YOUNG SCIENTIST CHALLENGE
For students in grades 5-8
Hosted by Discovery Education & 3M
Prizes: all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, for the competition finals; 1st place: $50,000 U.S. Savings Bond; 2nd place–10th place: $1,000; Opportunity to appear on television -- and more!

This challenge, which I only discovered a day or two ago, is already about halfway over (entries must be submitted by June 15), so if you're a budding scientist, be sure to visit the Discovery page to grab the details of the contest. It sounds wonderful. Here's a little bit about the contest:

Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge is the premier national science competition for students in grades 5 through 8. The Young Scientist Challenge is designed to encourage the exploration of science among America’s youth and to promote the importance of science communication. In 1999, Discovery Communications, LLC, launched the competition to nurture the next generation of American scientists at a critical age when interest in science begins to decline. Over the past nine years, more than 540,000 middle school students have been nominated to participate in the competition, and winners have gone on to speak in front of members of Congress, work with the nation’s top scientists, and pursue academic careers in the sciences.

Good luck!

Labels: awards, prizes

~emily - 9:28 AM~
0 comments

COLD TIMES
There's been a bit of synchronicity in my life lately -- about (of all things) Antarctica. So I thought I'd share a little, in case you're a fan of the cold continent, adventure exploration, "greening" to reduce greenhouse, or award winning fiction.

How to Survive in Antarctica by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
This is a book I purchased for the YA collection, partly because of the fascinating title -- have you ever wondered what it would take to survive in Antarctica?
During her exploratory sojourns to Antarctica, Bledsoe witnessed many amazing sights (mummified seals) and picked up even more survival tactics (if you should find yourself in danger of falling into a crevasse, stretch out your body to avoid dropping farther). Part memoir, part survival tips, part curiosities, Lucy Jane Bledsoe's book lets readers vicariously experience the author's adventures while on exploration to the cold continent.

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander (DVD)
My run-ins with South Pole topics began with someone telling me about this book -- in complete wonder and awe. A truly amazing tale.
In August 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton, a renowned explorer, set sail with 27 men on his ship, the Endurance. His plan was to be the first expedition to cross the Antarctic continent -- racing against other teams, including those of Amundsen and Scott. Marooned on four feet of ice, in over 8,000 feet deep water, Shackleton and his crew survived some 635 days and nights, without decent shelter or enough food, enduring the harshest conditions imaginable.(Sounds like they could have used Bledsoe's book -- or written it!)

White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughreanThis book was announced as this year's winner of the Michael L Printz Award for outstanding literature for young adults.
Taken to Antarctica by the man she thinks of as her uncle for what she believes to be a vacation, Symone--a troubled fourteen year old with a mad crush on Titus Oakes, a captain in Scott's South Pole team some 90 years ago -- discovers that he is dangerously obsessed with seeking Symme's Hole, an opening that supposedly leads into the center of a hollow Earth. Suddenly, she's caught in a struggle for her life.

Cruising to Otherworldly Antarctica by Gwen Thompkins, NPR
Would you prefer to watch and listen to an account of a protected visit to Antarctica? NPR ran a story about climate change and Antarctica, making a visit on a cruise ship. Fantastic tale.

Want more? Check out the online articles that World Book has (you'll need your library card) -- there are articles, maps, pictures, tables, and more -- tons of fascinating information!

And just now (2 hours my original posting of this) I read an article in the NYTimes about a Harlem Middle School teacher taking a trip to Antarctica with a professor from Queens College to research. "Harlem to Antarctica for Science, and Pupils"

Labels: awards, books for boys, books for girls, green, links

~emily - 12:06 PM~
0 comments

NOT QUITE BOOKENDS
I've read a few books lately that I should be reviewing for this site. They're pretty good books for guys. Namely, they are:
Repossessed by AM Jenkins
Teen, Inc by Stefan Petrucha
MacGregor Tells the World by Elizabeth McKenzie

Let me discuss them in 35 words each or less.

Repossessed -- about a fallen angel who takes possession of a boy's body for the experience of having a body. It was OK. Definitely a guy's book. Some sexual content. Award runner-up.

Teen, Inc. -- adopted by a corporation, Jaiden's life has been different than anyone else's, but when he learns of dangerous practices, he has to determine whose side he's on. Enjoyable with themes of green.

MacGregor Tells the World -- MacGregor's mom left him and now he's on the search for his father. What he discovers along the way helps him and bothers him. Good adult-teen crossover. Lags a bit in the middle.

Labels: awards, book review, books for boys

~emily - 4:03 PM~
0 comments

AND THE BIG WINNERS ARE...
The book awards were announced yesterday. Winners are as follow:

Michael L Printz Award -- literary excellence for Young Adults~
(WINNER) The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
(Honor) Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
(Honor) One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke
(Honor) Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
(Honor) Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Setphanie Hemphill

Margaret A Edwards Award -- a lifetime of excellent writing for young adults~
Orson Scott Card

Alex Awards -- honors for 10 adult books with appeal to teens
American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm by Jeff Lemire
Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Other Winners:
Coretta Scott King Award -- (Honor) November Blues by Sharon M Draper
Pura Belpre Award -- (WINNER) The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle
(Honor) Frida: Viva la Vida! by Carmen T Bernier-Grand
Odyssey Award -- (Honor) Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy (Listen & Live Audio)
(Honor) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Listening Library)
(Honor) Treasure Island (Listening Library)
Schneider Family Book Award -- (Teen Award) Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby
Robert F Sibert Informational Book Award -- (Winner) The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis

For the way complete list, visit the ALA.org site.

Labels: awards, book news, new books

~emily - 9:12 AM~
0 comments