Doodle 4 Google Contest

Here is a cool opporuntiny for artsy minded students to stretch their creative muscles!

The Doodle 4 Google competition is now open to all K-12 students in U.S. schools (including homeschoolers). Parents, teachers, or after school programs may submit doodles on behalf of their child or student as long as they are accompanied by a completed and signed entry form. Like last year, we do not have a cap on number of submissions from one school, family, or after school program but we still require that only one doodle is submitted per child. In the case of duplicate submissions by a single child, we will accept the submission that arrives first as determined by the "received by" date. Completed entry forms must be received by March 23rd.

Click here for more information!
If you would like to see past Doodle for Google finalists click here!

American Library Association - 2012 Youth Media Award winners

Here are some of the award-winning titles:

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

“Where Things Come Back,” written by John Corey Whaley, is the 2012 Printz Award winner. There are also four Printz Honor Books:  “Why We Broke Up,” written by Daniel Handler with art by Maira Kalman; “The Returning,” written by Christine Hinwood; “Jasper Jones,” written by Craig Silvey and “The Scorpio Races,” written by Maggie Stiefvater.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:

• “Big Girl Small,” by Rachel DeWoskin, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• “In Zanesville,” by Jo Ann Beard, published by Little, Brown & Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
• “The Lover’s Dictionary,” by David Levithan, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• “The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens,” by Brooke Hauser, published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
• “The Night Circus,” by Erin Morgenstern, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. 
• “Ready Player One,” by Ernest Cline, published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.(ISBN: 9780307887436)
• “Robopocalypse: A Novel,” by Daniel H. Wilson, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
• “Salvage the Bones,” by Jesmyn Ward, published by Bloomsbury USA
• “The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures,” by Caroline Preston, published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
• “The Talk-Funny Girl,” by Roland Merullo, published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

See the complete list of prize-winners here.  And as always if you are wondering what's new in the YA/Teen collection, click here!

New Books @ the Library

Check out these great new titles!

First we have Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, the second book in the Infernal Devices series. As the Council attempts to strip Charlotte of her power, 16 year old orphaned shapechanger, Tessa Gray works with the London Shadowhunters to find the Magister and destroy his clockwork army, learning the secret of her own identity while investigating his past.

Next we have  The Scorpio Races by bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater. Nineteen year old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

In All these things I've done, author Gabrielle Zevin introduces to a future where chocolate and caffeine are contraband and cell phone use by teenagers is illegal.We meet 16 year old Anya Balanchine who finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight as heir apparent to an important New York City crime family.

Our last book is Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.Waverly is fifteen and part of the first generation to be conceived in deep space. She is expected to marry young and have children to populate a new planet but a violent betrayal by the dogmatic leader of their sister ship could have devastating consequences.

This is just the beginning of your winter reading options, make sure to check out all of our new books here!

Friday Flick - January 27 at the Altadena Library!

Our Friday Flick is Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman. This gritty, white-knuckle action ride is set in a future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech! Friday, January 27 at 3:30pm - Rated PG-13: 127 minutes.

Hunger Games Fashion Show

If you love Project Runway, you will love this. InStyle magazine has a gallery of sketches from various fashion designers taking on Katniss's "Girl on Fire" dress. My favorite is by designer Christian Cota and can be seen above. Click here to decide which is your favorite! If you are on the late freight and still haven't read Hunger Games, check the catalog to see if we have a copy in and read it before the movie comes out in March 2012!