Review: The 100 by Kass Morgan

 My Review:

   I just recently read, "The 100" by Kass Morgan.  Set in a futuristic world where humans have been forced to live in ships in outer space due to radioactive poisoning that destroyed life as we know it on planet Earth.  Many years later after a fatal stunt, 100 delinquents are chosen to do what no one else has ever done.  They must travel down to Earth as an experiment to see if Earth can be recolonized.

 

 The story revolves around four characters perspectives and with every chapter comes a flashback. These two things combined can be disorientating but the flashbacks remain crucial to the story. The hamartia {fatal flaw} of this book for me was in fact the romance. After reading the synopsis and even watching the promo’s for the TV show I was pumped and ready for an action packed thriller that would keep me begging for more so I was rather disappointed when it wasn’t.  Often I found the story dragging on a bit so a good elaborate plot twist at about the middle of the book would have been god for readers like me just so we don’t lose interest.  For those who get bored easily this is not the book for you.

     If you read a lot you there are only so many times you enjoy the same plot, romance development etc… It’s always nice to find a book that offers you something new. The spaceship was in fact a first for me but something got lost along the way and that to me was the building of anticipation. If you read the synopsis you understand that these kids are going to earth but I wanted to know more about their society, how cruel their world might have been, why those 100 kids and why not others, how much different was their society? I felt like I was being rushed into going to earth without having an understanding of where these kids are coming from.

  However If you enjoy books like James Dashner’s “The Maze Runner” or “Gone” by Michael Grant then this is the book for you. If you are looking for an edge of your seat thriller I would defiantly not recommend this book. Ultimately it was a good book and will appeal to different people; it just didn’t click for me.

By: Teen Reviewer Chloe

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!

Fandom Mania March Break!

March Break was a week of Fandom Mania. Throughout the week teens participated in a library Fandom Time scavenger hunt, a Fandom Games night featuring Doctor Who Guess Who and Harry Potter Guess Who, Fandom Concentration, Zombie Nerf Target Shooting, a Fandom Trivia Night, a viewing of Princess Mononoke, and a Cosplay Fandom Party.

A huge thanks to the teens who helped make these programs awesome and Domino's Pizza for donating pizza for our teen Cosplay party!

 

Games and decorations included The Walking Dead Zombie Target Shooting, Make Loki Smile ("Pin the Mouth" on Loki), and other "fandom" posters.

 

 

Check out my "health" and "mana" cups!

 

Almost everyone came dressed up in Fandom Gear or in full Cosplay!

 

 

Everyone was invited to make figures or items from their favorite fandoms out of Fimo. Check out the tiny Pikachu below!

 

My favorite part of the night was watching all the cosplayers play Just Dance on the Wii!

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!

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

Book Quotes and Fan Art!

Over the past couple of months we have covered the table in the teen section with large sheets of blank paper. A few months ago we asked teens to write or draw something about their favourite book! The paper quickly filled up with awesome book quotes and drawings.  We have run out of paper but I can't wait to get more so we can keep sharing our love of books!

 

TFIOS!

 

 

BAZ!!!! Love, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell!

Get Your Craft On!

Christmas Gift Making

 

 

Just in time for Christmas the OPL held a teen Christmas Gift Making program! For two hours everyone got to hang out, drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and create multiple gifts for family and friends!

 

Below are pictures from the event as well as a tutorial on how to make the most popular gift of the night!  

 

 Michelle creating gifts for her best friend Kyle.

 

 

Lots of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Supernatural designs for button 

and magnet making!

 

 

Lots of felt for ornaments.

 

Abby creating wicked magnets!



 

My favorite ornaments of the night made by Michelle!

 

 

 

Lots of craft examples for inspiration!

 

Konnor creating buttons (the most popular thing at any event). 



 

 

More button making by Kassandra!

 



Some "How To" Tutorials

 Glass Magnets 

 

 

The glass magnets were the most popular craft at our event. They are super simple, the materials are inexpensive (everything but the modge podge was from the dollar store) and best of all there are limitless possibilities with what you can create! Click here for a tutorial.

 

 

 

 

 





Teen Fanclub!

Yesterday we had our first ever Orillia Public Library Teen Fanclub meeting! Teens were invited to create yummy candy sushi, make fandom buttons and assemble cube craft figures from their favorite fandoms.

Teens were also asked to list their favorite fandoms on a large piece of paper as shown below. I can't wait to learn more about Attack on Titan which appears to be a popular fandom in addition to Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Sherlock.

Fanclub is a monthly meeting for teens in grades 9-12.  Future events include anime drawing, fandom trivia, fandom related art and more.

Taylor and Michelle have volunteered to help make Fanclub awesome by running mini groups with a specific fandom focus! I can't wait to see what they come up with.

For more information about Fanclub please email me at ltoutant@orilliapubliclibrary.ca!