Wellington City Libraries

Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui

Search options

Teen Blog

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

Month: April 2008

This belongs in a museum

Before Lara Croft and all the Tomb Raider stuff there was Indiana Jones. Way smarter and, well, cooler than Lara, Indy liberated ancient artifacts and restored them to their rightful resting places (museums, according to him (but that’s debatable)) in three movies in the 1980s. We haven’t seen him since The Last Crusade in 1989, so the news that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be making its way to a theatre near you on the 22nd of May is worth a mention.

TV3, conveniently, is playing all three movies to date on Saturday nights, beginning this week with the iconic Raiders of the Lost Ark, so you’ve got the perfect opportunity to become an Indiana Jones expert and check out the moves that action heroes have been imitating for the last 20+ years.

And if you think Harrison Ford is too old to be hot, go see The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for Shia LaBeouf because, you know, he’s such a great actor.

Terror From The Deep II

The giant squid that was caught last year is currently being defrosted at Te Papa. Excitingly, you can watch it defrost in real-time here from cameras in the ‘tank and dissection room’. There is also a blog detailing the event. Eventually the squid will be put on display. Awesome.

Not just books

Some libraries in Los Angeles are having gaming nights – Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, and other console games. While we don’t have anything like that here – yet! – there will be a gaming night during this year’s SubText08. Wicked.

 We do stock some good gaming mags in the teens collection; they often come with demo discs. Playstation mag, XBox 360, and Total Gamer.

Writers’ rooms

Have you ever wondered what a writer’s room looks like? The Guardian has a running feature on the rooms of many authors, like Jacqueline Wilson (very tidy) and Russell Hoban (very messy).

What does your writing space – assuming you have one – look like?

I wish mine had Alain de Botton’s chair.

New Graphic Novels

A stack of new comics have arrived and are available to you all. We have:

  • Bad Company vol. 1 – by Peter Milligan, and originally published in 2000AD – which usually means it’s a pretty grim futuristic tale of war, and this is certainly all those things.
  • Spider-Man and the Black Cat : The Evil That Men Do – another team-up comic, this one is written by Kevin Smith, director of films and writer of comics.
  • Heroes For Hire : Civil War – fills in some of the plot from the (somewhat) epic Civil War event that shook up the Marvel universe.
  • Avengers : The Initiative – the Civil War has been and gone, and the US Government is creating its own superhuman force called The Initiative. Here they are, having adventures and fighting the Hulk.
  • X-Men : Supernovas – This is advertised as a good starting point for anyone wanting to get into X-Men comics. It’s a very good read – I recommend it!

There’s a lot more, inside …

Read More

A virtual world

Otago Museum’s SciCity is an interactive website that is laden with games. What’s notable is that you can create your own avatar, earn SciCity dollars that you can spend on technology, and chat with other users! It’s pretty addictive, but in the good, educational way. Otago Museum also produces the Cosmix Comic books, which are all online. We often have free copies in the library as well.

Start from the back page

We have several new manga series in the library. Angelic Layer is a five-volume series by CLAMP (the group of female manga artists who were responsible for Cardcaptor Sakura). This manga is about a futuristic sport where competitors match tiny robots – or angels – against one another.

We also stock the first fifteen volumes of the bestselling manga Fullmetal Alchemist, by Hiromu Arakawa. Edward and Alphonse Elric are talented alchemists. An attempt to bring their mother back costs Alphonse his body and Edward some limbs. They seek the fabled Philosopher’s Stone to make them whole again – even though their new prosthetics are really very cool.

These are very popular!

If it’s good enough for Terry Pratchett

Roleplaying games are games in which the players take on imagined roles and play collaboratively. Dungeons & Dragons is probably the most well-known RPG out there. In addition to D&D (which aren’t in the young adult collection), we carry these gaming books:

Top 10: YA CDs old enough to have a YA card

The Young Adult CD collection is, on the whole, about what’s hot in the popular music world. However, CDs that are just about ready to sit NCEA exams shouldn’t necessarily be sniffed at as something only your parents would bother listening to; some of them are pretty special really.

  1. Nirvana, Nevermind (1991). When Nirvana released ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ (their first commercial hit) they created a stir that hasn’t really been seen since. The song even made a weird, cabaret-style guest starring appearance on Moulin Rouge!, the movie, in 2001. But never mind ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’; there’s also ‘Come as You Are’, ‘Lithium’… Nevermind is a truly classic rock album.
  2. Massive Attack, Blue lines (1991). The first hip hop masterpiece. Massive Attack was cutting edge and they’ve been hugely influential in the hip hop, dance, electronica, dub scene.
  3. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine (1992). Critics say this is their best. It’s got ‘Killing in the Name’, which is what Rage is best known for… Zack de la Rocha sounding really annoyed and Tom Morello doing weird things with his guitar without – he is quick to point out – pedals and stuff like that.
  4. Stone Temple Pilots, Stone Temple Pilots (1994). ‘Vasoline’ and ‘Interstate Love Song’ are awesome – Allmusic.com calls ‘Interstate Love Song’ “a concise epic as alluring as the open highway”. Scott Weiland’s got a great rock voice, which you can also hear in Velvet Revolver, the band he formed with the Guns n’ Roses musicians.
  5. Soundgarden, Superunknown (1994). You can’t beat Soundgarden; shame about the break up. Soundgarden fans must despair of Chris Cornell doing things like the movie theme for Casino Royale (the Bond movie with Daniel Craig). “How can you sing that after stuff like ‘Spoonman’, ‘The Day I Tried to Live’, ‘Fell on Black Days’ and ‘Black Hole Sun’?” they must ask while crying into their Starbucks coffees and wiping their noses on their plaid shirt sleeves.
  6. Blur, Parklife (1994). ‘Parklife’ the song was really incredibly irritating, because a lot of marginal Blur fans liked to sing it and the only words they knew were ‘Parklife’… over and over… The album is about British life in the early 1990s, so maybe in a couple of years it’ll be a set text for History courses.
  7. The Cranberries, No need to argue (1994). Had to put this one in because it has a girl singer! So, there’s no need to argue…
  8. Shihad, Killjoy (1995). Will be getting its YA card some time this year. Go Wellington music!
  9. Green Day, Insomniac (1995). I was going to put Dookie but someone lost the young adult copy… for shame! Dookie has ‘When I Come Around’ on it of course, but Insomniac is also pretty good. You’ll know Green Day for songs like ‘American Idiot’ and ‘When September Ends’ on the American Idiot album (2004).
  10. Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon collie and the infinite sadness (1995). I could have put Gish here (1991), and critics think that Siamese Dream is their best (1993), but Mellon Collie’s got ‘Tonight, Tonight’ on it, one of my favourite songs ever, and this is my list! It’s a double album with a gazillion songs on it, including ‘1979’ and ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ to name the other well known ones.

So that’s my list. You should check them out, for an education if nothing else.

Flash

It is raining outside. Here are some nifty online games for you to play while you browse educational websites and sip hot chocolate.

Trashionista

For those of you who enjoy chick lit, beach reads and bestsellers, Trashionista is an awesome website that “gets to grips with the wonderful world of female fiction.”  It’s one of my favourite blogs because of its lovely layout and thorough content – as well as book reviews the site offers movie news, and interviews with popular female authors.  For girls who are passionate about reading (or writing) female fiction, Trashionista is an essential blog to check out.

Top 5 Music Websites

Music guru Jack has compiled a list of his five favourite music websites. Perfect for a rainy weekend!

  1. allmusic.com – This site is huge and does pretty much what its name would suggest. It covers all music from nu-rave to classical, hip hop to country. You can search by artist, album or song title and find bios, reviews, audio and more. Each artists page has links to artists that influenced them, similar artists, their genre(s),and more. It’s a great place to stop by to check out reviews and find out about older bands/performers. There are even blogs and newly released albums on the front page to keep you totally up to date. The most comprehensive music site on the internet.
  2. lastfm.com – Do you love a particular band and wish you could find more in a similar vein, but find it difficult? Try lastfm. I only came across this one recently, but it’s been a great find. Type in an artists name and you get streaming audio of them and similar artists along with bios. It’s a great way to discover new bands you haven’t heard before and try them out, along with reading the user reviews. This site also works as a great customisable online radio station, type in something you like and away it goes providing great background noise for parties, studying etc.
  3. pitchforkmedia.com – Want something a little more under the radar, a little more obscure and underground? Then it’s on pitchforkmedia. Easily the most music-snobbish site on the list, you can learn what’s hip right now and then make fun of your friends for being behind the times when they discover it 6 months later. They won’t like you anymore, but you’ll feel a sense of superiority. Or you can just enjoy the comprehensive review section and keep up to date with the lastest news in the alternative scene along with links to video and audio.
  4. ilike.com – With ilike you can buy and download new mp3s the legal way. Yay! And you can get exclusive free tracks too as a bonus. A lot of bands signed up with ilike will send you notifications of upcoming release dates and tours and you can also get these via your facebook profile. ilike will also see what bands you’re into and offer you suggestions of what else you could try out. Also on the site is the ilike music quiz which surely must be the most enjoyable time waster ever invented for music lovers.
  5. nzmusic.com – This sort of works like a wikipedia for New Zealand music that you can use to get all the latest news and check out what’s happening in your local area. There are also forums to chat to/argue with other music fans around the country. A good site to keep in mind with New Zealand Music Month just around the corner.

I do (not) like it.

The Guardian reports on the reading preferences of young adults in the UK. According to a survey, the most popular read for teens is Heat Magazine (which we don’t have in the library), followed by Bliss magazine (which we do!). Anne Frank’s diary, Anthony Horowitz, and the Harry Potter books are favourites as well. The least favourite reads include Facebook, homework, and, surprisingly, magazine articles about skinny celebrities.

What do you like reading? What do you dislike reading? Leave a comment!

Respect my authority

Aotearoa Youth Voices is seeking advocates for the Provoke Network. Advocates will

  • be able to participate in fun and creative workshops to brainstorm projects and strategies
  • receive monthly email newsletters with information and opportunities in youth participation in decision making
  • get email updates on hot youth topics
  • be able to get your voice heard and discuss with other young people important youth issues through online discussion forums
  • have the opportunity to have your say and give input to Government decision making.

You can join up here.

Sweet Valley High Strikes Back

The Sweet Valley High series is to be reprinted and – since it originally came out in the 80s – it will be updated to reflect changes in things like technology and fashion. So instead of the girls writing diaries, phoning one another and wearing pastel leg-warmers, they will write blogs, IM and text, and wear footless tights.

(We still have many of the original SVH books in the library, if you’re keen.)