Summer reading...

I don't know about you, but it seems like I have to pack most of my reading for the year into a few short summer months.

Check out my reading list on the Goodreads gadget to the right, and get some great reading recommendations at your local library or visit Kent District Library's website.

Congrats WHS poets!

http://blog.kdl.org

Congratulations to Ashley Nelson and Deanna Griffin for their winning entries in the Kent District Library Teen Poetry contest.  They were selected as two of the top 10 finalists out of over 200 submissions.  

Way to go ladies!

Vote for your favorite Google Doodle...

The public has until May 9 to cast their vote for one of the 50 state winners in the Doodle 4 Google contest.

Entries are divided by grade level of the artist, so take a peek and maybe you can help some lucky student win a $30,000 scholarship, a $50,000 grant for his/her school, and the chance to have his/her artwork displayed on the Google homepage.

Books on film...

The craze continues!  If you've tried to find a copy of Divergent at your local library, you've probably been out of luck; the release of the movie in March has again driven sales/checkouts to a new level.  Don't worry, here are some other great books that are being released on film later this year - get ahead of the game and read the book first!

Young Adult
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (June 6)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (August 15)
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman (August)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (September 19)
Mockingjay (part 1) by Suzanne Collins (November 21)
The Hobbit (part 3) by J.R.R. Tolkien (December 17)

Adult
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Read off your fines @ KDL!

image source: blog.kdl.org

In celebration of National Library Week, the Kent District Library is inviting its patrons who have fines on their cards to spend some quality time in the library to "read off their fines".  WHS students - if you can't use KDL computers or check out books because of those fines you accumulated back in your younger years, this is your chance to get back in business!  Get details at your local branch, check out the KDL weblog for details, or see these FAQ.

Thumbs Up! - Michigan Teens Vote for Favorite Book

The purpose of the Thumbs Up! Award is to recognize and promote an outstanding contribution to teen
literature that has both literary quality and teen appeal for those 13 to 18 years of age. The award
includes a statewide teen vote of 10 books. These 10 books were narrowed from over 100 by
professional librarians across the state.

This year's titles are:

• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal
• Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
• Reality Boy by A.S. King
• More Than This by Patrick Ness
• Winger by Andrew Smith
• Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
• Boxers & Saints by Gene Leun Yang
• Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick

Read all of these books (or as many as you want) and select the ONE that you feel is the best book. Vote
by accessing the online voting ballot and make your selection. Be sure to vote by May 31, 2014.

ThingLink...creating interactive photos

ThingLink is a great way to make images come alive with text, links, video, audio, and more.  I quickly created this graphic using a non-copyrighted photo (found via Google Image Advanced Search) and added my own content and links.

Check out ThinkLink in action below.