ROCKtober

Saturday October 15 - 3pm.
The regular library crowd shuffles reluctantly out as teenagers start to take over the library for the afternoon.
Inger Fountain of Sealight Books, brought a big exhibit of Graphic Novels from which to choose titles to include in the library collection. She also had comics to give away. Young cartoonists took advantage of the chance to see a wide array of quality comic art and literature.

Local Bands: Karma, Awkward Silence, and No Parkin' - all teenagers - and Solo performers FreeLance and Josie Cubis, entertained the crowd in the amphitheatre outside the library.

Meanwhile, back inside the library, artists had the floor.
Mary Anne Vale from Noosa Community Theatre led the troupe in a round of theatre games and improvisation exercises. Got the urge to show off your acting talents? Then this was the the gig for you! There's plenty more happening in the next few months. Check the entertainment pages for Mary Anne's plays at Theatre S at Noosaville during the summer holidays. And if you want to be involved in another "Theatre Games" event at the library, just contact us and we'll put you on the list.

Far from the madding crowd, Jo Brooker led a devoted crowd of keen cartoonists, practising some of the ingenious techniques developed over years of experience in the art. You would be surprised how quickly you can draw a caricature of ... just anyone!
Our artists came away with actual cartoon pictures and lots of inspiration to do more art.
A repeat of this workshop in the January school holidays will happen by popular demand.

Pop Fiction

We've just spent a day with Sarah and Chris making Pop Fiction. That's where we take a story, define some characters and make an animation online at bumble.com.au
Students from Sunshine Beach State High School took time out from their busy day to attend a morning workshop at Noosa library. While they were doing this, their artistic colleagues were preparing for the school's annual Arts Extravaganza.
After a quick lunch, Chris and Sarah moved on to Noosaville State School to share their knowledge with the year 7s. Check the weblog for comments.
Thanks Sarah and Chris. We hope we'll see you again soon on the Sunshine Coast.

Youth take over the library

Saturday October 15th from 2:30-5:00 pm. Local new bands will raise the noise levels of a quiet Saturday afternoon at the library while teenagers enjoy a range of activities. Try your hand at cartooning - a cartoon workshop run by Joanne Brooker owner of Purple Spider Studio, and member of Artists without Frontiers. There'll be theatre games, with director and acting teacher Mary Anne Vale from TheatreS in Noosaville, young rappers, songwriters, and poets. While that's all happening, a great exhibit of Manga titles will be available to choose for the library collection. Manga is more than just comics, and the art and literary form originated in Japan, where even WANTED posters and Government publications now come in manga format! The manga books we know have spread worldwide - the biggest other than English language being French, Portuguese and Italian. Funny pictures just seem to need no translation!

EXTREMES

Desperate to get another entry in before two months pass between...
Many of us have been reading and talking over the holidays, and we're seeing some extremes in our interests. Like those who like Darren Shan versus those who are thinking about reality! The library will host some very grounded meetings with author Anita Bell during October, and if you're interested in money (and who isn't?) you should be there.
And there are some new books arriving on the scene, as varied as they are interesting. Check them out - Quick! - before the holidays are over! You know you can reserve them - we'll let you know when they are available.

fav ... ourite books ... the lists

fave books ... the lists

Greeting YPLibbers!

Sorry I can't be at the meeting in Ipswich today. However, I'm with you in spirit, as they say. If you have had time to look at my new experiment - you'll be looking at it right now! Here are some points I have noticed since beginning this blog. Hope it makes some sense.

1. Blogs are very easy to maintain, once the initial set-up is achieved. I experienced the same frustration as new users of free email systems like Hotmail - eg, finding a memorable username and password that isn't already taken.

2. You don't have to be too clever to make a blog look OK, such as adding images, but you do need to be a bit organised, and sometimes very patient. If at first you don't succeed ...

3. Because blogs are chronological it's easy for everyone to see how committed you are by the recency and regularity of the posting.

4. It's easy to link to other sites, and a lot of blogs seem to be mainly links. I found it was possible to link to our library catalogue, so each title mentioned in reviews takes you back to the record where you can reserve the item if you want. The links to the left stay there, and can be changed or added to by modifying the template.

5. I think it would be necessary to publicise a blog like this one, to get some interest among young readers and to gather some feedback. I had thought of developing one for homework topics, or to run a trivia quiz online, or maybe a young writers' group.

6. The comments function can be manipulated a little, so you can delete unwanted remarks or restrict those allowed to comment in a number of ways.

7. Anyhow ... that's all for now. Back to your meeting. See you all next time.

Golem

Golem: n. a human image brought to life; a robot; a shapeless thing
Golem, a five-part series written jointly by three authors, has been called a " funny, scary and streetwise techno-thriller". I'm half-way through the second book and I must keep reading ...
The series hosts a multitude of characters whose perceptions of the "golem" phenomenon all differ and overlap. There's Majid, who began it all by winning a state-of-the-art computer, his English teacher and part-time computer gamer who helps him instal it, the year 8 class with it's usual ratbags and the residents of Hummingbird Tower. Golem appears to be a pirate game which installs itself on Majid's new computer and lures the player into the game only to shut down abruptly just when it gets interesting. The many story threads include mysterious events in the basement of Hummingbird Tower, sinister characters who must have Majid's computer, an inexplicable attraction to a product called "farting goo". There's a great scene in the school library when all the computers become "infected" with the Golem virus, to the consternation of Miss Minx, the school librarian. It's far too much to talk about here, and anyway this is keeping me from reading. Check out the website. And here's a reader review.

Chasing Charlie Duskin

Cath Crowley's second novel about teenage girls, their trials and triumphs, "Chasing Charlie Duskin", has finally reached the top of my enormous mountain of books that must be read. Cath Crowley's characters have many talents - they just need some help discovering them. In "The life and times of Gracie Faltrain" Gracie's passion is soccer. With Charlie Duskin it's music. Charlie's story is told alternately from the viewpoints of two girls: Charlie (Charlotte) from the city - introverted, bullied throughout her school life, alone - on holidays for the summer at her grandparents' in a small country town; and Rose who's brought up in the country - bright, confident and bossy - wanting to get out and see the world. You can read about it in the Courier Mail - or catch a review by a teenager reader - or better still read the book yourself. It's terrific.

Coming soon ...

I’ve been looking at some new books to add to the library’s collection. Here’s a preview of some things to come. You can click on the title to go to the Noosa Library catalogue, then use your library card number and PIN to reserve the book when it arrives.

Glint by Ann Coburn. “Glint blurs the boundaries between our world and another with two fantastic adventures running in parallel.” Read the review from Reading Matters.

Persephone: secrets of a teenage goddess by Jennifer Cook. You may already know the ancient Greek myth of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter – allegedly abducted and taken to the Underworld by Hades. In this modern reconstruction, Persephone tells her own version of the story.

Surviving Amber by Charlotte Calder. Reading Time magazine said: “…with a keen ear for contemporary teenager language [the author] tapped into the heartaches, embarrassments and anxieties of adolescent relationships … a satisfying and fast-paced read”. What do you think?

Mad arm of the Y by David McRobbie. “Here is a story that will take hold of you … and not let you go”! David McRobbie is one of the 10 Queensland authors whose books are being promoted in the U.S. If you have audio, you may still be able to listen to David’s interview on ABC Queensland

The curse of Zohreh by Sophie Masson. The author’s own website “will lead you down the path of incredible stories”, and if you click here you will be transported to her own explanation of this exciting adventure full of “revenge, magic, love and hatred – and a curse so powerful it has lasted for centuries!”

Mean spirits [The Mediator #3] by Meg Cabot. According to Susannah Simon – the sassiest ghost-hunter ever! – “Most people do not end up as ghosts. God forbid. If that were true, my social life would be SO over.” More about Meg Cabot – look here

Just in from the UK

Writers talk books. A selection of reading choices recommended by leading YA authors. What do writers do when they have a break from writing? Just what we do when we take a rest from work – or study. They read!
Well, some do, and the choices of some of Britain’s best known authors of books for young adults are explained on this website.
If any of them give you the nudge; if you want to read them too, please send us an email, and if we don't have them in Noosa library already, we'll try to get them.

Holiday reads to beat the wet weather

While you're languishing in the last days of school holidays, here are a few books that could brighten up your life, or at least give you something to think about.

"Lost bullet" by Malcom Rose. In a future world, London is overrun with snakes, society has changed, and the Authorities maintain strick control. Luke Harding is a sixteen year old forensic investigator who uses his instincts as much as clever technology to solve criminal cases.

"Ark Angel" by Anthony Horowitz. From Cornwall to Cuba, Venice to France, Alex Rider has travelled far and wide as a spy for MI6, facing danger and death at every turn. But in his last mission, fighting the criminal organization, Scorpia, Alex appeared to have finally met his match. Will Alex Rider live to fight another day?

"Tears of a friend" by Joanna Kenrick. Cassie and Claire, inseparable friends, find their lifelong friendship threatened when Claire meets a boy. One of a new Shades series of short fiction.

"Still waving" by Laurene Kelly. This could be a sad one.

If you want to review it for us, send us an email.

Queensland Authors promoted

In June 2005 a trade delegation to the USA has been promoting Queensland authors of books for Young Adults. Some of these authors are well known to us. Have a look at the list the Queensland Writers' Centre has displayed in their June 2005 newsletter. ( If you're interested in news from the writers' centre, you can subscribe for free.) Our own Sunshine Coast authors, Pat Flynn, Gary Crew, and Karen Brooks are included. Well done you lot!

READING ROCKS
Poster invitation ...

This poster was made for us by 15 yr old Henry. If you would like to add your version, depicting an interpretation of the "Reading Rocks!" theme, send us an email or drop in to the library at Wallace Park Noosaville. Mobile Library customers, just climb aboard and give your brilliant art work to a driver.

Reading Rocks!

Book Week 2005 has the slogan "Reading Rocks!" and to give a voice to teenage readers of our fantastic books at Noosa Library, we have decided to begin this weblog. Every year the Children's Book Council of Australia chooses a list of high quality books from the previous year's publications and gives awards in Book Week in August. The Shortlist for 2005 can be found at their website.