Here's to Our Cool Downtown Neighbors!

Tue, 10/09/2007 - 3:09pm by Beth Manuel

The Neutral Zone is having a kitchen shower so they can outfit their kitchen with utensils! The Neutral Zone is ‘registered’ at Ace Barnes Hardware. They need to stock it with kitchen stuff to help create a comprehensive program to better serve their teen aged participants….did someone say teenagers?? Alert the media!! 826 Michigan has moved to 115 E. Liberty Street. Check out their calendar, it’s full of workshops, programs, tutoring opportunities and activities relating to writing, writing, writing. We are fortunate to have these resources in downtown Ann Arbor but they are here for all of Washtenaw County.

AXIS Coffeehouse @ Malletts Creek, Friday, October 12, 6:30-8:00 pm

Tue, 10/09/2007 - 3:04pm by joy k

Fridays are open mic nights for teens at the AXIS Coffeehouse! Teens are welcome to perform their own work as well as poems/essays/monologues by others. Try reading a favorite poem or essay. Recruit some of your friends, and perform a scene from your favorite book. Or just hang out, sip on a hot drink, and enjoy the company. All teen performers will receive a $5 fine forgiveness coupon. For grades 6-12.

Shrinky Dink Jewelry!

Tue, 10/09/2007 - 10:54am by erin

Create unique and totally custom jewelry using the retro wonderful Shrinky Dinks material! Start big, color, shrink in the oven and you're done! See you at the Malletts Creek Branch on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 7:00-8:30 PM.

Happy Birthday, Jane

Sat, 10/06/2007 - 2:24pm by Maxine

The dark romance, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was published on October 6, 1847 under the title, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Currer Bell, a pseudonym created by Bronte. Thought to be one of the most famous of British novels, the book has all the elements of compelling Gothic romance: a brooding man, a woman madly in love with him and to top it off, a mad wife. The novel has spawned others with the same appeal including Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and a futuristic parody, The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde. Jane has transmogrified to screen and just recently, the musical stage.

Oh, and don't forget Charlotte's sister, Emily and her equally brooding Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

Banned but not forgotten.

Thu, 10/04/2007 - 5:45pm by RiponGood

Join us as we celebrate Banned Books Week. Here are four classic science-fiction/ dystopia novels.

1984 by George Orwell - Banned in the USSR for political reasons. Accused of anti-semitism. Challenged in Florida for pro communist and sexual theme.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin - Banned in the USSR for political reasons.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - Removed from a high schools (1976 and 1977) for "objectionable" language.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -
Banned in Ireland (1932) and multiple times in the US.

Get Behind Me Satan...

Wed, 10/03/2007 - 3:51pm by erin

After reading the incredibly enjoyable book Devilish by Maureen Johnson I got to wondering, "what's with all the satan stuff lately?" Take for instance the new Kevin Smith directed TV show on the CW, Reaper about a boy who discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was even born - and now he has to work as satan's bounty hunter! In addition to the devil-meets-chick-lit title Devilish there's been a rash of devil books published for teens lately: Repossessed, Black Tattoo, Alfred Kropp: the Seal of Solomon and finally the Demonata series by Cirque Du Freak author Darren Shan. Whether the devil, satan himself, Lucifer, El Diablo or Beelzebub there's plenty of entertainment to be had.

Two brothers in war torn Japan

Wed, 10/03/2007 - 8:56am by Maxine

Gail Tsukiyama's sixth book, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is the story of Japan before, during and after World War II as seen through the eyes of the two main characters, brothers Hiroshi and Kenji Matsumoto. The boys are raised by loving grandparents in Tokyo. In 1939, Hiroshi dreams of becoming a sumo wrestling champion and Kenji of learning the art of making masks for the Noh theater. But when war breaks out, their plans are put on hold but not extinguished. Tsukiyama brings Japan to life in her vivid yet understated writing about the horror of war, the saving grace of art and the reconstruction of Japan.

Teen books on TV

Sun, 09/30/2007 - 3:20pm by Sarah T

With the new series Gossip Girl premiering on CW last week, I've been thinking about other television series based on books for teens or tweens. My list is sadly short: Gossip Girl (series by Cecily Von Ziegesar), (series by Laura Ingalls Wilder), and of course tons of comic book-based television shows.

Sure there are movies based on teen books such as How to Deal based on several books by Sarah Dessen, I, Robot (original book by Isaac Asimov), and (original book by Ann Brashares).

And there’s never a shortage of books based on TV shows such as Teen Titans, Smallville, and That’s So Raven.

However, when it comes to television shows based on teen/tween books, the list is short. Can you think of any?

Amazon.com Teen Bestsellers

Sun, 09/30/2007 - 12:57pm by lola

Harry Potter still leads the Amazon.com Bestsellers list for Teens, with vampires close at his heels in the second, third and fifth positions. If you haven’t checked out Stephenie Meyer’s vampire trilogy yet, make sure to get your hands on Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse.

Hitting number four on the list is Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail by Danica McKellar. Winnie Cooper, an expert on math. Who knew?

GT Round 2 Results: A very good day for Us

Sun, 09/30/2007 - 12:12am by eli

AADL-GT history was made today when legendary supertitans Clan Us stormed to victory in all four events, earning an astounding 11,190 points, capturing half of the day's top 4 spots, and topping it off with a clan battle win at Calling All Cars for PS3. This is also the day when Us established their true depth as a clan with balance, ending their smash-centric reputation and cementing themselves as a potent, multilayered, unstoppable force. That puts Us in the amazing position of holding the top 4 spots on the season leaderboard, with Shin Oroachimaru in #1 after an amazing day.

Right behind remains the Brothers of Maplewood, racking up 4 top 4 finishes and 6810 points, a score that would have put them atop the leaderboard on another day, who also proved greater depth today, taking 2nd in Smash Teams.

This season continues to collapse into an epic struggle between these two mountains of talent, with the 6 of Us and the 6 Brothers of Maplewood accounting for 12 of the top 14 spots on the leaderboard. Read on for full details.