Author: Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin, adapted by Sarah Thomson
Title: Three Cups of Tea
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: 2009
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Nonfiction / Selective Biography
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: This edition is adapted from the bestselling adult version, also called Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson set out to climb K2 in Pakistan, the world’s second-highest mountain. His plan was to honour the memory of his sister, leaving a necklace that belonged to her at the summit. Mortenson didn’t make it to the summit, however, when all did not go as planned with his climbing party. On his way back down the mountain Mortenson got separated from his climbing party and stumbled, hungry and dehydrated, into the village of Korphe where he was treated as an honoured guest and taken care of though the people had little extra to give. Mortenson was grateful to his hosts, and observed a bit of village life during his recuperation in the village. He found out that the children in the village had no school, and shared a teacher with another mountain village, so that each group of children had an instructor only three days per week. On days when they had no teacher they would gather anyway and scratch out their math problems with sticks on the hard ground. Mortenson was amazed that the children had no facility or supplies to learn with, yet tried to learn whatever they could anyway. Mortenson promised to build Korphe a school, and returned to America to raise the money.
Mortenson sacrificed everything in his own life to raise the money needed to build a school for Korphe, and made some amazing friendships and connections along the way. His passion and dedication to the cause inspired other people to help raise money, including school children, fellow mountain climbers, and wealthy businessmen who wanted to give something back to the global community. Though it was a daunting task to get the school built in Korphe, as the village was nearly inaccessible, and a river had to be crossed to get the supplies into the village, Mortenson persevered. Ultimately, he was inspired to continue building schools in Pakistan and later Afghanistan. Mortenson believes wholeheartedly that by educating some of the world’s poorest children, he can play a role in promoting peace and strong communities.
Comments: This book is accessible and clearly written, and a wonderful read for young people who may be curious about children and youth in other parts of the world. There are a number of color photos inserted in the book for visual learners to get a better sense of what the landscape, people, and projects Mortenson has worked on are like. Life is so different in the communities that Mortenson worked with and visited, compared to North America. Reading about the willingness of very poor people to share everything they have is inspirational. The title refers to the regional proverb that when you first share a cup of tea, you are strangers. The next time you share tea you are friends. And the third time, you are family. Much of the bargaining and discussions Mortenson participates in take place over cups of tea, and Mortenson learns the value of taking the time to get to know a community rather than simply swooping in and trying to do what an outside perceives as best for the local people.
It is amazing what some of the children and teenagers would do to try to get some education, and incredible what their parents and communities would sacrifice to make that happen. Another large issue in the book is that of educating females; due to religious opinions that women should not be educated, Mortenson came up against certain obstacles in his quest to make sure that all children would get an education. His experience seemed to be that the communities and villages themselves generally wanted the girls to be educated, but sometimes there was a fear in the people that the regional religious leaders would find out and be angry. This is a fantastic book for juvenile and young adult readers, and hopefully they will gain an appreciation for how fortunate they are in receiving a guaranteed education in the western world, while considering how they too can help to promote peace and support giving an education to all who want and need it.
Dates Read: 26 March – 2 April
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Teens (website) - Wellington City Libraries
Author: Wellington City Libraries
Title: Teens
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description: This website from New Zealand has been designed with teens in mind, but does not offer many obvious ways for teens to get involved with helping to influence the content. There is extensive coverage of environmental topics with lots of resources to external information and sites. The teen blog is updated once a day and often more (by library staff), with current events, highlighted collection materials, books on film coverage, new books and music, and video clips, such as a recent one highlighting Earth Hour. Entries on new books often have a brief synopsis of the title posted as well. The blog is colourful and interactive, with videos to click on and lots of links to items in the collection as well as tags to help with browsing (in both list and cloud formats). Plus users can comment on blog posts. The tone of the entries that I perused on the blog are light-hearted and fun, which I think would attract teens and hopefully keep them reading on a regular basis.
One section of the teen area of the library website is called ‘Foundations.’ This includes graffiti, MCing, DJing, and dancing information, but it is difficult to tell how current the content is, as no dates are given. Each section has a spotlight on (and sometimes comments from) a local artist or musician involved in the related activity. This looks like a relevant and fun area for teens to find info about these ‘Foundations,’ but keeping the information current might be a challenge. These topics are very current and if the information gets outdated it could detract from the credibility of the site as a whole.
There is a homework help section of the website, but it’s not immediately obvious because it’s not included in the home page series of highlighted links. It is included at the bottom in a less obvious horizontal list of links, as well as in a drop-down menu across the top under ‘Your library / Teens / Study stop’ – so there are three levels of menu to navigate before finding the study page this way. The coverage of subjects looks pretty basic, though the formatting is attractive once you’ve reached the page. All links go to external homework help websites.
Comments: Overall, this is an attractive teen website. There is a good use of space, without filling the whole page full of text and images. Even with a number of lists of links, archived posts, tags and books lists, the page doesn’t look crammed full of information, which could be off-putting. Some of the content is updated frequently, and some of it is impossible to date, so it is not clear how new it is. This website has a lot of promise and hopefully it will continue to get developed and promoted to teens so that they continue visiting and also perhaps get a chance to contribute in the future. There is an image linking to a page where teens can read about submitting their art work to be included on the site, but this art page is not linked through the regular menus as far as I can see, and so it is difficult to know how much activity is going on around this idea of including teen artist in the website content. It does appear that the library staff care about developing this section of the library website to appeal to teens, which is great!
Date Viewed: 3 April 2009
Title: Teens
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description: This website from New Zealand has been designed with teens in mind, but does not offer many obvious ways for teens to get involved with helping to influence the content. There is extensive coverage of environmental topics with lots of resources to external information and sites. The teen blog is updated once a day and often more (by library staff), with current events, highlighted collection materials, books on film coverage, new books and music, and video clips, such as a recent one highlighting Earth Hour. Entries on new books often have a brief synopsis of the title posted as well. The blog is colourful and interactive, with videos to click on and lots of links to items in the collection as well as tags to help with browsing (in both list and cloud formats). Plus users can comment on blog posts. The tone of the entries that I perused on the blog are light-hearted and fun, which I think would attract teens and hopefully keep them reading on a regular basis.
One section of the teen area of the library website is called ‘Foundations.’ This includes graffiti, MCing, DJing, and dancing information, but it is difficult to tell how current the content is, as no dates are given. Each section has a spotlight on (and sometimes comments from) a local artist or musician involved in the related activity. This looks like a relevant and fun area for teens to find info about these ‘Foundations,’ but keeping the information current might be a challenge. These topics are very current and if the information gets outdated it could detract from the credibility of the site as a whole.
There is a homework help section of the website, but it’s not immediately obvious because it’s not included in the home page series of highlighted links. It is included at the bottom in a less obvious horizontal list of links, as well as in a drop-down menu across the top under ‘Your library / Teens / Study stop’ – so there are three levels of menu to navigate before finding the study page this way. The coverage of subjects looks pretty basic, though the formatting is attractive once you’ve reached the page. All links go to external homework help websites.
Comments: Overall, this is an attractive teen website. There is a good use of space, without filling the whole page full of text and images. Even with a number of lists of links, archived posts, tags and books lists, the page doesn’t look crammed full of information, which could be off-putting. Some of the content is updated frequently, and some of it is impossible to date, so it is not clear how new it is. This website has a lot of promise and hopefully it will continue to get developed and promoted to teens so that they continue visiting and also perhaps get a chance to contribute in the future. There is an image linking to a page where teens can read about submitting their art work to be included on the site, but this art page is not linked through the regular menus as far as I can see, and so it is difficult to know how much activity is going on around this idea of including teen artist in the website content. It does appear that the library staff care about developing this section of the library website to appeal to teens, which is great!
Date Viewed: 3 April 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Ramp – Toronto Public Library
Author: Toronto Public Library
Title: Ramp
Age range: 13 - 19
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description & Comments: Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) website for teens has great coverage of a lot of relevant topics for teens, from extensive and detailed homework help and resources, to links for entertainment of all sorts, there is enough here for any teenager to find something interesting. TPL also provides a great forum for teens to interact with each other and to contribute to the content of the site. The home page features a book of the week suggestion, and having frequently updated content is crucial to keeping patrons coming back, I think. By providing information related to travel and employment, as well as university life and financial resources, TPL has really created one-stop-shopping for teens looking for information about many aspects of their life and future options. Where possible, TPL also highlights their collection related to the many themes on the site, for example by providing an annotated and illustrated bibliography of travel books that might appeal to teens in their travel section. There is extensive content related to health and fitness for teens, presented in an appealing way. The website comes across as authoritative because they’ve included so much information. I also like the page of ideas for free/cheap date destinations in Toronto!
Another great thing about the website is that there are lots of ways for teens to contribute and show off their creativity. Several branches of the TPL system put out their own zines. TPL is keeping things fun and fresh with lots of updated content and a wide range of ideas for what teens are interested in. This website is fantastic! It provides a great example for other library systems to look to as a guide for providing teens with relevant and interactive content.
Date Viewed: 2 April 2009
Title: Ramp
Age range: 13 - 19
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description & Comments: Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) website for teens has great coverage of a lot of relevant topics for teens, from extensive and detailed homework help and resources, to links for entertainment of all sorts, there is enough here for any teenager to find something interesting. TPL also provides a great forum for teens to interact with each other and to contribute to the content of the site. The home page features a book of the week suggestion, and having frequently updated content is crucial to keeping patrons coming back, I think. By providing information related to travel and employment, as well as university life and financial resources, TPL has really created one-stop-shopping for teens looking for information about many aspects of their life and future options. Where possible, TPL also highlights their collection related to the many themes on the site, for example by providing an annotated and illustrated bibliography of travel books that might appeal to teens in their travel section. There is extensive content related to health and fitness for teens, presented in an appealing way. The website comes across as authoritative because they’ve included so much information. I also like the page of ideas for free/cheap date destinations in Toronto!
Another great thing about the website is that there are lots of ways for teens to contribute and show off their creativity. Several branches of the TPL system put out their own zines. TPL is keeping things fun and fresh with lots of updated content and a wide range of ideas for what teens are interested in. This website is fantastic! It provides a great example for other library systems to look to as a guide for providing teens with relevant and interactive content.
Date Viewed: 2 April 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Television show review: Dead Like Me (Season One)
Title: Dead Like Me (Season One)
Main actors: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, Christine Willis
Creator: Bryan Fuller
Release date: 27 June, 2003 (Canada)
Age range: 16 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot Summary: George (Georgia, actually) is an 18 year-old girl who met an accidental death after dropping out of college. Her mother pushes her to get a job and move out; during her lunch break on her first day at a temp agency George is hit by a flying object from space and killed. After she dies she finds out that a select few people become ‘reapers’ – responsible for removing people’s souls before they suffer a violent death. The system is in place to minimize the trauma souls experience. Most ordinary deaths don’t require a reaper’s assistance. Georgia becomes a reaper, but she has trouble obeying the rules, and a lot of trouble coping with her own sudden death when she hadn’t accomplished much in her young life.
Rube is the boss, and he hands out yellow Post-Its every day with a name, location, and estimated time of death. Georgia and her fellow reapers are responsible for being there at the right time to touch the person about to die and then help the soul find their way to the bright lights of heaven. Each of the group of five reapers who meet every morning over waffles and coffee at the same diner has their own backstory and well-developed personality. They all died in different eras so there are occasional flashbacks to explain how their first brushes with death came to pass. Georgia is the youngest in terms of her age at her death, and she is constantly pushing the boundaries and questioning why she can’t save other people who are scheduled to die, or otherwise shirk her responsibilities. Meanwhile her family moves on and she has to deal with observing that process as well, and being outside of it, yet the subject of their mourning.
Comments: This series is full of humor and also the thoughtful treatment of death. Each of the reapers has to find some way to support themselves even in death, as they need a place to live and money for food. So a lot of the action has to do with working dead-end (so to speak) jobs (Georgia goes back to the temp agency even after her disastrous first experience!) and squatting in the no-longer-needed apartments of the recently deceased. Georgia is full of disgust for her predicament, and she’s grumpy most of the time. She also can’t let go of her family even though while she was alive she didn’t get along with her mother or her younger sister at all. Now she visits them secretly and wishes she had made more of her life while she was alive. The reason I would recommend this for older teens is that in the DVD version at least, there is strong language and some sexual content, mostly in conversations. This is a great series, very inventive, and it’s a shame it was canceled after only two seasons. I’m now waiting for HPL's copy of season two!
Date Viewed: 27 February – 8 March
Main actors: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, Christine Willis
Creator: Bryan Fuller
Release date: 27 June, 2003 (Canada)
Age range: 16 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot Summary: George (Georgia, actually) is an 18 year-old girl who met an accidental death after dropping out of college. Her mother pushes her to get a job and move out; during her lunch break on her first day at a temp agency George is hit by a flying object from space and killed. After she dies she finds out that a select few people become ‘reapers’ – responsible for removing people’s souls before they suffer a violent death. The system is in place to minimize the trauma souls experience. Most ordinary deaths don’t require a reaper’s assistance. Georgia becomes a reaper, but she has trouble obeying the rules, and a lot of trouble coping with her own sudden death when she hadn’t accomplished much in her young life.
Rube is the boss, and he hands out yellow Post-Its every day with a name, location, and estimated time of death. Georgia and her fellow reapers are responsible for being there at the right time to touch the person about to die and then help the soul find their way to the bright lights of heaven. Each of the group of five reapers who meet every morning over waffles and coffee at the same diner has their own backstory and well-developed personality. They all died in different eras so there are occasional flashbacks to explain how their first brushes with death came to pass. Georgia is the youngest in terms of her age at her death, and she is constantly pushing the boundaries and questioning why she can’t save other people who are scheduled to die, or otherwise shirk her responsibilities. Meanwhile her family moves on and she has to deal with observing that process as well, and being outside of it, yet the subject of their mourning.
Comments: This series is full of humor and also the thoughtful treatment of death. Each of the reapers has to find some way to support themselves even in death, as they need a place to live and money for food. So a lot of the action has to do with working dead-end (so to speak) jobs (Georgia goes back to the temp agency even after her disastrous first experience!) and squatting in the no-longer-needed apartments of the recently deceased. Georgia is full of disgust for her predicament, and she’s grumpy most of the time. She also can’t let go of her family even though while she was alive she didn’t get along with her mother or her younger sister at all. Now she visits them secretly and wishes she had made more of her life while she was alive. The reason I would recommend this for older teens is that in the DVD version at least, there is strong language and some sexual content, mostly in conversations. This is a great series, very inventive, and it’s a shame it was canceled after only two seasons. I’m now waiting for HPL's copy of season two!
Date Viewed: 27 February – 8 March
Monday, March 30, 2009
Magazine review – Cosmo Girl
Magazine: Cosmo Girl
Cover Story: Mila Kunis
Publication Date: October 2008
Age Range: 14 - 19
Genre: Fashion / Celebrities / Makeup
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This magazine is chock-full of makeup tips and advertisements for fashion items out of most teen’s budgets. Designer ads for perfume, makeup, and shoes are peppered throughout. There is a bit of discussion of social issues like drinking and smoking marijuana which are age-appropriate conversations to be having, and the magazine writers are clearly of the opinion that teens don’t need to be preached to, but that encouragement to use one’s best judgment is a good thing. There is also a two page spread of a follow-up story about a group of overweight teens who went through a special program to lose weight and improve their confidence about their bodies. Although it is great to see at least a few images of teens who are not slender with perfect skin, they are presented as part of a program to get thinner, which doesn’t seem like an ideal message to impart.
For the most part, this is simply Cosmopolitan magazine, minus the sex life tips, with a bit of information about universities in the US added, and repackaged for teenagers. Instructions for five steps to getting your fake eyelashes on correctly seem a bit over the top. The two highlighted fashion trends include ‘black magic’ - with everything in black or shades of gray from a black wig to glossy ‘patent’ black lipstick, and ‘circus showtime’ - with bright pinks and yellow eye makeup, frothy hairstyles and voluminous multi-layered ball gowns. Both photoshoots are over the top and extreme! Teens might find one aspect of one look they’d like to try, though, so the photos would certainly appeal to a teen who is experimenting with fashion as part of body image.
There are a lot of connections to current films and television series, especially those that promote brand name fashion, glamorous lifestyles, and dating cute guys. Considering the timing of the issue there is minimal Twilight coverage – a mere two page spread of three of the central male actors: Robert Pattinson (Edward), Taylor Lautner (Jacob), and Kellan Lutz (Emmett). Of course the “boys of Twilight” merit a mention at the very top of the cover, however!
Dates Read: 28 - 29 March
Cover Story: Mila Kunis
Publication Date: October 2008
Age Range: 14 - 19
Genre: Fashion / Celebrities / Makeup
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This magazine is chock-full of makeup tips and advertisements for fashion items out of most teen’s budgets. Designer ads for perfume, makeup, and shoes are peppered throughout. There is a bit of discussion of social issues like drinking and smoking marijuana which are age-appropriate conversations to be having, and the magazine writers are clearly of the opinion that teens don’t need to be preached to, but that encouragement to use one’s best judgment is a good thing. There is also a two page spread of a follow-up story about a group of overweight teens who went through a special program to lose weight and improve their confidence about their bodies. Although it is great to see at least a few images of teens who are not slender with perfect skin, they are presented as part of a program to get thinner, which doesn’t seem like an ideal message to impart.
For the most part, this is simply Cosmopolitan magazine, minus the sex life tips, with a bit of information about universities in the US added, and repackaged for teenagers. Instructions for five steps to getting your fake eyelashes on correctly seem a bit over the top. The two highlighted fashion trends include ‘black magic’ - with everything in black or shades of gray from a black wig to glossy ‘patent’ black lipstick, and ‘circus showtime’ - with bright pinks and yellow eye makeup, frothy hairstyles and voluminous multi-layered ball gowns. Both photoshoots are over the top and extreme! Teens might find one aspect of one look they’d like to try, though, so the photos would certainly appeal to a teen who is experimenting with fashion as part of body image.
There are a lot of connections to current films and television series, especially those that promote brand name fashion, glamorous lifestyles, and dating cute guys. Considering the timing of the issue there is minimal Twilight coverage – a mere two page spread of three of the central male actors: Robert Pattinson (Edward), Taylor Lautner (Jacob), and Kellan Lutz (Emmett). Of course the “boys of Twilight” merit a mention at the very top of the cover, however!
Dates Read: 28 - 29 March
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Bloody Jack – L. A. Meyer
Author: L. A. Meyer
Title: Bloody Jack
Publisher: Harcourt
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Mary “Jacky” Faber lives the life of an early 19th century London street urchin following the death of her entire family due to a nasty plague. Accustomed to keeping her wits about her and surviving on beggar’s earnings, Mary finds a new family and friendship with a gang of similar orphans. They all live in fear of a man named Muck who collects corpses to sell to medical students and doctors for dissection. When the leader of their orphan gang is killed, Mary grabs her chance to escape London, dons the boy’s clothes, and volunteers as a ship’s boy on the HMS Dolphin. Calling herself “Jacky,” she assists the ship’s tutor, as she possesses the valuable skill of being able to read. The smallest of the ship’s boys, no one suspects she is a teenage girl, and she takes great pains to reinforce what she calls ‘the Deception.’ She can’t help but fall for Jaimy, though, the only one of the ship’s boys with any breeding and manners.
The new gang of friends bond over anchor tattoos, shore leave, and their plans to move up the ranks of the sailors as they grow bigger and stronger. But Jacky has trouble staying out of harm’s way and keeping her head down. She makes enemies of sailors who believe they have the right to abuse ship’s boys as the lowest of the low on board, and has to fend off the advances of one or two men with unsavory inclinations toward helpless young boys. When Jaimy finds out that Jacky is actually a boy she is thrilled to no longer keep up the deception with him – and he is smitten with her. Unfortunately they are separated when the ship nearly sinks after a battle with pirates – Jacky just can’t seem to catch a break!
Comments: Jacky is quite the character – confident and self-reliant yet always getting herself into trouble and wishing her life would contain just a little less adventure! This book is very funny – Jacky thinks she is dying when she starts menstruating for the first time because she has never had a female role model to tell her what is going on. The lengths that Jacky must go to to hide her gender range from hacking off her hair as short as possible to rolling up some fabric and sewing it into her underwear to create the right sort of silhouette. She distinguishes herself with her sewing skills and desire to better herself, recognizing that education and observation are the keys to a better life. Jacky can get a bit carried away trying to show off, with music and dancing skills, and it always gets her into trouble to attract so much attention, but she can’t seem to help it! I look forward to continuing to read this series, as Jacky is enrolled at a finishing school in Boston after she helps recover a shipload of pirate treasure. Will she and Jaimy be separated forever?
Dates Read: 22 – 28 March
Title: Bloody Jack
Publisher: Harcourt
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Mary “Jacky” Faber lives the life of an early 19th century London street urchin following the death of her entire family due to a nasty plague. Accustomed to keeping her wits about her and surviving on beggar’s earnings, Mary finds a new family and friendship with a gang of similar orphans. They all live in fear of a man named Muck who collects corpses to sell to medical students and doctors for dissection. When the leader of their orphan gang is killed, Mary grabs her chance to escape London, dons the boy’s clothes, and volunteers as a ship’s boy on the HMS Dolphin. Calling herself “Jacky,” she assists the ship’s tutor, as she possesses the valuable skill of being able to read. The smallest of the ship’s boys, no one suspects she is a teenage girl, and she takes great pains to reinforce what she calls ‘the Deception.’ She can’t help but fall for Jaimy, though, the only one of the ship’s boys with any breeding and manners.
The new gang of friends bond over anchor tattoos, shore leave, and their plans to move up the ranks of the sailors as they grow bigger and stronger. But Jacky has trouble staying out of harm’s way and keeping her head down. She makes enemies of sailors who believe they have the right to abuse ship’s boys as the lowest of the low on board, and has to fend off the advances of one or two men with unsavory inclinations toward helpless young boys. When Jaimy finds out that Jacky is actually a boy she is thrilled to no longer keep up the deception with him – and he is smitten with her. Unfortunately they are separated when the ship nearly sinks after a battle with pirates – Jacky just can’t seem to catch a break!
Comments: Jacky is quite the character – confident and self-reliant yet always getting herself into trouble and wishing her life would contain just a little less adventure! This book is very funny – Jacky thinks she is dying when she starts menstruating for the first time because she has never had a female role model to tell her what is going on. The lengths that Jacky must go to to hide her gender range from hacking off her hair as short as possible to rolling up some fabric and sewing it into her underwear to create the right sort of silhouette. She distinguishes herself with her sewing skills and desire to better herself, recognizing that education and observation are the keys to a better life. Jacky can get a bit carried away trying to show off, with music and dancing skills, and it always gets her into trouble to attract so much attention, but she can’t seem to help it! I look forward to continuing to read this series, as Jacky is enrolled at a finishing school in Boston after she helps recover a shipload of pirate treasure. Will she and Jaimy be separated forever?
Dates Read: 22 – 28 March
Monday, March 23, 2009
Magazine review – Faze
Magazine: Faze
Cover Story: The White Stripes
Publication Date: Spring 2006
Age Range: 13 - 18
Genre: Music / Celebrities / Current Events
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a Canadian magazine out of Toronto and directed towards teens. Faze claims to be Canada's #1 Teen Magazine. The vibe is very positive and enthusiastic, plus it deals with a number of topics rather than focusing just on music or beauty, as a number of magazines do. I feel like this magazine has something for everyone. There is a focus on music, investing, getting a job, the successes of other teens, and even prom. The graphics are engaging and the amount of text is not overwhelming, with varied fonts and sizes of text. Overall the magazine leans a bit toward female readers, with a section toward the back about makeup and accessories for prom, plus horoscopes. But it’s not a super-girly magazine.
The current events that are highlighted tend to be bizarre and unusual, like “Malaysian girl killed by lightning – while answering her cell phone” - very attention-grabbing! The news is presented in small snippets rather than full articles. The cover story about The White Stripes focuses on how Jack and Meg White have remained true to their artistic vision and their own personalities even though they’ve become very successful. Mentions of celebrities tend to focus on positive things they are doing, like founding charities or contributing to society in a meaningful way. A lot of the content comes from teens, who have been interviewed or surveyed for their opinions about what makes a great best friend, or how sex education should be handled in schools. The overall message is that everyone is unique and should value themselves for their own qualities rather then try to be thinner or different in some way.
Dates Read: 22 – 23 March
Cover Story: The White Stripes
Publication Date: Spring 2006
Age Range: 13 - 18
Genre: Music / Celebrities / Current Events
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a Canadian magazine out of Toronto and directed towards teens. Faze claims to be Canada's #1 Teen Magazine. The vibe is very positive and enthusiastic, plus it deals with a number of topics rather than focusing just on music or beauty, as a number of magazines do. I feel like this magazine has something for everyone. There is a focus on music, investing, getting a job, the successes of other teens, and even prom. The graphics are engaging and the amount of text is not overwhelming, with varied fonts and sizes of text. Overall the magazine leans a bit toward female readers, with a section toward the back about makeup and accessories for prom, plus horoscopes. But it’s not a super-girly magazine.
The current events that are highlighted tend to be bizarre and unusual, like “Malaysian girl killed by lightning – while answering her cell phone” - very attention-grabbing! The news is presented in small snippets rather than full articles. The cover story about The White Stripes focuses on how Jack and Meg White have remained true to their artistic vision and their own personalities even though they’ve become very successful. Mentions of celebrities tend to focus on positive things they are doing, like founding charities or contributing to society in a meaningful way. A lot of the content comes from teens, who have been interviewed or surveyed for their opinions about what makes a great best friend, or how sex education should be handled in schools. The overall message is that everyone is unique and should value themselves for their own qualities rather then try to be thinner or different in some way.
Dates Read: 22 – 23 March
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