Self-Propelled Recreation in the Upper Midwest

Thu, 05/27/2010 - 3:57pm by jimmyg

Self-propelled recreation is awesome! And the library now carries the magazine Silent Sports: Driving Human-Powered Recreation since 1984 which covers outdoor activities and sports such as bicycling, paddling, running, walking, paddling, triathlons, biathlons, duathlons, adventure racing, inline skating, rock and ice climbing, and when the weather is right, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Whew!

What's really handy is the Calendar of Events in every issue that is organized by month, activity, and location. Locations include Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Ontario.

Of course, you can also check-out their website.

Here are just a few of the events listed in Silent Sports coming up in June.

Bicycling:

June Dairy Days Classique Bike Tour in Wisconsin.
Udder Century in Illinois.
Keweenaw Chain Drive Festival in Michigan.

Running:

Sour Grapes Half & Half in Minnesota
Tooth, Fang & Claw Run 10K & Swamp Party and Mackinac Island Lilac Festival Run-Walk in Michigan.
Hog Wild Days 5k Run-Walk in Iowa.

Paddling:

Go With the Flow Yak & Yoga Chestnut Mountain in Illinois.
Huron River Canoe Challenge in Michigan.
Kettle River Paddle Festival in Minnesota.

Multisports:

Bigfoot Triathlon in Wisconsin.
Trinona: The Battle for the Bluff in Minnesota.
Triceratops Tri in Michigan.
Copper Creek Triathlon in Iowa.

Youth Magazine Update -- Take Me Out...

Sat, 04/10/2010 - 11:21am by MariaK

...To the ball game! This month's Youth Magazine Update focuses on America's classic sport, baseball.

Sports Illustrated Kids brings you their 2010 Baseball Preview. This jam-packed issue has overviews of the American League and National League teams, an article on the best defense players, and a feature article on American League MVP Joe Mauer.

Faces Magazine explores Chicago baseball, along with other excellent elements of the Midwest, like the American Bison, the Mississippi River, and the world's largest goose. Also in this issue is "The Legend of the Moccasin Flower" -- an Ojibwe folktale.

If the ball game isn't far enough for you, you could always try outer space! The current issue of Odyssey Magazine is all about space -- with ideas for a moon base, articles on the moons of our solar system, and a short story about life on Saturn's moon, Titan -- can Alan survive a solo flight back to base? Read and find out!

Parent Magazine Update -- Good for You

Wed, 03/17/2010 - 3:07pm by MariaK

This month's parent magazine update focuses on things that nourish the soul and body, starting with my personal favorite -- books.

Book Links magazine starts with some interesting articles on multi-platform books -- books that include online components. The popular 39 Clues series is a great example of this innovative genre, as is the Skeleton Creek series for teens. Also featured in this issue are series books that are good for reading aloud -- The Porcupine Year, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and The Runaway Dolls for example -- and books about young artists, along the lines of Peter Reynolds' classic The Dot.

Mothering magazine has its own list of recommended books -- "visually sophisticated" picture books. Though he isn't mentioned in the article David Wiesner would be my personal recommendation in this category. This issue also features lots of other good-for-you stuff -- foods to boost the immune system, ways to foster creative play indoors and an article about celebrating your daughter's menarche in a supportive and empowering way.

Teens and Adoption: Books, magazines, meetings

Sat, 03/06/2010 - 11:14am by annevm

Issues of identity and social life can complicate adolescence for adopted teens. Fortunately for families, there is lots of information at the library and support in the community. Check out Adoptive Families magazine in which the March-April issue has the article "Between Worlds" by Fran Eisenman. In Ann Arbor, a new group is beginning for adopted teens, "Connections," co-led by an adoptive mother/psychologist and her 22 year old daughter. The group will be a place to reflect on challenges, opportunities, relationships and adoption. For details, call Kristine Freeark, 668-0140 or email kfreeark@gmail.com.

Teen Magazine Update -- Ahead of the Game

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 1:04pm by MariaK

Do you enjoy being one step ahead of the game? Name dropping and looking cooler than your friends? Then this month's teen magazines are for you!

Wizard Magazine starts off this party with the "Wizard 20" -- a list of games, movies, artists, authors and comics that you should probably already know about. We are lucky enough to have many of these pearls of awesome here at the AADL -- such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novels. Not to be missed in this edition -- the ten worst superhero girlfriends of all time!

This month's issue of Rolling Stone Magazine features two old school masters of awesome -- Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, two of rock music's most amazing guitarists. Also in this issue, comedian Tracy Morgan discusses his hard-knock life, and Matt Taibbi tells us how Wall Street is setting the entire country up for a fall. Good times.

For the awesome girls out there, Justine Magazine features bios of Elissa Bernstein, author of the scrumptious blog 17 and Baking and 17-year-old tennis star Melanie Ouden. And, talk about being one step ahead of your friends, this issue also features a ten-step prom countdown and a guide to job hunting, from resume to interview.

Ice Skating and Winter: A high-performance combination

Tue, 01/26/2010 - 11:08am by annevm

Ice skating has a long, fascinating history in this area -- and the allure continues today. Earlier this month, U-M students Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates were headed to the national figure skating competition in Spokane, the Ann Arbor Observer reported. To see a discussion with Samuelson, Bates, and other skaters, check out our DVD The Life of a Figure Skater: Local Ice Dance Medalists Discuss National and International Competition.

Youth Magazine Update -- Past and Future

Mon, 01/25/2010 - 3:49pm by MariaK

The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, who looked both forward into the future and backward into the past. How appropriate that January's Youth Magazine Update should focus on magazines dealing with the past and the future!

Cobblestone Magazine celebrates their 30th anniversary by presenting the thirty greatest figures in American History. The list may surprise you! Kids Discover Magazine, meanwhile, devotes their entire January issue to the American Civil War.

Appleseeds Magazine looks into the future, with article on the cutting edge of speculative science -- including floating cities, paper-thin computers and vertical farms.

As for the present, that's all up to you. Carpe diem!

Parent Magazine Update -- Inspiration Information

Tue, 01/05/2010 - 3:04pm by MariaK

I hope you feel rested and refreshed at the end of this holiday season. On the other hand, if you feel like you used up all your creative energy picking gifts and planning activities, January's parent magazines have tools to inspire and inform you.

The Horn Book Magazine is a great guide to the best inspirational tools on the planet -- books! This issue contains an interview with children's author Margaret Mahy, an article in defense of fanfiction (an under-appreciated genre in my opinion), and of course, abundant book reviews. The editors' book picks this issue include Imogene's Last Stand, wordless picture book The Lion and the Mouse,Crossing Stones - a teen novel about World War 1, and graphic novel The Storm in the Barn.

Working Mother Magazine features some inspiring portraits of successful career women, with a bio of White House deputy chief of staff Mona Sutphen and an article by Lynn Blum, the founder of resale shops Once Upon a Child, Plato's Closet and Clothes Mentor. On the more serious side of things, Working Mother also covers recent changes in custody settlements brought on by an increase in stay-at-home dads, with suggestions to minimize the effects of divorce on children.This issue also contains tips on keeping track of your teenager, and some tasty-looking one-dish recipes. I think that "Vegetarian Paella" and "Chicken Olive Tagine" sound pretty inspiring, don't you?

Slack Off Wisely -- Teen Magazine Update

Tue, 12/22/2009 - 5:26pm by MariaK

Students rejoice! Fall semester is over and the glory of Winter Break has begun. But once the first flush of freedom is exhausted, the reality remains that you have three weeks to fill. After all, there is only so much time you can spend watching cartoons in your PJ's. Fortunately, AADL's teen magazine section is here with suggestions to fill your free hours.

1. Catch up on your guilty pleasures -- Alright, maybe you're not guilty about liking pro wrestling. In any case, WWE Magazine is ready for you, bringing you interviews with ten up-and-coming young stars, including Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Ted DiBiase, Jr., who, by the way, stars in the recently-released DVD The Marine 2.

2. Practice your rock star skills -- Drum! Magazine also gets in on the "let's make a list of cool people" thing with a feature on drummer, composer and all-around great musician Steve Jordan and another on the "Ten Heaviest Drummers of All Time." The magazine's Practice Pad also contains the drum part to Killswitch Engage's "Starting Over." That'll keep you busy.

3. Catch some air -- Of course, for you outdoorsy, active types we have not one, not two, but three magazines about sports involving boards. Thrasher Magazine documents the Emerica team's trip to Paris, in which they lived on a boat and did a lot of cool things. Transworld Skateboarding, provides a sneak peek at Cliche founder Jeremie Daclin's new book, while Transworld Snowboarding's "Photo Issue" features eye popping shots of even more mind boggling stunts. And, of course interviews with lots of cool people.

Winter Adventures -- Youth Magazine Update

Mon, 11/30/2009 - 1:16pm by MariaK

There's no denying it, winter has definitely arrived -- and with snow predicted for some time this week, it's time to plan how to keep yourself entertained when the weather turns icy.

If you're an outdoorsy type, Boy's Life Magazine has all the information you will ever need, with articles on ice fishing, making emergency shelters out of snow, and ice climbing -- on frozen grain silos. (Strange, but true.)

For those of us who prefer to stay indoors with a hot cup of cocoa, Nintendo Power Magazine provides the latest information on the best new games -- like Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks, the first Legend of Zelda game where Zelda gets to go adventuring herself! My personal favorite, for the name alone, is Zombie Panic in Wonderland in which your favorite fairy tale characters fight...you guessed it ...zombies.

Bridging the gap between outdoor adventure and vegging out is National Geographic Kids, with an article on the return of the lynx to Colorado, and a review of upcoming Disney original The Princess and the Frog. Owl Magazine and its sister publication ChickaDee get in on the act with articles on arctic animals, gifts you can make yourself, and, in ChickaDee, an up-close look at Quebec's Hotel de Glace, a hotel made entirely of ice.