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Teen Blog

Reading, Wellington, and whatever else – teenblog@wcl.govt.nz

Month: January 2011

New Graphic Novels

Hulk no moreHulk. Volume 3, Hulk no more  by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuiness. Hulk and his buddies, Silver Surfer, Dorma and the other guy have all lost their girlfriends to evil, on their wedding days too! To get them back they must fight Red Hulk, a guy called Tigershark (who has Adamantium teeth!) and two other nogoodniks. Spiderman turns up to crack some wise as well.

study in scarletA Study In Scarlet adapted by Ian Edington from the original text by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes gets an action-packed graphic novel adaptation. Follow our tweed-clad hero as he investigates a murder, meets Watson for the first time, sleuths up a storm and smokes a curved pipe.

witch and wizardWitch and Wizard battle for Shadowland by James Patterson. Have you always wondered what happened inbetween the first and second “Witch and Wizard” novels by James Patterson? Now you can find out in graphic novel form. Reviews said things like “basically non-stop action” and “action-packed” so, you know, expect action. Also magic, the protagonists are a witch and wizard after all.

Simpsons comic extravaganza by Matt Groening. Lots of Simpson-y adventures collected in one handy volume. On a related note; what is your favourite Simpsons episode? A friend and I discussed this the other day and it was very difficult to decide. It is a worthy debate that could probably spawn a top ten list…

The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds. Books get adapted into graphic novels all the time, epic poems, not so much. Homer’s The Odyssey is one such instance and it’s rather good too, not only does it practically count as studying for Classics, but it’s entertaining at the same time. Your correspondent awaits a similar version of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with baited breath.

Also new this week are Ouran High School Host Club volumes one, two and three. It’s a self-described screwball romantic comedy in which our heroine, Haruhi, must work at a club dressed as a boy in order to repay a sizable debt. Smooth sailing does not follow.

See Some European Masters for Free

On Thursday the 3rd of February you can see the European Masters exhibition at Te Papa for free: all you need to do is confirm you’re a Wellington resident (your Wellington City Libraries library card will do for this), oh and also be prepared for a queue (especially if you’re going after school)!

See paintings by Picasso, Munch, Renoir and many more: for more information on the exhibition visit the Te Papa site here.

And Another Global Competition

The 90 Second Newbery Film Festival is a worldwide competition in which entrants get the chance to condense a classic Newbery medal winning (or honour) book (see here for a list) into a 90 second dramatisastion.

It’s a (very little) bit like writing a haiku of an epic classic, but involving more effort and equipment, and the chance that your offering will be shown at a glitzy event at the New York Public Library. Deadline: 15 September 2011.

The first entry, for A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is here.

Thanks to the people at the National Library (NZ) for pointing this one out.

Trailer Tuesday: Proms and Superheroes

Movie trailers this week!

Prom is an upcoming teen-dramady with a self-explanatory title. Boy trouble, anxiety, secrets, anticipation and apparently a fire are all on the cards. Opening June 2nd, official trailer below…

Also coming in June (the 16th to be more specific) is The Green Lantern. Starring Ryan Reynolds and featuring Taika Waititi and Temuera Morrison, it looks to be an action filled romp (obvs) and is also presented in 3D in selected theaters (again, obvs). Official site here and trailer below…

Global Twilight Superfan Competition

There’s another competition that anyone in the world can enter. Are you a Twilight Superfan? Can you prove your superfandom somehow? Because if you can you and ten others could get to meet and spend time with Stephenie Meyer. Where and for how long I do not know! Presumably it will be somewhere cool (a castle! a cruise ship!) and for just long enough (but not so long that conversation dries up).

Good luck, Superfans!

Google Global (!) Youth Science Fair

Google is running a Global Science Fair for teens. As it is global, anyone in the world can enter. Even a NZer. Especially a NZer, since we’re quite good at innovation and science. Entrants (i.e. everyone reading this I hope*) need to be between the ages of 13 and 18, and can work solo or in groups of up to three. You enter it online obviously! 

*The prizes are beyond awesome. They are actually epic. Guys you need to win this.

NCEA results online today

Yes, it’s true, you can find out your NCEA results right now. Teen Blog wishes everyone the best of luck.

For those of you who are now finished with your secondary education, congratulations! Everyone else going back to school later on this year should note that the YA section of your local library has all the relevant study guides and that the Central Library has past exam papers. Note that down in your diaries for the next study period, or get a ridiculously large jump start on it now.