Word Out! 2009

The "Farewell Until 2010" Post

First of all, thank you to everyone who made Word Out! 2009 happen: the TPL staff, the authors and creators who gave their time, the celebrity guests at the BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, and most especially the teens who joined and contributed.   We didn't quite reach 4000 comments, but we came pretty close. :)

So what happens here until 2010?

Final Week's Prizes (iPods) Drawn

Check your emails--we've drawn the grand prize winners for the summer, so seven of you will receive iPod Shuffles, and one will get the grand prize of the iPod touch.

I wish we could have given everyone a prize, but we don't have the budget to do that with around 2000 of you joining for the whole summer and over 300 commenters.

Congratulations to all the winners this week, and all previous winners.

We'll return with more prizes in summer of 2010!

We've Got Extra iPod Prizes!

Great news!

We ended up having some extra cash in the budget as we neared the end of the summer, so here's what's being done:

Nonfiction of the Week for August 24: The Bite of the Mango

Nonfiction Book for August 24: The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara

Here's an inspirational book for all you Word Out readers. Mariatu Kamara was twelve years old when a violent civil war broke out in her native Sierra Leone. A once happy and stable life spent with an extended family in a peaceful, vibrant village became a nightmare when rebel soldiers, some of them no older than she, killed or seriously injured everyone she knew and cut off both her hands.

Help Plan Word Out! 2010

Hey Word Out-ers,

The Toronto Public Library staff responsible for Word Out this year are already planning for next year, and your feedback is important to us.

If you could find the time to take the end of summer youth survey it would help us out in our planning for next year.

Update: End of summer survey is now finished.  Thanks to all who gave feedback!

Alan H. is a web librarian at TPL.  He would like to see a movie about eating beans starring George Wendt.  If a teen gets that reference it will help him not feel quite so old.

Graphic Novel of the Week for August 24: Groo - Hell on Earth

Groo: Hell on Earth by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier

Dear sweet Groo is a truly misunderstand graphic novel character. He is written by Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones.

He is kind of like the three stooges of dimwitted Barbarians and he has been facing adventure after adventure (well kind of messing things up as well) for over 30 years now.

Seventh Week's Prizes Drawn

Check your email--we've drawn the prize winners for the August 17 - August 23 period and sent emails to the winners.

Congratulations to the winners!  Next week we'll draw the grand prizes.

Random Book Prize Opportunity, Part 2

Hey Word Outers,

I've got a copy of On the Record: the Scratch DJ Academy Guide (last week's nonfiction feature) to give away.

Fiction of the Week for August 24: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I received this book as a gift from a friend who loves reading YA novels.  She knew I liked stories that take place in a post-apocalyptic world and she also knew about my reality show obsession, and of course that is what the Hunger Games is all about. 

What We Read Last Week - August 24

Oh no!  It's the last What We Read Last Week post of Word Out! 2009.  Let's make it a good one.

Last week I started reading Frank Portman's King Dork after Mariko Tamaki said it was "The best YA novel I've read in a long time" in her interview last week.  I'm about twenty pages from the end at this point and am close to agreement.

Fiction of the Week for August 17: Jerk, California

Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen

I run for a number of reasons: fitness, health, the fresh air in High Park and beside the lake. It also helps to clear my mind, and to put focus in my life. Sam Carrier also runs for a variety of reasons: to avoid his abusive stepfather, to manage his anger, but most of all he does it to feel like he's in control of his body. Why? You'd probably do something similar if you were called Twitch, Freak, or Jerk by most of your peers.