Science Cafe in the Loft Today! November 20, 2009

Friday, November 20, 4-5:15 p.m., in the Loft

Friday Afternoon Science Cafe! Using ESP to Talk with Molecules with Professor Josh Kurutz, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University.

What’s this about being able to talk to molecules?

If you knew your favorite molecule had a voice, wouldn’t you want to know what it had to say? Learn how to engage in conversations with chemicals to figure out what they are made of, how and why they move, and other aspects of their existence.Let’s use all of our senses to experience some molecules, and discuss how we use technology to give us extrasensory perception (ESP). We’ll also explore philosophical relationships between technology, knowledge, and limits on humans’ capacity to know.

Grades 6-12.There will be snacks! Parents, grandparents, and teachers are welcome to attend also! Sponsored by Northwestern University’s Chapter 22 of Sigma Xi. 

Did you adore The Adoration of Jenna Fox? Check Out The Loft’s List of Readalikes August 2, 2009

Not a week has gone by over the last two summer months without a copy (or several copies) of Mary E. Pearson’s amazing book, THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX, flying right off the Loft shelves and out the door.  Are you one of the many people who loved this unsettling, futuristic story of amnesia, family, Bio-gel, and the soul?  Then check out the Loft’s list of Jenna Fox readalikes!  Here you’ll find sci-fi tales involving genetic engineering, memoirs of a teen amnesiac, stories about grisly accidents and their aftermaths, and books that take on the question of beauty.

Still haven’t read Pearson’s book?  There’s still a month before the onslaught of schoolwork begins and The Loft has a pile of Jenna Fox copies (he he) available.  Come on in and check one out today!

The Big Splash August 1, 2009

Imagine it: you come to the Loft for a book discussion only to be told that not only will you be talking about the book, but that the book’s author wants to join in and answer YOUR questions! This is exactly what happened a few weeks ago when we discussed The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo.

Though there was no shortage of questions, Ferraiolo was kind enough to say that if we thought of anymore, we could send them his way. These are the questions generated by the discussion after we hung up with him.

Q. How much of the book changed after your editor said that the ending didn’t seem to follow the rest of the book?

A. My agent, Stephen Barbara, suggested a lot of the
changes (before he even sent it out to editors).  He was the one who
mentioned that the ending didn’t seem to fit the character trajectory, and that the voice seemed to shift in the second half of the book.  So a lot of the second half of the book changed.

Q. How much time passes between the end of The Big Splash and the sequel, (oh yeah, did we forget to mention he’s working on a sequel due out next fall!!!!)?

A. So far, the next book takes place a couple of weeks after the events of
the first…so that what takes place in the first book is still fresh, but
we’re a little further down the road, and we can start to see some of the
bigger ramifications of what transpired…..

Q. How much involvement did you have with the awesome cover?

A. Because of my background, (Ferraiolo won an Emmy for PBS show WordGirl), Chad Beckerman, Amulet’s art director, kept me pretty involved in the process.  He and the artist, Nathan Fox, are extremely talented. Chad took my notes into consideration, but my voice was but one of many.  Ultimately, it was Chad and Nathan who pulled off the awesomeness that is my cover…

So there you have it. We read the book,  loved it, and somehow in this crazy world, the author found out, and the rest – like last week’s lunch special – is history.

Rock Band To Feature New Tracks Written By…You July 19, 2009

Are you a rock musician? Are you in a band? You’ve already created a Myspace page, you’ve got a few shows lined up, you’re recording an EP, and you’ve sent your demo out to labels.  But what else can you do to get your music out there? Check out this exciting news from BoingBoing about a new, potentially massive network through which you’ll soon be able to share your songs:

Developers Harmonix have just announced The Rock Band Network, a new initiative to let home users and indie bands create and sell their own Rock Band tracks through the game itself, in partnership with Microsoft’s XNA Creators Club.

This could be huge for indie musicians.  According to the Rock Band website, songs reviewed and accepted by the Rock Band Creators community will become available for purchase in their store (and the Xbox LIVE marketplace) and bands get a cut of the take every time their songs are purchased. And for players this means more songs to choose from and the possibility of discovering new great music For more of the nitty gritty on just how this is going to work and how much bands will make when their songs sell, check out this link to an article on Offworld. For PS3 players out there, they’re saying that “select songs” will become available for PS3, but, as it now stands, this is Xbox 360’s deal. Now get your tunes out there – your interactive audience awaits.

Did you know? The Loft offers two hours of video gaming on Fridays from 3:30 – 5:30. We have games for Xbox (including Rock Band), PS3 and more. Open to everyone who uses the Loft. Come on out.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman July 16, 2009

You’re in your parents bedroom. You’re looking for something, could be anything – a beach pass, your dad’s Swiss Army Knife, maybe a sweater your mom asked you to grab. Imagine it now. Imagine their bedroom. Now you’re shuffling through their things. And that’s when you find it. The Unwind Order. Your blood runs cold, a flash shocks your eyes, your heart thrashes. This must be a joke. But, no, this isn’t a joke because there are your parents’ signatures right there slashed across the page: ‘We hereby grant permission for the federal government to unwind our son.’ You drop the page to the floor, shaking. You’re going to be unwound. Frantically you touch your arms, your teeth, your eyelids, your tongue, your hair, and your knees. You’re feeling, feeling the parts of the body you’re going to lose when they unwind you. This is the end. Goodnight, sweet prince.

In Neal Shusterman’s seriously creepy book of darkness, Unwind, this is what happens to teenagers who are considered too much trouble by their parents. They’re erased, all their body parts recycled, disappeared. Unwound.  They’re not dead, but they exist silent and helpless in a thousand different bodies where their organs, their hair, their fingernails and bones are donated and absorbed. Sure, many of them run – if they make it to 18 years old the government will quit the chase, they’ll be safe – but no one’s ever made it, they always get you. Unwind is the story of three teens who try to escape despite the odds, who run from the Unwind Order, their parents, and the police in a desperate attempt to save their skins – literally. It’s a suspenseful read with great chase scenes, action, and tense, paranoid drama (especially when they reach a secret, underground facility for runaway Unwinds). If anything, read this book for the horrifying scene in which one of the central characters gets unwound – the process is vividly depicted and…disarming, he-he.

Looking for other great horror stories? Check out our booklist – THE LIVING DEAD.

Ken Becomes a Member of the Living Dead June 29, 2009

New Barbies are being released to capitalize on the commercial success of Twilight. To represent Edward, Ken’s usual tan is gone and has been replaced with a sparkling pallor. Somehow they even managed to give him a slightly tortured expression. To represent Bella they made Barbie a brunette and gave her a hoodie. I don’t think Barbie reacted well to being told she had to be klutzy so she is poised with model-like grace (check out her feet). What will be their next gimmick? Will they make a Jacob doll that can morph into a wolf? I don’t think that there has ever been a Barbie love triangle before. What are your thoughts on this new development in the Twilight franchise? Do these toys seem desirable in any way?

(Loft Zoë)

A Certain Slant of Light June 29, 2009

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb, is another novel about a paranormal romance. But the relationship makes more sense and is more mature than many of the relationships in this genre. But perhaps this is because the relationship is between two adults who have been around for many years, in ghost form. The novel focuses on Helen, a ghost who is 27 and has been dead for 130 years, who first meets James when she is haunting a teacher and notices that a teenage boy is staring at her. The teenage boy turns out to be James, a ghost who is really 29 and has been dead for 83 years, who is possessing the body which has been left vacant by its spirit. In order to be with James, Helen posses the body of teenage girl whose spirit has wandered off. Helen and James fall in love and together they work through the difficulties they face being two teenagers with two types of very extreme family backgrounds. They also deal with the  traumatic events surrounding their deaths when James is accepted into heaven, Helen struggles with her personal hell, not sure if God will ever be able to accept her. This is a well-written, thought provoking novel, while also being very entertaining and unique. It manages to cover the oppression that teenagers can face from their parents, the question of what happens to us after we are dead, and the nature of true love. (Loft Zoë)

Friday Falcon Report & Clue #3 June 26, 2009

Hello my fellow detectives! The Loft just seems to get more and more exciting by the day. New programs are happening right and left. There is a video making workshop going down right now. Registration just opened for the video game design workshop and it’s almost full. The first “book it & cook it” workshop was a huge success with homemade cheese and pizza making & eating; July 8 is the date for the second “Book it & Cook It” class. There is also now a beautiful dry erase board ad for I am the Messenger, the story by Markus Zusak that will be performed by The Loft’s theatre troupe in late July. New actors, especially male ones, are still welcome to join this summer theatre program.

 

Now, my private eyes, I have a bit of a quest for you. Take the title of the book review on The Virtual Loft of the book that has a blue cover with conversation hearts on it. Open the library’s online catalog, type the title in and hit “search words or phrases.” Click the first title that shows up; then click more by this author. Where in the library would you look to find the book that is en Español? Tell a librarian on the meebo or discreetly pass it off to them in the Loft. Percival Falcon out.

Just a few of the books passing under this raptor’s beak this week:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Blade: Playing Dead by Tim Bowler
Chew on This by Eric Schlosser
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Leonardo’s Shadow by Christopher Grey
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
The Reckoning by Michael Owen Carroll
The Year of the Bomb by Ronald Kidd

And a Few of the CDs…
The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Sabriel by Garth Nix
The Sorceress by Michael Scott

Friday Falcon Report June 5, 2009

Not only were things hopping in the Loft all week, but Loft staffers were spotted visiting these 4 schools: Bessie Rhodes, King Lab, Chute, and Nichols. Some of the titles that were part of the lively booktalking that transpired are: Hunger Games, The Graveyard Book, Deadline, Nation, Savvy, Chew on This, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, Batman: Death Mask, Rapunzel’s Revenge, After Tupac & D Foster, Baseball Stories, and Shark Girl. Register for the summer reading program here!

 

Featured booklist of the week: Teens‘ Top Ten.

 

Images from the Loft’s Falcon webcam reveal the following books leaving the Loft this week.

 

Bill Gates by Marc Aronson

Bonechiller by Graham McNamee                                 

Courtin’ Jayd by L. Divine

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

Fray by Joss Whedon

Kin by Holly Black

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker

Max: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson

Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Simpsons Comics Unchained by Matt Groening

Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Operation Storm City by Joshua Mowll

The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

The Sorceress by Michael Scott

The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines

The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon Green

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Register for the Loft’s Summer Reading Program! June 3, 2009

Register here for the Summer Reading Program!

June 1-August 8, 2009.  Read for the fun of it! You choose the books you want to read. Share your thoughts about the books you read this summer in any of the following ways:

 

• Submit an online book review.
• Join a book discussion in the Loft
• Create a flickr mosaic of the book you just read.
• Create a video book trailer of a book you just read.
• Sign up for any of the Loft’s Summer Programs.
• Draw an alternate book cover of a book you have just read and it will be displayed in the Loft’s gallery show in August.

Prizewinners in each category are drawn once a week, and prizewinners are also drawn at every program. All work must be original.

GREAT PRIZES! Open to middle & high school students!