Printz Award Announced

This morning the 2009 Michael L. Printz Award winner and honorees were announced. Given by the Young Adult Library Services Association, YALSA, every year since the year 2000, the Printz award is awarded to the book that “exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.”

Here is the winner:

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (not yet available in the Chester County Library System)

It is the story of seventeen year old Taylor Markham, abandoned by her mother when she was eleven, who is trying to put together the clues about her past as she leads the other students in her dorm in a territory war.

The Honorees:

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The kingdom on waves by M.T. Anderson

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

To find out more about the Printz award and the honorees see the YALSA award webpage!

Book Recommendation

Metamorphosis (Graphic Novel)

by Franz Kafka and adapted in a Graphic Novel
by Peter Kuper

This week I read the graphic novel version of Franz Kafka’s short story The Metamorphosis. Peter Kuper both adapted the story and illustrated the graphic novel. Having never read the short story myself, I cannot compare it to the original. I really did though enjoy the graphic novel.

The story is about a traveling salesman named Gregor Samsa who hates his job. He works hard and supports his parents and his sister Grete. One morning he wakes up to find himself transformed into a large insect. His family is repulsed by him, thought they still love him. As an insect his spends much of his time hiding under the furniture in his bedroom, staying out of the way of his family who do not want to see him. Will Gregor stay an insect forever? Will his family be able to support themselves now that Gregor cannot work? Find out the answers to these questions and immerse yourself in an interesting story. Read The Metamorphosis the graphic novel.

Teen Top 10 Books

YALSA's 2008 Teens' Top Ten
The vote is in! More than 8,000 teens voted on this year's winners. The 2008 Teens' Top Ten is:

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

About the Teens' Top Ten*

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted in April during National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year during Teen Read Week.

*This list is taken directly from the YALSA Website (also know as Young Adult Library Services Association)

DIY-Do It Yourself

The joy making something with your own hands is something everyone should experience. Sometimes we might use materials that we can find around our home, other times we have to go out and buy the materials (or search for them). Here are some books that might inspire you to make or create things. These books might even provide ideas of things you can make for other people to give as gifts. So go ahead, give it a try!

Cooking

Cooking up a storm / Sam Stern, with Susan Stern

Designing Clothing/ Jewelry

Hardwear : jewelry from a toolbox / Hannah Rogge

Rip it! : how to deconstruct and reconstruct the clothes of your dreams / Elissa Meyrich

99 ways to cut, sew, trim & tie your t-shirt into something special / Faith Blakeney

Sew subversive : down & dirty DIY for the fabulous fashionista / Melissa Rannels, Melissa Alvarado, Hope Meng

The hip handbag book : 25 easy-to-make totes, purses, and bags / by Sherri Haab

Fashion DIY : 30 ways to craft your own style / Carrie Blaydes and Nicole Smith

Second-time cool : the art of chopping up a sweater / Anna-Stina Lindén Ivarsson

Knitting

Teen knitting club : chill out and knit / Jennifer Wenger, Carol Abrams, Maureen Lasher

Knitgrrl 2 : learn to knit with 16 all-new patterns / Shannon Okey

Photography and Making Movies

My so-called digital life : 2,000 teenagers, 300 cameras, and 30 days to document their world / created by Bob Pletka

Duct Tape

The jumbo duct tape book / Jim and Tim

Ductigami : the art of the tape / Joe Wilson

Got tape? : roll out the fun with duct tape / Ellie Schiedermayer

Drawing Manga/ Creating Graphic Novels

Making comics : storytelling secrets of comics, manga and graphic novels / Scott McCloud

Fantasy! cartooning / Ben Caldwell

Manga Mania: Chibi and Furry Characters: How to Draw the Adorable Mini-Characters and Cool Cat Girls of Japanese Comics

Household Repairs

Popular mechanics when duct tape just isn't enough : quick fixes for everyday disasters / by C.J. Petersen

Technology to Try

Recently, I started using the photo sharing site Flickr as part of my library work. Flickr is way to share pictures with friends and the outside public. Users can decide between making their photo’s public or just sharing their photos with friends or groups. Here is the website if you would like to see what it is all about: http://www.flickr.com/.

If you would like to learn more about Flickr check out these useful links:
Flickr Learn More tour (6 steps)
Mediamazine Flickr Tutorials
Flickr: Popular tags

Flickr Services (3rd party applications & mashups)

Or Learn More about Flickr in this book:

Flickr hacks by Paul Bausch and Jim Bumg

So go ahead, explore the site and have some Flickr photo fun.

PS: A quick word about photo posting etiquette - When posting identifiable photos of other people it is a good idea to get the person’s permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that weren’t taken by you (unless you have the photographer’s consent) and always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else if you choose to use the pictures in a blog.




I wanted to share with you a something I made using a flickr mashup. Using FD’s Flickr Toys I made this fake magazine cover using a photo of the Dragon Wagon Library van.

by Katie at the Chester County Library