Tully News
Current Size: 100%
text size
Subscribe to this blog: 
Calfresh Pre-screening and Application Assistance at the Library
Formerly known as the food stamp program, Calfresh is the state of California’s supplemental food budgeting program. Its purpose is to assist low-income families and individuals with getting the food and nutrition they need. Participants in the program use a EBT card to buy food the same way they would use any other debit card at grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
Various branches of the San Jose Public Library host ongoing pre-screening and application assistance sessions for those who think they may qualify for the program. See our events calendar for dates, times, and locations.
Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties has some very helpful information on its web site about how the Calfresh Program works and who is eligible for it. It also debunks common myths about the program (for example, applying can’t hurt your immigration status and you don’t need to have children to be eligible).
Life Bites
Well, at least for Vladimir Tod. Vlad is just a teenager who wants a normal life and school. You see, Vladimir isn’t human, he’s a vampire. Well technically half; his mom was human while his dad was a vampire. Despite the fact that his species suck blood from humans and leave them hallow and dead, Vlad doesn’t kill for his food, he just drinks blood bags. So he doesn’t draw that much attention to himself. That all changes when his English teacher goes missing and Otis, the new teacher, starts snooping around his life. Vlad thought all he had to worry about was figuring out a way to ask Meredith out; now he has to worry about enemies he didn’t even know existed and a possible vampire prophecy hanging over his head. Nope, life isn’t normal for Vladimir Tod, but what teenager doesn’t have problems? Life definitely bites. Check out Vladimir’s adventures in the five book series, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites, Ninth Grade Slays, Tenth Grade Bleeds, Eleventh Grade Burns, and Twelfth Grade Kills.
2013 Book Trailer Contest
The San José Public Library invites teens to create a book trailer for our Summer Reading Celebration during the months of June and July. Upload a short clip, no longer than 4 minutes, to YouTube. Be creative! The contest is open to all participants in the Teen Summer Reading Celebration.
How to enter:
Think of a favorite book you read for Summer Reading and envision it as a short video, one that will capture the interest of your audience. Create your own book trailer, reviewing the book. You can submit more than one video, but each video has to be for a separate book.
- Sign up for Summer Reading starting on June 1, 2013.
- Post the video on YouTube using the tag: SJPL2013SRC
- Submit the YouTube link to your book trailer along with your name, age, contact information (either a phone number or email) and your library branch to: 2013SJPLBookTrailerContest@gmail.com
- All entries must be submitted by July 31, 2013
- Book trailers may not be longer than four minutes in length
- Story being reviewed should be a young adult or adult fiction or non-fiction book.
- Cite all images, video and audio that you did not create
A panel of judges (staff at San José Public Library) will review all entries and select the top three winners, to be announced in August 2013. The panel of judges will use the following criteria when reviewing book trailer entries:
- Content: Clear introduction; strong hook; summary without dominating narration; fresh and interesting commentary with strong conclusion
- Voice/Sound: Interesting; well-rehearsed; smooth delivery; holds audience attention; easy to hear narration over soundtrack; voice sounds natural and helps convey meaning; soundtrack adds to tone/feel of presentation
- Images: Crisp, clear, engaging, enriching, extending details and meaning; appropriately cited.
- Presentation: All elements (color and graphics) work together seamlessly to create an interesting book trailer
Need some examples? Check out the winning entry from last year's Book Trailer Contest, created by K. Rai.
Here are links to some professional book trailers:
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu
Teens who submit links to their Book Trailer will automatically be entered in the contest. The top 3 winners will receive:
.jpg)
- 1st place: iPad Mini
- 2nd place: $50 gift card for iTunes
- 3rd place: $25 gift card for Jamba Juice
Graphic Novel Making Contest 2013
If you have a talent for creating comic/manga style illustrated short stories, you are invited to enter San José Public Library’s Graphic Novel Making Contest for all ages as part of our Summer Reading Celebration, 2013. This contest is sponsored by San José Public Library, Hijinx Comics, San José Museum of Art and TRY Japan Culture Group.
Here’s how to enter …
- Create your own comic book with a maximum length of 8 pages, including the cover page.
- Use letter-size paper (8.5 x 11) with black-and-white drawings and text on one side only.
- Each submission must be the creative and original work of a single individual—the author/illustrator.
- The contest is limited to amateur authors/ illustrators only.
- Computer generated images are acceptable as long as they are your original work (no clip art)
- Consider submitting a photocopy that is an accurate reflection of the original (as submissions are non-returnable).
- San José Public Library reserves the right to reproduce your work. You can reuse all your work after the contest.
- Be sure to print and complete the creative works release form. Include your Name, Age, Contact Information and Signature.
- Entries can be submitted to any San José Public Library location no later than 8p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2013.
- Entries can also be submitted online to sjplgraphicnovelmakingcontest@gmail.com as a jpeg or pdf attachment.
- There is a limit of one entry per contestant.
Entries will be judged on content and illustrations by a panel of library staff and comic industry professionals. All cash prizes will be awarded as gift cards.
- Children (up to age 6): first prize $25; second prize $15
- Children (7-12): first prize $40; second prize $20
- Teens (ages 13-17): first prize $100; second prize $70; third prize $50
- Adults (age 18 and above): first prize $100; second prize $70; third prize $50
Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at a reception to be held at the Seven Trees Branch Library on Saturday, August 24th at 2:00 p.m.in the Community Room.
Check out the award winning entries from 2012, 2011 and 2010.
San José Public Library staff members are ineligible to participate.
San José Public Library reserves the right to refuse submissions that are not appropriate for a general audience. This contest is open to all California residents.
Discover the Bay Area
We all need to get away every now and then. Instead of spending hours on a plane or a car, why not discover a nearby Bay Area gem? The newly reopened Exploratorium in San Francisco is no doubt on the to-do list of most families. But that's just scratching the surface of a rich and vibrant region.
Whether you're new to the area or lived here your whole life, there is much to explore outside of your door. From restaurants, museums, hiking and biking, there's something for everyone.
The library has a rich selection of resources to help you plan a fun excursion. In addition, our Discover and Go service offers free or reduced ticket prices for Bay Area Museums.
Here are some library materials to help you discover the Bay Area:
The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Finished with the Percy Jackson series? But dying to read more? Have no fear, Rick Riordan has written a sequel series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians! The first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The Lost Hero, starts off with three kids on a school trip who discover encounter something entirely out of their world. Leo, Piper, and Jason soon discover that they have a godly parent and are demigods (half-human, half-god). Although Percy Jackson is not present in the first book, Percy is definitely mentioned and will come back later. They are also three of the seven demigods destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Follow their journey, discover their secrets, and find out what they were born to do; find out in The Lost Hero.
Finished with The Lost Hero? Read the sequels: The Son of Neptune (#2), The Mark of Athena(#3), and The House of Hades (coming Fall 2013)
Read to Children and Make a Difference!
Give children the joy of reading by reading aloud to youngsters at one of the San Jose Public Libraries. Reading occurs in the library's children's area at designated times throughout the day. Specialized training is provided to all incoming volunteers. Several of our library branches are seeking volunteers to read to children on an ongoing basis (minimum 6 month commitment). Bilingual volunteers (Spanish/English) are especially needed. This position requires fingerprinting.
Training is on Saturday, June 22, 2013 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm at the King Library. Please complete the application form and register for training here.
The Goddess Test Trilogy
Aimee Carter’s young adult debut The Goddess Test is a great read for teens who have read (and who are planning to read) the Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series. This novel brilliantly incorporates the world of Greek Mythology and legends based on Greek folklore, but at the same time maintaining the reader’s interest.
The first book in the Goddess Test series is The Goddess Test. And the first book of this trilogy introduces a girl named Kate whose mother is very sick. Kate knows that her mother is going to die, and she’ll do anything to make her happy; so they drive up to Eden, the town where her mom’s was raised. At Eden, Kate begins to encounter weird things, people, and even places. There she discovers that the Greek Gods are real, and Henry-who claims to be Hades, The God of the Underworld - is giving Kate a chance to save her mother if she agrees to become his future wife, and the Queen of the Underworld. All she has to do is pass the tests.
There are seven tests she must pass, but these seven tests can be administered anywhere and at anytime; however, 11 girls have tried to take these tests, and all of them have died. This book is full of suspense, mystery, drama, and love; it’s a book I couldn’t put down! The sequel, Goddess Interrupted, was much more enticing, and it became much more suspenseful as you reached the end. But both books had great endings, unfortunately the sequel ended with such a big cliffhanger that it left the readers wanting more! The final book in the trilogy, The Goddess Inheritance, comes out February 26, 2013, and I can’t wait to see how Aimee Carter ends this brilliant series! Check out The Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted at a library near you. And request your copy of The Goddess Inheritance to finally know how it ends.
Waiting for Something Big? Well Here’s the Next Big Thing: Dystopian Novels
In a future where society decides everything for you: what you see, when you die, even what you believe. They even choose your soul mate during a Matching ceremony. When Cassia is being matched, she is relieved she is matched with her lifelong friend. But then the screen goes black, and for an instant she sees Ky Markham’s face instead of Xander’s. It’s only for a few seconds, and society tells her it’s a glitch, but Cassie thinks about Ky a lot; now she begins to doubt her matching, and society. Will Cassia go against society’s decision and fall in love with Ky? Cassia is risking a lot, and putting everything on the line; however, is she willing to pave out her own path and face the impossible choice? Find out in Matched.
Sequels: #2 Crossed, #3 Reached
After the Second Civil War over reproductive rights, America had given parents the right to unwind their kids if they were between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. What’s unwinding? Unwinding is when parents decide to have their children taken apart organ by organ and have their parts "donated" to those people who need them. Kids don’t have a choice if they what to be unwound or not, they don’t have that right. But when one boy goes against everything and runs away from his unwinding, he doesn’t realize he’s about to change everything!
Sequels: #2 UnWholly, #3 UnSouled (coming Fall 2013)
Love. It’s so easy to fall in love, but it’s easier to be hurt by the ones you love. That’s why love is now considered a disease. Anybody who shows any type of emotion or even dares to fall in love is taken and disconnected from the world. They practically disappear. And ninety-five days before Lena’s eighteenth birthday and her chance to be "cured" and be safe from the delirium of love, she falls in love herself. Lena must decided whether to get the cure and live a safe, happy, and predictable life; or live a life of adventure, full of excitement, and be with the boy she’s in love with.
Sequels: #2 Pandemonium, #3 Requiem
Warm Bodies and Other Zombie Picks
Zombies are flesh eating monsters that have taken over the earth. There are only a few lucky humans that have survived the apocalypse and are trying their best to escape this epidemic. Then there’s R. He’s not human; he’s a zombie, but not quite. R has feelings, he dreams, and actually thinks for himself. But while on a hunt for humans, he meets Julie. You could say she’s the girl of his dreams. He doesn’t kill her or eat her; he just takes her back to the airplane where he lives. Despite her feelings toward zombies Julie begins to trust R, and thus beginning their journey to change the world. A book from a zombie’s perspective, we learn what it really means to be dead and how to live again. And if you liked the book Warm Bodies a lot, then go check out the movie starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer! Which one did you like best? The movie, the book, or both? Comment below and voice your opinions! :D
Not enough zombie action? Check out these other YA zombie novels:
- Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
- Zombie Blondes by Brian James
- You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay
- Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
- Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by E. Van Lowe
- Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Interests
Tags
1st Grade Booklist books business children eBooks fiction films kids King Library music reading teensBlog Archives
- May 2013 (49)
- April 2013 (52)
- March 2013 (67)
- February 2013 (62)
