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.
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:
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:
Teens who submit links to their Book Trailer will automatically be entered in the contest. The top 3 winners will receive:
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 …
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.
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.
San Jose Public Library wants your recommendations for the International IMPAC Dublin award now! (Deadline May 16, 2013)
Is there a novel you read last year that you enjoyed? Nominate it for the IMPAC Dublin award!
Every year San Jose Public Library, along with other major libraries from around the world nominates a work of fiction written or translated in English published the preceding year for the International IMPAC Dublin Award. From the Long list of recommended books, a short list of 10 books is chosen by a jury of authors. From this list of finalists a winner is chosen and announced the following June.
The book must be a novel, published in English between January 1 and December 31, 2012 or an English translation of a book originally published between 2008-2012.
Post your recommendations below no later than May 16.
For more information on the IMPAC Dublin award: www.impacdublinaward.ie
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.
Celebrate the Month of the Young Child at the
25th Annual San Jose Children's Faire!
The Faire is expected to draw over 5,000 attendees to the outdoor festival, held at Discovery Meadow (in front of the Children's Discovery Museum), in downtown San José.
The theme this year is "Explore the Possibilities" and features family-oriented stage entertainment, special attractions, and activity booths offering hands-on activities for children ages 2-12. Families can obtain information about education, child care, recreational programs and health and safety resources.
For more information call 1-408-808-2617 or visit www.sjpl.org/moyc
The San José Public Library has a fun program for kids to practice their reading skills by reading to some friendly dogs, cats, and other animals. It's called Reading to Furry Friends. Kids are paired with an animal for some one-on-one reading time. This is a great way to encourage kids to improve their reading skills and develop relationships with animals.
If your kids need suggestions for what to read to them, here are some fun books that the listening animals might appreciate:
Oh No George! by Chris Haughton
George wants to be a good dog, but when his owner goes out for the day, he struggles with the temptations that all dogs surely face: digging in the flower garden, chasing the cat, and swiping some cake off the kitchen table. Will George be good?
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Dog is white with a black spot on one ear. But after a day spent romping, he comes back with a whole bunch of different color spots. Learn colors and number with this colorful canine!
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
The mother of this George despairs of ever getting her puppy to make the noise that all dogs must: BARK! A variety of other animal sounds come out of George, so she takes him to the vet to see what the problem is.
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
Kitten is convinced that the moon is a big bowl of milk just out of his reach. He will try almost anything to get that bowl of milk. Will Kitten go hungry or will he succeed?
Pete the Cat by James Dean
Pete loves his new white shoes. But as he walks down the street and steps in colorful mess after colorful mess, his shoes aren’t so white anymore. But that’s fine with Pete, who keeps singing his song and loving his shoes.
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? By Jan Thomas
What will Fat Cat sit on? All of the animals in this book just hope it won’t be them. Can they come up with a solution before it’s too late?
If your child wants to read to one of our furry friends, then check out the locations below for dates and times:
Celebrate the upcoming birthday of beloved children's book author Dr. Seuss! Special Dr. Seuss Birthday Parties will be held at several San Jose Public Library locations in early March. Kids will enjoy Seuss stories, Seuss-themed crafts, and other activities.
Dr. Seuss, author of The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and more than 40 other children's books, was born on March 2, 1904. His birthday coincides with the National Education Association's Read Across America Day, and many schools and libraries are holding special events to celebrate both.
Fun fact: Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, used the pseudonym Dr. Seuss for books he both wrote and illustrated, and the pseudonym Theo LeSieg for books he wrote that were illustrated by others. LeSieg is Geisel spelled backward! Find titles by both Theo LeSieg and Dr. Seuss at your local library. For all things Seuss, visit seussville.com -- and come to the library for a birthday celebration!
Enjoy the following paranormal romance titles at your library today! Let us know if there is a title that you would like the library to have by filling out and submitting the purchase suggestion form.
Hush, Hush (Series) by Becca Fitzpatrick
Nora Grey, a high school sophomore, lives with her widowed mother in a rural area near Portland, Maine. One day, Patch Cirpiano, a new and mysterious student joins her biology class and sits next to her. Eventually, after having several interactions with him, she soon finds herself attracted to him. In a turn of events, she discovers scars on Patch's back, leading him to admit that he is a fallen angel who seeks to become human. How will Nora respond to this shocking discovery?
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Michele Windsor has moved in with her grandparents in New York City after a family tragedy occurred. For many years, she has had romantic dreams of a mysterious man that she has never met before. While staying at her grandparent's mansion, she discovers a magical diary that transported her back to the year 1910. After being sent back to this year, she eventually meets the mysterious man who has been haunting her dreams and falls for him. Who is this man? Check out this title to find out more. You can also download this book from the library's Overdrive and Axis 360 eBook collections.
Shiver (Series) by Maggie Stiefvater
A moving, paranormal romance story about Grace and a mysterious wolf that often watches her from a nearby distance. Later, Grace discovers a wounded boy near her home and makes a shocking discovery that this boy is that same wolf in human form. Will their relationship last? Read more to find out. This title is also available in eBook and CD audio book formats.
Every Valentine’s Day, chocolate becomes part of the romantic holiday. From the moment chocolate was discovered, it was considered valuable, divine, and decadent, so what better gift to give lovers? The first chocolate candies were invented in the 1860s by Cadbury, who was also the first to market them in a heart-shaped box for Valentine's Day that same decade as quoted on luxist.com.
San Jose Public Library Collections
Valentine's Day Craft in San Jose Public Library
Valentine's Day Event
Congratulations BOTB 2013 Winners!
1st Place
Lizard Kingdom Progressive Rock
“Lizard Kingdom is heavily influenced by bands such as the Fall of Troy, Ricky Martin, Sha Na Na, Nickelback, Milli Vanilli, and Brian Wilson. In our spare time, we enjoy making balloon animals. Collectively our favorite food is pickles. Our pre-show ritual is we gather around, and run with scissors to display bravery.”

2nd Place
Cactus Experimental/Fusion
"Cactus is a group that plays for the sheer love of all different kinds of music, whether it be jazz, blues, alternative, classic rock, or Motown. Each practice is always different consisting of spontaneous new ideas every time. We enjoy the simple things in life, humor, and acting weird and crazy!"
3rd Place
Half N Half Indie Rock
“We have been together since Fall 2011, and started out playing covers. But with HALF of us wanting to play this, n Half of us wanting to play that, we finally decided to collaborate to write our own music! “
Supporters:
The library gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of its community sponsors:
