Calling all Harry Potter fans!

"Want to get your (gloved) hands on J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard? Amazon.com wants to send you and a friend to London, England to spend a weekend with the rare and delightful book of fairy tales (security guards included, of course), handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself. Open to muggles ages 13 and older in 24 countries, the Beedle the Bard Ballad Writing Contest challenges you to creatively answer one of the following three questions in 100 words or less:
• What songs do wizards use to celebrate birthdays?
• What sports do wizards play besides Quidditch?
• What have you learned from the Harry Potter series that you use in everyday life?

English-language submissions will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. PDT April 22, 2008. An Amazon.com committee will select 10 semi-finalist submissions (based on creativity and writing style) from each of two age categories: 13-17 and 18-and-over. Amazon.com customers will determine the two finalists and Grand Prize winner by voting for their favorites. The Grand Prize includes round-trip airfare, two nights lodging at a London hotel, as well as an expense allowance. Plus, each of the finalists from the two age groups will receive an Amazon Gift Certificate in the amount of $1,000." (From the Amazon.com website).

Science Fair Ideas

It's that time of year. Need some help with your project? Here are some recommended links

http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/scifair/index.html

http://www.newtonsapple.tv/ScienceTryIts_Index.php Newton's Apple Science Try Its. These fun project ideas require that kids get hands-on.

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/ Science Buddies is a real treasure for teacher resources. To find them, click on the teacher's lab at the top of the home page.

http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/ Science Fair Project Resource Guide was created by librarians and is a classic among science-fair veterans. Guidance found here is designed to lead kids step-by-step through the process of selecting a topic, doing a project and creating a fair display.

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/ ZOOMsci has simple science experiments that are ideal for elementary students and teachers seeking in-class projects.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/online.html

http://www.virtualsciencefair.com/

Dragon Slippers

I have just finished a children's/young adult fantasy called "Dragon Slippers.

A lifelong reader and writer of fantasy fiction, Jessica Day George studied at Brigham Young University where she enjoyed classes in pottery-making and Old Norse, and dutifully forced herself to sit through biology and math. Originally from Idaho, and having briefly lived in Delaware and New Jersey, she now resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, their young son, and a five pound Maltese named Pippin. Dragon Slippers is her first novel for young readers.
Many stories tell of damsels in distress, who are rescued from the clutches of fire-breathing dragons by knights in shining armor, and swept off to live happily ever after.

This is not one of those stories.

True, when Creel’s aunt suggests sacrificing her to the local dragon, it is with the hope that the knight will marry Creel and that everyone (aunt and family included) will benefit handsomely. Yet it’s Creel who talks her way out of the dragon’s clutches. And it’s Creel who walks for days on end to seek her fortune in the king’s city with only a bit of embroidery thread and a strange pair of slippers in her possession.
But even Creel could not have guessed the outcome of this tale. For in a country on the verge of war, Creel unknowingly possesses not just any pair of shoes, but a tool that could be used to save her kingdom…or destroy it.
This is a good first novel. One that I and the other staff members who read could not put down. Jessica Day George's sequel to Dragon Slippers will be out in April

Brigham City Carnegie Library

Dollar Sense

Have some financial fun!! Play Escape from Knab
http://www.escapefromknab.com/

Calculate what your dream would cost
http://www.jumpstart.org/madmoney/pgv_money_rc_main.html

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Reviews for TEENS by TEENS

See what Teens in Colorado think? Jefferson Public Library has a list of books with reviews written by kids your age. New review for Atonement Child by Francine Rivers. Or for all of you puppy lovers how about a review of Marley and Me