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This is the website of Word Out! 2009, Toronto Public Library's 2009 teen summer reading program. The program has ended (as has the summer), but feel free to have a look around--we had lots of great book recommendations, many authors and other creators generously gave their time for interviews, and hundreds of teens offered their opinions and recommendations as well.
1) Check your email--we've drawn the prize winners for the August 3 - August 9 period and sent emails to the winners.
2) A few more things about the prize draws and related stuff that we've had questions about in comments or emails:
Okay, here's a book you don't want to miss. The Mitochondrial Curiosities will not only knock your socks off, it'll teach you how to make a "forgiving sock creature" named Marcel in the process...
Dree has trouble with biology (and other subjects), her family, and Edmonton in general. She’s dying to move to Toronto, where she belongs, where the Renegade Craft Fair is taking place, and where, finally, her crafts will be appreciated. Escape is eminent: on her fifteenth birthday, she will get the special fund her father promised and she’ll take take off. But instead, her father has a fatal heart attack, and all she finds are clues leading to the ominous Alberta Psychiatric Hospital where her parents once worked. As Dree tries to unearth a mystery, and still pass science, she keeps searching for the money, and for a way to grieve her father.
Last week I read Kathe Koja's Buddha Boy, a sparsely-written novel about high school bullying and cliques. Don't let the short length fool you, there's more ideas packed in this novel than in books five times the size. Great read, highly recommended.
Alan H is a web librarian at Toronto Public Library. He reads all over the place.
What did you read last week? Let us know by commenting!
Burnout by Rebecca Donner
Burnout asks some specific questions, and some big ones:
What would you do if your family moved from Toronto to a remote rural community? Are you brave enough to stand up for what you believe, even if it's unpopular, and possibly illegal? How far would you go to save your little piece of the world?
Continue reading "Graphic Novel of the Week for August 3: Burnout" »
Don Mills branch is holding a manga workshop on Saturday August 15 with award-winning manga illustrator and writer Sara E. Mayhew. Learn to draw your own manga!
Where: Don Mills branch, 888 Lawrence Ave. East, Toronto
When: Saturday August 15, 2-4 PM
Register in person or by phone at 416-395-5710
Nonfiction Book for August 3: The Skateboarding Field Manual by Ryan Stutt
I think this is a good manual, but I’m not speaking from experience. The closest I’ve ever come to skateboarding was when I was 4 yrs old I found my cousin’s skateboard and used it to propel myself down his sloping driveway, ending up on the other side of the street.
Continue reading "Nonfiction of the Week for August 3: The Skateboarding Field Manual" »
The Simcoe Day holiday delayed this a little, but check your email--we've drawn the prize winners for the July 27 - August 2 period and sent emails to the winners.
Full details on prizes here.
Congratulations to the winners! If you didn't win a prize--there's another four weeks of prize drawings to go!
Wow... Are you guys in for a special treat or what? The Word Out Team managed to have the author of Wake participate in this week's blog! :) Wake won the Battle of the Book back in early July!!!
Continue reading "Fiction of the Week for August 3: Wake (Surprise Author Visit!)" »
Poor Janie Hannagan. All she wants is to get through high school as normally as possible, but she can't. She has a very special ability. Janie can see other people's dreams, every wonderful, embarrassing, weird or just plain scary moment. Janie is not too happy about her power as it complicates her life big time, especially her growing relationship with mysterious Caleb, but in the end it comes in handy...
Last week I read Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, the English translation of the first book of an enormously popular series of Japanese fantasy novels. Enjoyed it a lot--really interesting world (based loosely on medieval Japan), good characters. A lot of interesting fantasy and sci-fi gets published all over the world in many different languages, but not too much of it gets translated into English unfortunately. :(
For the anime fans, this series is a big enough deal that it was made into a TV series a few years back. Here's the opening and ending:
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