My third interview was with Tom Angleberger, author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is a novel about a weird kid who makes a Yoda finger puppet out of paper. The kid seems completely clueless, but Origami Yoda is totally Jedi-wise.
Some kids believe in Origami Yoda. Some think he’s just a piece of paper. One kid, Tommy, decides to find out the truth…
Tom offers up a lesson on how to fold your own Origami Star Wars figures, and talks about his new book coming out next year.
Did I mention there are mustaches? Mysterious Mustaches!
Yes, it’s time to write your epic novel. What, you’re too young for that sort of thing? Tell that to Christopher Poalini.
NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month, has a special program just for young writers!
National Novel Writing Month happens every November! It’s a fun, seat-of-your-pants writing event where the challenge is to complete an entire novel in just 30 days. For one month, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create!
That means participants begin writing November 1 and must finish by midnight, November 30. The word-count goal for our adult program is 50,000 words, but the Young Writers Program (YWP) allows 17-and-under participants to set reasonable, yet challenging, individual word-count goals.
In 2010, 200,000 adults participated through our main site, and 41,000 young writers participated through the YWP.
Art by Blake. He’s at the library after school a lot.
I will be highlighting some of the activities you can do at the library in the coming weeks. Part 1: Drawing! We want to encourage your artistic spirit at the library by providing you with pencils, markers, crayons and even sidewalk chalk! Just go to the youth desk and sign out one of our craft kits. Find out more about what you can do at the library here.
Kids Read Comics is not just for little kids, there are tons of great teen events, too!
Saturday Teen Area
at the Clocktower:
• Artists’ alleys for teens to meet comics and animation professionals
• interactive art events
• Giant drawing wall
• hands-on comics workshops!
• Freestanding climbing tower at the Chelsea Clocktower Commons
• Cosplay classes and emporium at the Chelsea Depot Saturday Evening:
• Cosplay contest and Masquerade Party at the Chelsea Depot (5-8pm Lineup begins at 4:15)
• special artist reception at the River Gallery (6-8pm)
Sunday:
• Combined Artists’ Alley at the Chelsea district Library
• Free Giveaway of Comics and Books
• In-depth cartooning and storytelling workshops for teens (and interested adults)
Ideas abound on the internet for home-made holiday gifts and decorations. One of my favorite sites is Martha Stewart, and most of the ideas she has do not involve buying her products. I especially like the miniature Christmas trees you can make with pipe cleaner. If you want something with a little more seasonal elegance, try paper evergreens.
Looking for a funny, possibly artful gift that won’t break the bank? Give the gift of sparkly snow– a SNOW GLOBE! The globe featured in this article has a dinosaur in it. I approve.
Another fantastic and easy thing to make this holiday is a card. Home-made cards can be personalized in fun ways, and make better conversation pieces than the usual store-bought cards. I know most of my friends don’t really need anything, but they’ll appreciate something I made for them. A night bonus is that when it’s cluttering up the house, no one’s feelings will be hurt when it goes on the recycling truck.
Here are Three Different Card making sites, so you can find the perfect card to make, whether it’s beautiful and heartfelt or rough and snarky.
Crafter.com — Awesome, slightly freaky cards from the people who say, “No tea cozies without irony”.
Martha Stewart (hey, she’s good!) — Pretty pretty things, sometimes easy, sometimes not.
DIYlife.com — Links to tutorials on REALLY handmade cards, with everything from cloth scraps to pop-ups!
If you didn’t get a chance to go to the fabulous Tween & Teen Gifts for the Holidays program, you can still make some wonderful crafts at the Hoppin’ Holidays party, next Saturday!
Ever wondered if there was something really useful you could be doing right now instead of checking your Facebook Page every five minutes? Amazingly enough, there is: you could be an inventor.
Teen inventors are making the news these days, with everything from a gyroscopic motor-bike to a floor warning system.
Teen Entrepreneur Workshop: Getting your mower out of the garage
Saturday April 17, 1-4:00pm | McKune | Registration
Having trouble finding a job? You probably know you’re competing for summer jobs with literally hundreds of other people–not just other teens!
In this economy, it’s hard to find a job, so now is the time to think outside the pizza box, and make your own job! Discover your business assets, building your network and blaze a trail to a more profitable summer in this unique workshop with Entrepreneurial coach David Bloom, Ann Arbor SPARK’s 2009 Mentor of the Year!
Don’t want to go to a 4 year college but still want a good paying job? Come meet Brad Hoth, Divisional Advisor for Vocational Technologies at Washtenaw Community College, as well as current students and employers, and find out what options are available to you.
Other Special Guests include:
Mary Anderson Dingeldey–Auto Windshield Chip Repair
Jeff Grimsten–Ann Arbor Electrical Training Center
![MiamiBookFair[1]](http://chelsealibrary.org/teen_blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MiamiBookFair11-120x300.jpg "MiamiBookFair[1]")
My third interview was with Tom Angleberger, author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. 
Decorate for the holidays, and irritate your parents with the 
