The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Salim boards the London Eye with twenty other passengers while two other children, Ted and Kat, look on. Thirty minutes later, the sealed capsule opens and twenty one people exit, but not Salim. Where did the youth disappear to?

Ted, our narrator, is the heart and life of this otherwise ordinary mystery (Salim’s location is obvious from the beginning, especially if you’ve read the Anne of Green Gables series, as I have). But hearing Ted’s thoughts, following his reasoning, is worth the read. Ted is special. He has Asperger’s syndrome and a fascination with weather. His condition and interests bring humor, depth and a unique perspective to the story. I very much enjoyed this book and can’t wait to discuss it with my KidLit group meeting this weekend!

Dragon’s Egg by Sarah L. Thomson

In this book, dragons are more like chickens (they are kept in pens with their eggs collected for breakfast) than the fire breathing monsters of myth. However, they do puff smoke, bite, and look like minitures of their thought-to-be-extict distant relatives who actually do breath fire, fly and resemble serpents. Dragon’s are picky about their humans and few can tend to them. Mella is one of these humans.

When Mella finds (or steals depending on how you look at it) a real dragon egg, she is soon charged by its dying protector to get the egg to the Hatching Ground.

Nothing too special about this one. Very readable but things don’t get exciting until the conclusion. A good one for young readers looking for a fantasy book.

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

There are moments when I really miss Teen Librarianship. Reading Sweethearts was one of those moments. It’s a book I would have loved to booktalk. And I know it would go out. The cover alone sells the book. I still can’t look at it without the desire to eat it… my boyfriend even tried to grab the cookie off the book as it rested on the night stand one hazy morning!

Zarr, like Dessen in Just Listen, captures the female obsession/depression/anxiety related to all things food and social acceptance: the need for sweets and more sweets and the pressure to be attractive, thin. It is very well written but ultimately, I found Deanna’s story (Story of a Girl) more compelling. But this is a book whose themes of memory and resilience will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading.

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins

I picked up Repossessed with a bunch of other books but read it first because I liked the cover. Hey, it looks naughty and I wasn’t disappointed. When a demon tires of torturing souls, he decides to take a vacation. He hops into the body of American teenager, Shaun, a few seconds before the boy is supposed to die. Instead, the demon alters his future and takes over. Kiriel, the demon, proceeds to drink up his human experiences. Having monitored Shaun from Hell, Kiriel fits pretty seamlessly into the stride of Shaun’s everyday. As the story progresses, we learn how Kiriel fell from Grace and his true goal; attract the attention of the Creator.

Raised a Catholic, I was lead to believe the worst part about hell was not the torment, fire and general misery but instead, the nothingness of the absence of God, that to be apart from God was the harshest punishment. It certainly is for Kiriel.

I love the concept. I even grow attached to Kiriel. He certainly makes improvements in Shaun’s life. But the story is not properly fleshed out. It feels more like a fifth draft. I believe there is more to explore. And while there are some great moments (”I’m going to plunge myself into the expanses of her many charms. The line’s moving, Bailey; scoot up.” 65) I really wanted more.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth

I just finished Labyrinth. It definitely had a book 4 feel. Not quite as readable as book 3 but foreshadowing events to come in the fifth and final installment.

Percy is on the cusp of adolescence. He is becoming a better/stronger fighter. He develops his power over water. His feelings toward Annabeth border on the romantic. But Percy continues to show his ignorance, misunderstanding Annabeth’s reaction to the introduction of a red-headed mortal who sees through the Mist - Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Rachel becomes essential to completing this years quest; navigate the Labyrinth to find Daedalus and convince him to help save the Camp  Half-Blood from eminent invasion by Luke’s growing army.

We meet many new and interesting mythological characters in this one but sometimes it occasionally feelings like overload. It was great to have a mortal invovled (Rachel) and I hope to see more of her in the next book.

Programming and More Programming

As the Children’s Department gears up for summer, I’m trying to get as prepared as possible. I’m hosting several exciting things, new for me, this summer as well as attending to all the regular things.

I started doing Mother Goose on the Loose about two months ago and, while at first I was rather nervous and uncomfortable (”Why should these mothers listen to me?! I don’t have any kids!”), it has grown on me. I now have several more activities, songs, rhymes to accompany the set provided by the purchased book. I’ve been reading up on baby tips, and I’ve even been around my boyfriends baby so… I’m getting there. 

I have my Read, Rap and Roll book club (grades 4-6) next week. We’re reading the One Book NJ title, The Sisters Grimm - Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. I’m pulling some interviews with the author and coming up with some good discussion questions but I think it’s a little dry. I want to do something with the kids and I can’t think what. hum…

Toddler times are getting harder and harder. Perhaps it is the time of day (2:00 pm) because I do outreach to nursery schools during mornings and it’s never as difficult as hosting a program in the library. The kids are rowdy, squirming or flat out daydreaming. My last toddler time consister of two books (both pop-up books - One Red Dot and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt) and lots of movement (Hokey Pokey, Marching to the Drum, etc.) before I let them all go after a short 30 minutes. I was really disappointed because I had just bought the new Dog and Bear picture book by Laura Seeger and I adore it! … I definitely prefer pre-school story times and our all-age Good Morning Stories.

Regarding the upcoming summer schedule, I’m most excited about Beads, Bracelets and Bobbins. Hoping to bring more tweens in, I’m learning how to make some really cool stuff. I will upload images of the necklaces I’ve already made. Of course, the kids will use much cheaper beads but I know they will have some great designs. More to come!

I Revisit “The Lightning Thief”

Having lived in New Jersey for almost 2 years now and having traveled frequently into NYC and the surrounding NJ area, I am now aware of the subtle slights against NJ found in many middle grade, young adult and adult books that had hitherto passed before me unnoted. This is from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan:

 ”Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can’t believe there’s so much nothing right across the river from New York.”

Book Report - Mid February

      

Magyk and Flyte: Angie Sage - A story for the Harry Potter fantasy addicts that doesn’t quite satisfy. The series lacks the broad development that hooked HP fans. Things simply happen in this book. There are no rules established early on so I got the impression the writer took liberties with the plot whenever it was convenient. It’s a popcorn book for those of you who just can’t get enough fantasy. This will also appeal to the younger readers.

Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin - The first book by Zevin, the second I’ve read. While it was an interesting exploration of what might happen to us upon our deaths (we take a boat to Elsewhere, where we age backwards from our age at death until we are sent down a river to be reborn again on Earth), I enjoyed her second work, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac) much more.

The Sweet Far Thing: Libba Bray - I am so disappointed in this book. After a great start with A Great and Terrible Beauty, the series takes a nose dive (comparisons to the Matrix series might be appropriate - great start, stinky sequals). The second and third installments of Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy is loosely held together with the most insipid characterizations, ridiculous wasting of magic, poor plot structure, and jolting transitions. What is Gemma’s objective? She has a thought, then it flits out of her head between the period and the start of the next sentence. She has no ability to connect the dots (unlike the famous Harry Potter - an necessary quality in a hero). Arrrrrg! Where is the strong female lead, the one who rises above the mundane, trite worries of her girlish companions? Where is the tight plot that feels like we are being led somewhere, not wandering and not forced? IT IS ABSENT. GONE! bo. ho. There are - maybe - two memorable scenes from this book. Otherwise, it is a cacophony of random moments, seemingly spontanous plot turns, and poor writing.

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks and Other Funny Family Portaits: Hanoch Piven - A wonderful, creative book around which you could plan a whole program. Definitely check this one out.

I Like Myself: Karen Beaumont - From the author/illustrator that brought us the *fabulous* I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More, this book celebrates the self with fun rhymes. This was a hit during my latest storytime.

PEW Technology Quick Quiz

Take this quick quiz from the PEW Internet and American Life Project to determine what kind of technology user you are! 

Where do I fit?

I’m an Omnivore. Omnivores make up 8% of the American public.

Basic Description:

Members of this group use their extensive suite of technology tools to do an enormous range of things online, on the go, and with their cell phones. Omnivores are highly engaged with video online and digital content. Between blogging, maintaining their Web pages, remixing digital content, or posting their creations to their websites, they are creative participants in cyberspace.

Who They Are:

They are young, ethnically diverse, and mostly male (70%). The median age is 28; just more than half of them are under age 30, versus one in five in the general population. Over half are white (64%) and 11% are black (compared to 12% in the general population). English-speaking Hispanics make up 18% of this group. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many (42% versus the 13% average) of Omnivores are students.

Cosplay Photo Wins!

Ariana Lindquist, a photographer based in the United States, won the first prize of the Arts and Entertainment Singles category with this picture of a girl in an anime character costume in Shanghai, China. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2008, the world’s largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 8, 2008.