition is video entertainment as well, so if there's media playing, you'll be able to find out what show or movie is on with a quick button push. (I've not yet used it for that.)

For example, while watching the movie Oblivion this weekend, I wondered what song it was that Tom Cruise's character liked so much. Just a quick tap of the Shazam icon and I not only had the song name (Led Zeppelin's Ramble On), and a quick link to amazon to download the song, but also:
  • the album it was on
  • associated Youtube videos
  • Led Zeppelin's bio and also their discography (a list of all their recordings)
  • date/time when I tagged it
  • associated ringtones

For some songs, they even have "LyricPlay", which streams the lyrics in time with the song -- so you know the right words...lol

Also, once tagged, you can share the your tag on G+, Facebook and Twitter

Get Shazam:
  • on iPhone & iPod touch
  • on Android
  • on Windows Phone
  • on Windows 8
  • on BlackBerry
  • on iPad
  • Wednesday, October 2, 2013

    Teen Read Month!

    What's special about October? It’s Teen Read Month, of course -- an entire month celebrating the joys of teen reading!
     
    This year's theme is "Seek the Unknown @ Your Library"…so if you’ve read a book that expanded your horizons to include something previously unknown, or a book about unexplained phenomena (or whatever Seek the Unknown means to you), how can you share it with others? 
    There are several ways:
    • Enter the 10th Annual Art Contest and create a 2D rendition of what “Seek the Unknown @ Your Library” means to you. Deadline is 10/31 and the top four entries will win a $40 Amazon giftcard, provided by the SIL Foundation: http://www.sno-isle.org/?ID=3579
    • Write a review that describes the book (a review = a chance to win a prize!) http://www.sno-isle.org/?ID=1442&type=1
    • Get together with other teens at “Seek the Unknown” events. To find programs in your area: http://bit.ly/19ZN3td
     
     

    Tuesday, October 1, 2013

    Trailer Tuesday: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

    The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd     

    Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London;working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true. 

    Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward ;both of whom she is deeply drawn to;Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius; and madness; in her own blood. Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.