When Librarians Attack

Tired of Zombies?

2012-01-21T23:11:00.041-06:00

Not that there can ever be too many zombie apocalypse books, but perhaps it's time to move on. In that spirit, how about a robot apocalypse? Even better, it's frighteningly convincing, written by a roboticist as a mashup of "Terminator", "Chucky", and Slade's Children.

Yes, the evil robot overlord has taken control of every linked technology in the world, turning it all against the puny humans. Most are murdered by their caretakers and helpers, but a few are rounded up in slave labor camps (where they are experimented on by their captors), and fewer still are hiding in isolated pockets of resistance: the low-tech Osage Nation, an elderly Japanese manufacturer, some small Army units.

Haiti's Earthquake in YA Fiction

2012-01-12T22:22:00.000-06:00

I just finished Nick Lake's newest YA novel, In Darkness, on a Kindle from my library. Since I loved his Blood Ninja two years ago, I was eager to read it. It was the first eBook-format ARC I had seen, and the download made it super easy to acquire and to read!

Shorty is a young, fatherless Haitian boy, living in the desparate Port-au-Prince slum called Site Soley. Rival gangs run drugs and guns, but are revered as benefactors of the destitute families who live within Site Soley. Pre-earthquake foreign aid workers are sometimes benevolent, but other times contribute to the local violence. By the time of the Haitian earthquake, Shorty has joined his local gang in killing rivals, getting shot himself. He is recovering in the hospital when it collapses on him during the earthquake.

Trapped alone in the dark with decaying bodies, Shorty recalls his own life, but also channels the memories of Toussaint l'Ouverture as he lead a Haitian revolution against the slavery and colonialism of the French. As Shorty drifts in and out of his own memories, we realize that his neighborhood has returned to the conditions of slavery that his ancestors fought against. A little history and a lot of current affairs should appeal to teens who are aware of international news. The depiction of gang life, some bloody violence, and a little voudou will appeal to many others.

Why yes, as a matter of fact, we are.

2011-11-27T21:56:00.002-06:00

For all the right reasons. And, librarians are the most collaborative, and communicative, and, I suspect, empathetic. It's all those reference interviews.

You had me at "Well hello there..."

2011-11-03T23:58:00.002-05:00

Jian Ghomeshi's CBC Radio “curatorial show,” Q, is always fascinating and often keeps me in the car long after I’ve reached my destination – just to hear the end of a great song or interview. It’s been two nights in a row now: first, William Shatner’s analysis of why our relationships with our favorite radio performers seem so intimate was especially fascinating under the circumstances…

Today, Jian interviewed Mark Schatzker, humor writer for The Globe and Mail. Schatzker's short column about Occupy Toronto protests included satirical quotes by fictional protestors, one of which has been adopted by U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry as a rallying cry against the protests. I had to laugh when Schatzker mentioned that Perry's misuse of the quote by "Jeremy" had garnered him far more fame than his recent book, Steak, had.

Jian responded, "If only Jeremy had cited your book!" Indeed, how sad that one inflammatory sentence can take on such a life of media notoriety, while the typical media sales package did not accomplish that goal for a book by the same author!

Speaking of the Occupy Wall Street protests, does anyone else find the City of Oakland's responses this past week reminding them eerily of Cory Doctorow's YA novel Little Brother?

Sign of Our Times

2011-10-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

I blame it on Google and Amazon.

A big book order arrived at my library, and I assigned student helpers throughout the day to unpack boxes, and check the titles off against the packing list. One young man brought me a book, and said it wasn’t on the packing list. I thanked him and congratulated him on catching the mistake.

Later, he brought me two more that weren’t on the list, then 4 more. I was astounded, because our supplier has never made such a mistake. After school, when things were quiet, I took the stack of books and checked the packing list. They were all on it. I looked at the stack of new books, wondering why my student couldn’t find them on the alphabetical list. Slowly, I realized what they had in common: all the titles started with “The…”

He couldn’t find these titles because they weren’t alphabetized in the T’s!

A Packed Day in Manhattan

2011-08-20T19:31:00.006-05:00

Returned to the World Trade Center site this morning, to see the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site (last time I was there was shortly after the bombing). It was wicked crowded on a Saturday morning, but still very moving. I so wish I could be here next month for the opening of the actual memorial.

In the afternoon, we went to the Morgan Library, where I almost stepped on the Xu Bing installation in Renzo Piano's atrium - whew! Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and husband Bill were leaving as we entered. His vegan diet looks healthy on him. I wanted to see the Piano wing, especially since I missed the Jaume Plensa exhibit by days (that was a disappointment).

I also wanted to see the stunning "Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands" exhibit - if you're in NYC by 4 September, it's definitely worth seeing. Of course, Pierpont Morgan's study and library are also beautiful. My husband said the study looked like a room in a European castle, and I said it looked like he raided several castles. I guess he really did - even the ceiling was cut out of a palazzo and re-assembled in his study!.

2011-07-09T20:10:00.005-05:00

Finished the ARC of Luminarium, by Alex Shakar - a love ballad to the post 9/11 city of Manhattan. Three brothers developed a MMPORG game that has been co-opted by the military for training. Under military financing, the game has become a scrupulously realistic disaster-plagued mirror of Manhattan. Players function as first responders to a terrorist strike at the Empire State building, with plans to eventually expand to a virtual nuclear bombing of Times Square. This has required the re-creation of every building and street, with accurate engineering to allow the most realistic death and destruction. Walking through the game can be more real than the real thing.

When the brother who initially designed the game (as a utopian dream world) lapses into a coma during cancer treatment, his twin must carry on the fight to divest from military control and return the game to a more idealistic version. But, he's dealing with the stresses of having used up all his finances to keep his twin on life-support, breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, living with his parents again, working with his father as a magician's assistant, and avoiding the suits who are planning to move his company to Florida. He's clearly lost control of his life, and losing touch with the world around him.

On a whim, he volunteers for a neural study that involves having his brain stimulated to create "spritual" experiences - conducted by an attractive 9/11 widow. He also starts receiving text messages from his comatose twin. And seeing him inside the game. And receiving gifts apparently mailed from him. The virtual world, the spiritual world, his memories of growing up with his twin, a romance with his experimenter, and the present-tense "real" world blend and mutate for him, but a love of the city itself is constant throughout this book. Although it's an adult title, mature, thoughtful teens may enjoy the Matrix-like philosophical quest for a meaningful life.

Save the Date: ALA Virtual Conference

2011-07-01T21:56:00.020-05:00

The ALA Virtual Conference will be held July 13th and 14th. If you couldn't attend ALA in NOLA, this is a less-expensive chance to hear some of the presentations - no travel or hotels involved! If you did attend, this is a (free) chance to hear presentations you may have missed the first time around. HINT: watch for a condensed version of YALSA's Pecha Kucha: Teens & Technology.

New Orleans and #ala11

2011-06-24T12:21:00.004-05:00

Well, You can't come to New Orleans and not eat, right? So, after registering at the ALA Convention and checking out the Exhibits Opening Reception, we headed out for what we thought would be a quick dinner before ALAplay 2011. We spent 45 minutes in line outside Coop's Place with some charming young men (who were smart enough to pick up super-size beers before joining the line). Finally we were ushered into the sanctum, where the redfish was definitely worth the wait.

Apologies to Miss the Younger, who serenades me regularly with the song "One Mint Julep", because I promised to drink one for her. Coop's one mint julep was more than I could drink -- I can see how it could be "the cause of it all"!

Last Minute News: I'm Presenting!

2011-06-23T08:34:00.001-05:00

I'm presenting on QR codes at the ALA 2011 conference Sunday morning. Look for "Pecha Kucha: Teens and Technology" @ 10:30 in rm 394! Please come for a YALSA panel on various ways to use technology to serve teens in your libraries. Check the conference scheduler for all the presenters, topics, and presentations.

If you're interested in more information on using QR codes, there's also a link to my four handouts: QR Code Generators/Readers, Ideas for QR Codes in Libraries, Ideas for QR Codes in School, and Thanks to My PLN (a list of early adopters who have already been exploring creative use of QR's in their libraries).

On My Way... to ALA 2011

2011-06-22T19:51:00.015-05:00

I can't wait to leave for ALA 2011 tomorrow - even if it does seem that I don't have half the things done that I need to before I go. It will be my first trip to New Orleans, but I'll be traveling with a fellow teacher-librarian who has spent a lot of time there (and has connections in the local music community), so we're sure to be spending time eating good food and checking out the music scene.

I'm looking forward to so many of the AASL and YALSA sessions, to networking with my Twitter buddies in person, and meeting some of my librarian heroes, but most of all to the chance to meet Paolo Bacigalupi!

Ship Breaker starts, Fever Crumb continues

2011-04-28T00:14:00.000-05:00

A colleague and I both read Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker last week. WOW! This speculative YA fiction was so good, I had to check out his adult fiction. Now that I'm almost done reading all his short stories and novels, I'm convinced he's the love child of Margaret Atwood and William Gibson.

So rich in YA themes, where to start?

Things Change

2011-03-02T00:37:00.006-06:00

Will Richardson thinks about what will happen as our students develop their own personal learning networks - instead of attending fixed classes, in Personal Learning Networks (An Excerpt). Could we be obsolete as teachers?

Teens and "Dark" Fiction

2011-02-06T17:25:00.004-06:00

I spent the past week reading two incredibly dark YA books about graverobbing, and then someone forwarded me the link to this New York Times article, with ensuing discussion, on the appeal of dark themes to teens. What synchronicity!

Last weekend I attended the Booklist and Book Links Editors Revue at National-Louis University's Center for Teaching through Children's Books, where I met Daniel Kraus and got an ARC of his second YA novel, Rotters.

Happy Night of the Supernaturals

2010-10-31T17:33:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween to all you vampire and werewolf and zombie readers out there.

Teen Read Week and Author

2010-10-22T15:55:00.012-05:00

Had a wonderful conclusion to Teen Read Week today, Skyping with Paul Volponi during student lunch hours. Amazing how many students turned out to be writing something themselves!

Teen Read Week

2010-10-17T23:32:00.001-05:00

October 17-23 is Teen Read Week. this year's theme: Books with Beat. We'll be holding contests and giving away books, then chatting with a YA author to finish up on Friday!

Mockingjay Fever

2010-08-31T22:30:00.002-05:00

Yes, the buzz has been building, as two lucky students checked out our first copies of Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay, the third in the Hunger Games series. Other students have purchased their own copies, and all (including me) are racing to be the first to finish, and find out what happens to Katniss and Peeta!

Read more »

Teens Behind Bars

2010-08-22T22:10:00.001-05:00

I just finished two books in a row about teen boys under detention. In Paul Volponi's Rikers High, he has fictionalized an amalgam of several students' experiences on Rikers Island, as told to him. The callousness of guards, the brutality of fellow inmates, and the attitudes of teachers both good and bad, all are described by the young protagonist.

Todd Strasser's Boot Camp is about the experiences of boys and girls who are kidnapped from their parents' homes, to be interred at private "Boot Camps", once again based on the author's research into existing institutions. Guards and inmates are incredibly similar to those in the Volponi book, although these guards are not allowed to beat the "campers", so they encourage other teens to do it for them. The only rule is not to leave marks.

Summer days... and nights

2010-07-22T00:18:00.002-05:00

It's summer... so it's time for another Susan Beth Pfeffer, This World We Live In. This one is a sequel to the first two books, Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone. Miranda is 17 now, and her world seems to be thawing from the winter of starvation that her family has endured in a small Pennsylvania town. Although the sun hasn't been able to break through the ash-filled clouds, some food is becoming available, and the electricity comes on sometimes. Matthew and John are itching to travel and have adventures, but their mother seems weaker from her self-enforced starvation. Warm days, more food, and returning strength means they'll have more contact with others who have survived the earthly results of a change in the moon's orbit, including Alex and Julie Morales.

It's International Steampunk Day

2010-06-14T23:55:00.003-05:00

In honor of International Steampunk Day, here are some great YA novels for adventure-loving young steampunkers.

I recently finished The Hunchback Assignments, by Arthur Slade. In Victorian London,
Read more »

Not What You Think Redux

2010-05-10T23:14:00.001-05:00

Remember Chicago Public Library's "Not What You Think" campaign last summer?

Well, they're at it again, and now you can contribute your own creative design: http://notwhatyouthink.tumblr.com/post/489202998/imagine-design-compete-the-chipublib-org-design

Not Ready for Armageddon

2010-03-23T23:57:00.001-05:00

I just finished listening to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens, a mashup of Harry Potter, the Da Vinci Code, and Revelations, with a wicked sense of humor. Imagine that a switchup of newborns in the hospital could lead to the Antichrist being raised as a normal British boy, while an American envoy's son gets saddled with the name "Warlock", and a third baby gets left out in the cold.

Meanwhile, a smooth agent of the devil, Crowley, and a self-satisfied angel, Aziraphale, are plotting to bring about the end of the world as we know it, aided by four horsemen on Harleys, and a Hellhound. Oh, there's more... there's the attractive young descendent of an ancient witch who wrote the entirely accurate Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, a Witch Hunter Sargeant, his Jezebel of a neighbor, a meek young apprentice Witch Hunter... and many other eccentric characters. They're all heading for Lower Tadfield to witness the apocalypse, but trip over themselves and each other along the way. The humor is biting, but the hellhound isn't!

ICE is nice

2010-02-25T22:41:00.003-06:00

The annual ICE Conference in Illinois is like a massive transfusion of high-test for educators. The keynote speakers, spotlight sessions, breakout presentations, vendor booths, and just plain networking opportunities are fuel for finishing out the school year, and inspiration for our summer curriculum work.

Ooooo, Mr. Darcy

2010-02-14T19:37:00.006-06:00

To get in the mood for Valentine's Day, I've been reading again about everyone's favorite heartthrob, Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy.

First, I read Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. On their wedding day, Jane and Elizabeth Bennet each thinks she is "the happiest woman alive". But, as Lizzy's beloved Darcy reads his mail in the carriage after the festivities (hey, at least he wasn't texting an old girlfriend), he abruptly changes their honeymoon plans. Off they go, to Paris. It sounds like a newlywed's dream, but Lizzy wonders why her new husband never comes to her room at night. As a proper English gentlewoman, Liz has no idea how to change this state of affairs. Maybe he’s distracted by seeing all those lithe, gorgeously dressed Parisian friends again - and they are taking an interest in Darcy, while acting downright hostile to Lizzy.

Eventually they leave Paris, and head across France toward the alps and the castle of Darcy’s uncle, Count Polidori. And werewolves. And mysterious fortune-tellers. And more hostile relatives. And suspicious villagers. And more lonely nights in her solitary room. Darcy still doesn’t come to her, even when Lizzy works up the courage to visit his empty room. Maybe he’s afraid of that bat…
If you love innocent English maidens in love with brooding men who are tortured by secrets they cannot share, then this will be your cup of tea.

My second Valentine selection was Duty and Desire, the second in Pamela Aidan’s Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy. No zombies, no vampires, no steampunk. Just Darcy, trying to forget Elizabeth Bennet. The trilogy is organized as a parallel to Pride and Prejudice, from Mr. Darcy’s romantic point of view, and this book covers the time after he and Bingley have left Netherfield, but before he bumps into Elizabeth again at Rosling.

Darcy has decided that the only way to drive away his unpleasantly pleasant memories of Elizabeth, is to look for a more appropriate wife among his old Cambridge friends and acquaintances. So, it’s off to the old country estate of Lord Sayre, with his man’s man Fletcher wading through the below-stairs dirt on the group of gambling, drinking, flirting houseguests. I found the gentlemen's conversations on news and politics the most interesting part. They discuss their fears of General Lud's followers, and Lord Byron's shocking address to Parliament. Jane Austen never hinted at what was happening in the world outside the balls and shops of her country towns and London townhouses! This is otherwise a classic Gothic tale: mysterious figures in the dark, macabre surprises, fainting ladies (and lusty ones, too), saber duels… Is there a prospective bride in the house?

Another Favorite Frankie

2010-01-22T12:31:00.016-06:00

OK, friends have been recommending The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart, to me for a long time. Descriptions made it sound like another "spunky girl" YA novel, so I kept putting it off as I read Austen mashups, and William Gibson, and steampunk novels. Finally, I was forced to read it for a booktalk I gave to teachers last week.

Yes, Frankie is a spunky girl, a geeky high school freshman in search of a boyfriend. And yes, she suffers an amazing transformation over the summer and returns to her tony prep school in the Berkshires with a new set of "ladies" and a determination to show up her philandering ex-boyfriend by landing the most popular and privileged boyfriend at Alabaster boarding school. But Frankie wants to be listened to, not ogled. She's full of complicated thoughts that her family and boyfriend dismiss out of hand.

Worst of all, her boyfriend Matthew is king of the Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds, a secret society that Frankie's father had told her all about. Matthew and his co-king Alpha won't even admit to its existence, as they plan lame, unimaginative pranks. When Frankie poses as a male Bassett online, she uses her research paper for a class on "Cities, Art and Protest" (included, with bibliography) to plan & execute elaborate art-happening social-commentary campus pranks. Her research and thoughts on class awareness, wealth and privilege, and urban anarchy could lead readers to emulate her campaign at their own schools. Or, at least to get a decent salad bar in the cafeteria.

More Celestial Events

2009-11-16T23:50:00.001-06:00

Once again, it's meteor shower time - this time, the Leonids. If you're in North America, go outside right now, and just hang out until 3:00 a.m. For hints about watching the leonids, go to redOrbit.com.

While you're watching, think about Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, and hope you don't see any changes in the moon! In her diary, 16-year-old Miranda describes her life in small-town Pennsylvania. It's pretty routine: high school homework, the tragedy of not being asked to the prom, and irritation with her divorced parents and baseball-fanatic little brother. She has stopped figure-skating, and become a swimmer, and she plans to join the volleyball team for her Junior year.

When an asteroid hits the moon (hmmm, speak of shooting rockets at teh moon...), it causes a chain reaction of events. The moon shifts in orbit, causing massive tsunamis that wipe out most coastal cities. Earthquakes cause more havoc, then intense electrical storms and volcanic activity. Communication and transportation grind to a halt, so Miranda and her family plant a family garden and then live off canned goods. Entertainment is books and board games and singing. When food has to be rationed, Miranda has to think about who will be allowed to survive and who will die as a result. Family takes on new meaning for her.

My student book club is reading this now, and it's the first book that has re-captured the interest of students who loved The Hunger Games last year!

October reading about High School

2009-10-13T21:35:00.042-05:00

I just finished three more Advance Reading copies: I loved Crazy Beautiful for teen readers. The Blonde of the Joke and Goth Girl Rising... not so much.

Lucius and Aurora are a different version of the age-old "perfect girl and bad boy who eventually fall in love" story. What's different? Lucius Wolfe has blown off his own hands in a home chemistry event. What he was doing, and why, don't get completely explained until the end. The realities of prosthetic limbs for growing teens does get explained - thus the painfully obvious metal hooks that Lucius wears instead.

He starts over at a new school for 10th grade, the same time as Aurora Belle (and yes, the names are unimaginative). As she becomes part of the usual popular crowd, she escapes by spending time with Lucius. A gentle love story, and Lucius's emotional rehabilitation, result.

Roller Derby Librarians?

2009-10-07T21:15:00.004-05:00

Miss the Younger and I love roller derby. Our favorite team is The Chicago Outfit (one of whom is Miss's hairdresser by day).

So I thank Shushie for noting this CNN.com article in her blog: Tiny librarian is hell on wheels, about Beth Hollis, Ohio reference librarian by day, and her alter ego MegaBeth, roller derby girl by night. Take that, librarian stereotypes!

All Zombies, All the Time

2009-10-04T19:06:00.009-05:00

I just finished two entertaining books: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (author and film producer), and The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks (author and screenwriter; hmm... I sense a trend here). It's been a slimy pile of fun. Both take the zombie scourge very seriously. Although Brooks didn't mention the infestation of Regency England in his book, I'm sure it was just an oversight in his research.

I enjoyed the way Grahame-Smith interspersed Austen's wit with zombie-stompin' action sequences. Elizabeth Bennet, inseperable from her Katana sword, is as strong as she is smart. I especially loved, when Darcy made his first, insulting proposal, that Liz kicked him into a fireplace. You go, girl! Although Darcy believes her Chinese training was inferior to his family's vaunted Japanese ninja-style training (which Liz debunks by killing said ninjas), he nonetheless admires her ability. He also makes regular double-entendres (blush), which Liz understands (gasp)!

I'm hoping Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, by Ben Winters, will be as well-staged... er, I mean -written.

And then there's The Zombie Survival Guide, a thorough analysis of the long history of zombie attacks, and list of the best weapons and tactics for protection from zombies. The author debunks movie fallacies: machine guns and flamethrowers are NOT practical civilian weapons against zombies, but plain old crowbars and pitchforks work well. He reminds us repeatedly that physical fitness will be our primary weapon in escaping zombie attacks.

Brooks goes on to provide practical advice (and encourage well thought-out planning) for surviving a world potentially overrun by zombies. I think this book might serve well for surviving other apocalyptic world events, as well.

Twilight Convention

2009-10-01T00:37:00.006-05:00

Yes, for all my avid Twilight readers, you have your own local conference now: www.creationent.com/cal/twilight_il.htm October 2-4, 2009

And, just for fun, a musical spoof of the Twilight movie, by The Hillywood Show.

THE NATIONAL PARKS: My Parks

2009-09-28T22:16:00.003-05:00

Nominate your favorite librarian!

2009-09-23T23:23:00.003-05:00

Nominate your librarian today for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!

It's that time again: nominate your favorite librarian (public, school, or academic) for the I Love My Librarian! 2009 Award, sponsored by ALA, The New York Times, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Nominations close 9 October 2009.

Let your local librarians know how much they mean to you and your family, school, or college.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot

2009-09-15T03:20:00.002-05:00

Finished another advance reader from ALA, by a new author, and loved it.

Beatrice claims to have no sense of peoples' feelings. Yet, her claims are sometimes disingenious, as she proceeds to make very empathetic observations. However, her reactions also seem true to teens' lack of understanding of their parents' feelings (even if it seems obvious to adults, reading her descriptions). Loved it.

May I Have Another?

2009-09-09T22:07:00.018-05:00

Early this morning, I was off to a bad start. I was so tired, I almost fell asleep at the wheel, so I had to stop and take a breather, making me late to school. While stopped, I noticed that my sick dog had wiped snot on my pants. After a 45-minute commute, it was too late to go home and change.

Then, it turned into a great day:

A boy came in to return Paul Volponi's Black and White. He said "I really liked this. Can you find me another book like this one?" He wasn't very articulate about why he liked the book, so I tried to think of story parallels. I showed him several of Walter Dean Myers' books, Chris Crutcher's Whale Talk, Ben Mikaelsen's Touching Spirit Bear, and the two Volponi books I had left (all our Freshman English classes were in for book talks last week). He considered them all, and left happy with another Volponi, The Hand You're Dealt. No story parallels at all - must be the writing.

Later, a girl came to return Marked, by P.C. Cast, and begged for the second book, Betrayed. She was devastated that someone else was reading it. Several periods later, it was returned. Before I even checked it in, the first girl walked by on her way to a class in the Computer Lab. She saw the book in my hand, and literally jumped up and down with joy. Another happy customer.

Oh yes, and an English teacher asked if I could help him find two book lists, one for his Honors classes, and another one for his reluctant readers. I handed him YALSA's Best Books for the College Bound, and Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.

I felt like a genius by the end of the day. I love my job!

BBAW 2009: Vote for me! Or just vote.

2009-09-08T21:43:00.006-05:00

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I am not boycotting the BBAW 2009 Awards. So you are welcome to use this BBAW link to vote for me:We blog about books because we enjoy reading, and enjoy talking about books, and most of all because we enjoy chatting with other people who enjoy books. Nobody is in this for fame and fortune, and none of us will get a Pulitzer for our blog (unless we convince the powers that be to add blogs... hmmm...).

Book bloggers depend on publishers to supply the books. Publishers encourage us to review their products by giving us free copies and advance reading copies, tchotchkes, and prizes to give away, etc. There will always be fine lines to cross, but in a Web 2.0 world, they're scratched in shifting sands. As long as we're all honest about our connections and intentions, let's just enjoy ourselves.

I discovered Book Blogger Appreciation Week for the first time this year. Through being nominated, and following the judging process on Twitter, I've found great new book blogs to read, and many new friends to chat with about books. What result could be more enjoyable than that?

Happy Ramadan

2009-08-26T21:52:00.011-05:00

For the next month, a few new students will be joining our usual "I'm avoiding lunch in the H.S. Cafeteria" crowd: Muslim students who are fasting for Ramadan find a food-smell and food-fight-free haven in the Library over their lunch hours. And, hopefully, a quieter, more contemplative setting... although I can't always guarantee that.

In honor of Ramadan, I'm thinking of books I've read recently by or about Muslims. I finished Deborah Rodriguez's non-fiction Kabul Beauty School. I enjoyed the peek at womens' social lives in Afghanistan. And how timely the topic is again, with recent news about the Afghani election, the Taliban's interference with it, women's difficulty getting to the polls, and controversy over the United States' role in that country!

Speaking of Afghanistan and controversy: if you enjoy it, you must read The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid. It's a fictionalized (and one-sided) conversation with a young Afghani man who was educated at Princeton, found a lucrative job and beautiful girlfriend in the United States, and gave it all up over the way he was treated after 9/11. He returned to his home country, where he became even more radicalized. Even in Lahore, he couldn't escape involvement with Americans who distrusted him. A peek at men's social and political lives, and how history can affect them both.

Catching Fire at the Hunger Games

2009-08-20T00:22:00.003-05:00

I finished the advance copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, and it is definitely another winner. Students ask me every day "When will it be released, and how soon can I check it out?"

Catching Fire picks up after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have returned to their village, but not to their homes. They each have a spacious house in the Victor's Village now, near Haymitch. The three of them haven't been seeing much of each other. Gale Hawthorne is working in the Section 12 mines now, so Katniss can only meet him in the woods on Sundays, to hunt more than talk.

It's time for the mid-year Victory Tour, to parade last year's winners through all the Districts, and get everyone anticipating this year's Hunger Games. But, something has changed. Once again, Katniss and Peeta must pretend to be star-crossed lovers, while they notice strange happenings in other Districts, and worry what is happening to their families back home.

Naturally, Collins keeps the action speeding up, the dangers for Katniss and her loved ones increasing, and you won't believe the surprises she saves for the newest Hunger Games. Can Katniss manage competing threats, stay true to her ideals, and still protect her family and Gale?

It's such a teaser to have to wait for the third book now. We'll plan a big party for the eventual movie release.

Geography of Home: Writings on Where We Live

2009-08-16T22:43:00.005-05:00

My daughter recommended this little book, by Akiko Busch, and what a joy it's been to read!

Like Tracy Kidder in House, Akiko wrote of how simple architectural details develop a history within each of us. I'm only half-way through, but her chapters on the Front Door, the Kitchen, and the Home Office all set me off on long daydreams of homes and rooms I grew up with.

In the chapter Dining Room, she discussed our (still current a decade later) obsession with specialty cuisines, dishware, etc.: "Ritual, like religion, it seems, doesn't necessarily have to have a connection with cultural heritage; it's just another personal choice."

The author's dry recitation of facts about the Laundry reminded me of tawdry romance novels. Just the facts, but aren't they fun?

I can't wait to finish the second half.

Check out the meteor shower

2009-08-12T00:01:00.007-05:00

It's time to find a dark, dark place, right now (and again tonight after 11:00 p.m.)!

Here's how to view the Perseids in the northeastern sky.

A wonderful story about unusual signs in the sky is Alphabet of Dreams, by Susan Fletcher. Orphans Mitra and Babak have been living a primitive existence, hiding from their parents' killers in the Middle East of two millenia ago. Their safe obscurity comes to a dramatic end when people discover that Babak dreams of the future, and his skill catches the attention of a travelling magus. Competing magi, mysterious spies, and threatening soldiers all work to prevent the children from finding their long-lost relatives - or any place to call home - until they stop with the magi in a small village called Bethlehem.

Looking for Student Essays

2009-08-08T22:43:00.012-05:00

The International Society for Technology in Education's online magazine, Learning & Leading with Technology, is looking for 500-word essays by teens on student use of Facebook, MySpace, and other social networks:

How important is Facebook/MySpace/texting to you?

Are your friends on Facebook/MySpace the same as friends you see in person?

Are you different to your friends when you text them vs. when you're talking in person?

How does the time you spend texting, or on Facebook or MySpace, affect your development as a person?

ISTE: "Providing leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in education."

Fanfic

2009-08-06T21:32:00.002-05:00

Liz B. of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy has started an interesting discussion related to her SLJ article about writing fan fiction, When Harry met Bella: Fanfiction is all the rage. But is it plagiarism? Or the perfect thing to encourage young writers?

Isn't this the ideal way to get students involved in reading, and thinking about WHAT they're reading? I have read some Harry Potter fanfic online (examples: 1, 2), and the creativity is astounding. There are ongoing comics, adults-only versions, and all kinds of extensions of existing or imagined storylines. The writers/illustrators have read and re-read all the books, and incorporate their own ideas and interpretations and imaginings. True reading should always be so interactive.

Perhaps the Harry Potter and Twilight books should have been on our students' summer reading lists...

All about Kindles

2009-08-04T00:13:00.002-05:00

Nicholson Baker's New Yorker article on the pros and cons of Kindle 2 vs. print books could serve as a history of e-book devices. He even details how they work, why they are or aren't environmentally friendly, their marketing history, and more.

The Angst of Summer Reading

2009-08-03T00:13:00.007-05:00

Yes, we beat our students over the head with summer reading assignments, and they respond by reading the book their first week back at school (maybe - no one knows that better than the school librarian). Lisa Von Drasek asks why they hate summer reading assignments, and what we REALLY want them to do: Summer Reading? Good! Assigned Reading? Bad.

Back on July 2nd, Roger Sutton (Horn Book's editor-in-chief, and Simmons) questioned his Twitter followers: "topic for my class today: why does required reading feel more difficult?" "maybe it only feels that way for people who like to read, thus pleasure turned into obligation?" "or maybe because there are strings attached." Roger was reacting to Nicholas Kristof 's New York Times column on recommended children's books: Little Lord Fauntleroy? Really?
I used to work in a public library summer reading booth. Some of my biggest readers were second-grade boys who read every one of Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants books they could find, then went on to read his other series titles. They wouldn't put the books down, and couldn't wait to tell me about the next one! Now I see so many teen boys who say proudly "I don't read." Where did we lose them?
If my high school students could recapture that fun feeling about summer reading, I would be thrilled. That's why, whether they finish the "assigned" reading or not, I'm happy to hear a teen tell me they read something they liked over the summer. Even if it was another Captain Underpants.

Chicago 2016 - bring on the Olympics!

2009-08-02T14:13:00.004-05:00

Join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/chicago2016,

on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chi2016,

Flickr at http://flickr.com/groups/828372@N23/, and/or

subscribe on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/chi2016.

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!!!

2009-07-31T20:31:00.011-05:00

Yes, according to J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter is 29 today. Hard to believe. To celebrate, I took the Twitter "Which Harry Potter Girl Are You?" quiz. . . Hermione Granger, no surprise.

And what a wonderful day it was in Chicago! To celebrate my last official day of summer vacation, I took the Parkways Foundation's fundraising tour of the control house of Buckingham Fountain, where we each got to turn the seahorses on or off. I visited the main Chicago Public Library's new YOUmedia room for teens to tell them how much I love the "Not What You Think" campaign. I checked out the Chicago Model City at Chicago Architecture Foundation, and I shopped a little, too.

Finished off the day with my first visit to the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute. The art was fascinating, and the galleries showcased it perfectly; the gauzy natural light on the third floor is divine. My only complaint: the northeast corner of the third floor is a perfect vantage point to view Millennium Park's Lurie Garden, but the shades are closed until dark. Kathryn Gustafson and Piet Oudolf designed their "sunny plate" with a tilt toward the southeast sun, so this is the ONLY building with a perfect view of their lovely plantings. Surely just one shade open to the north wouldn't damage the collection? Shouldn't that view be considered a unique display for their Architecture and Design collection? No other museum has it, and they've blocked it.

Photos to come...

We're not what you think

2009-07-31T01:21:00.007-05:00

Did a little research on that bus ad that I posted here: it's from Chicago Public Library's "Not What You Think" tumblelog campaign (aimed at you-know-whos). They have two great posters of tatted young librarians, 1, 2, and one of Granny.

Perhaps some of my friends can expose their tats in the library now? Well, perhaps not at school yet.

I've got mine! CPL card, that is, not a tattoo.

Seen in Chicago during ALA

2009-07-29T03:33:00.005-05:00

Summer is . . .

2009-07-28T23:11:00.016-05:00

...balmy nights at Ravinia. I just heard Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock dueling it out on dual pianos: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, what an experience!

Of course, that was my reward for spending the entire day attending Prairie Area Library System workshops. In the morning: how school librarians can implement I-SAIL - Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction for Libraries - was presented by Angie Green (Alliance Library System) and Becky Robinson (Media Specialist at Galesburg High School) in their usual high-energy crowd-motivating style. Remember them as AASL "cheerleaders" at the ALA conference?

College-level Research Readiness was presented in the afternoon by Charlet Key (Library Director at Black Hawk College). Charlet gave us amazing insight on what our High School students don't know, and what they will need to know in order to be prepared for college-level research.

And yes, I am reading Loving Frank. . . more later.

Fallingwater

2009-07-20T21:59:00.012-05:00

Spent last week in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Talk about a cellular dead zone! I couldn't post or Twitter for days. But it was a wonderful week despite (or perhaps because of) that. I had never seen Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater before, so I finally took a side trip to tour it. A beautiful day to walk around in the Laurel Highlands, and to tour a home that makes the outdoor environment such a feature of the indoor environment.

Then my daughter made me an omelette with fresh eggs we bought from a neighbor that day, and the sorrel we weeded from my grandfather's overgrown garden. For dessert: she made a flaky, buttery pie crust with cherry-rhubarb filling, as fast as I could cut rhubarb from the garden. Food is never as good anywhere, as it is in the mountains!

I took Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan, along to read, but I confess I read a trashy romance novel instead. That's what summer away from school is for, isn't it? I promise to read Loving Frank next week.

ALA Chicago another day

2009-07-13T00:21:00.005-05:00

A new BBYA list, Teen Programs Under $100: there was so much to see and do on Sunday, that I had to take a long nap afterward!

I stood in line for Sarah Dessen's Along For The Ride and Joe Meno's Demons in the Spring.

I couldn't resist the Parade of Bookmobiles, even though my teen companion sighed over my geekiness, and my adult companions went back to the Exhibit floor for more serious pursuits. Yes, I toured almost every one of the 15 bookmobiles.

They filled me with nostalgia (regular Bookmobile visits fired my childhood interest in reading); they fed my automotive love for big trucks; and they piqued my architectural fascination with outfitting them. Racks and cubbies and reading benches and wheelchair lifts behind secret-panel-doors, oh my!

And, speaking of fun, the Library Book Cart Drill Team Championship was about as much fun as you can have with library equipment. Check out NPR's report. My camera didn't do the Baraboo Bookers justice in the semi-dark ballroom.

ALA Chicago today

2009-07-11T23:10:00.013-05:00

Lunch with an old friend, connecting with library school classmates, cheering at the AASL L4L mini-session, and touching all those new books - what could be better for a school librarian?

But it did get better: waiting in line for an advance copy of Catching Fire, the sequel to S uz a nne Collins' The Hunger Games, we strangers had a fun book talk about the first one. Our patrons ate it up (sorry, I couldn't resist), so I know I'd never get to read the sequel when it comes in. The chance to read this advance copy before my Book Club meets again in the fall made my day!

One more moment of Nirvana: I watched Neil Gaiman signing hundreds of copies of his new The Graveyard Book, and Laurie Halse Anderson signing Speak and her new Wintergirls, while I chatted with Franny Billingsley and her daughter. Franny's Well Wished and The Folk Keeper were beloved when I worked in a middle school; her newest, Big Bad Bunny, is too young for my high school patrons, but it's adorable, so I've bought it for my favorite very little readers.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...

Reading on the Job?

2009-07-09T19:07:00.011-05:00

"The Manley Arts" in Booklist is one of my favorite columns. Will Manley's July column is as topical as always. Wouldn't it be nice if, as Manley proposes, librarians were paid to read on the job?

Sometimes I read the newspaper over lunch, and I do browse reviewing journals at work, but I don't read books on the job. Nonetheless, I read several YA books a week, so I do all that reading in the car and at home. Ironic!

Librarian Trading Cards

2009-07-07T00:20:00.005-05:00

No, not the Flickr group. This is the DIY Librarian blog's list (going back to November 2005) of fun librarians, their accomplishments, and their interests. This month Pam Pleviak, the librarian at my sister school, is the featured trading card!

Aside from being a sharp, high-energy school librarian, Pam's most enviable accomplishment this year was promoting her book club. It started the year with 5 students, and grew to 40 by May! She should write a book about all the great promotions she and Evan, her aide, implemented to get students reading.

Print, Audio, or eBooks?

2009-07-06T22:53:00.013-05:00

I do a lot of "reading" via audio books in the car, as I commute to work. I've noticed that I enjoy some books more in audio, and sometimes I just enjoy the reader. I've loved some audio books read by their authors, especially memoirs. Sometimes, I check out the print book as well, to clarify parts that I didn't understand in audio. I haven't used a Kindle, but I occasionally use eReader on my Treo, to read in the dark and on hiking trips.
This leads me to Ann Kirschner's article in "The Chronicle Review", Reading Dickens Fo ur W ays. Ann read Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit in every format, switching back and forth to compare the experiences (and other readers' reactions). Her conclusions? Everyone has a preferred format, and there are advantages to each. No surprise there! In the end, it doesn't matter which format you prefer, because the interactive experience of reading itself will never die. Ann summed it up beautifully:

It is the sustained and individual encounter with ideas and stories that is so bewitching. If new formats allow us to have more of those, let us welcome and learn from them.

Summer is...

2009-07-03T00:53:00.014-05:00

...time to read "grownup books"! This is the third summer I've read Umberto Eco. I can actually concentrate on Foucault's Pendulum, in between working on my garden and mowing the lawn (mowing gives me time to digest the latest chapter).

Conspiracy theory: I think the bunnies in my yard are working with Casaubon's Templars to deprive me of the treasures of my garden. So far, they have eaten six cantalope plants, two sunflowers, and a host of hostas. What next?

They're taunting me...

(Thanks to Tanja A. on icanhascheezburger.com)

I Love Animoto

2009-07-01T23:34:00.009-05:00

I just adore Animoto for fast presentations. I recently created a board presentation, a travelogue, and a collection of family photos. It takes a fraction of the time it would to use PowerPoint or Movie Maker to produce a polished presentation with music. Tonight, I'm making another one!

See you at ALA in Chicago!

2009-06-28T02:01:00.009-05:00

I'll see you all there, July 9-15.

love of books

2006-07-26T23:52:00.006-05:00

Yes, the love of books is a strange compulsion. I can’t stop reading whatever sounds interesting; buying more at used book sales than I’ll ever be able to read; and checking out books and tapes and videos that I end up returning because I run out of time to read/listen/view. Why?

It's the Words and Ideas

2006-01-24T10:53:00.005-06:00

I can't get away from the words. Where else in the universe would you be paid to read and review, analyze, recommend and promote words and ideas that are meaningfully connected? We have the opportunity to display and market the ideas of our culture that will shape the world of the future.

--Posted by Carolyn at 1/23/2006 08:48:34 AM

Why do we do it?

2006-01-12T23:33:00.005-06:00

Why become a librarian? Is it for the glamour? The easy hours? The generous compensation?

I did it mostly for the versatile hours, but I discovered that I like the companionship of the eclectic people who go into this field.

If you're one of them, why do you do it?