ECO-HERO? There's $500 in it.

From Action for Nature:

"WHY?
To recognize the individual accomplishments of young people (ages 8-16) whose personal actions have significantly improved the environment.

HOW?
Action For Nature will award cash prizes of up to $500 to young Eco-Heroes from around the world for their outstanding accomplishments in environmental advocacy, environmental health, research or protection of the natural world. Their individual initiatives will inspire others to preserve and protect our fragile environment.

ARE YOU AN ECO-HERO?

DO YOU KNOW AN ECO-HERO?"

Find out more.

Deadline is February 28, 2010.

Via SLJ.

Leftover Halloween Candy?

From one of my favorite sites, I HEART DAILY:

Did everyone have a ghoulish Halloween this weekend? Eat lots of candy? I did, but even Candy Master Anne has a breaking point, and as I ate my last fun size Twix, I threw the gold wrapper down in disgust. ENOUGH!

I started researching what I could do with all my leftover candy. I found some great dessert recipes, and even some science experiments I could conduct, but I came across the best solution: I'm going to send my leftover confections to our troops overseas.

Soldiers commonly request candy and gum in care packages. The candy should be heat resistant, so stuff like chocolate won't travel well, but things like Twizzlers, Skittles and any kind of hard candy will do just fine.

Find out how to send a care package by visiting these sites: Support Our Troops, Operation ShoeBox, or Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude has even started a nationwide buy back program for leftover Halloween candy. You can trade in your candy for $1/lb. at participating dentists in your area! Last year they collected over 21 tons of candy to send to our troops. Wowee zowee!

Now that's what I call sweet charity.

Don't forget to enter Sno-Isle Teens' special Halloween giveaway by midnight tonight!!

5 weeks of contests!

To celebrate the second annual readergirlz Teen Bookdrop, rgz is having a contest a week leading up to the event!

From the rgz blog:

"Here's the deal: each week from now until Support Teen Literature Day on April 16th, we'll be awarding a package of books to one winner. To enter, you just comment on our blog posts (comments on older posts count - a point for each comment!) and get an extra ten points for taking up the week's challenge. Get ten more any time by becoming one of our blog followers!"

For more ways to win go here!

Writing Help

I just stumbled across a list of the 40 of the Best Websites for Young Writers. They have a ton of great resources listed, including links to the Young Writer's Society, Eighteen Questions, Writing Contests, and a whole armful of grammar sites that can help you decide which "lay" to use.

However, don't forget that your friendly neighborhood library offers tutoring help through Brain Fuse (click the box in the upper right corner!). They can give "feedback on your writing from an expert tutor in our writing lab or... email you helpful comments regarding your homework question." Yep, you can send them your papers for critique - or chat live with a tutor. Pretty awesome.

Teen Choice Book Award!

via Menasha Kids:

"In association with the Children’s Book Council (CBC), Teenreads.com is giving you a very special opportunity to let your voices be heard by telling us your five favorite books of 2008. The five titles that receive the most “votes” will serve as the finalists for the CBC’s 2009 Teen Choice Book Award. Later we will tell you where you can go vote for them once the five finalists have been announced. The winner will be announced in May 2009.

All you have to do is fill out the form found here between now and January 31, 2009. Your top five selections may come from the list we’ve provided [here], or you can vote for titles not on the list."

Meet Sarah Mylanowski! In NYC!

To celebrate the release in the last of the Magic In Manhattan series (Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags), Parties & Potions, they are running a sweepstakes to w"in a trip for four to Manhattan to have lunch with Sarah Mlynowski!"

"Answer the below question and win!
As Rachel and Miri know, life’s a ball when
you’re a witch! In 100 words or less, tell us what
you would do if you could be a witch for a day!"

Just answer the question and fill out the entry form.

If you aren't feeling up to writing 100 words or less for that question, but are still interested in the series and author, she's all over the internet with chats and interviews.

Like Love?

Harlequin, the long-lived, publisher of adult romances is starting a line for teen girls - and they want your help. On their site:

"The Harlequin™ Teen Panel is an online reader panel for teens between the ages of 13and 17.

Members of the Harlequin Teen Panel will participate in fun quizzes and discussions about things like: books, movies, music and websites. In other words, everything that you’re interested in.

This is the place to be if you love to read!
Sign up today to share your opinion about the books you’ve read and the books you’d like to read—as well as other things that help you choose your books."

More importantly, according to my sources:

"Teens will be asked to fill out fun quizzes; they’ll participate in discussions and will also receive FREE books (approximate retail value of $10-$15 per book?) and have a chance to enter into sweepstakes (with [parental] permission)."

Check it out, and remember, as always, if you find a book you love so much you think others should read it, ask the library to buy it - we probably will.

Girls Can't What?

"As women, we've all been there at some point in our lives....a job...a sport...some activity where we were told we can't participate simply because we were female."

The website, "Girls Can't What?" wants you to share your story.

Check out their site for girl-powered talk, book reviews, and real stories of girls who didn't listen to those who said they can't.

Nominate your favorite!

Dread it when you get assigned a book with a medal on it? Sick of "good for you" books that are dry and boring? The CYBILS might just be the answer. They are taking nominations from the public - anyone with an email address can nominate their FAVORITE book of 2008. They take the nominations and try to find those few books that are both WELL WRITTEN and POPULAR. Books that are good AND good for you.

So, have a favorite book that came out in 2008? Through the end of Wednesday, you can nominate your favorite 2008 titles on the Cybils blog. Read the directions,
then nominate your favorite book in any of 9 categories including Middle Grade, Science Fiction/ Fantasy and Teen. Each book only needs to be nominated once, so if you see your first favorite, nominate your OTHER favorite. I know you have more than one... ;)

Like authors? Have questions? Just wanna Chat?

Readergirlz can help ya out a little there.



In celebration of Teen Read Week/Month Readergirlz are hosting live chats with authors EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK. If you've got a MySpace account, you can participate. Just head on over to the group forum.

Here's the line up:

Monday, October 13:

Multicultural Bites

Coe Booth

An Na

Mitali Perkins

Tuesday, October 14:

Verse Bites

Lorie Ann Grover

Stephenie Hemphill

Lisa Ann Sandell

Wednesday, October 15:

Contemporary Bites

Ally Carter

Justina Chen Headley

Maureen Johnson

Thursday, October 16:

Fantasy Bites

Holly Black

Dia Calhoun

Ted Naifeh

Tamora Pierce

Friday, October 17:

Gothic Bites

Holly Cupala

Christopher Golden

Annette Curtis Klause

Mari Mancusi

Chats start at 6pm PST! Stop in and say hi! Hope to see you there!

And, if you just happened not to have seen it...here it is again, simply because I loves it:

Books for Guys

So, someone noticed that there are lots of outlets for girls and books, like Reader Girlz, but that there wasn't really anything equivalent for guys (here's the closest). So they made one.

Looking for a book? Killing Time? Take a look. Maybe you'll find something.

GUYS LIT WIRE