DIESEL Bookstore in Larkspur -- the nice folks who worked with us to bring Gene Yang to Marin -- sends us a cool opportunity that may interest kids ages 13-18:

DIESEL, A Bookstore in Larkspur is looking for ten enthusiastic, dedicated, book-loving teens who can commit to one Saturday evening per month. Do you love to read? Do you like to write? Do you think some authors are cooler than rockstars? Do you want a community role that won't take up all your study time? If you answered "yes", then you might be a DIESEL BookStar. 
​Here's what the BookStars do:

• Give us feedback on books, including writing recommendations
• Attend one Saturday meeting per month
• Promote author events via social media channels
• Volunteer for at least one event each year (either a little kids author event or charity gift wrapping during the holidays)

Here's what the BookStars get:

• Access to Young Adult books prior to publication
• A chance to engage and volunteer in the community
• To hang out with other book lovers
• A glimpse behind-the-scenes of the book world
• Special invitations to BookStar-only events and field trips

This opportunity is only available to ten serious applicants who are aged between 13 and 18. To be considered, please write a brief statement of interest, including what you can contribute to the group. Email it to Clare Doornbos at clare@dieselbookstore.com with the subject “BookStar”. Meetings will be held on the last Saturday of the month at 5pm at DIESEL, A Bookstore in Marin Country Mart.

Congratulations to Gene Yang!  The Library of Congress just named him the national ambassador for young people's literature, making him the first graphic novelist to be honored in this way.  His latest graphic novel, Secret Coders, was praised by the New York Times for its "sly" way of teaching kids the elements of computer programming. 
 
MVGATE was honored to host Gene last October in Larkspur for his interactive presentation of Secret Coders.  His enthusiasm for coding was shared by the eager MVGATE kids of Marin:

Our favorite quotes included:

• “When you finish Harry Potter, you can't go and become a real wizard yourself.  But when you finish Secret Coders, you can learn to become a real coder.”
  
• “You can use coding to train your brain.” 
  
• “Whatever you do in life, learning to code will make you better at it.” 
  

Gene's a good educator, a good writer, and a good guy.  We're thrilled to see him honored for his work, and we look forward to many happy collaborations ahead.

Wow. And exactly right. Kids on the web are going to encounter hate and love, inspiration and sickness, and the entire beautiful and frightening cacophony of the world. What they need is a loving adult they know they can talk to, just being there when they need them. Dinner together won’t solve every problem online by a long shot, but knowing we can always talk, that we’re always there, provides kids the essential access point to your wisdom and support. Not to mention keeping up on the latest from 1D.