EVPL Communities: kiya@evpl's Blog Posts

One Book Leads to Another

kiya@evpl — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:23:00 G10T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/10/18/one-book-leads-to-another.aspx to post your comments!

I was intrigued by the story of Gregory William's life in Life on the Color Line, and decided to look for other books about folks who cross racial lines.

In fiction, I found 3 titles:

Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley

Patty Ho (yes, she's heard all the jokes about her name) is finishing up her freshman year of high school, wondering how she will get through the summer with her demanding mother. Patty's mother was a Taiwanese student when she fell in love with an American man studying in Taiwan. They married, and had two kids, moving to the United States. And then things fell apart. Patty's dad left when she was two, and she is finding it hard to live up to her mother's expectations. Math camp at Stanford wasn't her first choice, but when she realizes it will get her 900 miles away from her mom, she thinks it may work out after all. And it does, though not the way she had imagined.

Face Relations: 11 stories about seeing beyond color edited by Marilyn Singer

Eleven stories by well-known authors, all about exploring the possibility of tearing down the walls between us. Some funny, some sad, but all are hopeful.

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Sherri L. Smith

Ana Shen is about to graduate from eighth grade, which would be a good thing if it didn't mean that both sides of her family were there to celebrate. Ana loves her parents, and her grandparents, but there is discomfort and competition between her Chinese grandparents and her African-American grandparents. Not to mention the Japanese-American parents of the guy she's crushing on. There is much to think about, as well as lots to laugh at, in this tale of Ana's graduation day.

In non-fiction, I found One drop : my father's hidden life--a story of race and family secrets, written by Bliss Broyard after her father disclosed to her and her brother, that both his parents were mixed race, and that he had been "passing" for white most of his adult life. Bliss began her own search to understand her father, meeting relatives she had never known, visiting New Orleans, where her father was born, and coming to grips with what race does and doesn't mean to her.

Previously, I had read Shirley Taylor Haizlip's memoir: The Sweeter the Juice: a family memoir in black and white and Loving Across the Color Line: a white adoptive mother learns about race by Sharon E. Rush.

What have you read on the subject? Anything you recommend?

College Admissions - where to start?

kiya@evpl — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:58:00 G9T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/09/30/college-admissions-where-to-start.aspx to post your comments!

First, take a look at these programs coming up (FREE - at Red Bank Branch Library), and bring a friend or parent and come listen to professionals explain Choosing a College, Applying and Interviewing, and Financial Aid. You'll be glad you did!

You can also find lots of books on the subject in the Career section at your library - ask someone at the reference desk if you don't know where that is.

You can work on improving your test scores with the free online test prep available through the library.

Or if you are tired of learning the facts and procedures, you can read fiction about teens in the midst of choosing a college and the Admissions process.

Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman - Friends attempt to game the system and get an "unworthy" candidate admitted
Getting In: a novel by James Finney Boylan - Four high school seniors and their three chaperones take to the road in a Winnebago to interview at nine prestigious New England colleges
Better Than Yesterday by Robyn Schneider - Three seniors from an exclusive Connecticut prep school go to New York City to find their runaway friend, and in the process discover themselves and the true value of their friendship
Finding My Voice by Marie G. Lee - As she tries to enjoy her senior year and choose which college she will attend, Korean American Ellen Sung must deal with the prejudice of some of her classmates and pressure from her parents to get good grades
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else by Ursula LeGuin - Owen Griffiths, a seventeen-year-old outsider, learns to find his own way to a future in science through a friendship with a girl whose life is dedicated to music

Jane Brody - speaking at Central Library - Tuesday, October 6th, 7pm

kiya@evpl — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:59:00 G9T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/09/29/jane-brody-speaking-at-central-library-tuesday-october-6th-7pm.aspx to post your comments!

Most folks recognize Jane Brody as an advocate of healthful living. Her early books were all about good diets, healthy foods, and maintaining a good relationship with your doctor. But even healthy lives come to an end. Brody explains in the preface of her new book, Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond, that when we are fully prepared for the end of life, we are in a much better position to fully enjoy the time we have left.

Brody, the Personal Health columnist for the New York Times, provides clear practical help on recognizing the things we can do NOW to help make things easier when the end comes, whether it is sooner or later. She looks specifically at issues like:

What is a "good death"? Figure out what you want.
Planning ahead for a funeral or memorial service.
Uncertain Future: when you are living with a bad prognosis
Coma
Caregiving: tending someone at the end of life
Hospice and Palliative Care
Spiritual Care
When a Child is Dying - surviving the nightmare
What to Say: conversations at the end of life
Grief: it's not a disease
Organ and Body donations
Lasting Legacies: leaving memories and life lessons

Brody is resprectful of the people she writes about, but she also knows how and when to inject some humor into the discussion. While these issues are not fun to read about and sometimes hard to consider, Brody's book makes it easier. Highly recommended.

Don't miss your chance to hear Jane Brody in person, discussing these issues and her book. She will be this year's Lottes Lecturer at Central Library on Tuesday, October 6^th, at 7pm in the Browning Room. The program is free, and open to the public. More information available here.

College Admissions - what is a parent to do?

kiya@evpl — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:35:00 G9T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/09/23/college-admissions-what-is-a-parent-to-do.aspx to post your comments!

It's late September. This year's juniors are getting ready to take the PSATs, and seniors are squeezing in one last SAT or ACT while starting college applications and essays. What is a parent to do? How do you help, but still let the kids take the lead in this College Admission process?

You could read all the books that give more than anyone needs to know about how to apply, where to apply, what to put on the essay... and share that information with your grateful teen.

Get Into College by Rachel Korn [well , that's pretty direct and simple]
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting in to Top Colleges by Marna Atkin [hmmm]
Making It into a Top College by Howard R. Greene
Fiske Countdown to College: 41 to-do lists and a plan for every year of high school by Edward Fiske [ really? 41 to-do lists?]
All the others

You could go online and meet other overwhelmed (and sometimes overwhelming!) parents on some of the online discussion boards. [note - be careful - some of these folks are REALLY intense]

You can make sure your kid knows about the free online test prep available through the library, and the free programs at the library offered by college counselors, university admissions and financial aid officers. And you can read some narrative non-fiction designed to let you look at the process.

Acceptance: a legendary guidance counselor helps seven kids find the right colleges - and find themselves by David Marcus
Fat Envelope Frenzy: one year, five promising students, and the pursuit of the Ivy League prize by Joie Jager-Hyman

Or you can read fiction about the Admissions process - and learn a little bit, in a more enjoyable way.

Admission, a novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Acceptance by Susan Coil
The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer
PS, a novel by Helen Schulman

Whatever you choose, I wish you, and your teen, good luck.

Fake Boyfriend

kiya@evpl — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:51:00 G9T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/09/16/fake-boyfriend.aspx to post your comments!

What is the right thing to do when your best friend is hung up on a jerk who keeps breaking her heart over and over again?

Lane and Vivi decide they need to protect Isabelle from her own tender heart, and hatch a plot to prove to her that there are other wonderful guys out there in the world. Unfortunately, the plot includes making up a guy on MySpace to chat with her. Of course it doesn't take long before things escalate, and more conspirators are brought in, and the plot gets wilder and more impossible. Kate Brian, who writes creepy YA fiction for the series Private and Privilege, also does humor well. Pick up Fake Boyfriend, and give yourself a laugh or two. Be prepared to be a little exasperated, as well. My daughter kept saying, "If everyone would only tell the truth, it would all be okay."

Other romantic comedies from Brian:

The Lucky T

The Princess and the Pauper

The V Club

Kate Brian's MySpace page

Brendan Buckley's Universe - and everything in it

kiya@evpl — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:26:00 G9T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2009/09/14/brendan-buckley-s-universe-and-everything-in-it.aspx to post your comments!

Brendan is a ten year old scientist. He likes to understand the world and how it works. He has a whole notebook of the questions he has about the world, and the answers he has discovered. Brendan is ten, and one day at a rock show at the mall, he accidentally runs into the grandfather he has never met - his mom's dad. No one will tell him why his grandpa Ed lives ten miles away, and they've never met. Brandon begins to suspect that it is because his mom is white, and his dad is black. Brandon is already struggling to understand why the color of his skin makes a difference to people he doesn't even know, and finding that some questions just don't seem to have good answers.

This is an interesting, thought-provoking book about a subject that can be hard for kids to understand. Sundee Frazier, the author, is multi-racial, and makes the subject accessible to pre-teens.

Eight Years Ago - 9/11 in books

kiya@evpl — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:02:00 G9T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/09/11/eight-years-ago-9-11-in-books.aspx to post your comments!

I've read a few books about 9/11 that really touched me, and brought the events of that day home to me in a more personal way.

Touching History: the untold story of the drama that unfolded in the skies over America on 9/11 by Lynn Spencer

This book explores the events of 9/11 as they unfolded to the folks who were right there - the air traffic controllers, the FAA decision makers, and the military and reservists who responded while the rest of us had not yet heard, or had just turned on the TV or accessed CNN online. Quite enlightening, Spencer gives a real sense of how difficult it was to figure out what was going on and how to deal with it. It was difficult for the air traffic controllers to recognize that a hijacking had happened (so 80s, you know), and then the wrench of realizing that these hijacked planes were not being flown to Cuba, but turned into weapons of mass destruction. By the end, I was in awe of the men and women who worked through the crisis.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede

So when the USA closes its airspace, what happens to all the international flights already en route to the US? On 9/11/01, 38 jetliners headed for the US were forced to land in Gander, bringing over 6500 passengers and crew members to a small town of about 10000 to stay for several days, until American airports reopened. This charming book tells of how the folks of that small town opened their hearts, their homes, and their arms to welcome these strangers. Food was cooked, beds were found, pharmacists called doctors all over the world and filled prescriptions, and volunteers took care of the animals that had been traveling in the cargo holds of the planes. This is a heartwarming book that demonstrates that whatever weaknesses were exposed during that attack, the human strengths of our society were exposed as well.

Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

The events of 9/11 are beginning to show up in fiction as well. There are many fine novels that begin to explore those events directly. This book, however, is about 15 year old Tess DeNunzio, who is trying to survive her family's personal 9/11 tragedy. On 9/11, while Tess and her mother watched the news coverage, her 3 year old sister Zoe wandered from the yard to the street, where she was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Tess and her family struggled to keep their grief from getting lost in the larger tragedy and its aftermath, finally lapsing into silence. This book shows Tess' struggle to break the silence, and to bring her heart and family back to life.

These are three of the books dealing with 9/11 that resonated with me. Do you have a favorite to share?

The Night of the Roundtable

kiya@evpl — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:11:00 G8T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/08/14/the-night-of-the-roundtable.aspx to post your comments!

I looked at my daughter's soccer schedule, and said, "Oh, great! You don't have practice on Aug 25^th. That's the night of the Roundtable."

My son looked at me quizzically, and said, "the Knight of the Round Table?"

It took me a minute, but then I realized what was going on, and explained. I wasn't expecting Sir Lancelot but rather, I wanted us to attend the One Book One Community Roundtable Discussion at Barnes and Noble on the evening of the 25^th. Held at 7pm, it will feature many local leaders talking about this year's One Book title: Life on the Color Line by Dr. Gregory H. Williams.

More information on the Round Table Discussion

More information on this year's book and author

Dates and times of book discussions at the local libraries

Remember the most important date:

Dr. Gregory H. Williams will be speaking to the community at Bosse High School on Thursday, Oct 1 at 7:30 pm.

A Road Story that nearly wasn't published

kiya@evpl — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:01:00 G8T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/08/11/a-road-story-that-nearly-wasn-t-published.aspx to post your comments!

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty tells the story of Smithson Ide, a fellow who sort of let life get away from him. After his world is drastically shaken up by the unexpected deaths of his parents, Smithy almost accidentally finds himself riding his bicycle cross-country. What began as a short, drunken bicycle ride becomes a transformative journey that allows Smithy to rediscover himself and America.

That explains the "Road Story" but what about the "that nearly wasn't published"?

For most of his adult life, Ron McLarty has made his living as a character actor, but never quite made it into the big time. He also worked as a performer of audiobooks, which became a steady gig. McLarty is also a prolific writer, but his ten novels were ignored by publishers, though. These days, many publishers won't take a chance on an unknown author, especially an older author. In 2000, McLarty showed one of his bosses at Recorded Books his manuscript of The Memory of Running, which began life as a play before growing into a novel. She liked it, and decided to produce it as an Audiobook Original.

In 2003, Stephen King listened to the audiobook, and loved it. Then he wrote about it in his Entertainment Weekly column, calling it the "best book you can't read," and encouraging readers of the column to buy or rent the title from Recorded Books. It wasn't long after that the agents and publishers started calling. The book was edited a bit more, and then published (which is why the audiobook version is different from the print version) to good reviews. Since then, the book has been optioned for a film, with a tentative 2010 date. McLarty has had two other books published as well: Traveler and Art in America.

There will be a book discussion of The Memory of Running at Red Bank Branch on Wednesday, August 12th, at noon. Join us to talk about this thought-provoking book!

Finding a Favorite Author again

kiya@evpl — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:36:00 G8T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/08/03/finding-a-favorite-author-again.aspx to post your comments!

Many years ago, I discovered the wonderful novels of Barbara Rogan, and quickly read all that she had written. Each was different from the others, but all were well-written. I loved A Heartbeat Away so much that I chose it for a book discussion title many many years ago. It is still my favorite romantic ghost story. When I realized it was going out of print, I bought several paperback copies, and have now given away all but my last copy. I reread it again recently, and found that I love it still. Crow, Elias, Alice, Pilar and Dr. Graystone are unforgettable characters. There was a tiny part of me that was surprised to find them just as I had left them - they seemed real enough to have gone on with their lives after I closed the book...

After finishing A Heartbeat Away, I checked to see if Rogan had anything new since I had last looked - she is not on a book a year pace like some authors, and it is easy to lose track of her titles. I found one I hadn't read, and saw on her website that another one is almost ready to be published, so I have new treats to anticipate. Why don't you give her books a try?

Barbara Rogan's website

Newman’s Own - Shameless Exploitation for the Common Good

kiya@evpl — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:22:00 G7T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/07/29/newman-s-own-shameless-exploitation-for-the-common-good.aspx to post your comments!

I've always been a Paul Newman fan, and was aware that a couple of books had been published about him since his death, but couldn't remember the titles. Along the way to finding those two books (Paul Newman: a life by Shawn Levy and the People Magazine Tribute: Paul Newman), I ran across another title that caught my interest.

Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good: the Madcap Business Adventure by the Truly Oddest Couple was written by Paul Newman and A. E Hotchner, and describes the many experiences that grew out of Newman's desire to bottle a few jars of his homemade salad dressing to give to friends. While breaking nearly every business start-up rule that exists, they somehow developed a company and product line that gives away its profits (over $265 million, to date) and positively affected the lives of thousands of folks.

The book travels from the unexpected birth of the company, to the amazing success of the first years (they had been so sure the business would fail, the only furniture in the office was the pool furniture from Newman's back yard), to the problem of choosing which charities should receive the money. There is a good-sized section on the development of the original Hole-In-the-Wall-Gang camp for children with serious/terminal illness, and all the related camps that followed. I found the book truly delightful, and enjoyed how good it made me feel to read it.

My favorite quote from the book: "I never thought I'd get into science, but being able to turn salad dressing into a school bus – that's the kind of chemistry that tickles the fancy." Paul Newman, p124.

· Newman's Own website – includes recipes and coupons

· Newman's Own Organics website (run by daughter Nell Newman)

· Newman's Own Foundation website

· Newman's Own Cookbook

· The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Cookbook

The Mystery of the Secret Ingredient in the Chocolate Chip Cookies

kiya@evpl — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:26:00 G6T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/06/23/the-mystery-of-the-secret-ingredient-in-the-chocolate-chip-cookies.aspx to post your comments!

David Handler started it all. I had enjoyed his mystery series about the ghostwriter Stewart Hoag and his dog Lulu, so when he started a new mystery series, I was one of the first to read about Mitch Berger, a New York film critic, and Lt. Desiree Mitry, a Connecticut State Trooper. There are now six Berger & Mitry mysteries, and I enjoyed them all, and always eager to see a new one arrive. I definitely recommend reading them in order, as the relationship between Mitch and Dez grows.

An interesting sidelight to this recommendation is that the early books mention Mitch's neighbor, who makes the best chocolate chip cookies, but won't share the identity of her secret ingredient. Mitch does her grocery shopping, so he has a pretty good idea that the secret ingredient is sour cream, but he doesn't inform his neighbors (only the readers of the book). The recipe, however, is not included.

I'm always looking for good cookie recipes, so I've kept my eyes open for a chocolate chip cookie recipe with sour cream as an ingredient, but never found one. Even A Baker's Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies didn't have one that looked right. Then last month, Shh I'm Reading blogged about finding recipes online, and while playing with those sites, I located several chocolate chip cookie recipes with sour cream as an ingredient. My daughter and I are testing them now, and when we declare a winner, I'll post a link to that recipe. Meanwhile, enjoy some David Handler mysteries! (And if you have a good sour cream chocolate chip cookie recipe, feel free to post it!)

Mitch Berger and Desiree Mitry:

Stewart Hoag and Lulu: (these books have all been out of print, but the first four have recently been reprinted by Busted Flush Press, dedicated to reprints of fine hardboiled crime fiction)

1. The Man Who Died Laughing
2. The Man Who Lived By Night
3. The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. The Woman Who Fell From Grace
5. The Boy Who Never Grew Up - out of print
6. The Man Who Cancelled Himself - out of print
7. The Girl Who Ran Off With Daddy - out of print
8. The Man Who Loved Women To Death - out of print

David Handler's website

Busted Flush Press

A Good Time to Buy a New Car

kiya@evpl — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:18:00 G6T

Posted to the Research Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/research/archive/2009/06/22/a-good-time-to-buy-a-new-car.aspx to post your comments!

A customer was in today looking for the book she used many years ago to buy a new car. The book gave a breakdown for each model, what the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price was, and what the vehicle actually cost the dealer, showing her how much room there was to negotiate a lower price.

We finally decided that she was looking for Edmund's New Car Guide, which isn't available in print anymore, but only because Edmund's offers a free car-pricing service online that is more up-to-date, and can offer more features.

When you look for Edmund's New Car Guide in our catalog, you will be directed to the website "Don't Get Taken for a Ride! at www.edmunds.com . When we went to the site, the customer found the details she remembered, including a feature that allowed us to specify exactly which options or option package she desired. Then, after giving her the MSRP and the Dealer's Invoice, it also used her zip code to look at market data to see what customers in the area have actually paid for the car recently, which turned out to be lower than the Dealer Invoice. Then it gave details on the various discounts and rebates available. Finally, it offered her an opportunity to send her contact information to local dealers so they could call her with a deal, knowing that she had seen this information, and had contacted other dealers as well. She decided to forgo that, but was quite happy to have the printouts from Edmunds in her hand to help her negotiate.

Other sources of information:

Another useful website: www.carinfo.com
Buying a New Car from the Federal Trade Commission http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps71484/newcar.pdf
A fun site for kids from the Science Education for Public Understanding Program http://sv.berkeley.edu/showcase/flash/car.html
Buy or Lease a Car without getting taken for a ride from Entrepreneur Press
Don't Get Taken Every Time by Remar Sutton

Seriously, now...

kiya@evpl — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:11:00 G6T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/06/03/seriously-now.aspx to post your comments!

Some teen books are of a more serious nature: more emotionally charged, and sometimes gut-wrenching in subject.

A few titles I've recently read, good for older teens:

Things Change by Patrick Jones

Johanna wants nothing more than to be Paul's girlfriend, even defying her overly controlling parents to spend time with him. Now if only he'd stop hurting her...

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

I picked this book up because the author's name is very similar to my niece's name. Once I started reading, I couldn't put down this story of Deanna, who made a bad choice as an eighth grader, and 3 years later is still trying to cope with everyone knowing what happened, and having their own idea of who Deanna is.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jenson receives a package in the mail, and is distressed to discover it is 13 cassette tapes from former classmate Hannah Baker, explaining why she killed herself, and how the twelve folks she has sent the tapes to have factored in her decision to end her life.

Just Like That by Marsha Qualey

Hannah is 18, and one winter night has a brief encounter with 2 teens who die in an accident soon after. Struggling to deal with her sense of guilt and responsibility, Hannah tries to lose herself in her art.

Cathy's Book: if found call... by Sean Stewart

Cathy has stumbled into a mess she doesn't understand, and the only thing she can think to do is disappear. She leaves her sketchpad and notes for a friend, so that someone will know what's going on. That sketchpad IS this book, so the reader puts the puzzle together from Cathy's journal and drawings.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Naomi, a high school junior, suffers a head injury that wipes out her memory of the last five years. She has lots of clues to the woman she is becoming, but is somewhat bewildered by her life. Zevin, who wrote Elsewhere, again gives readers a beautifully written, engaging story.

Pay Attention!

kiya@evpl — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:42:00 G6T

Posted to the Movies Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/movies/archive/2009/06/02/pay-attention.aspx to post your comments!

I had never heard of Vantage Point (2008) when my son brought it home. He had seen previews on other DVDs, and thought it looked interesting. I wasn't even planning to watch it, figuring I'd just continue reading my book. Well, it caught me right away, and 90 minutes later, it was over, and I don't think I'd looked at my book once.

The movie tells the story of an assassination attempt on the President of the US (the Secret Service guys call him POTUS, which is an unfortunate acronym). Dennis Quaid plays Secret Service Agent Thomas Barnes, back on his first assignment after taking a bullet for the president six months ago. They are at a counter-terrorism conference in Spain as events unfold. And unfold again. And again. And again. Our understanding of what really happened grows as we see the same events from another vantage point. There is a Spanish undercover cop, a TV news director (Sigourney Weaver), the President (William Hurt), an American tourist complete with camcorder (Forest Whitaker) among others. The action never stops, only pausing while the clock rewinds and starts again. It takes paying attention to follow all the twists and turns, so don't try to watch this while you do something else. The story and the acting really held my attention - when it was over I was astonished that 90 minutes had gone by.

This won't ever be my favorite action movie, or my favorite puzzle movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent watching it, and have found myself thinking of it again several times over the last few days. What do you think?

Lots of violence and intensity in the scenes, no sex or nudity, a little cursing. The MPAA rated this film PG-13.

An unusual mix

kiya@evpl — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:22:00 G5T

Posted to the Music Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/music/archive/2009/05/27/an-unusual-mix.aspx to post your comments!

I've been going through the CDs at Red Bank lately, trying to figure out how to fit more in, and have come across a couple I've enjoyed listening to.

The first is Low Strung, which has 11 rock classics arranged for and performed by master cellists who got a little tired of always playing the harmony line… I love the sound of the cello anyway, and these were very pleasing to listen to. I went to the band's website, and found that they have a new CD due out soon. I also learned that they performed in Evansville a little over a year ago – they provided a link to the great review Roger McBain wrote for the C&P about the show. You can listen to a couple of the songs on their MySpace page.

· Low Strung's website

· Low Strung's MySpace page

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a7DPlCmsKA]

I also found a singer from my past – J. D. Souther. I had a couple of his albums on vinyl, and loved them. I particularly remember "The Moon Just Turned Blue" and "'Til the Bars Burn Down" from my grad school years. (My neighbors from that time might recall them, too. I used to crank the volume when cleaning house.) Somehow, when everything changed over to CD, I never got around to replacing Souther's, and sort of forgot about him. EVPL owns two of his CDs (and his new one will soon be here), and now JD is back in my life. The bonus? While writing this blog post, I discovered he's also the narrator on the downloadable audiobook of Jimmy Buffet's A Salty Piece of Land. I'm loading it onto my mp3 player now – this should be interesting!

· J D Souther's website

· J D Souther's MySpace page

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRpYM9bNfUY]

The Library might be a solution to your problem...

kiya@evpl — Sat, 23 May 2009 12:07:00 G5T

Posted to the Research Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/research/archive/2009/05/23/the-library-might-be-a-solution-to-your-problem.aspx to post your comments!

The problem: A customer needed to locate a relative of a deceased friend, but couldn't remember the relative's name.

Her solution: Look up the obituary online, and find the name in the list of survivors. She went to the Courier and Press website, and searched for the obituary. She found a listing for the obituary but the text of the obituary was no longer available for free. They kindly offered to sell it to her for a small fee.

The alternative solution: She came to the library hoping to find the obituary in our old newspapers, and was disappointed to find we didn't have the newspaper itself at our branch. However, I checked the Browning Genealogy Database, and found the entry for her friend's obituary, complete with the list of survivors. Then a quick look at the phone book, and she had located her missing person!

I continue to be grateful to Mr. Charles Browning and family, for all the long hours and hard work that went into constructing this extremely useful database, which can be found at http://browning.evpl.org/

What puzzle are you working on? Maybe the library can help! Ask us.

A Sparkling Story

kiya@evpl — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:50:00 G5T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2009/05/02/a-sparkling-story.aspx to post your comments!

Sharon Draper writes some of the best books for teens, so I was excited to see her new book for younger kids. Sassy: Little Sister is NOT my Name! is about Sassy Simone Sanford, a fourth grader who loves her name. Unfortunately, no one at home calls her that. They all call her Little Sister, and she is tired of being reminded that she is the smallest, youngest member of the family. You'll enjoy Sassy, her friends, and her family as she learns to let her inner sparkle shine - even when she's wearing her "boring" school uniform.

Other things to know:

This is the first book in a series all about Sassy.
Draper has also written a series called Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs, also geared to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.
Draper used to be a teacher.
If they act quickly, teachers can get a FREE media kit to use with Sharon Draper's books in the classrooms. See the link below.
Draper has also written books for teachers, including Not Quite Burned Out but Crispy Around the Edges

Links:

High School Chick Lit

kiya@evpl — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:03:00 G4T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/04/23/high-school-chick-lit.aspx to post your comments!

I went looking for some lighter, romantic comedy sorts of books this week - here's what I found:

It's A Mall World After All by Janette Rallison

Charlotte is working at the mall when she sees her best friend's boyfriend with another girl. She tells her friend, only to later be accused of trying to break up the couple. And it is true she pretty much despises the guy. There are plenty of laughs as Charlotte tries to sort out how to be a good friend in an impossible situation.

Learning to Swim by Cheryl Klam

Steffie's mom has a bad habit of falling for the wrong (married) guy, getting her heart broken, and moving herself and Steffie to a new place to start over. No wonder Steffie is a bit leery of falling in love. Now she's working for the summer as a maid at the Country Club, and trying to pretend she doesn't have a crush on Keith...

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

The last in the Princess Mia series, we follow Mia through the last of her senior year. She's coping with her senior project, choosing a college, her father's upcoming election, her new boyfriend, and the return of her old boyfriend. As always, Mia will keep you smiling!

Fame, Glory and other things on my to do list by Janette Rallison

This story starts out with Jessica nearly getting carjacked after her shift at WalMart, and then realizing that the guy is trying to get her out of the car because it's his car - her silver Honda is a few spaces over. [It sounds absurd, but when I was in high school, there were two of us who worked at the library who got picked up by men (my father, her husband) in little red Vegas, and more than once I climbed in the wrong car.] Jessica is a junior, and dreams of being an actress. Right now that means a small part in the school production of West Side Story, which the director wants to do without any violence. There are lots of giggles in this book, as in every book by Rallison I've read.

When You Wish by Kristin Harmel

Star's story is a little more serious, though still with plenty of amusing parts. Star (born Amanda) is the hottest pop star around at the age of sixteen. She's really frustrated though, at how little say she has in her own life. After getting really angry with her mom, Star runs away to find the father who left when she was three. She enjoys a chance to be "normal" even when it involves learning to be a waitress.

Other suggestions for high school chick lit

Chick Lit for Teens from InfoSoup

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher, with a cameo appearance by ... Chris Crutcher?

kiya@evpl — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:58:00 G4T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/04/21/the-sledding-hill-by-chris-crutcher-with-a-cameo-appearance-by-chris-crutcher.aspx to post your comments!

Chris Crutcher writes controversial books. Some folks don't like the language he uses, though he will argue that he only uses language that teens themselves use. Some folks don't like the issues he addresses, and he will respond that the issues he addresses are issues that teens face, and that they need ways to explore those issues.

There are similarities to many of Crutcher's books. Most take place in small towns in the Northwestern part of the US. Many of his characters use sports to cope with some aspect of their lives. Most of the issues Crutcher talks about don't have clear-cut right or wrong answers, which is often the source of the conflict in the books.

Crutcher's characters always seem real to me, and Eddie from The Sledding Hill enchanted me from the start. His friend Billy explains:

In fifth grade, when my dad discovered Eddie scored sixty-five on his IQ test, he asked Eddie what happened, because Dad knew that couldn't be right. "I was answering the questions," Eddie said, "and then I started seeing what a neat pattern I was making filling in those little ovals, and before I knew it I was making neater and neater patterns."

The Sledding Hill is about Eddie, and his learning to cope after suffering two great losses in a short period of time. One of the things he finds that helps him is the book Warren Peece that his English class is reading. The book (which doesn't really exist) is written by Chris Crutcher, the controversial author. Surprise - some folks object to the book, and Eddie's minister tries to get it removed from the curriculum. Suddenly, Eddie is in the middle of another mess, and trying to find his way out. Crutcher even makes a guest appearance at the school board hearing.

This wasn't my favorite book by Crutcher, but I laughed out loud at parts of it, and enjoyed meeting Eddie and his friends. If my kids weren't so busy with schoolwork right now, I'd make them read it, but it will have to wait for summer vacation. Oh, what IS my favorite Crutcher book? Ummm, Whale Talk. No, The Crazy Horse Electric Game. Or maybe Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes... It's hard to pick just one...

Books at EVPL by Chris Crutcher
Books about Chris Crutcher at EVPL
Chris Crutcher's website
Purchase The Sledding Hill at Amazon and benefit the Public Library Friends

Saving Lots of Files to a Flash Drive? You need to know--

kiya@evpl — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:53:00 G4T

Posted to the Research Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/research/archive/2009/04/16/saving-lots-of-files-to-a-flash-drive-you-need-to-know.aspx to post your comments!

While browsing on a new found blog, the Swiss Army Librarian (aka Brian Herzog), I learned something I didn't know about saving files to a Flash Drive. Most folks will never have this problem, but people who save lots of small files to their flash drive might. It turns out that there is a limit to the number of files a root directory can hold. The limit is pretty high - about 700 or so - but once you hit it, you can't save any more files to that drive (or disk) no matter how much space you have left. So if you save lots of small files, be sure to set up some folders and save your files into those, instead of in the main directory. Otherwise, you might be seeing a file permission error that suggests your drive is "full, write-protected, or damaged."

Blog post by the Swiss Army Librarian

CNET forums post on same topic

The Author gave me... ...breakfast?

kiya@evpl — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:46:00 G4T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/04/05/the-author-gave-me-breakfast.aspx to post your comments!

You never know what you might find when you go exploring on authors' websites. Maybe there will be a contest - a chance to win a signed book or other prize. Perhaps some short stories about minor characters in an ongoing series. With Google or other search engines it can be easy to locate author websites. Here are some interesting things I've located lately.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips writes modern romances with engaging characters, strong women, and very descriptive love scenes. When I went looking for her website I found an epilogue for one of her books, a contest, writing tips, information about the charities she supports, a message board, and the grand prize - RECIPES! So far, my favorite is the Baked Oatmeal - a casserole that can prepared ahead and pieces reheated in the morning for a quick and easy hot breakfast - SO much better than instant oatmeal, and just as easy in the morning. The whole family likes it, and I've started experimenting with adding different fruit before baking. My kids also liked the Harvest Soup, and the Pumpkin Dip was yummy for dipping apple slices.

Emilie Richards writes a mystery series about a minister's wife, occasional romances, and what is often called "women's fiction" - including her Shenandoah Valley Quilt series. Her website includes her blog - I loved this entry about her recent trip to Guatemala. Also included on her website is information about quilting, and the quilts she describes in the Shenandoah Valley series, along with other treasures.

Jeffrey Cohen mostly writes mysteries and screenplays, but he also has a couple of nonfiction books about raising children who are somewhere on the Autism spectrum.

Whatever he is writing, you can be sure his sense of humor shows through. Cohen's latest gift to his readers is a song about all the different subtypes of mysteries: cozies, noir, hard-boiled, etc. Take a couple of minutes to watch the video, and see why his fellow authors are taking up a collection to buy him a trench coat.

Last but not least, Len Fisher writes about science for those of us who are interested in science, but not especially well-educated in the field. At least one magazine describes him as "the guy who puts the Fizz in Physics." His website features cartoons, his blog about the writing he does, some humorous stories from the media about science.

Please share the authors' websites that you like to visit.

EVPL has books by:

I never saw a purple cow. I never hope to see one. But I can tell you anyhow, I'd rather see than be one.

kiya@evpl — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:44:00 G2T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2009/02/20/i-never-saw-a-purple-cow-i-never-hope-to-see-one-but-i-can-tell-you-anyhow-i-d-rather-see-than-be-one.aspx to post your comments!

That poem by Frank G. Burgess might be the first one I ever learned, and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. At least until I turned 8 or so.

I don't think of myself as much interested in poetry, and certainly don't write any. (Well, except for when I write new words for familiar tunes and drive my kids crazy with them. But that's hereditary. My mom used to do that to me.) Every now and then, though, some poem or poet really catches my interest, and for a little while, I'm really into poetry, or that poet, or performance poetry. And then I forget until next time.

So while I'm thinking about it - here are some of the poets, poetry, and links that have caught my fancy in the last couple of years.

1. Bryan Owen, who will be here, in Evansville, at Central Library, on Sunday, March 8^th. He will be presenting a poetry workshop at no charge to the participants. More info here! Below is one of his poems that I really like:

She said I'm like an onion -
I had so many hidden layers.
I told her that
if she stopped peeling
she wouldn't cry so much.

"Onions" was recently published in chicago writer Sean Chercover's novel Trigger City in which Bryan's collection Blue daffodils and other poems becomes part of the plot.

2. Taylor Mali writes and performs poems. For many years, he also taught school, and while I enjoy nearly all of his poems, the school poems are really terrific.

"Like Lilly Like Wilson", about a recovering "like" addict, was the poem that brought Mali to my attention.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tshNfYWPlDg]

"Labeling Keys" is funny and poignant.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbnQfFaxkno]

"How To Write A Political Poem" is just one of Mali's poems that you can read on his website. I had a hard time choosing one to post...

3. The power of Audre Lorde's poetry always resonates with me.

4. Ted Kooser and Billy Collins, both former poet-laureates, intrigue me.

I had a teacher who made us memorize Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay," swearing it would come to mind each and every spring for the rest of our lives. She was right. I wish now I had memorized more poetry when I was younger, and could learn it easier. I guess it's not too late.

What's your favorite poem?

Hoops are Here!

kiya@evpl — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:43:00 G2T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2009/02/17/hoops-are-here.aspx to post your comments!

It won't be long before March Madness is here, and even folks who don't usually watch basketball are cheering for teams. I've never been much of a basketball player, but enjoy reading stories about the sport and its players. In some books, the game is central to the story, in others, it serves as the stage for a story about other issues.

Some of the best basketball books I've read this year:

Travel Team Summer Ball

both by Mike Lupica

Lupica creates great characters that the reader soon cares about a great deal. Travel Team and Summer Ball are both about Danny Walker, who loves basketball and is lucky enough to be really good at the game, too. Travel Team opens just after Danny learns he didn't make the travel team because the coach thought he was too short. Some long odds bring a new chance on an unlikely team. Danny works hard to play beyond his height, and to hold his team together through some hard times. Summer Ball brings further adventures and more to learn about basketball and teamwork.

Boost by Kathy Mackel

The characters in this book grabbed me right away. The pressures these two sisters feel in their sports to be "the right size" and the temptation of steroids as an easy path to that size are quite clear.

Night Hoops by Carl Deuker

What happens -

when a parent needs more from a child-athlete than the child wants to give?
when different priorities about sports come between parents and split up a home?
when the neighbor kid you aren't allowed to play with is on your team?
when the younger sibling outshines the older sibling on the court?

This book kept me involved from the start, seeing how Nick and Trent and Scott would work it all out.

Other suggested titles:

Black and White by Paul Volponi
Danger Zone by David Klass
Game by Walter Dean Myers
Hoops of Steel by John Foley
The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
The Last Shot by John Feinstein
The Perfect Shot by Elaine Alphin
Rebound by Bob Krech
Rebound by Yuriko Nishiyama (graphic novel series)
The Rebounder by Thomas J Dygard
The Rhyming Season by Edward Averett
Throwing Stones by Kristi Collier

Has the Boil Order ended?

kiya@evpl — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:08:00 G2T

Posted to the Research Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/research/archive/2009/02/13/has-the-boil-order-ended.aspx to post your comments!

What is the easy way to find out when a Boil Order has begun or ended? Or what exactly is the designated area?

Browsing on the City of Evansville webpage, I located the Water Department, and found they have an e-mail advisory list. Anytime an order is prepared, the exact announcement is e-mailed to anyone who has signed up for the list. The same for when the Boil Order expires.

This is what the Water Department's Page says:

Boil Advisory E-Mail Notification

E-mail marmacost@amwater.com to receive e-mail notification of boil advisory information

Basketball is a beautiful game - and I like reading about it

kiya@evpl — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:53:00 G2T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2009/02/13/basketball-is-a-beautiful-game-and-i-like-reading-about-it.aspx to post your comments!

Just as there are basketball leagues for all ages of kids, there are also some great basketball stories for all sizes of kids, and all levels of readers.

Some of the best basketball books I've read this year:

Picture Books

Swish by Bill Martin Jr and Michael Sampson - the pictures and text capture the excitement of the last minute of the girls' championship game between the Cardinals and the Blue Jays - I could almost hear the sneakers squeaking on the gym floor.

Salt in his Shoes by Deloris Jordan - a story of a young Michael Jordan chasing his basketball dreams

Easy Reader

Gus and Grandpa at basketball by Claudia Mills - Gus likes basketball and does well at practice, but has problems during the hustle and bustle of games.

Chapter Books

Basketball Bats by Betty Hicks (gr.2-5)

Five friends who play basketball find themselves challenged to beat a real team.

The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman (gr. 4-6)

Talk about pressure - If Eddie Ball sinks a free throw during halftime at the NBA championship, he can win a million dollars! Gutman, as always, writes with humor, compassion, and action. Exciting and fun!

Miracle on 49^th Street by Mike Lupica (middle school )

Molly Parker is twelve, and living with friends since her mother died. Her secret is that the father she never met is Josh Cameron, the MVP for the Boston Celtics. She schemes to meet the star, and persuade him that he's her father, but is this a good idea? The man only cares about basketball and himself - how can he be the father Molly deserves?

Toby Wheeler, Eighth-Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring (middle school)

Toby Wheeler loves pick-up basketball, but he goes out for the team at school, because it's his only chance to spend time with his best friend. Toby finds basketball a little different when playing on a team.

other good basketball stories for middle schoolers:

Basketball (or something like it) by Nora Basking (middle school)
Boot Camp by Eric Walters, Jerome Williams, Johnnie Williams
Dunk Under Pressure by Rich Wallace

The Heart of the Game: Basketball on the screen

kiya@evpl — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:13:00 G2T

Posted to the Movies Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/movies/archive/2009/02/07/the-heart-of-the-game-basketball-on-the-screen.aspx to post your comments!

My favorite basketball movie is The Heart of the Game. By the end of this documentary, I felt like the Roosevelt Roughriders of Seattle were my team. I was cheering for these high school girls through tough practices and tougher games. Their coach is Bill Resler, a moonlighting tax law professor with an unusual style and great respect for the girls he coaches. Directed by Ward Serrill, who followed the team for six years, this film held my attention and taught me a few things about basketball.

The Heart of the Game's official website
Check out the video at EVPL
Bill Resler's book: The Heart of the Team

So what's your favorite basketball movie?

Authors doing good works with their written words

kiya@evpl — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:48:00 G12T

Posted to the Books Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/books/archive/2008/12/13/authors-doing-good-works-with-their-written-words.aspx to post your comments!

This week I heard about a fundraiser that author Patrick Rothfuss has been doing for Heifer International. After having run a successful contest on his personal blog, Rothfuss decided to try raising a little money for his favorite charity, Heifer International. On November 10^th, he announced the fundraiser on his blog, offering to match reader contributions dollar for dollar, hoping to raise a couple thousand dollars. In less than four days they contributed over $5000 (not including Rothfuss' matching donation), and he increased the goal again, and again. When the fundraiser ended on December 11^th, readers had contributed over $50,000 to Heifer International, and Rothfuss promises to match every dime. Rothfuss, who only quit his day job this past year after The Name of the Wind, the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle series, sold well in the US and internationally, is delighted, and so is Heifer International.

Then I started wondering about other authors, and what similar projects they might have done. I know that J. K. Rowling's new book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, is a fundraiser for a charity she helped found. The book is the collection of stories that Harry and friends use to reach their goals in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Both these stories help me feel good about the authors I love to read. Do you know of other authors who use their public attention to help others?

10 lucky things that have happened to me since I nearly got hit by lightning

kiya@evpl — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:52:00 G12T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2008/12/13/10-lucky-things-that-have-happened-to-me-since-i-nearly-got-hit-by-lightning.aspx to post your comments!

Effie Maloney's family has had a rough few years, but lately, things have turned around. Effie is now keeping a list of all the good luck she has had in recent months. The only black cloud is her bossy older sister, Maxie. Then Valentine's Day arrives, and Effie's luck starts to turn. I laughed a lot as I read of Effie's attempts to reclaim her good luck, and felt bad for Effie remembering how hard 4th grade can be.

I was a little puzzled about why the book didn't have the story about Effie being almost struck by lightning mentioned in the title. Finally, I realized that story is told in an earlier book called My big sister is so bossy she says you can't read this book.

the author's webpage

EVPL titles by Mary Hershey

Twilight Party at Red Bank!

kiya@evpl — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:58:00 G11T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2008/11/19/twilight-party-at-red-bank.aspx to post your comments!

Come celebrate the release of the Twilight movie. We will have Twilight trivia, crafts, and vampire snacks you can sink your teeth into.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

3:30-4:30pm

Red Bank Library – Howard Room

Registration is required and available online.

official movie site with trailer

Stephenie Meyer's website

Jack and Miss Stretchberry are back.

kiya@evpl — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:54:00 G11T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2008/11/18/jack-and-miss-stretchberry-are-back.aspx to post your comments!

Miss Stretchberry loves poetry, and makes it part of her classroom every day. In Love That Dog, we meet Jack, who thinks poetry isn't for boys, and that he can't understand it. The story is told through Jack's poetry assignments. As the year unfolds, he finds that poems do have something to say to him. Meanwhile, the reader learns a lot about Jack.

Now, we have Hate That Cat, and find out that both Jack and Miss Stretchberry have been promoted to the next grade. Once again, a story develops as we read Jack's assignments, and learn about his family.

Sharon Creech includes the text of some of the poems Jack and his classmates study in school. Both books are touching, funny stories, even as they arouse the reader's interest in poets and poetry.

Love That Sharon Creech.

If you only had a short time to live...

kiya@evpl — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:28:00 G11T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2008/11/18/if-you-only-had-a-short-time-to-live.aspx to post your comments!

What if you only had a short while to live? What would it change about how you live? Would you take more chances or fewer risks? Would you tell everyone, a few close friends, or no one? Would you make plans for the future or focus on making memories for those you would leave behind?

Chris Crutcher explores this issue in Deadline, the story of 18 year old Ben Wolf. While at the doctor for his sports checkup, he learns that something is not right with his blood. Further tests show that he has a rare blood disease that is certain to kill him - aggressive treatment might extend things a bit, but there is no "long-term" left in his world. All of this happens in the first ten pages of the book. Then Ben starts wrestling with the big questions - what is the best use of the time he has left? What meaning will his life have had once he's gone? What risks are worth taking? As always, Crutcher explores these issues with a side order of humor.

Forever Changes, by Brendan Halpin, also looks at these questions. Brianna Pelletier is a high school senior, gifted in mathematics, who also has Cystic Fibrosis. Her case is fairly severe, and she doesn't think she has a whole lot of time left. All of her friends and classmates are making plans for college and the future, and she's not so sure she has a future to consider. Halpin is good at grabbing the reader's interest. My son picked up the book, thinking he'd read a chapter or two, and finished the book a few hours later.

Interestingly enough, both books have a music link. Ben Wolf finds that the song Too Old to Die Young resonates with him, while Brianna discovers a CD called Forever Changes by the group Love touches her deeply. You can find both of these at EVPL - see the links below.

Deadline, by Chris Crutcher
Chris Crutcher's website
Too Old to Die Young on Linda Ronstadt's Adieu False Heart
Forever Changes by Brendan Halpin
Brendan Halpin's blog
Brendan Halpin's MySpace
Love's Forever Changes

Love's Forever Changes concert

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQspFesT3E]

Moe Bandy's version of Too Old to Die Young

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIddZKl9k3Q]

Time to Vote!

kiya@evpl — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:29:00 G10T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2008/10/14/time-to-vote.aspx to post your comments!

Several fiction books about Elections and the Presidency:

Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian

Josh Swensen made national news as Larry, an anti-consumerist blogger, in The Gospel According to Larry. He's back, and running for President in Vote for Larry. He knows he's too young to serve, but wants to use his near-celebrity status to raise issues important to young people that aren't being addressed by the major party candidates. Very thought-provoking, and a good follow up to the first book. Rumors are that a third book, Larry and the Meaning of Life, has just been published. Maybe you'll see it on our shelves soon!

First Boy by Gary Schmidt

Cooper Jewett lives with his grandfather on their dairy farm in New Hampshire. He's a pretty ordinary high school freshman, but one day notices that men in suits driving black sedans start showing up around his hometown, and they seem to be watching him. What he doesn't know is why, and how much trouble he might be in, and how on earth he might get out of it. This was pretty interesting - even when I thought I had things figured out, there was a twist or two at the end waiting to surprise me.

Ellen Emerson White's series about The President's Daughter

I've only read the last book in the series, which was published recently. The first three books have been ordered, though, and will be here soon. Meg, who is sixteen in the first book, has just moved to Washington DC after her mother was elected President. Suddenly, Meg and her family have many adjustments to make. Meg has a wicked sense of humor, a complicated life, and a love for the Boston Red Sox. The other titles in the series are: White House Autumn, Long Live the Queen, and Long May She Reign.

Wide Awake by David Levithan

Set in the future, the candidate running for President in this book will be the first gay, Jewish president if he is elected. It's fun to figure out what must have happened between NOW and the time this book takes place by putting together all the clues and bits of information dropped as Levithan tells his story.

What books and novels about politics and elections have you read and enjoyed?

Links of Interest:

What if your MOTHER were running for President?

kiya@evpl — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:15:00 G10T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2008/10/14/what-if-your-mother-were-running-for-president.aspx to post your comments!

Vanessa kind of likes living in the Governor's Mansion with her mother, the governor of Florida. The food is really good, and you never know when you'll run into somebody famous, like Governer Schwarzenegger! But Vanessa is not happy that her mom is running for President - she's off campaigning A LOT, and can't always come to Vanessa's school events. Worst of all, Vanessa is afraid that somebody might try to hurt her mom. Then, some creepy notes start showing up in Vanessa's locker! The book is suspenseful, but it is also funny. My daughter and I laughed out loud at some of the embarrassing things that happen to Vanessa.

Pick up a copy of as if being 12¾ isn't bad enough, my mother is running for president! by Donna Gephardt. You'll be glad you did.

Have you read other books about elections or children of politicians that you liked?

Link to Donna Gephart's website

some other stories of politics and elections at EVPL

I've heard there are TWO sides to every story - maybe even THREE

kiya@evpl — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:07:00 G9T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2008/09/17/i-ve-heard-there-are-two-sides-to-every-story-maybe-even-three.aspx to post your comments!

Millicent Min is having a bad summer -

1. Her mom signed her up for volleyball
2. Her grandmother is about to move away
3. She doesn't really have friends, though Emily is a possibility
4. She has to tutor awful Stanford Wong
5. Her mother might be really sick

Or maybe Stanford Wong is having a bad summer -

He flunked English and has to go to summer school
His dad canceled Basketball Camp (see #1)
His parents are fighting, and his dad works too much
He has to be tutored by that geek genius, Millicent Min
His grandmother has to move to a retirement home
He likes Emily, but she's always hanging around Millicent

Emily's summer starts out bad, but it might be improving -

- 1. Her parents split, and she and her mom are moving across the country
- 2. She misses her dad a lot
- 3. Her dad sends her a credit card - for emergencies only...
- 4. Her mom signs her up for volleyball , but she meets Millicent there
- 5. Millicent knows this cute guy Stanford , but something doesn't ring true
- 6. Her dad doesn't think needing ice cream after volleyball is an emergency

Lisa Yee wrote Millicent Min, Girl Genius in 2003. It won lots of awards. She wanted to write a book about a girl who was lonely, so she chose a character who was very smart, and in school with much older kids.

Three years later, Yee's 10 year old daughter said she hated boys. Yee decided to write a book from a boy's point of view, and show that they were okay, just sometimes different from girls. She decided to tell the story of that same summer that was in Millicent's book, only from Stanford's point of view, in Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time.

Her readers loved it, and asked for a book that showed how Emily saw that summer, too. Yee followed up with So Totally Emily Ebers, which came out this spring.

It's fun to see the same events from different points of view. Do you know other books like this?

Links:

Two pieces of news from Stephenie Meyer about the Twilight series:

kiya@evpl — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:57:00 G9T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2008/09/12/two-pieces-of-news-from-stephenie-meyer-about-the-twilight-series.aspx to post your comments!

1/ Twilight (movie) release 3 weeks earlier than planned.

When Warner Brothers decided (on their own) to postpone the new Harry Potter movie, that decision left an opening in the Fall schedule, so the Twilight movie starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as Edward and Bella will now be in theaters November 21, 2008.

Official movie website

2/ Midnight Sun indefinitely postponed.

Book 5, Midnight Sun, which is Edward's version of the events in Twilight, has been indefinitely postponed after a portion of an early draft of the novel was released on the Internet by someone the author had trusted.

Go to the site below to read Meyer's explanation, and find her link to the leaked material.

Midnight Sun

Check out Stephenie Meyer's website for lots of extras from the books, including:

scenes that didn't make it into the final versions,
playlists of the music she associates with each book,
pictures of the cars and motorcycles the various characters drive/ride,
links to fansites and places to buy shirts and jewelry,
the book covers she designed and used when the books were works in progress, and
lots of other great stuff!

Stephenie Meyer's books are available at EVPL in print, on CD, as downloadable audiobooks, and as e-books.

Reading Other People's E-mail

kiya@evpl — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:16:00 G8T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2008/08/28/reading-other-people-s-e-mail.aspx to post your comments!

I am a curious person. Especially about other people. To be honest, the best word is probably NOSY. I hope this is news to you. I work very hard to keep my curiosity (nosiness) reined in tightly enough that unless you know me very well you might not suspect. (I hope.) I think that NOSINESS is why I love books that are made up of letters, emails, diary entries - they let my, ahem, curiosity run wild. And it's OK! I don't have to feel guilty, or firmly turn away and distract myself with something it is okay for me to see.

The latest book I've found that feeds this disreputable part of me is by Steve Kluger. He likes to write books where the story unfolds in letters, blogs, emails, etc. The newest is called My Most Excellent Year (a novel of love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park). The frame of the book is an English assignment given to 3 Juniors, in which they each recap the development and changes in their friendships over the past several years. Through their text messages, their blogs, their emails, we see them fall in love, discover things about themselves and their parents, and figure out what they want after high school. Augie, TC, and Ale became people I would want to meet as I got to know them in this book. And, in fact, Mary Poppins does make a cameo appearance...

Links of interest:

There's No Such Thing as a DRAGON!

kiya@evpl — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:19:00 G8T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2008/08/28/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-dragon.aspx to post your comments!

You will certainly giggle at least once while reading this delightful story by Jack Kent. Billy Bixbee wakes up one morning to find a tiny dragon on his bed! He tries to tell his mom, but she keeps insisting that dragons don't exist. And the dragon begins to grow...

Another favorite by this author is The Caterpillar and the Polliwog, a story about changing and growing.

Andrew Clements makes me laugh

kiya@evpl — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:41:00 G7T

Posted to the Kids Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/kids/archive/2008/07/28/andrew-clements-makes-me-laugh.aspx to post your comments!

Andrew Clements makes me laugh. Even when his books are a little bit sad, they still have funny spots. Clements writes books for all ages of children - there are picture books, easy chapter books, harder chapter books, and books for teenagers.

One of his most recent books is called No Talking - it's about a school where the fifth grade boys and the fifth grade girls compete to see who can do better at not talking for almost two days, and without explaining it to their teachers or parents!

Clements has a series of picture books about a dog named Slippers, but my favorite is Circus Family Dog. In that book, a dog named Grumps learns that his circus family loves him, even if he can't do all the tricks that another dog can do.

Clements taught school for many years - fourth grade, eighth grade, and high school. Most of his chapter books are set in and around schools. His first published book was about a boy who makes up a new word, and tries to get everyone to use it. That book is called Frindle. It has been published in many countries and languages. I think of it as special, because it was the first book by Andrew Clements I ever read.

Do yourself a favor, and read a book by Andrew Clements!

Links:

Andrew Clements' website

The official Frindle website

Books at EVPL by Andrew Clements (below are a few of Clements' books)

How Ya Like Me Now

kiya@evpl — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:54:00 G7T

Posted to the Teens Blog on EVPL Communities. View the original post at http://evpl.org/community/blogs/teens/archive/2008/07/21/how-ya-like-me-now.aspx to post your comments!

I've always enjoyed the adult books that Brendan Halpin writes, so I was excited to see a new novel for Young Adults from him. How Ya Like Me Now pulls the reader in pretty quickly, as we meet Eddie just as his life is changing yet again. First his father died, then his mom retreated into whatever pills she could find to numb her pain, leaving Eddie to manage his own life. He did pretty well for a fifteen-year-old, but it came to an end when his mother was arrested for forging a prescription. The book opens with Eddie getting ready to leave his suburban home to move in with his aunt and her family in downtown Boston. Suddenly he's trying to get along in a place where everything is different - a loft in the city, surrogate parents, a cousin his same age, and a small charter school in the middle of the city - his new life is completely different from anything he's ever experienced.

It didn't take me long to begin caring about Eddie, and cheering for him as he finds his way. After finishing the book, I took it home and gave it to my 16 year old son. He was slow to start it (what teen wants to read his mom's suggested book?), but once he began the book, he read it in one sitting. He liked how "real" the characters felt to him, and the interaction between Eddie and the other students. We both recommend this book.

More Information: