The Teen Short Story Contest officially begins today and runs through March 16, 2012.
You’ll have seven weeks to perfect that short story you’ve had this idea for, but just have never finished. Guidelines are easy to follow and when you’re ready, just send your story to allwrite@aadl.org
AADL’s short story writing contest just hit it’s 20 year.
You can read previous winning stories here or check out writing resources that might be helpful.
1st Place Winners receive ($250), 2nd Place ($150) and 3rd Place ($100) in these three categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-10, and Grades 11-12
A panel of published authors will judge the stories. The Awards Ceremony, featuring author Caitlin Horrocks, a winner of the 1997 short story contest, will be held Saturday, May 19, 2012, at the Downtown Library.
‘It’s All Write!” is cosponsored by the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library and AADL.
Good Luck!

The 2012 winner for the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during the November 1 2010 – October 31 2011 publishing year is Notorious Benedict Arnold. Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. Please meet the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale.

The four 2012 Excellence in Nonfiction finalists are:Sugar Changed the World : a Story of Spice, Magic, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, Wheels of Change : How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom, and Music was It : Young Leonard Bernstein.

This year’s winner of the Printz Award is Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. Seventeen-year-old Cullen's summer in Lily, Arkansas, is marked by his cousin's death by overdose, an alleged spotting of a woodpecker thought to be extinct, failed romances, and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

The 2012 Printz Honor Books are Why We Broke Up, The Returning, Jasper Jones, and Scorpio Races.

Saturday, January 21 | 10:00-11:00 AM | Downtown Multipurpose Room | Gr. 6-Adult

Learn mental and physical training for realistic self-defense situations in this hands-on workshop. Gain a greater awareness of how to avoid threatening situations, how adrenaline affects them both physically and mentally, and which self-defense techniques will be most effective in both standing and ground situations. Master Lockman says, "by utilizing role-playing, participants get the most out of our self-defense workshops."

Don’t miss this chance for a great Saturday morning workout and to learn from the staff of Master Lockman’s Black Belt Academy.

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Thursday, January 19 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Traverwood Branch | Grades 9-12

In March, 2012 you get just one shot at the Michigan Merit Exam (MME). One of the MME components is the ACT Plus Writing Test. During the test you have 30 minutes to read a question, think, and then organize and write a short essay. Intimidating? Yes, but Kaplan instructors will provide you a road map for getting ready to write a dynamic response.

Sunday, January 15 | 1:00-4:00 PM | Downtown 3rd Floor Computer Training Center | Gr. 6-Adult

Bring in your comics art and use Photoshop Elements to clean it up and to apply color and shading. Cartoonist and Photoshop expert Jerzy Drozd will be on hand to provide instruction and answer questions for those who need it.

You can bring your comics art scanned and saved on a USB drive or we can scan it here at the Library. Don’t miss this chance to use PhotoShop to make your finishing work a snap!

Thursday, January 12 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Traverwood Branch | Grades 9-12

Approach ACT or SAT test day with confidence! Kaplan instructors will present strategies for preparing for the tests and guide you through some questions, demonstrating how to arrive at the correct answer.

Wednesday, January 11 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Multipurpose Room-Downtown Library

It's that time in the school year - some students may need to hone their learning strategies to succeed. Tips will be discussed to help middle and high school students with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia.

Learn how students can improve the way they tackle reading and writing assignments, as well as organize themselves and prepare for tests. Presented by Karen Wasco, M.S., CCC-SLP. Cosponsored by the UM Institute for Human Adjustment.