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

 

 

2012 Art Contest Winners

Wow!  You guys really came through with some amazing entries this year.  There have been some challenging years for our judges to pick just four winners, but I honestly think this was the hardest for them.  We had 173 entries this year (which I think is a record) and SO MANY of them were fantastic!  I am so proud of the creativity and artistic flair possessed by the teens in our community.  Thank you so much for sharing your talents with us.

So, with no further ado, our 2012 Teen Read Month "It Came from a Book" art contest winners are:



Megan M. from Lynnwood



  






Chana K. from Mill Creek



 
 






Emily B. from Marysville




  





Jake T. from Mountlake Terrace



 





The winning art will be posted on our website very soon, and in a few weeks will be showcased on posters throughout our two counties in libraries and schools!  


Each winner will be recognized at their local library with a special ceremony and receive a $50 gift card for Amazon.com provided by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and to the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation for its continued generous support of teen programs and activities!

VOYA's Teen Poetry Contest

A poetry contest for teens age 12-18, but the catch is that entries MUST be sponsored by a teacher or librarian. Teens, you can't just enter yourself. However, if you come up to one of us, I'm sure we'd be happy to send in the poem for you.

Submission Guidelines:

• Contest submissions may be poems of up to thirty lines on any topic.


• They must be typed in a Word document.


• Include the following information on the same page of each poem entered: poet’s name, age, town, and state; sponsor’s name, title, organization/school/library, address, phone, and e-mail.


• Name the document file with the poet’s last name. Ex: Smith.doc


• Attach the document to an e-mail with “VOYA Teen Poetry Contest” and the poet’s last name in the subject line.


• Only one poem per teen, please.


• Contest Deadline: December 31, 2011.

Each winner will receive a $20 cash prize and a copy of the April 2012 issue of VOYA in which their poem will be printed.

From VOYA, where you'll find more info.

Being an American Essay Contest

for ages 13-19. Teachers must submit entries.

From the Bill of Rights Institute:

How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?

In an essay of no more than 1000 words, analyze and discuss:

• How one of the Founding principles established in the Constitution helps preserve liberty
  
• Why at least one Founder, as evidenced in a primary source document, believed your chosen principle was a safeguard to liberty
  
• Why your principle continues to be important today
  
• How you personally help preserve a culture that ensures the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in America

All contest entries are due by 11:59 (PST) on December 15, 2011.

Cash prizes for Students in each of the five regions of the
2011-2012 Being an American Essay Contest
First place - $1,000
Second place - $500
Third place - $250

Cash prizes for Teacher Sponsors in each of the five regions of the
2011-2012 Being an American Essay Contest

Teachers who sponsor a student with a winning essay will receive $100 for each
student that places in his/her region.

via SLJ

Love Never Dies Contest

From Random Buzzers:

"One grand prize winner will receive a full year's subscription to Netflix© and signed copies of Torment, The Dark and Hollow Places and The Iron Thorn! 5 Runners Up will receive a grab bag consisting of 9 different "Love Never Dies" titles!

All you have to do to enter is submit an essay in 200 words or less explaining which character from a novel best personifies the phrase "love never dies"."

Being a Netflix subscriber and having read both The Iron Thorn and The Dark and Hollow Places, I can confirm that it's a pretty good prize package. Of course, I thought Fallen (the book before Torment) was painfully boring and woefully overwrought, so I'm not going within ten feet of reading Torment. But I know several of you will disagree with me, and I'd love to see your reviews telling me how wrong I am.

Last day to enter is May 20th. Check out the full info here.

Can YOU Draw the Walking Dead?

From Sourcebooks:

"In Ty Drago's upcoming thriller THE UNDERTAKERS: RISE OF THE CORPSES, twelve-year-old Will Ritter battles an invasion of animated Corpses that only he and his friends can see. Corpses hide in plain sight and can be disguised as anyone: teachers, doctors, policemen ... anyone at all.

Sourcebooks Inc. and Ty Drago are announcing a drawing contest for anyone aged 8+. The rules are simple: draw in black and white OR color, a rotting cadaver pretending to be a normal person. No rags on these dead guys. Suits. Uniforms. Swim trunks. Hoodies. Let your imagination soar! The grosser and scarier, the better!

The winner will receive a signed Advanced Reading Copy of THE UNDERTAKERS: RISE OF THE CORPSES. He or she will also have her winning drawing displayed on the front page of the UNDERTAKERS website.

Contest runs from March 1 through March 31, 2011. For more information, visit www.myTeenFire.com.

TO ENTER:

• You must be over 8 years old



• You must love "zombies" and want to draw them



• You must submit an original drawing by uploading it into the contest forum on myTeenFire. It can be created on your computer or drawn and scanned.



• Max size should be 600 by 800 pixels



• Only one entry per artist please!



• All entries MUST be submitted by 11:59 pm on March 31, 2011"

Another Video Contest for Teens

Sno-Isle isn't the only place you can express your love of libraries and win prizes. The American Library Association is having a Why I Need My Library contest. You can win up to $3000 for your public or school library, plus a $50 gift card for an online bookseller for yourself!



Read all the rules here.

I'd sure love to see someone make a video about Sno-Isle Libraries :)

Hunger Games Audition Video

According to the description on YouTube, this is an audition video for the girls playing Katniss & Rue. It's pretty awesome.

Note, this is the Hunger Games, so it's violent. There's even some spurting blood, so if you're averse to such things, skip the video.



via The View From Above

Let me know what you think in comments! Should Danielle Churchran play Katniss? If not, who do you think should?

You have until midnight on December 12th to enter!

Random comment will win a copy of HUNGER by Jackie Morse Kessler.

Tagline: "Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine...one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."


Only students in grades 6-12 who can pick their winnings up at one of the 21 Sno-Isle Libraries are eligible to win.

**Don't forget to enter the Darren Shan giveaway, too!

I'd avoid this if you don't like snakes (or prizes)

'Cause it will totally freak you out.



via Bookshelves of Doom

And, while this snake, and others like it are primarily found in Asia, if you are of hearty stock, you can find books about snakes in every Sno-Isle library.

Meanwhile, now that I've probably scared the boots off of many of you (including myself...), what scares you? Share your fear in the comments, and one answer will be randomly drawn to win a hardcover copy of Darren Shan's new THE SAGA OF LARTEN CREPSLEY: Birth of a Killer.

You have until December 7th at midnight to enter! Good luck!

Only students in grades 6-12 who can pick their winnings up at one of the 21 Sno-Isle Libraries are eligible to win.

Teen Read Month Winners

Here is our final round of winners:

Teen Art Contest Winners

Michelle D. - Arlington Library

Chelcie E. - Mill Creek Library

Jenna L. - Mukilteo Library

Lily A. - Snohomish Library

Honorable Mentions
Melissa B. - Arlington Library
Julia N. - Oak Harbor Library
Angeline M. - Mill Creek Library
Michael R. - Mill Creek Library
Garret M. - - Monroe Library

Thank you to everyone who submitted their wonderful art! There were over 100 entries, and so many of them were fabulous. Our judges had a difficult time deciding.

Ceremonies will be held for the four winners in their home libraries later this month, where they will receive copies of their art as posters, Sno-Isle Teens t-shirts, and gift cards as prizes.

Honorable Mentions will receive a Sno-Isle Teens flash drive.

And to completely wrap up Teen Read Month, here are a few more book review drawing winners:

iTunes Gift Cards
Jaskiran G. - Mill Creek Library
Ashley C. - Marysville Library

Starbucks Gift Cards
Kyanna S. - Snohomish Library
Oceana A. - Marysville Library


Thanks to everyone who attended programs, submitted reviews, shared their creative talents, or just checked out teen books for fun this month! We love celebrating the joys of teen reading with you.

Beautiful Darkness Winner

Emily H is the winner for the copy of Beautiful Darkness with this comment:

"Emily H said...
I voted for Need by: Carrie Jones. The book trailer really grabbed me. I also thought that the book Dead girls don't write letters seemed interesting.
October 6, 2010 7:01 AM"

Emily, if you email me at jparker [at] sno-isle.org ASAP with which Sno-Isle Library Branch you would like to pick your prize up at, I'll send it out right away.

For the rest of you, there's still time to enter to win Immortal Beloved. And LOTS of time to participate in the Review contest and the Art Contest!

Don't forget to enter!

There are lots of ways to win free stuff this month, so don't forget to enter:

1. The Art Contest


2. Teen Review Drawings


3. The Trailies Comment Contest (ends midnight 10/9)


4. The Events Contest (ends midnight 10/13)

AND keep checking back for more chances to win free books!

October is Teen Read Month!

Which is like the best ever! It's a big deal for us teen librarians, so we've planned (often with your help!) lots of FREE events this month all over Snohomish and Island Counties. Check out the teen events calendar. From jam sessions, to movies, board games, authors and Halloween parties, we've got you covered this month.

Which event (or events!) will you attend? Tell us in the comments, and you'll be entered to win the first in a new fantasy series, a book with a little heartbeat: IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan.

Publisher summary:
"After seeing her best friend, a Dark Immortal called Incy, torture a human with magick, Nastasya, a spoiled party girl, enters a home for wayword immortals and finally begins to deal with life, even as she learns that someone wants her dead."

You'll have until midnight on October 13th to enter!

Only students in grades 6-12 who can pick their winnings up at one of the 21 Sno-Isle Libraries are eligible to win.

Teen Read Month = Two Ways to Win

Happy Teen Read Month, everyone!

This year the theme is Books With Beat. We want to celebrate those teen books that make your heart beat faster. What makes your heart be faster? Action? Music? Romance? Winning prizes?

There are two ways you (teens 12-18, or in 6th-12th grade living in Island or Snohomish Counties) can win with Sno-Isle Teens throughout October 2010:

• Write reviews about books you read for the chance to win a snazzy orange and red Sno-Isle Teens 2GB clip flash drive.

• Enter our 7th Annual Teen Read Month Art Contest by creating a 2-D art piece that celebrates Books With Beat. You could be one of four teens to win a $25 gift card for Amazon.com.

Both of these prizes are generously funded by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

Also, keep an eye here on the Infamous for Information blog for chances to win free books!

Vote for the Trailies! Win!

"The School Library Journal announced the first annual Trailie Award for the best book trailers. The finalists are in and the public is invited to vote for their favorites."

Watch the videos. Vote Here (scroll to the bottom).

Go take a look. Tell us in the comments below one of the trailers you voted for, or one of the books trailered (makin' up the words, I am) you now want to read because of it's awesome trailer and you'll be entered into win (drumroll, please):

A copy of the BRAND NEW (not even out until Oct. 12!) BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, the sequel to Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Who's trailer you can see below.



You have until midnight on October 9th to comment!

Only students currently in grades 6-12 who are able to pick up a book in one of the 21 Sno-Isle Libraries are eligible to win.

Can you believe it’s September?

That is what every other person has been asking this morning. They say time is relative...so I’ve decided that today is actually August 7th. That being said, if it was August 7th I wouldn’t have read my favorite books of the summer yet: Mockingjay, Kings of Clonmel, and Linger.

Ann won Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers for her comments on her favorite summer books. Ann said... “My favorite book of the summer was North of Beautiful! It was the last book I read before the summer ended (September 1) but Mockingjay would probably be my favorite if I had read it...which will be soon!”

Congrats Ann, please email me jbixby [at] sno-isle [dot] org with which Sno-Isle Library you'd like to pick up your copy of Some Girls Are!

The Gardener Winner!

In our random drawing, Kelsey Harvill is the winner of The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen. Kelsey wrote;
“My favorite is the Uglies series. They are extremely captivating and really scary to think about if our world truly was that way.”

Kelsey, please email me jbixby [at] sno-isle [dot] org with which Sno-Isle Library you'd like to pick up your copy of The Gardener!

The Last Week of Summer Reading

Wow. And just like that the summer is over. Did this one seem faster than usual?

You've got through Tuesday, August 31st to get your last reviews turned in and to hope for that laptop or iPod Touch.

In light of the end of summer, I'm wondering what your favorite book of the summer was? Tell us in the comments, and your comment will enter you in to win one of the hottest books among the teens at Lynnwood Library, Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers.* You've got until midnight on August 31st to share your favorite! We'll announce the randomly chosen winner shortly thereafter.

Perhaps later I'll share a few of MY favorite reads from this summer.

*You must be between the ages of 12-18 and able to pick up your free book at one of the 21 Sno-Isle Libraries.

When the future sucks.

You've probably either read of have heard of the Hunger Games Trilogy. You may have also read The Giver, The City of Ember, or maybe Fahrenheit 451. The one thing all of those books have in common is a view of a potential future - one that is far from the glory of jet packs and flying cars. They are all part of a subset of Science Fiction called Dystopian Literature. Typical features in dystopias are a totalitarian government, futuristic technology, and the restriction of freedom.

• After by Francine Prose: "In the aftermath of a nearby school shooting, a grief and crisis counselor takes over Central High School and enacts increasingly harsh measures to control students, while those who do not comply disappear".



• Battle Royal by Koushun Takami: This is the closest to The Hunger Games that you'll find - but it's shelved in the adult section for a reason. As bloody and brutal as The Hunger Games is, Battle Royal ups the ante in both novel and graphic novel format.
94315776


• Candor by Pam Bachorz: Oscar's dad has created the ideal community full of perfect people. Of course, they're only perfect because of the subliminal messages Oscar's dad plants in all of music piped in across the community. Oscar knows things he shouldn't, and if his dad finds out, well, he just can't let that happen...



• The Declaration by Gemma Malley and its sequel, The Resistance: When people can live forever, why would anyone have children? In a futurist England, children are illegal. Those that do exist, are called "Surplus" are sent to training houses to become servants. Most are resigned to their fate, but when obediant Anna finds out her parents are trying to find her, everything changes.



• Feed by MT Anderson: "We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck." You don't really need computers when everyone has the Feed implanted in their brains, but when Titus meets Violet, who grew up without the Feed, he starts to see that the barrage of messages planted in his head might not be the whole truth about the world.



• The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer: "In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States."



• The Maze Runner by James Dashner: Thomas wakes up in an elevator. The only thing he can remember about before is his name. Unfortunately, that's not his only problem. The elevator has delivered him to The Glade, where 60 other boys have been trying to escape for as long as they can remember and trying to escape sometimes means death - or worse.



• Rash by Pete Hautman: "In a future society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free," sixteen-year-old Bo's anger control problems land him in a tundra jail where he survives with the help of his running skills and an artificial intelligence program named Bork."



• Truancy by Isamu Fukui: "In the City, where an iron-fisted Mayor's goal is perfect control through education, fifteen-year-old Tack is torn between a growing sympathy for the Truancy, an underground movement determined to bring down the system at any cost, and the desire to avenge a death caused by a Truant.'



• The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld: "In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever."

Tell us which one of the books mentioned above make you want to read it - or share your favorite dystopian book in the comments and your comment will enter you in to win a hardcover copy of The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen.*

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen: When Mason rescues a frightened girl, he finds himself on the wrong side of the people behind the greenhouse and find his life in danger because they will stop at nothing to get her back.

Want more? Check out our list of Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction.

You have until midnight on Thursday, August 26th to share your comment, and we'll post the winner shortly thereafter. I can't wait to see your favorites! Good luck!

*you must be a teen between the ages 12-18 and able to pick up your prize at one of the 21 Sno-Isle Libraries.

Queen of Secrets Winner!

In our random drawing, Ashley Cline is the winner of Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff. The librarian at her home branch will let her know when her free book arrives.

Ashley shared her favorite book trailer:



Place a hold on Fire by Kristin Cashore!

Emily Joy also shared a couple of her favorite book trailers:



Place a hold on If I Stay by Gayle Forman!



Place hold on A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray!

Keep your eye on this blog for more great giveaways!