The Ranger's Apprentice Giveaway!

Ok, since the winners of the Harry Potter giveaway are most likely quietly ensconced in their reading chairs revisiting the last three adventures of that scar-faced bespectacled boy, it's time for a new giveaway. Now, The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan may not be as popular as good 'ole Harry, but I assure you, if you are a fan of adventures and quests concerning orphaned young underdogs, you will love Will, who has been apprenticed to the mysterious Ranger.

I have TWO copies of the newest installment in this series, The Siege of Macindaw, to giveaway. Same drill as before, you must comment to have a chance at the books - this time I want you to tell me what your favorite fantasy book (or series) is that ISN'T Harry Potter, Twilight, or The Ranger's Apprentice.

The rules: You MUST be between the ages of 12-18. You MUST be able to pick up your prize at one of the 21 Sno-Isle libraries (or be on the bookmobile route). Find a library near you. Note that you can only enter ONCE! :)

You have until Tuesday, August 11th at 8pm to enter! We'll have a random drawing and announce the winners Tuesday night - so you'll have to check back to see if you win - and then the winners will need to email us at the address we'll provide on the 11th.

Just to whet your appetite, here's a teaser book trailer for the first three books:



And, if you need more proof of this series' cred (I don't know why I'm assuming you haven't read it, I've personally given it to scads of you - and there are currently 72 holds on The Siege of Macindaw) THEY ARE MAKING A MOVIE OF THE FIRST BOOK TO BE RELEASED NEXT YEAR. Just so you know. It's not like I'm all excited or anything... *looks away*

Confess Your Biggest Screw Up!

Shamelessly ripped off from KL Going's site:

Win a $100 gift certificate to your local independent bookstore, Borders, or Barnes & Noble, plus a complete set of autographed KL Going YA books (Fat Kid Rules the World; Saint Iggy; King of the Screwups).

Three runners-up will receive an autographed copy of King of the Screwups.

Contest runs: April 1st - June 30th 2009.

Read submitted entries (they are kind of awesome!).

More info/enter

Read the first three chapters of King of the Screwups.

Hunger Games Contest - Meet the Author!

from the Scholastic website: 

HOW WOULD YOU SURVIVE?

Tell us in 500 words or less how you would survive the Hunger Games for a
chance to win a private lunch with Suzanne Collins in NYC!

THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL GET:

• A private lunch with Suzanne Collins at the Scholastic headquarters in New York City!
  (Travel, accommodations, and a $500 food allowance for the winner and a parent or guardian will be provided.)
• A signed, personalized copy of THE HUNGER GAMES
• A personalized Advanced Reader's Copy of CATCHING FIRE – the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy
• A collectable mockingjay pin
• 100 RUNNERS-UP WILL RECEIVE
  an Advanced Reader's Copy of CATCHING FIRE
  and a collectible mockingjay pin!
• NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest open to legal residents of the 50 United States
  and the District of Columbia between the ages of 12-17 as of May 15th, 2009.
  Void where prohibited. Come back March 16th for complete details and official rules.
  

ENTER HERE from March 16 through May 15.

via PW.

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!

Find Beauty Challenge

Justina Chen Headley, local author of three excellent works of YA Fiction (Nothing But the Truth [and a few white lies]; Girl, Overboard; North of Beautiful) has announced a contest in honor of her newest title, North of Beautiful!



From Justina's blog:

Tell the world what you find to be Truly Beautiful! Just upload a 90-second video describing what real beauty means to you...and you could win yourself an iTouch! PLUS, for every uploaded video, I'll donate $10 (up to $1,000) to Global Surgical Outreach, an amazing group that helps kids with cleft lips and palates in the third world.

Here's what to do:

1. Record a 90-second video essay about what's truly beautiful to you!
   
2. Upload the video onto YouTube.
   
3. Then...send a link to north@marthabee.com. (Martha Brockenbrough--tech guru and my friend of much wonderosity--will link your video to the North of Beautiful YouTube channel.)
   
4. Tell all your friends to RATE your video.

The Official Rules for the NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL: FIND BEAUTY CHALLENGE:

1. The Top 5 videos will be chosen by YOU based on the most views and highest ratings. So be sure to tell all your friends to vote for you! Any ties will be broken by the North of Beautiful team.
   
2. The North of Beautiful team will score the five finalists on A) 40 percent emotional appeal (humor, pull-on-the-heartstrings, incites activism, etc.); B) 40 percent content (clean, widespread appeal across audiences, plot – if applicable, scriptwriting – if applicable); and C) 20 percent professionalism (smooth transitions, stable video, non-jarring editing cuts, constant audio levels).
   
3. All videos must contain original content. Your entry indicates you understand this and have the legal rights to distribute your video.
   
4. Any videos deemed inappropriate by the North of Beautiful team will be removed. Please don't upload anything that wouldn't, say, be shown on television during prime-time hours, or anything you wouldn't want to watch with your first-grade teacher. So no nudity, profanity, or racial slurs.
   
5. The contest will run from 12:01 a.m. Feb. 1, 2009 until 11:59 p.m. Mar. 30, 200. Anything submitted before or after the deadline can't be considered.
   
6. Justina will donate $10 for every uploaded video (for a maximum of $1,000) to Global Surgical Outreach to help fund facial surgeries for kids in the third world.
   
7. The Find Beauty Challenge is open to people over 14.
   
8. The Grand Prize winner will receive one iPod Touch. 3 runners up will receive fabulous gifts, such as an autographed collection of Justina's novels, other free books, etc."

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.

Feeling Creative?

Want to get your art published on a massive scale? Say 19.5 MILLION copies?

On the back of ketchup packets?

Or maybe you just want your school to score the $1,000 worth of ketchup?

Or line your pockets (or college fund) with $1,000 of your own?

Maybe you've just always wanted to draw a ketchup bottle into surreal scenes?

Well, the way to do it would be to enter the Heinz Ketchup Creativity™ Contest 2008-2009.

Meet Tamora Pierce in NYC?

I know some of you out there LOVE Tamora Pierce. I've talked to you. I know this is a fact.
How'd you like to win:

• A trip for two* to New York City and free passes to the Comic-Con Convention
• Lunch with Tamora Pierce
• A podcast of your interview published on Tamora's web site and in the Strange Lands Newsletter

All you have to do is fill out this form with 10 questions you'd like to ask this amazing author and tell them in less than 200 words why YOU would make a great correspondent. It almost seems too easy!

*If winner is under 18, the travel companion must be a parent/guardian.

You on MTV?

I'm getting a little over-excited about this whole Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist movie (watch the trailer here), I have to tell you. And after reading Rachel Cohn's newest book (You Know Where to Find Me) I looked up her site and found out about this:

"MTV Wants to Know... Have you had one crazy night you'll never forget? Add Nick or Norah as a friend and upload a fan video with your story. The four fans with the best stories will be featured on-air, in MTV: This Movie is Me: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist promos!"

So yeah. Make a vid. Upload it to their site. You might just find yourself, and your story, ON MTV.

Wow.

Wanna See NYC? Fan of MJ?

"Enter the Suite Scarlett Sweepstakes for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience – an overnight stay in a New York City hotel, plus brunch with author Maureen Johnson. Email your name, address, and birth date to Thisispoint@scholastic.com for a chance to win."

You have to be between the ages of 13 and 18 at the time you enter the sweepstakes. I'm a little bummed about that because she's hilarious, which you already know if you've ever read her blog, and I would totally enter if I wasn't over 18. :(