Create Your Own Comics and Hillariousness

So, I can't resist talking about cool websites that I find, and others tell me about. I'll be bouncing through my email, surfing the web, or chatting at a conference, and suddenly, BAM! there is this cool thing that someone talks about.

Today, I'm going to chat about some online ways to make cartoons.

ToonDoo-You can create your own comics, make a comic book, design a character, manipulate photos, or add drawing touches to stuff you create. Once you sign up with a user name and email account, its free to use.

Pixton-Although similar to ToonDoo, Pixton seems to focus on sharing your work through social networks. It also offers different interfaces: Pixton for Fun, Pixton for Schools, or Pixton for Business. Another cool thing I saw is that you can fully pose your characters while creating your comic.

Bitstrips-Bitstips calls itself "Your Online Funny Pages," and gives you the option of designing comics, characters or avatars. Another thing these sites encourage is telling your story, and remixing the stories of others.

Although all three look pretty similar, I'm sure you'll probably like one over another. I just created accounts at all three, so we'll see which one I actually start using. Have fun!

Anybody Need Program Ideas?

So, every Monday from 4-5pm, we do a program for 3-6 graders. The first Monday we have Play With Your Food, where we bake and cook. The second Monday we do Ka-Boom, where we have fun doing science experiments. On third Mondays we have Couldn't Put It Down, which is a gaming and technology time. Finally, we have Express Yourself on fourth Mondays which is us making crafts.

In addition, we just started a program for Middle Schoolers, 6-8 graders, called Tuesday Works, and we're going to be doing something fun and different each month.

Oh, I almost forgot about our High School programs. We have a Next-Gen Advisory Team that meets to brainstorm cool things for Teens to do at the library, and we also just started a book club called TeenBookWorms.

As I thought about these programs, I thought that someone, somewhere, might be interested in what we did, and how we did it. So, when I get the chance, I'm going to do a quick blog post with resources and a quick breakdown on what we did, how we did it, and how it went. Hope you like the idea =D

Hoping to Get Out of There

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Why did I read it?

I'm really enjoying my Young Adult Literature class. Even though its a lot of reading, its forcing me to read some fantastic books that have been on my radar, but I might not have read.

What happened?

It all started when Junior threw a dilapidated textbook at his math teacher's head. His teacher could have been furious, but instead, he was truthful. "Junior," he said, "unless you get off of the rez, you are going to wind up like every other Indian here; drunk, hopeless, and going nowhere. But, if you get out of here, you could be someone." Sizing up his situation on the reservation and finding it pretty accurate, Junior decides to do the crazy, hopeful, insane thing and go to Readan. Now, he would be the only Indian at the school, his friends on the rez would hate him, and no one like him had done anything like it before. But, Junior was committed to seeing things change, and change they do.

What did I like or not like?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an amzing story that sucks you in from the first page with its honesty, normality, and truthfulness. Mixed throughout the novel are short comics, drawn from Junior's perspective, that enhance the experience. Junior deals with grief, rejection, bullies, poverty, friendships, navigating relationships, being caught in-between two worlds, and dealing with his family. But, through it all, Junior finds hope in what he has, pushes toward a better future, and encourages the underdog in all of us.

P.S. This novel does contain some language and characters talking about sexual and crude topics.

3D Printing: Get Your Ideas into the Real World!

Ever had a cool idea in your head that you wish you could actually make? Something like a chair, a necklace, a sculpture, a toy, a tool...but you didn't know how to make it?

What would you say if you could put your idea into a computer, and it would 3D print your idea into the physical world? With modern architecture and construction software, some people are doing just that! Its called 3D Printing, and its a pretty awesome idea, no?

In more technical terms, 3D printing is additive manufacuring, which means the object is created by laying down one layer at a time.

There are some really cool people that actually make their own 3D printers, but if you don't want to tackle that idea, there are a couple websites that will do it for you.

Shapeways is one of those websites. You can order someone else's idea from the site, or you can upload your own idea, they'll 3D print it using their printers, and ship it to your doorstep. They have a How It Works page if you want to see what they say about it.

I also found a Youtube video of a 3D Printer in action.

Kind of sound like science fiction? I kind of think so. But, people are actually doing it! Crazy!

Come In From the Cold

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Why did I read it?

In 2010, I worked with the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICFL) as a presenter for Teens and Technology. We held a workshop on creating booktrailers, and we used the 2010 Teen's Top Ten as the books. This fantastic book was on the list (and required reading for my Master's class, so I finally sat down and read the whole thing).

What happened?

Why hadn't she answered the phone? Could she have saved her? Could she have talked her out of it? After Lia's best friend Cassie is found dead, Lia is racked with guilt and quickly returns to her destructive patterns of depression, anorexia, and cutting. Convinced that becoming thinner will make her stronger, Lia ignores the pleading, begging and ordering of her mom, dad, and stepmom. But, her stepsister, Emma, thinks the world of Lia, and that love might be just enough to help Lia hold on and come in from the cold she has been creating.

What did I like or not like?

Wintergirls is a powerful and well-written novel that will make you understand where Lia is coming from, but will make you want to scream as she injures herself. Through powerful metaphors, scrambled words, and literally crossing out the thoughts that Lia wouldn't like, Anderson helps us comprehend Lia's experiences. While the novel deals with difficult topics, it ultimately has a hopeful message that will reach out to anyone struggling with depression, eating disorders, or cutting, as well as anyone who needs a realistic and helpful look at this subject.

A Little Bit Sitcomish, But Enjoyable

Lost and Found by Anne Schraff

Why did I read it?

My YA Lit class professor used the Bluford High Series (this is the first book) with a group of at-risk teens. She said the group really enjoyed the books, and wanted us to check them out.

What happened?

Great one more thing for Darcy to worry about! Not only does she have an exhausted mother struggling to make ends meet, a Grandma whose mind is slowly slipping away, and a sister who is having a hard time in school, she now has to deal with a partner like Tarah. Tarah is overweight, obnoxious, has a loser of a boyfriend, and would probably pull Darcy’s grade down. Why couldn’t her teacher have paired her with Hakeem (who she secretly liked) or Brisana (her best friend)?

But, as the plot thickens, we find out that this will become the least of Darcy’s problems. She will ultimately have to face something she has tried to walk away from, and find out who her true friends really are.

What did I like or not like?

Many of the books I’ve read have been award-winning and have a pretty high reading level. So, the writing style in this book seemed kind of simplistic. But, now I think it was a nice change. Not everybody enjoys , needs, or wants a high reading level, and it was interesting to read something else.

The simple writing style just tells you how things are, and even though the conflict is real, it isn’t traumatizing to read. Ultimately, I think it reads like a sitcom. The story takes us through problems that need to be dealt with, lessons that need to be learned, but everyone winds up happy at the end.

Couldn't Stop Listening

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Why did I read it?

This book has been on my radar for a little while now so I was excited when it also showed up on my required reading list for my Young Adult Literature class.

What happened?

Clay finds a package with no return address on his doorstep, and finds seven cassette tapes inside. After opening them up, he is shocked to find Hannah’s voice coming from the tapes. You see, Hannah had killed herself two weeks before, and she explained that if you were listening to the tapes, you were somehow responsible for her death!

Thinking back over the summer working at the movie theatre, and the one party where they finally spent some time together, Clay can’t remember anything that would have hurt her. Even though he knows he doesn’t belong on the tapes, Clay can’t help listening to Hannah as she slowly and painfully gives the thirteen reasons that she kills herself.

What did I like or not like?

This book was really hard to put down. I knew I needed to get it done quickly because there is going to be a lot of reading in this lit class. But, once I started it, I had to figure out what happened next.

The book also has a very interesting perspective. Hannah narrates the events leading to her death through the tapes, and Clay responds in real time because he can’t help himself.  

While Asher does a good job explaining that we can never know how our small actions will negatively or positively affect others, he also writes that Hannah ultimately chose to give up on herself.

P.S. This book has some sexual content, and some discussions that lean that direction.