Battle of the Books 2015

 

It's time to start High School Battle of the Books 2015! We have reduced the list to forty books but don't expect it to get easier, we will be increasing the amount of questions we do per book on battle day.

 

To participate in the program put together a team of up to eight students and get a copy of this list from the Orillia Public Library or the librarian at your school. As a group, all of the books on the list between November 2014 and May 2015.  In the spring you will be invited to the library where all three schools will compete against each other.  For the past three years a team from Patrick Fogarty has won the grand prize!

 

For more information contact me at ltoutant@orilliapubliclibrary.ca

 

 

1. Classic



1.  Animal Farm by George Orwell

2.  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

3.  The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

4.  Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

5.  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 

 2.  Books With Impact

 

1. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

2.  We Were Liars by E Lockhart

3.  The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

4.  Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

5.  A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

 

3.  Award Winning

 

1.  Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

2.  Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

3.  Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

4.  I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier

5.  The Road by Cormac McCarthy

 

4.  Books with a Female Protagonist

 

 

1.  Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

2.  Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

3.  Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

4.  The Ring and the Crown by Melissa De La Cruz

5.  Empress of the World by Sara Ryan

 

5.  Books with a Male Protagonist

 

1.  The Rule of Three by Eric Walters

2.  More Than This by Patrick Ness

3.  Ungifted by Gordon Kormon

4.  Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

5.  The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

 

6.  Science Fiction

 

1.  Eye of Minds by James Dashner

2.  The Here and Now by Anne Brashares

3.  Breathe by Sara Crossan

4.  World War Z by Max Brooks

5.  Birthmarked by Caraugh M. O'Brien

 

7.  Fantasy

 

1.  The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

2.  Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

3.  White Space by Isla J Bick

4.  The Haven by Carol Lynch Williams

5.  Half Bad by Sally Green

 

8.  Wild Card

 

1.  Guy in Real Life by Steven Brezenoff

2.  Dorthy Must Die by D.M. Paige

3.  Noggin by John Corey Whaley

4.  Friend with Boiys by Faith Erin Hicks

5.  Panic by Lauren Oliver

Tuesday Crafternoon

Today is our first ever Tuesday Crafternoon and we are keeping it simple but fun!  One of my favorite crafts over the past year is to create papercraft characters from various fandoms.  It all began with a March Break Doctor Who program where we created a small army of characters from the show.

This Tuesday we will be making Adventure Time and Attack on Titan paper people!  How cute is Finn and BMO!

These crafts are inexpensive but require a bit of patience and a pair of scissors!

Materials Needed:

1. Scissors
2. Glue Sticks
3. A good printer (for a small size I print on 8 1/2 x 11 but for larger sizes I copy and paste the image it into a Microsoft Publisher document and enlarge it to tabloid size)

I find most of the templates from www.deviantart.com and I search for whatever character I am interested in.  Search terms include using the word "cubecraft" in addition to the character name. For example using the search term, "Doctor Who Cubecraft" will get you these.

Another great website that does a wide variety of characters is Mini Papercraft by Gus Santome (this is the website where I got Finn from).  He has a great variety of Marvel comic characters as well.

I can't seem to find a picture of our Doctor Who cubecraft army but below are two of my personal favorites!

These papercraft characters will be available in the teen section until next Tuesday!

Tis the Season to get good marks

Don’t Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la Flunk!

It is about that time again, studying can make for long days and stressful night but it doesn’t have to. There are many techniques to studying you just need to find the right one for you. The Orillia Public library can help you to boost those marks and ace that exam, no sweat!

Check out our material and we can bury your studying blues into positivity about finishing exams and hitting the beach with one of our Summers Readers Club books!

Painless Study Techniques

By: Michael Greenberg

Call Number: YA 371.30281 GRE

 

 

Most kids hate to study, and homework is always a chore--but this book teaches kids how to transform drudgery into interesting and productive projects. The author offers suggestions for group learning and study projects, creating a stimulating study environment, and knowing the different ways to read different kinds of books, from math to literature. He also advises on organizing ideas for writing assignments, and seeking extra help for especially difficult subjects.

 

Math Doesn’t Suck

By: Danica McKellar

Call Number: YA 510 MCK

As the math education crisis in this country continues to make headlines, research continues to prove that it is in middle school when math scores begin to drop—especially for girls—in large part due to the relentless social conditioning that tells girls they “can’t do” math, and that math is “uncool.” Young girls today need strong female role models to embrace the idea that it’s okay to be smart—in fact, it’s sexy to be smart!

It’s Danica McKellar’s mission to be this role model, and demonstrate on a large scale that math doesn’t suck. In this fun and accessible guide, McKellar—dubbed a “math superstar” by The New York Times—gives girls and their parents the tools they need to master the math concepts that confuse middle-schoolers most, including fractions, percentages, pre-algebra, and more. The book features hip, real-world examples, step-by-step instruction, and engaging stories of Danica’s own childhood struggles in math (and stardom). In addition, borrowing from the style of today’s teen magazines, it even includes a Math Horoscope section, Math Personality Quizzes, and Real-Life Testimonials—ultimately revealing why math is easier and cooler than readers think.

How to be school smart: Super Study Skills

By: Elizabeth James

Call Number: J 371.3 JAM

These easy-to-understand handbooks How to Be School Smart, How to Write Terrific Book Reports, How to Do your Best on Tests, and How to Write Super School Reports have offered students clear, common-sense advice on how to successfully organize and carry out school assignments for over a decade. Now these great guides have been completely revised to reflect the needs of today's technology-savvy kids.

 

How to get A’s in College: Hundreds of Student Tested Tips

By: Frances Northcutt

Call Number: 378.170281 NOR

 

Getting in was only the beginning. You've got four years (maybe more) of college ahead, and you want to make the most of them. Everyone tells you that college is really different than high school, and they're right. Are you ready to succeed? You'll excel, with the support of the peers and classmates you'll meet in this book. Hundreds of successful college students and graduates share their wisdom, stories, tips, and advice on how to get high grades, choose the right major, manage your time, study smart, stay motivated, avoid stress, find the best teachers and courses, form important relationships, and graduate-happily-at the top of your class.

Happy Reading

Fanclub: DIY Sonic Screwdrivers

We made Sonic Screwdrivers! Eleven awesome teens showed up tonight to make Fimo Sonic Screwdrivers and other awesome geeky accessories. A great tutorial on how to make your very own Screwdriver can be found at here Doodle Craft.

 

All the pictures used in the tutorial should be credited to Doodle Craft as do most of the instructions.

 

I pinted off a few other ides of "fandom" Fimo crafts.

 

 

Awesome purple and silver Sonic!

 

 

This is my work in progress. I went for traditional TARDIS blue!

 

 

After making the Sonic's people got creative!

 

 

Soon to be a necklace!

 

 

Michelle rockin her new gadget!

 

Fandom Mania March Break

March 10 - 16 2014

 

Are you 13-19 and ready to get geeky? FANDOM MANIA is taking over the library with a week long scavenger hunt, trivia, games, and a super-fantastic CosPlay Contest.  We’ve got prizes.  We’ve got food.  We’ve got room for every fandom you throw our way! For more information contact Lindsey at ltoutant@orilliapubliclibrary.ca

 

Monday March 10 – 15

Tween & Teen Scavenger Hunt Kick-Off!

Search the library from top to bottom for  your favorite  fandom logos.  Discover a hidden message for your chance to win a $15 gift certificate to Manticore Books & a button prize pack!

 

 

Monday March 10 5:30-7pm

Anime Movie Night!

Come watch Princess Mononoke in the Children’s and Youth Program room!  Popcorn and drinks provided.

 

 

 

Tuesday March 11 5-7pm

Drop In Fandom Games Night

Stop by the teen section to play Doctor Who or Supernatural Guess Who, Fandom Concentration and more. Popcorn & drinks provided!

Wednesday March 12 3-5pm

Are you the ultimate fan? Test your knowledge of your favorite fandoms during an afternoon of fandom trivia! There will be group and individual rounds! A prize will be awarded to winner!

Thursday March 13 5:45-7:45pm

COSPLAY Contest and Fandom Party!

Fandoms unite at the ultimate Fandom Party.  Come dressed up as your favorite character  or wear your best fan gear. A peer vote will  determine the winner of the contest. Prize to be revealed! Come play awesome games, make wicked crafts, or have a dance off!  Snacks & drinks provided.  Anyone in a costume or wearing fandom gear will be entered to win a prize!

 

Friday March 14 All Day!

Drop In Geek Crafts

 

Stop by the teen section all day and get   creative.  Crafts from various fandoms will be available or decorate the windows with quotes from your favorite movies & shows!

 

 

 

 

 

Wholock Lock-In pictures!

The Wholock Lock-In was inspired by two popular fandoms, Doctor Who and Sherlock.  The premise of the program was that Doctor Who and his companions (the teens) were needed to help save Sherlock Holmes. 

Teens were asked to arrive early to the library in teams of 3-5 at which time they were asked to choose their companion mascot and were briefed on their mission.  The briefing included a quick presentation on how to search items in our catalogue, how the Dewey Decimal system works, and where various areas of the library are located.

Each team was given an envelope with a single clue that set them on an hour long adventure throughout the library to save Sherlock Holmes.  There were 10 envelopes in total each with a different clue hidden in unique ways designed to test their team building and problem solving skills.  Clues were hidden in puzzle pieces, cryptographs, balloons, and more. 

At the end of the program the teens were invited to lounge in the Wholock Café where the winning teams were awarded prizes while eating donated pizza and Wholock themed cupcakes.  Pizza was donated from Topps Pizza in Orillia!

Over 30 teens attended the program many of whom came dressed for the part! Our themed lock-ins are the most popular programs at the library.  I can't wait to see what we come up with next!

Pictures from the program and our video invitation are included below!

It's Doctor Who and the TARDIS!

 

We hired him because his name is Matt and he dresses like Doctor Who :)

 

Doctor Who and Sherlock silhouette's in the Wholock Café!

 

Personalized cups make hot chocolate fancy!

 

 

Upon entering the café at registration time teams were asked to select a companion to represent their team!
 

Companion name tags and glow sticks for everyone!
 



 

Winning teams got to each select a four pack of buttons!

 

Getting ready for Wholock we had all the clues organized into bins.

 

Amazing cupcakes decorated by a local teacher. They tasted as good as they looked!

 



 

 

A closer look at the companion name tags.

 



 

Teams had to toss Sherlock over the edge while another team member caught him in the final challenge of the evening!

 

 

More pictures to come soon!

 

For more info on our Wholock lock in feel free to email me at ltoutant@orilliapubliclibrary.ca

Be My Valentine!

Valentine's Day is around the corner! Whether you like your romance taking place in the real world, at the end of the world, or in a world that doesn't exist, the teen section of the library will have something for you! My top picks from each category include, Anna and the French Kiss, Vampire Academy, Matched, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. For more selection check out the displays in the teen section!

Teen Review: The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Burning Sky

by: Sherry Thomas

 

Summary:

 

It all began with a ruined elixir and a bolt of lightning.

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation-or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of the Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training.

Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission-and her life.

The Burning Sky-the first book in the Elemental Trilogy-is an electrifying and unforgettable novel of intrigue and adventure.

 

 

Review:

The Burning Sky is a book filled with mystery an magic.  It all began with a lighting bolt and a failed light elixir that will lead Iolanthe on a journey of a life time, with Prince Titus, destined for death at a young age, at her side.  Against all odds Iolanthe must master her elemental power and over throw the Bane, an evil ruler an master of all, even Titus.  I guess it helps to have a little lightening at your finger tips.

Ms. Sherry Thomas writes a magnificent story of love, adventure, and magic.  Ms. Thomas does an amazing job of making me feel like I’m there and I can often tell when the story is either from Titus’ perspective or Iolanthe’s.  I didn’t like however that the end battle scene is very short, and the fact that their targets deaths weren’t very significant.  Also the fact that the Bane’s resurrection was not a major component of the end of the story.  I do like however that he’s their target for the next book, but will he die every time? 

Not the best book that I’ve read, but certainly close.  The book deserves 3 and half stars out of 5.