Beautiful Creatures By Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Darkness (Oct. 2010)

By Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrVl6pq1gNE

http://media.barnesandnoble.com/index.jsp?fr_chl=bf959b72587c3a9b94da6cf24804619fdda4731e&cds2Pid=26721&linkid=1331414

The titles of these two popular YA novels were a little deceptive. I have to admit, my initial draw was actually the stark but absolutely beautiful cover of the book. I know there is that whole silly thing about not judging a book by its cover, but we all know that every single one of us does it -- at least at first. It's one of the reasons librarians weed through collections and find updated versions of classics. At any rate, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect initially given the title, but Garcia & Stohl have delivered an interesting mixture of fantasy, gothic, and historical fiction and melded it into the supernatural world. Toss in a librarian and I was hooked! I couldn’t put down the first book, Beautiful Creatures, and was lucky enough to have an advanced copy of Beautiful Darkness from ALA. I loved both of them and can’t wait for more from Garcia & Stohl! I'm also looking forward to one day meeting them as they have certainly created a fan out of me!

I hate to give too much away about plot, but the basic story involves teen Lena Duchannes who moves to her grandfather’s mansion in the small southern town of Gatlin and starts to stir things up unknowingly. She has an instant connection with local teen Ethan Wate and interesting things start to happen…Mystery abounds as the story unfolds and a supernatural world in Gatlin that has been hidden for centuries is revealed.

Picture The Dead By Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

I happened upon this little book just because I was in Children’s Book World the day before the authors were due in for a book signing. I read the book almost overnight and discovered a delightful little treat. Lovers of paranormal romance, ghost stories, graphic novels, and historical fiction can get all of that wrapped up in one with this little book. These two crafty women teamed up to create this novel about a young woman waiting for her love to return from the civil war only to find out he has died on the battlefield. His brother returns home and a mystery ensues. Clues unfold in pictures and within the story. It is a clever and fun read! very appropriate for early middle school and above.

http://www.picturethedead.com/

Books By Jordan Sonnenblick dealing with Cancer...in memory of Donna and the battle thousands fight everyday

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw8c-K0_9Z0

After Ever After

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQtUE6e0Kg&feature=related

By Jordan Sonnenblick

http://www.jordansonnenblick.com/

Cancer

My Chemical Romance (available on iTunes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq7gJ_55-Jc

Turn away,

If you could get me a drink

Of water 'cause my lips are

chapped and faded

Call my aunt Marie

Help her gather all my things

And bury me in all my favorite colors

My sisters and my brothers, still

I will not kiss you,

'Cause the hardest part of this

Is leaving you.

Now turn away,

'Cause I'm awful just to see

'Cause all my hair's

abandoned all my body,

Oh my agony

Know that I will never marry,

Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo

But counting down the days to go.

It just ain't livin'.

And I just hope you know

That if you say

Good-bye today

I'd ask you to be true

'Cause the hardest part of this

is leaving you...

'Cause the hardest part of this

is leaving you...

Cancer. We all seem to be touched by it these days. Family members, friends, loved ones…in some way we all seem to know someone who has either survived cancer, is fighting cancer, or has died of cancer. This week, my friend Donna died of cancer. She was 45. She won’t be able to see her son grow up. My friend Drew lost his wife, his son Josiah, 11, lost his mom. Cancer shows no discretion, rhyme, or reason, and is completely unfair. But we live with it and the devastation it leaves in its path.

Jordan Sonneblick’s YA novels Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie and After Ever After are two beautifully written books that look at trudging through the day to day turmoil cancer bestows upon families through the eyes of two eighth graders. The first book is through the eyes of Steven, big brother to cancer patient Jeffrey, who is five. The second book is written from Jeffrey’s perspective as an eighth grader – as a cancer survivor.

What I like best about Sonnenblick’s books is that they show the real emotions that cancer inflicts upon families. It is a long, drawn-out, tortuous disease and the effects are also long, drawn-out, and often tortuous. Describing cancer as a battle is spot on. Those who have the disease are warriors and those in their everyday support are also warriors.

If you or someone you know if fighting the battle, Sonnenblick’s books will be a wonderful comfort. While it’s written for the middle YA age group, older kids will appreciate it too. I wish I’d given them to my stepdaughter 6 months ago to comfort her as she’s dealt with her own role supporting her younger sister’s battle with cancer. She’ll be getting them for Christmas!

On a final note, I have to publicly thank Jordan Sonnenblick for a) writing such wonderful YA literature and b) being so incredibly kind as to sign multiple copies for me at PSLA as well as mailed copies of Drums. He is a thoughtful and caring man.

2010 Printz Awards

Me & Libba Bray

Going Bovine

By Libba Bray

2010 Printz Award

Libba Bray first captivated me with her books Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing. Teen girls everywhere fell in love with her smart, witty female characters. I was quite surprised when Going Bovine came out and the main character was male…but the book has become one of my all-time favorites! Going Bovine is jam-packed with so much adventure and a wacky yet sad sense of humor. It’s like a mad-capped trip through a teenaged Wonderland as Cameron discovers who he is and what life is really all about. Libba has written a book I know I’ll be reading over and over again for years to come and recommending to friends and students as well. It’s sure to become an enduring classic, displaying its well-earned Printz Award on its front cover.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Libba Bray at ALA this past summer when she officially received the Printz Award for Going Bovine. She gave an incredible speech and is one of the most entertaining and hilarious authors I have ever heard speak. She has one of those personalities where she just sparkles from the stage and you feel like you could just sit down and have a cup of coffee and a lot of laughs with her. She’s a true rockstar! In fact, little did I know, but Libba can actually rock out as well and if you look her up on YouTube, you’ll find the evidence of her singing talent. I expect we’ll be hearing quite a bit more from this very talented author.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloEAoKvBqA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=segA4JzQnKs&feature=related

http://libbabray.com/

Tales of A Madman Underground

By John Barnes

Printz Honor Award Winner

John Barnes’ cast of characters has everyone rooting for the underdog in this tale destined to become a favorite among readers. In some ways, the main character Karl Shoemaker is reminiscent of Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, but written for a new generation. And yet he is so different. Barnes’ has developed characters and delved into the complexities of relationships in a novel that you won’t soon forget and will having you rethinking who the real heroes are in the world. It's a novel about friendship, relationships, and coming of age with a quirky but loveable set of characters with real depth. This isn't the Beverly Hills 90120 set but but a group more like the other 80% of the nations' population.

I got to meet John Barnes personally at ALA after the Printz Awards (during which he gave a terrific speech about writing today and the state of the modern novel). I hadn’t had time for him to sign my book during the conference and was out for a late night drink with a friend after the Printz reception. We couldn’t find a bar open in Washington and ended up stumbling upon the only bar that seemed to be open at about 1:30 am only to “crash” the authors’ party. I have to say they were all incredibly gracious toward us. As we were heading out for the night I asked John if he’d mind signing my book for me and he nicely did so – “For Melissa, Who has been drinking and does it well!” Thanks again John!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ejpANO7xA8

The Monstrumologist

By Rick Yancy

Printz Honor Award Winner

Rick Yancy’s book had been on my “to read” list since the day the preview came out, but being bogged down with grad school, I still hadn’t gotten around to reading it. After hearing his speech at ALA, it automatically got moved up in the priority list. The idea of Yancy scaring himself while writing his own book…well that just had me intrigued. I had to find out what it was about this book that was going to scare the bejeezus out of all of the kids in my school once I was teaching full-time.

I have to say that as intrigued as I was by the previews, the book is even better than I thought it would be. From the picture on the front cover to the very last word, this is an incredible read. Yancy may very well be our modern day Edgar Allen Poe. This tale is finely crafted and filled with horrific detail. Lovers of the obscure will delight in every spine tingling turn of the page. It is not a book for the faint of heart and will undoubtedly make you wary of things that go bump in the night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCzqKrAsVwM

Alternative Views of Relationships & Love in YA Lit

John Green & David Levithan signing my copy of Will Grayson, Will Grayson at ALA June 2010. John also signed a copy of Looking for Alaska for me, one of my favorite John Green novels.


We live in a wonderful time for teens. When I was growing up in the 80’s, homosexual relationships really weren’t talked about. I can only imagine what it was like for my friends who are GLBT as they were dealing with their emerging sexuality. No wonder “coming out of the closet” has been such a big deal for so many of my friends! Fortunately things are starting to shift and the bookshelves are starting to gain a vast array of excellent literature that talks about all types of relationships. The thing I like best about all of the authors I’ve highlighted is that they all ultimately send us the message that whatever the relationship and whomever it is with, relationships are about people and emotions. Love comes in many forms and it requires mutual respect.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary
By Nick Burd

It's Dade's last summer at home. He has a crappy job at Food World, an abusive “boyfriend” who won’t publicly acknowledge his existence, and parents on the verge of a divorce. College is Dade’s one hope for escape and a future where he can be himself. Then he meets the mysterious Alex Kincaid. Falling in real love finally lets Dade come out of the closet. But just when true happiness has set in, tragedy shatters the dream.

The Sky Is Everywhere
By Jandy Nelson

What do you do when your sister dies and your life falls apart around you? Lenny finds herself confronting grief with love and romance as she crawls out of her sister’s shadow and into her own skin. Her emotions unfold in lines of poetry as she uncovers how she will move on in a life without her other half.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqim02tVu3U&feature=related


Will Grayson, Will Grayson
By John Green & David Levithan

I’ve read many John Green books and I think this collaborative effort may just be my new favorite. It is the story of two characters named Will Grayson who ultimately end up meeting at a porn store in Chicago. Green and Levithan regale the alternating Will Grayson perspectives/stories in even and odd chapters. The result is brilliant. The characters are so well depicted that you either want to throw them out a window or become best friends with them. Who wouldn’t love a 300lb gay linebacker who writes musicals, sings, and cries in front of the entire school named Tiny Cooper? In typical John Green style, his chapters are hilarious while at the same time hitting deep into relationships. This is the first I’ve read David Levithan, but his character blends perfectly with Green’s to make an excellent and refreshing novel about relationships and love on many different levels.
http://www.youtube.com/v/nYpyyZwE9Yc

ALA National Conference

Night of the Living Librarians

2010 Pitt Book Cart Drill Team

Our Gold Winning Book Cart

Skeletons From the Danse Macrabe,

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book

Children's Authors & MC's Mo Willems & Jon Scieszka

Two weeks before my final graduate school weekend at Pitt, I attended my first ALA National Conference. I was lucky that it was held just a few hours drive away in Washington, DC. I had already attended both PALA and PSLA in October and March and was expecting a similar level of excitement. Little did I know just how overwhelming the national conference would prove to be! It was unbelievable how much was packed into one conference. I had fortunately signed up for a fabulous pre-conference workshop presented by children's book artists. It was on a much smaller scale and the discussions and contact with illustrators was terrific. My favorite illustrator was Timothy Basil Ehring who did the illustrations for Kate DiCamillo's Tale of Despereaux and his own book (a personal favorite), Frog Belly Rat Bone, as well as numerous others. He did an illustrated Dr. Frankenstein's Diary that looks as if the Dr. himself wrote it.

Frog Belly Rat Bone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grvNn8sYfqg

The rest of the conference was a whirlwind as I tried to cram in as much as possible. For most true bibliophiles, meeting excellent authors is akin to having rockstar moments and I had many at ALA. I met Salmon Rushdie, MT Anderson, John Green, Libba Bray, Marlo Thomas, this year's Newberry and Caldecott winners Jerry Pinckney and Rebecca Stead, Jon Selcznick, and so many other amazing people. I came home with 50 signed books!

Adding to the rockstar moments, our Pitt Book Cart Drill Team came in first place for our interpretation of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book using book carts, the music Danse Macrabe and voice over from his reading of the book on CD where he describes the dance. Our captain Sherri got permission from Mr. Gaiman ahead of time to use the book and his recording and he did send us an official congratulations on winning via e-mail! I hope to one day meet Neil Gaiman in person. It will truly be one of those author meetings to remember for me!

Night of the Living Librarians; 2010 Pitt Book Cart Drill Team at ALA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruvd9nzdiKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUlVQm0Whc4&NR=1

Student Teaching -- Remembering What It Was Like To Be A Teen

Please Remember to Use Your

INSIDE VOICE in the Library

Media Center!


Other people shouldn't have to cover their ears.

I've been student teaching for the past 5 weeks in a local high school.  I absolutely love being in the school library everyday.  The kids are great and the library is filled with everything that I love.  Teenagers will be teenagers, however, and we have a very busy library!  When the crowds pick up, so does the noise level.  I just am not much of a yell and scream kind of girl -- unless I have a migraine and it's my own kids not responding to the 10th round of "knock it off guys..."  I prefer a more humorous tack most days. For the most part, I try to place myself in the students' shoes -- after all, we were all teens once.  

In an effort to cull the recent surge in noise level, I created posters and put them up as gentle reminders to our teens to remember their elementary school manners.  My next post will be on the table tops to remind them to clean up after themselves.  My mother used to tell us that "Doris the Maid" was on strike when we weren't pulling our end on cleaning up around the house.  Doris is going to go on strike in our LMC next week.  We'll see if our students start to change their behavior!

The Perfect Storm

I was browsing an educational website today and came across this study done by Educational Testing Services(ETS) complete with a video presentation. It is excellent and well worth a look. They've done some compelling work to back up my argument for a move toward a national education system!

(Click on the title to see the video.)

Sam Squirrel Becomes Dinner Entre As Cooper Hawk Dazzles Westchester University Students With Definitive Dive-Bombing Skills In Central Campus

Nature does as nature will do and to hell with housing developments, universities, and flocks of on looking students. After all, a hawk’s gotta eat, doesn’t he? And so the fate of poor Sam the Squirrel, who thought life was safe on campus among his peeps, where predators tends to shy away, came to a sudden and rather unexpected end on this fine October evening. Sam was whiling away the late afternoon putting away some food for the upcoming scarcity of the cold to come and having a generally happy time. Little did he know that eyes were on him from up above. And I’m not talking about the Lord. These eyes had a gourmet meal in mind. Sam, being a vegetarian and living next to the campus Starbucks that meant rich supplements of cookies and muffins to his diet, had little thought of such skyward gourmets.

Meanwhile, Cooper was making his mark. Within seconds, he had his aim lined up and BOOM! Sam was a dinner entre. Students were stunned. They stood their distance and watched as Coop began his meal. Now you might think that the common human reaction would be disgust. Repulsion. Fear. Quite the opposite for the most part. Oh a few walked past and muttered the odd “awwww” or “ewwwww”, but for the most part Coop garnered respect and reverence. Hundreds of students passed as he partook of his gourmet feast and all steered clear, or were politely steered clear by those watching, since he was so quiet many couldn’t see him, and most stopped to have a look. Seeing this beautiful almost 1 ½ foot bird with razor sharp claws and beak eating his catch and, for the most part, ignoring all of the people passing by seemed incredulous. It was as if he was putting on a show and he was the star.

Library Mania

I made it through my first official librarian conference.

When I told my brother back in September that I was going to be spending three and a half days at a librarian conference in mid-October surrounded by hundreds of librarians from all across the state of Pennsylvania, he just looked at me and said, "great Liss, 'yawn'!" When I tell people I am studying to be a librarian, half the time I get this look and then people will usually say something along the lines of "but you just don't look like a librarian..." Somehow I think most of the world still seems to be under the impression that librarians are these quiet little old ladies that hang out in cloistered little stacks of books with their natty cardigans, glasses, and stern glances. The librarians I know just don't fit that image. We're an eclectic bunch of well-read, fun-loving, tech-savvy and often slightly crazy folk known to be the loudest group in the bar. At least that's my experience! Needless to say, I feel right in my element!

It was slightly dangerous letting me loose at a librarians conference. Little did I know I'd be tempted right off the bat by a discount book sale. Of course I just couldn't walk away -- and proceeds went to support the Pennsylvania Librarian Association. Yet more justification for my diseased habit of acquiring literature. The gift shop was filled with more books, also profiting PaLA, and most of them were showcasing authors who were speaking at the conference. I picked up several as gifts for the kids. I then toured the floor of the exhibits and found some unusual book publishers -- and bought a book for Elena which I had signed by the author. Lucky me, I also won $100 in free books from the Junior Library Guild -- one of my favorite vendors! Once I am a librarian, I hope to use them as their titles and reviews are awesome.

My book habit just continued to be fueled as I met author after wonderful author at the conference. I bought books from all of them and had them signed. All but one were Pennsylvania authors. It was so exciting to see such talent right here in PA! As I read these wonderful new additions to my collection in the coming months, I'll post reviews and share them. Hopefully I won't garner so many yawns -- and maybe some of you will even be inspired to read a few!