5577 Whittaker Rd

482-4110 ext. 1340

Bookmobile

482-4110 ext. 1359

229 W. Michigan Ave

482-4110 ext. 1390

8975 MacArthur Blvd

482-4110 ext. 1391

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Graphic Novel SMACKDOWN

March 2011

We’re going to host our own March Madness

Brackets at the library. Let’s see who is the

ultimate Graphic Novel Superhero.

February 1 —March 1: Log on to the YDL Teen

Facebook account or stop in to nominate up to

five of your favorite graphic novel, manga or

comic book superheroes.

Then come in to any YDL location or log onto our

Facebook page and vote for your choice to win

each matchup. Each new round will be posted on

Monday morning and end Saturday night at 6 pm.

March 7—12: Brackets Announced and

Sweet Sixteen

March 14—19: Elite Eight

March 21— 26: Final Four

March 28—April 2: Championship

Winner will be announced on Monday, April 4.

Thumbs Up! Award

The Michigan Library Association sponsors

a teen book award every year where teens

around the state can help choose the

winner. The Thumbs Up! Award will be

given to a book published in 2010. A list of

20 finalists will be released mid-February.

Ballots will be available at each of the

branches, as well as online. Read at least

three of the 20 nominations and cast your

vote, and you’ll be entered into a drawing

for a $25 Borders Gift Card. Ballots are

due no later than May 30, 2011.

Celebration of Writing We’d like to thank the following

businesses and people for generously providing donations and volunteering their time, which made the Celebration of

Writing a success:

Aubree’s Pizzeria and Tavern Borders Foundation Fun 4 All Casey Dixon (who led our graphic

novel workshop) Katie from 826Michigan (who led

our writing workshops)

Teen Advisory GroupTeen Advisory Group Teens, offer opinions about what you’d like to see and do at the library. Snacks provided. Call for information, ask for an application at the desk,

or just stop by a meeting.

YDL-Michigan —

For Teens ages 13-18 Wednesdays, 6 pm Jan. 5, Feb. 2, March 2, April 6, and May 4

For Tweens ages 10-13 Wednesdays, 4-5 pm Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 23, April 27, and May 25

YDL-Whittaker — Wednesdays Tweens (ages 10-13) 6 pm and

Teens (ages 14-18) 7 pm — Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 16, April 20

and May 18

Ongoing Events:Ongoing Events: Teen Gaming —YDL-Michigan, Jan. 28, Feb. 24, March 24, April 7, and May 11 2:30-5 pm On Ypsilanti High School half days, come spend

the afternoon playing an assortment of Wii and Playstation II games.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament —YDL-Michigan, Saturdays, Feb. 26, March 26, April 23, and May 28, 3-5 pm Bring your Yu-Gi-Oh cards and have fun playing with other teens. Winners will get more Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Snacks provided. No registration required. Get a list of forbidden cards

from the youth desk.

826michigan Writing Workshops —YDL-Michigan, Tuesdays, Jan-April, 5:30-6:30 pm Teens, improve your creative writing skills with drop-in sessions sponsored by local nonprofit 826Michigan.

Comic Drawing Class —YDL-Michigan, Every 2nd and 4th Thrusday, 6-8 pm Drop in to draw with local artist Casey Dixon. Get advice on how to improve your techniques, chat, and enjoy! Job Quest (Ages 16-24) —YDL-Michigan, Wednesdays, Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 23, April 27, and May 25, 6-7 pm Find out about your skills, strengths and goals; then learn how to prepare for the job you want! You’ll get help with everything from completing employer applications to managing the interview process. Presented by Michigan Works! Wii Wednesdays —YDL-Superior, Wednesdays, 5-6:30 pm. Come for open play with Mario Kart, Super Mario Brothers, Wii Sports, Wii Party, and more.

Anime Typhoon —YDL-Michigan, Saturday, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 12 (at 6-9 pm this session only), April 9 and May 14, 3-5 pm Join us as we watch new episodes of anime, debate old favorites, and participate in a Japanese tea ceremony led by Minako Yamasaki. March 12 features an iaido (Japanese swordsmanship demonstration) by Nichlaus Suino from

Japanese Martial Arts in Ann Arbor.

Japanime—YDL-Whittaker, Saturdays, Jan. 22, Feb. 19, March 19, and April 23 and May 14, 3-5pm Join YDL’s Teen Anime Club and meet

monthly in the Story Room for anime showings and spirited discussions.

Teen Mythology Series —YDL-Michigan, Saturday, Jan. 22, 1-2 pm Come to a program on Greek mythology by the Kelsey Museum of

Archaeology. Reproductions of artifacts will bring the myths to life.

Monday, Feb. 14, 7-8pm Gina Konstantopoulos from U-M takes us to the world of ancient Egyptian mythology and religion. Sample Middle Eastern snacks! Friday, May 6, 3:30-5 pm We’ll celebrate Cinco de Mayo by discussing ancient Aztec mythology and legends with Michigan Avenue

Spanish teacher Koran Boza. Mexican snacks will be served.

Learn Something New! Learn Something New! Anime After Hours —YDL-Michigan, Friday, Jan. 14 and March 25, 6-8 pm Whether you’re new to the world of anime or a longtime fan, join us for an after-hours showing of two classic anime films. We’ll watch The Cat Returns (Rated G) on 1/14 and Millennium Actress (Rated G) on 3/25.

Refreshments provided.

The Road Ahead: Life After High School — Saturday, Jan. 15

YDL-Whittaker, 10 am– Noon and YDL-Michigan, 1-3pm

Together, we’ll brainstorm and write about your future plans after high school, get an intro to the Michigan Merit Exam, identify resources to help reach your goal, and share pizza. Thanks to 825Michigan and the

University of Michigan School of Information.

Study for Finals—YDL-Michigan, Friday, Jan. 21 and Sat. Jan. 22, 3:30-5:30 pm and Mon. Jan. 24, 6-8 pm Need help in a certain subject or a quiet place to prepare for exams? Study rooms, snacks, and tutors from

the University of Michigan HEADS chapter will be available!

Budgeting and Shopping—YDL-Whittaker, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 3:30-5 pm Learn the basics of using your money wisely. After this session, you'll be a smarter shopper able to create a plan for your money.

Registration Required. Snacks provided. Sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor.

Check It Out (Teen 16+) —YDL-Whittaker, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 6-7:30 pm Learn all about checking accounts, which help you manage your money by providing access, safekeeping, and tracking of transactions.

Pizza provided. Registration required. Sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor.

Sweets for Your Sweet —YDL-Michigan, Saturday, Feb. 12, 10:30 am Create your own chocolate assortment to enjoy or give to someone special. We’ll have all you need to mold, decorate and package

your delicacies. Register online or call 482-4110 ext. 1390.

Bottle Cap Art—YDL-Michigan, Friday, Feb. 25, 3-5 pm Make usable art from recycled materials. Learn to make magnets and/or pendants from

bottle caps. Supplies provided.

Teen Coffeehouse Literary Readings —YDL-Michigan, Fridays, March 4 and April 29, 3:30-5:30 pm Join us for coffee and sweet treats as local teens read their writings. March 4 features short stories by YDL 826Michigan creative writers led by Katie Jones, and the Neutral Zone of Ann Arbor’s Short Story Workshop writers led by Scott Beal. On April 29,

it’s open mic poetry. Bring your own work, or read a favorite poem!

Teen Tech Beats —YDL-Michigan, Monday, March 7, 7-8 pm Celebrate Teen Tech Week with Carlos Garcia, the Beat Workshop teacher @ The Neutral Zone. Learn to use technology to compose your own beats

and songs. Registration Required.

Pixel Art —YDL-Whittaker, Friday, March 11, 6 –7 pm In honor of Teen Tech Week, using fuse beads, we’ll recreate the iconic characters of old school video games. Templates of Mario, Link, Toad, and others will be

available, or bring your own 16 x 16 Pixel picture. Registration required.

39 Clues Scavenger Hunt —YDL-Whittaker, Saturday, April 2, 1 pm Test your own clue-hunting ability! Participate in a scavenger hunt in the

library. No registration required, but please arrive on time.

Teen Make-a-Zine Workshop —YDL-Michigan, April 4-5, 1:30-3:30 pm Zines are small self-published periodicals. Day one introduces the art form and gets you started; on day two, local artist Lidia Kaku teaches simple print-making techniques. Publish and share your zine!

Registration required.

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Teen Book Clubs-Winter 2011 Michigan Avenue

Join Jean Winborn, Lincoln High School teacher and library board member, for an engaging discussion on the third Wednesday of every month.

JANUARY: Midnight by Sister Souljah

FEBRUARY: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

MARCH: Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis Rodriquez. Meet the author at Whittaker Road in March!

APRIL: The Freedom Writers Diary: How a teacher and 150 teens used writing to change themselves and the world around them by Erin Gruwell. The movie Freedom Writers will be screened April 22, 2:00 p.m..

MAY: Graphic Novel Yummi The Last Days of a South Side Shorty by G.Neri and Randy Duburke.

Whittaker Road Second Wednesday of every month, 7 pm

JANUARY 12: Generation Dead by Daniel Waters — When dead teenagers come back to life and attend her high school, goth girl Phoebe befriends a “living impaired” boy, despite her classmates’ fear and hatred. FEBRUARY 9: If I Stay by Gayle Forman — While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia must choose to live with her grief or give in to death. MARCH 9: Feed by M. T. Anderson — In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble. APRIL 13: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater — Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house for years, unaware that the unusual yellow-eyed wolf she’s been drawn to has been watching her.

The book that I recommend is The Giver by Lois Lowry because it's a tragic story about how everyone in a society is the same. No one can see color, people can’t feel love until a certain age, and then you get a job when you're a teen and that's your job forever. A boy named Jonas got the job as Receiver and after a while he can see color and have feelings. That’s all I am going to say. It's a great book with a good storyline and ending. -Walter McAdam

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is one of my favorite books. It’s about gang violence and love. It has Latino characters and to me it is very funny. I recommend this book to all. The sequel, Rules of Attraction is also available. (Michigan Avenue-February book club title) -Kai’el Grimes

Midnight by Sister Souljah is a story about a character from Coldest Winter Ever. It tells his problems from the time he came to America from Africa. It’s also about how a true believer lives his or her life. It has a really good love story within the story. Overall, I would give it a 5 out of 5 stars. (Michigan Avenue-January book club title) -Dontrell Heard

The manga series Buso Renkin is good because it is about alchemists vs. warriors with special powers. The source of their power is the kagana, which gives the user a special weapon and power. - Walter McAdam

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan was an exciting, adventurous book. It was a new insight to fictional/ fantasy novels. It was our book club’s August title and we Skyped with the author. The sequel Demon’s Covenant is already available. –Kevin Joseph

TAG @ Michigan TAG @ Michigan TAG @ Michigan AvenueAvenueAvenue

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Fall Celebration of Writing Awards

TAG members have been helping out at a lot of

events this fall. The first thing we did was help

with children’s activities at Country in the City

and the Halloween event. We also helped with

crafts at the Holiday Open House.

On November 13th we had an anime field trip.

We went to the UM art museum in Ann Arbor

where our Japanese teacher taught us early Japa-

nese history about samurais. We then ate a vari-

ety of food at a Japanese restaurant. After that we

went to the University of Michigan’s Animania

meeting to watch some anime.

At our December TAG meeting we met Jill

Morey, the Director of the YDL. She is a cool

woman and I hope she can visit again. She

listened to what we like about the library and

our suggestions. During that meeting we made

chocolate covered pretzels. At the November

meeting we made sand art in bottles.

Michael, Dontrell, and Kai’el made anime/TAG

shirts for the group in November. They have our

name on each in English and in Japanese.

We are busy a lot, but we enjoy the library and

it’s like our second home.

Walter McAdam

Michigan Avenue TAG President 2010-2011

Student Editor of this issue of Teen Speak

The After Hours Celebration of Writing was held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Teens were each given a notebook to decorate. Door prizes were given out, students read excerpts from their work, and the following teens won awards for the Graphic Novel Competition and the Novel Writing Challenge. The night ended with some Rock Band and each teen received at least one free book.

October Graphic Novel Competition Winners: Kai’el Grimes (work pictured below) Alec Moncrief (work pictured above) Michael McAdam

November National Novel Writing Month Challenge: A dozen teens participated in the National Novel Writing Month Challenge. Dontrell Heard won the prize for the Longest Handwritten novel at 45 pages long. Megan Michael won a prize for the Longest Typed entry, at over 17,000 words. Congratulations to all!