Slack Off Wisely -- Teen Magazine Update

Tue, 12/22/2009 - 5:26pm by MariaK

Students rejoice! Fall semester is over and the glory of Winter Break has begun. But once the first flush of freedom is exhausted, the reality remains that you have three weeks to fill. After all, there is only so much time you can spend watching cartoons in your PJ's. Fortunately, AADL's teen magazine section is here with suggestions to fill your free hours.

1. Catch up on your guilty pleasures -- Alright, maybe you're not guilty about liking pro wrestling. In any case, WWE Magazine is ready for you, bringing you interviews with ten up-and-coming young stars, including Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Ted DiBiase, Jr., who, by the way, stars in the recently-released DVD The Marine 2.

2. Practice your rock star skills -- Drum! Magazine also gets in on the "let's make a list of cool people" thing with a feature on drummer, composer and all-around great musician Steve Jordan and another on the "Ten Heaviest Drummers of All Time." The magazine's Practice Pad also contains the drum part to Killswitch Engage's "Starting Over." That'll keep you busy.

3. Catch some air -- Of course, for you outdoorsy, active types we have not one, not two, but three magazines about sports involving boards. Thrasher Magazine documents the Emerica team's trip to Paris, in which they lived on a boat and did a lot of cool things. Transworld Skateboarding, provides a sneak peek at Cliche founder Jeremie Daclin's new book, while Transworld Snowboarding's "Photo Issue" features eye popping shots of even more mind boggling stunts. And, of course interviews with lots of cool people.

Need Help Using AnnArbor.com?

Mon, 11/30/2009 - 7:00pm by monkk

AnnArbor.com will host a training session to help you learn how to navigate the Internet to find news, focusing on how to use AnnArbor.com, at the downtown branch on Friday. The session will run from 11am to noon in the third floor computer lab. Space is limited; reserve your spot by emailing community@annarbor.com or calling 734-623-2570. If you are part of a group or organization that would benefit from having a presentation about AnnArbor.com, their staff would be happy to work with you. Quick individual tours on how to use the website are also available on a walk-in basis at the AnnArbor.com community space from 9am to 5:30pm daily at 301 E. Liberty St in downtown Ann Arbor.

Winter Adventures -- Youth Magazine Update

Mon, 11/30/2009 - 1:16pm by MariaK

There's no denying it, winter has definitely arrived -- and with snow predicted for some time this week, it's time to plan how to keep yourself entertained when the weather turns icy.

If you're an outdoorsy type, Boy's Life Magazine has all the information you will ever need, with articles on ice fishing, making emergency shelters out of snow, and ice climbing -- on frozen grain silos. (Strange, but true.)

For those of us who prefer to stay indoors with a hot cup of cocoa, Nintendo Power Magazine provides the latest information on the best new games -- like Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks, the first Legend of Zelda game where Zelda gets to go adventuring herself! My personal favorite, for the name alone, is Zombie Panic in Wonderland in which your favorite fairy tale characters fight...you guessed it ...zombies.

Bridging the gap between outdoor adventure and vegging out is National Geographic Kids, with an article on the return of the lynx to Colorado, and a review of upcoming Disney original The Princess and the Frog. Owl Magazine and its sister publication ChickaDee get in on the act with articles on arctic animals, gifts you can make yourself, and, in ChickaDee, an up-close look at Quebec's Hotel de Glace, a hotel made entirely of ice.

Helping Hands -- Parent Magazine Update

Mon, 11/23/2009 - 3:52pm by MariaK

It takes work to be a responsible parent, or even just a responsible adult. This month's parent magazine update focuses on magazines that give advice -- because we all need a little help now and then.

Home Education Magazine has advice for any parent who wants to be a little more involved with their child's education -- including an article on the National History Day contest, a guide to running a book club for boys, and a list of good books for teaching teens about money.

Working Mother Magazine features a list of the 100 most family-friendly companies to work for, a guide to purchasing life insurance, and an article on how to rid your home of scary chemicals often found in paint, upholstery and even toys.

American Baby Magazine provides a guide to recognizing signs of autism spectrum disorders in children and seven tips for managing tantrums.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame -- Teen Magazine Update

Tue, 11/17/2009 - 1:41pm by MariaK

From Mickey Mouse to Jay DeMerit, from Hiroshi Watanabe to William Gibson -- this month's teen magazines are filled with the faces of the famous, or the infamous, depending on your perspective.

Soccer America Magazine features some teams in the news right now -- the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Good news, the U. S. is one of them. Bad news, we have a lot of tough opponents before we make it to the finals.

This month's Giant Robot Magazine is absolutely stuffed full of interviews with famous people, from the aforementioned author William Gibson, writer of cyberpunk classic "Neuromancer" and inventor of the word "cyberspace," to Korean extreme horror filmmaker Kim Jin-Won.

Game Informer Magazine brings us a famous face with new twist -- Disney favorite Mickey Mouse is showing his darker side in new Wii game "Epic Mickey". The magazine also covers how the popular Prince of Persia video game will be getting the star treatment as a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Sports, Manga and Gaming -- Teen Magazine Update!

Mon, 10/19/2009 - 2:41pm by MariaK

This month's teen magazine update focuses on the few, the proud, the fans. All you who love -- really love -- your sport, hobby, game or series, this is for you.

Basketball fans can all rejoice now that the October issues of Dime Magazine is on the shelf. Dying to hear the latest news on O. J. Mayo, Travis Outlaw, and Amar'e Stoudemire? Dime will give you that, and throw in an exclusive, up-close look at some of the bling NBA stars like Lebron James will be wearing this season.

For the tabletop war gamers out there, White Dwarf Magazine is currently featuring the Space Wolves -- with guides to painting and assembly as well as a blow by blow Battle Report describing a clash with Chaos Daemons. Not to be missed!

Last, but not least, Otaku USA's winter issue is out -- providing 32 pages of quality manga for FREE! Of course, really they just want to get you addicted to newcomers "Hero Tales" and "Battle of Genryu," but what the heck. Hey, speaking of otaku...the library will host a fun afternoon of amigurumi crochet November 15 for any fans of Japanese culture and small, cute, crocheted things.

Alright, fans, I've done my part. Now go and feed your passion (with magazines)!

Fear Itself

Mon, 10/05/2009 - 3:25pm by MariaK

Just in time for the scariest month of the year, Ask magazine has come out with a special issue on...you guessed it... fear.

Ask magazine goes beyond the usual scary story collection, however, with an article on how the brain processes and produces fear as well as a guide to controlling and dealing with fear -- useful for kids and adults! This issue also includes the instructions for Ask's latest contest -- to design a Monster so terrifying it will frighten other monsters. Winners will get published in a future issue of Ask!

Helpful and Heartwarming

Wed, 09/30/2009 - 4:06pm by MariaK

Get ready to have your heart warmed and your wallet emptied. The October edition of American Baby magazine is out -- featuring an article on adoption and the 2009 American Baby Best of the Year Awards.

In the article, three women talk about the experience of placing their children with adoptive families through open adoption, which enables the birth mother to choose the adoptive family and stay in contact with them after the adoption takes place. This year's Amby award honors such useful products as Boppy as well as the interestingly named Boudreaux's Butt Paste.

Also included in this issue are a baby naming guide to help you overcome common pitfalls, and a "cough decoder" to help you diagnose your child by sound.

Math Is Fun! Seriously!

Wed, 09/23/2009 - 2:26pm by MariaK

School has rolled around again, and with school a plague worse than colds or flu ... math anxiety! Well, fear no more -- the cure has arrived. The October issue of Scholastic's "Dyna Math" magazine is here, with puzzles and articles to boost math skills painlessly.

"Dyna Math" combines mathematical puzzles with interesting stories from the news, real life and the authors' zany imaginations to help math make sense. An article about texting helps to teach graph reading, for example, and a story about a bizarre birthday party helps teach rounding and estimation.

As a former student, I can say without a doubt that the puzzles in this magazine are at least five times more interesting than any math problems I had in school. This magazine is a great resource for anyone who wants to get better at math and have fun at the same time.

Orion Book Award Winner: Trespass by Amy Irvine

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 1:52pm by ballybeg

The 2009 Orion Book Awards have been announced. Orion is one of the best magazines you will find, whose byline – nature/culture/place – reveals its focus. The editorial board reads like a who’s who of contemporary luminaries in the environmental movement, such as: Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, Edward O. Wilson, Barry Lopez, Jane Goodall. Orion manages to be artistic, literary, probing and provocative, with cutting-edge articles on the politics, ethics and practice of environmentalism, farming and forestry and featuring the work of artists, poets, and storytellers. It inspires personal commitment to change the world, one short shower, cloth bag, bike ride and community garden at a time.

Every year the editors acknowledge books that, “deepen our connection to the natural world, present new ideas about our relationship with nature and achieve excellence in writing”. The winner of the award this year is Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land by Amy Irvine. The finalists are: The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane, The Bridge at the Edge of the World by James Gustave Speth, Inventing Niagara by Ginger Strand and Finding Beauty in a Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams. The Reader’s Choice Award went to Man Killed by Pheasant by John Price.