Miss Barnes's Top 10 of 2007

These are what I consider the ten best books I’ve read that were published in 2007 and thus in consideration for major literary awards (for teen books) in 2008.

1. Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie YA FIC ALE “A hilarious experience, full of insight, but also touched with tragedy. A rare look at the contemporary life of a Native American teen.”

2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt JH SCH “Easily one of the smartest, most well-written books of the year. If you’ve ever wondered what it would have been like to grow up in the 1970s as 7^th grader, then this is the book for you.”

3. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr YA FIC ZAR “Achingly real, this is the story of a girl who just wants to escape her past, but who keeps seeing reminders of it everywhere she turns.”

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling JH ROW “The book that needs no introduction! When I finished, I thought, okay, what do I do with my life now?”

5. Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb YA FIC RAB “I never thought a story where the mom dies could be entertaining, but that’s exactly what this book was!”

6. Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky YA FIC SNA “The author Googled my review on the blog and then wrote about it on her blog as the best review she read of her book! Oh wait, I’m not supposed to be bragging here! One of those fun girly reads that keeps you from doing what you need to be doing. Like showering…”

7. Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson “I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance reader’s copy of this and I couldn’t put it down. A thriller that kept me guessing to the very end – and I usually figure that stuff out, too!

8. Tyrell by Coe Booth YA FIC BOO “A gripping look at what it’s like to grow up on government aid that’s still filled with hope.”

9. In Defense of Our America by Anthony D. Romero 323.4 ROM “I’m not one to read a whole lot of non-fiction, but I breezed through this one because every chapter was written like a narrative. Written by the head of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) this book takes a look at civil liberties in post-9/11 America. Totally gripping stuff that you can’t believe is happening in this country.”

10. Boy Toy by Barry Lyga YA FIC LYG “I’m not even finished with this one but I’m still putting it on the list. A ripped from the headlines story that’s entirely real and heartbreaking. It’s full of baseball talk, which is another plus for me. A very intense, painful read at times, but extremely well-told.”

Book Review - Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Every now and then, I come across a book I cannot put down, a book that leaves me laughing out loud on the train and possibly scaring nearby passengers, who might think I am crazy. Sherman Alexie's debut young adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is exactly this kind of book. Junior's a high school student, living on an Indian reservation near Spokane, Washington. One day in class, out of frustration, he throws his textbook at the wall. It doesn't quite get there. Instead, it hits his teacher in his face. Rather than yelling at Junior or demanding an apology, the teacher does something quite unexpected. He apologizes for Junior, for the way the entire system in this country completely screws over Native Americans. He apologizes to Junior because he knows that most likely, even though Junior is bright, he will end up like almost everyone around him, drunk and incapable of getting out of their situation. He tells Junior to go to school off the reservation.

Junior does. He starts attending Reardon High School, 22 miles away from the edge of the reservation. He's the only American Indian student there, and this fact, coupled with some other traits that make him stand out, leave him a loner.

This sounds like a pathetic story so far, right? The surprise is that it's not, at all. Totally unexpected and good things happen to Junior, as well as some sad things. Also, Junior's a budding comic illustrator, so the book is chock full of his drawings. This book is an account of a pivotal year in a teenager's life. It's funny enough to make you (okay, me) choke on my burrito, and touching enough to... well, let's just say I'm a crier.

Five out of five stars

FYI: While this is Alexie's first YA book, it's by no means his first book. He's written several novels and short stories, and is quite the acclaimed adult fiction author.

Haunted libraries?!

Check out the libraries in Illinois that are supposedly haunted.

Book Review - Dairy Queen, by Catherine Murdock

Can you imagine spending all your time with cows? That's what D.J.'s had to put up with for months. Milking, haying, and shoveling manure are second nature for fifteen year old D.J. Schwenk, whose family owns a Wisconsin dairy farm. Usually her dad would do all of this stuff, but since his hip surgery, he hasn't been able to work the farm, and since all her brothers are busy playing football, the task has fallen on her. When her dad's best friend, the coach of the rival football team, asks her to help train their quarterback Brian over the summer, D.J. takes advantage of the opportunity. Anything to give her a break from the cows. But Brian turns out to be a whiny, spoiled brat. Did he just make D.J.'s summer even worse? Or is it possible there is more to Brian than what at first meets the eye?

Catherine Gilbert Murdock's fantastic first novel, Dairy Queen, is funny, achingly real, and full of family drama. D.J. may not be getting straight A's in school, but there's a lot going on in her mind, and it's a real delight to get a peek in there.

Recommended for anyone who likes reading about small town life, first love, and football.

Four out of five stars

Book Review - Catch, by Will Leitch

Tim's a high school graduate in a small mid-western town - Mattoon, Illinois, to be exact - planning to spend his summer working at the bagel plant and partying with his high school friends. College-bound (the U of I), Tim's the odd one out of his group of friends, most of whom will probably spend the rest of their lives working at the bagel plant. Tim's not so sure how he feels about this. Can he really become a college guy? Or will he end up like his older brother, who gave up his spot in the major league draft in order to go to college, and who's just come home, bearded, a little on the tubby side, and after four years, still without a degree. Tim's summer takes a turn for the better when the moody but intriguing Helena, the secretary at the bagel factory, finally responds to his advances. Will Leitch, who runs the popular sports blog Deadspin.com has written a debut novel that captures that one weird summer, right before you head off to college, when you're left dangling between two worlds: the one you're leaving, and the one you've only imagined.

Four out of five stars.
Especially recommended to high school seniors and baseball fans (there's a lot of baseball talk in here, making it a perfect read for the post-season).

Breaking News! Well, at least for all you Harry Potter fans

Okay, maybe some of you learned this over the weekend, but I was busy watching the Red Sox make it to the World Series and seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert.

Here it comes....

DUMBLEDORE IS GAY!

Breaking News! National Book Award finalists were announced today

For the category of young people's literature, the finalists are:

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Kathleen Duey, Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One
M. Sindy Felin, Touching Snow
Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sara Zarr, Story of a Girl

I have read two of these books so far: The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Story of a Girl. They are both fantastic and amazing in very different ways. Check 'em out! Actually, only one of them is available for check out right now: Touching Snow. Grab it before it's gone!

Chat with your favorite authors all month long

Okay, so this is maybe the coolest thing ever. 31 very popular young adult authors will be taking part in live chats on MySpace with... YOU!

Here's the rundown:

(All are taking place at 7 PM CT, except for the Stephenie Meyer chat, which will be at 11 PM CT.)
October 1st: Meg Cabot
October 2nd: Tiffany Trent
October 3rd: Brent Hartinger
October 4th: Lorie Ann Grover
October 5th: K.L. Going
October 6th: Nikki Grimes
October 7th: Ellen Hopkins
October 8th: Justina Chen Headley
October 9th: Chris Crutcher
October 10th: Ann Brashares
October 11th: Sarah Mlynowski
October 12th: Cecil Castellucci
October 13th: Kirby Larson
October 14th: Tanya Lee Stone
October 15th: John Green
October 16th: Sara Zarr
October 17th: Deb Caletti
October 18th: Rachel Cohn
October 19th: Kirsten Miller
October 20th: Mitali Perkins
October 21st: Sonya Sones
October 22nd: Lisa Yee
October 23rd: Carolyn Mackler
October 24th: E. Lockhart
October 25th: Janet Lee Carey
October 26th: Gaby Triana
October 27th: Lauren Myracle
October 28th: Holly Black
October 29th: Cynthia Leitich Smith
October 30th: Dia Calhoun
October 31st: Stephenie Meyer

This is all being brought to you by Readergirlz! For more information, check out their website.

Banned Book Review - Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

All week long, I'll be reading banned books and blogging about 'em. Here's the first one I read - finished last night, watching the Rockies-Padres game.

Chris Crutcher's book Athletic Shorts is one of his many books that have been challenged or banned in this country. It's a book of six short stories, most of them about athletes. There's "A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune," which is about a fat kid who happens to be great at football and whose parents are both gay. Angus is the target of many high school pranks, and as part of the latest one, he's been elected Senior Winter Ball King, and set up to dance with high school beauty Melissa Lefevre. There's "The Pin" and "The Other Pin," two stories about wrestling. Then there's "Going Fishing," the story of a high school swimmer whose entire family was killed in a boating accident by his childhood friend. Crutcher attacks big issues head on: racism, in "The Telephone Man" and stereotyping, in "In The Time I Get." Even though his stories tackle serious matters, they're also funny and real. Crutcher's been writing for teens since the 1980s, and he's still at it, so he must be pretty good at it, right? Oh yeah.

Some sadder news

Brilliant and beloved author Madeleine L'Engle has died. I am shamefully admitting here that I have not read any of her books, but I really want to read "A Wrinkle In Time." Maybe it's time to finally check out one of her books (if you are like me), reread a favorite, or discover a new one.

Breaking News!

Young adult author Sarah Dessen had a baby over Labor Day weekend! You can congratulate her over at her livejournal.

(FYI: That's not a picture of the baby; it's Sarah Dessen!)

Book Review - Tyrell, by Coe Booth

"I walk 'round some more, buy a loose cigarette from the bodega on the corner, smoke it and feel myself calming down a little. Novisha right. I know she just looking out for me. She don't want me ending up like my pops. In jail. Again." (pg.7)

Tyrell is fed up. He doesn't want to live in the shelter, with cockroaches crawling everywhere, without any food except junk food from the machine down the hall, because it doesn't even have a kitchen. He doesn't want his friends trying to get him to sell drugs to make money for his mom and little brother. And he doesn't want his mom expecting him to be the man of the house, at fifteen. The only thing in his life that is good is Novisha, his smart, beautiful girlfriend, who plans to get out of the projects and go to college. All Tyrell wants is to get through this, for his dad to get out of jail and take care of his family again, and for he and Novisha to get married, so he can take care of her while she's in college. But then there's Jasmine, the cute Hispanic girl who's one room over in the shelter. She knows what he's been through, and she listens to him. When reading Novisha's diary, he finds out that she wishes he had plans to go to college too, and that she hadn't told her friends or mom that he dropped out of high school. He gets close to Jasmine, who helps him find food for his little brother, and spreads the word about a huge party he's throwing to raise money for first and last month's rent on an apartment, so he can get his family out of the shelter. Who's his girl - Novisha or Jasmine? What does he do with the money he makes at the party? You'll have to read to find out.

Tyrell is one of the most gripping urban teen novels I've ever read. The book gets you right inside Tyrell's head, and lets you knowwhat goes through the mind of a fifteen year old boy. Yikes! There's a lot going on in there. Tyrell's life is beyond tough, but he never really gives up the way his mom has - just waiting on her husband, in jail, and unmotivated to make things better by just getting a job. At times, this book made me almost sick, knowing the squalor they live in, in New York City, is also not so far away, in parts of Chicago. It gave me a glimpse into the life of someone who's problems are so much greater than anything I've dealt with, but who still manages to figure it out.

Adventures with new technology

This morning I learned about this neat site: clipmarks.com. You have to download the application (takes less than a minute), but then you can quickly capture web information (text, videos, photos, etc) and store it somewhere. This would be a great thing to have when you're writing papers and working with lots of web sources. Yeah, you've bookmarked them, but what about when you want to find that one paragraph that you really wanted. Well, you can clipmark it! Check it out!

clipped from clipmarks.com Save your clips privately or add them to the public library Use ClipSearch to find what you or others have clipped Post clips directly to your blog with Clip-to-Blog™ Email clips to your friends Print just the pieces of the page you want Watch the demo on the right to see how it works, or keep reading to learn more...

To guide your netflix list, or trips to the local video rental

This past week, a tremendous online archive was launched. The Balcony Archive contains 5,000+ streaming videos of movie reviews by famed Chicago film critics Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper, and Gene Siskel. I'm not going to lie, I'm a tad biased promoting this, because I am a huge fan of Ebert and many of my favorite films today were seen on his recommendation, but it is clearly an amazing resource on it's own.

So, what are you waiting for, check it out! You can search for their reviews of movies starring your favorite actor, by your favorite director, or by the movie's title.

Book Review - The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

The continuing saga of Miss Barnes reads all the Printz winners.

Only one left (Sonya Hartnett's Surrender), now that I've finished Marcus Zusak's stunning and hefty The Book Thief. Starting in the lead-up to World War II in Munich, Germany, this is the story of Liesel, a young German girl who lost her family but found a new one in Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who live on Himmel Street. This is a coming of age story, for Liesel, as she becomes a teenager in Nazi Germany. It is filled with awkwardness, embarassment, first love, and loss, but it is so much grander because of the situation in which it is set. While Liesel is becoming a teenager, she is also watching the very people she most cares for leave to fight in the war, and her family hides a Jewish man in their basement. And she is stealing books, often with the assistance of her best friend Rudy. One thing that makes this book so fascinating and different from the plethora of titles about World War II and the Holocaust, is that it is narrated by Death. I hesitate in writing too much more, for fear of giving away anything else about this tremendous book. It may be 550 pages, but you can easily read it in a few days; it is so captivating, memorable, and utterly heartbreaking.

Harry Potter Lock-In

The book is released! Owl feathers in the air!
Originally uploaded by Young Adult Services - Homewood Public Library

Pictures from the Harry Potter Lock-In are now up on the library's flickr page! Click to see more! Hooray!

Paging all Stephenie Meyer Fans

There's a fantastic six page article in the Phoenix New Times about Meyer, her legions of fans, Stephenie Meyers proms, and leaks of her latest books. Check it out!

Book Review - The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson

So, the other week I sat through the delightful Michael L. Prinz award ceremony, clapping and when everyone else around me stood up, giving standing ovations. To books I hadn't read yet. So my goal now is to read the three award-winning titles from this year that I had not gotten around to yet: The Book Thief, Surrender, and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. When I returned to work, I tried to check them all out but only Octavian Nothing was in.

The titular character, Octavian, is an African-American boy growing up in colonial Boston, in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Octavian and his mother Cassiopeia live in unusual circumstances. They are being studied by a group of philosophers who are interested in seeing the capacity for Africans to learn the classics. So, Octavian is being taught works of Greek mythology, how to play classical music, and learning to speak Latin. He is raised unaware that other African children living in America are not being given the advantages, and the odd training that he is. When the philosopher's school loses its funding, an older Octavian is quickly introduced to slave life. His mother dies as a result of a horrific experiment - Caucasian and African Americans were deliberately infected with smallpox to examine how their bodies reacted. This event leaves a deep mark on Octavian, and he is no longer a vivacious, thoughtful, curious boy, but a sullen, silent man. He manages to escape his owner and makes his way into the chaos that was the American Revolution, and at the end, manages to be reunited with his former teacher. Meant to be the first of a two-book series, the Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is terrifically thought-provoking and one of the most grim tales of colonial life that I have ever read. On a whole, I'm not the most avid reader of historical fiction, but I could not put this one down. Even though it looks like a kind of large book, it reads very quickly, due to short chapters and how interesting Octavian's story is. M.T. Anderson has written another intelligent book that is bound to have a deep impact on its readers.

Sometimes, librarians have adventures too

Some of you may have noticed I was gone for a week. This is because I was lucky enough to go to the American Library Association Annual Conference. This year, it was held in Washington, D.C. So, for an entire week, I hung out with librarians from all over the country, chatted up award-winning authors, attending banquets honoring authors for their achievements in children's and young adult literature, and explored the city. Here are some of the highlights:


This is me with Phyllis Reynolds Naylor! My hero! She's signing some Alice books for me and my friend.


Sometimes coworkers make you do things and then take pictures of it. Thus, me, riding waves at ALA.


Me and Marcus Zusak at breakfast.


John Green!


Laurie Halse Anderson and her editor.


Lots of award-winning young adult authors. Can you spot your favorites?


My fancy place-setting at the Newbery/Caldecott banquet. I quickly learned that this award ceremony is basically the Oscars of the children's publishing industry. Every author and publisher was there, dressed to the nines!


A view of the exhibit halls. So many freebies!


Nick Hornby reading from his forthcoming young adult novel debut, Slam!


Carolyn Mackler, author of The Earth, My Butt, And Other Big Round Things, reading from her forthcoming book


Cecil Castellucci, who read from both P.L.A.I.N. Janes and her new book Beige


There were 700 people in attendance at the Printz awards! Each award winner (M.T. Anderson, John Green, Sonya Hartnett, Marcus Zusak, and Gene Luen Yang) gave a fantastic speech.


On my last day there (when it was 95 degrees) I finally had the chance to do some sightseeing. Finally, I saw the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.


We also went to the Smithsonian Museum, you know, for the air conditioning, the gift shops, the dinos, the gemstones, and the delicious greasy pizza.


The reflecting pool and the Washington monument.

Coming soon...

Check back to hear about Miss Barnes' adventures at the American Library Association conference in Washington, D.C. Learn about the authors she met and all the free books she scored!

For now, a picture of her with Printz-award winning author Marcus Zusak.

Book Review - Rats Saw God, by Rob Thomas

Rats Saw God, by Rob Thomas
You know that singer that used to be in Matchbox 20? He did not write this book. Hope that doesn't disappoint any of you! The person who wrote this book is another Rob Thomas, and indeed the same Rob Thomas that created the television show Veronica Mars. Awesome. Eighteen-year-old Steve York is a burn-out and a huge disappointment to his father, a famous astronaut. He's one English credit short of finishing up high school in San Diego, but his school's guidance counselor has found a way for him to regain that credit and graduate on time. How? He must write 100 pages. Steve ends up writing about his sophomore and junior years in high school, when he went from top-notch student to...well...a burn-out: his participation in GOD (Grace Order of Dadaists), his relationship with fellow GOD-er Wanda - "Dub", and living with his dad in Houston. This book is possibly one of the smartest-written books for teens I have ever read, and I mean that in the best of ways. There were at least three words in there that I'd never seen before! The characters are witty and daring, but also awkward and sweet. I was able to see glimpes of the Veronica Mars world of Neptune High, in Grace High (Houston's public high school), populated with teens that break the common stereotypes like jock and nerd. There's no stereotype for someone as unique as Steve York, or teen private investigator Veronica Mars.

This is a book that is way better than the cover suggests, so check it out!

* * * * (four stars)

Breaking News!

The Quill Awards, which go to the best books as voted on by publishers, librarians, and readers, are now entering their third year. The nominees for best young adult book were announced earlier this week. They are:

American Born Chinese
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Published by First Second Books

The Green Glass Sea
Written by Ellen Klages
Published by Viking

Incantation
Written by Alice Hoffman
Published by Little, Brown and Company

Life as We Knew It
Written by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published by Harcourt Books

Sold
Written by Patricia McCormick
Published by Hyperion Books

I am happy to say that I have read three of these titles: American Born Chinese, Life As We Knew It, and The Green Glass Sea. And, if you've been by the library recently, you'll know that our teen summer reading selection for Mission: Read is Life As We Knew It. Pretty neat!

Book Review - Dangerously Alice, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Dangerously Alice

It's here. Well, almost. I actually had to interlibrary loan the book because the Homewood copy wasn't ready quite yet. The latest installment in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's beloved "Alice" series hit bookstore and library shelves two weeks ago. Yay! For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it started when titular character Alice McKinley was in elementary school, and has followed her growth up into adolescence, in over a dozen novels. At the beginning of their junior year, Alice and her longtime good friends Pamela and Elizabeth find themselves at odds with and judged by some of their old crowd. The book follows Alice's many attempts to shake her goody two-shoes image. Perpetually portrayed at falling somewhere in between the religious, rather innocent Elizabeth, and the adventurous, spunk Pamela, Alice flirts with "dangers" like riding a motorcycle, going to a dance with an older guy, and "running away" for a newspaper article. For the first time in the series, Alice becomes a little sassy, and it gives the book an interesting twist. Just how much will she sass her stepmother - the teacher she once set up with her father - and just how far will she go in proving she's no wuss?

Naylor has legions of fans boasting their love and appreciation of the "Alice" titles, and surely, this one will not disappoint.

* * * *
(four stars)

Book Review - Anatomy of a Boyfriend, by Daria Snadowsky

There's just something about reading a whole book in one sitting. One, it has to be a really, really good book for this to be an enjoyable experience. (So that means that when I read the 800-page Mysteries of Udolpho in one sitting during college, I wasn't enjoying myself.) When the book is so good you don't take a pee break and keep putting off dinner, well, that's really something.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend, the debut novel by Daria Snadowsky, is just that good. Dominique, known to her friends as Dom, goes after what she wants. A senior in high school, she's only applying to the top schools in the country, hoping to go pre-med, and she's on the Science Quiz team. Wes is the first guy she's ever wanted that's available, but getting together with him isn't easy. He's as hesitant, nervous, and unexperienced as she. This book is very similar to Judy Blume's Forever. In its unwavering honesty, it is true to the teenager experience, not leaving out any of the details. This book is flying off the shelves at libraries (I've waited months to get my hands on it, and I'm the librarian!), and for good reason. You'll laugh, cringe, and maybe cry a little bit, following Dom through the end of her senior year and on to college.

Check out this neat thing they put online - build a boyfriend!

* * * * *
(five stars)

Book Review - Cures for Heartbreak, by Margo Rabb

Fourteen-year-old Mia's mother goes to the hospital one day complaining of a stomachache. Twelve days later, after learning she had cancer, she dies. "Cures for Heartbreak" follows Mia through her mother's brief illness and the aftermath, which holds further tragedy. Despite the great deal of sadness that is in this book, I still found myself laughing and smiling so often at Mia's insights and the way she navigates the world, her family downsized to just her father and sister. Each chapter of the story could easily function as a short story, but combined, the chapters turn the book into a powerful statement about what it is to be human in the face of great loss. "Cures of Heartbreak" is laugh-out-loud funny, but also realistic, moving, and even romantic.

* * * * * (five stars)

Opening this weekend

The movie The Invisible, which opens in theaters this weekend, is actually based on a young adult novel! The book The Invisible by Matt Wahl, set in Sweden and now translated to English, is about high school student Hilmer Erikkson who goes to class one day only to realize that he is invisible. But that's not all. His class is visited by a detective who wants to talk about his disappearance. If you're a fan of mysteries or found yourself enjoying The Lovely Bones</span> by Alice Sebold, you might want to check out this book and movie!

Book Review - Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks

I am just about done with Zack Hample's Watching Baseball Smarter. This nonfiction book is the PERFECT guide for anyone who has a few ball games under their belt, but always has a few questions, like "What's a balk?" or "Why are all the ballparks different?" Zack Hample's book is fun, readable, and at times funny. I rarely read nonfiction, yet breezed through this one over the past week. This book is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys watching baseball and is looking for a fun primer - especially fantasy baseball players!

* * * * *
(five stars)

Also, NPR has an interesting interview with the author.

No longer breaking news like it was last night when I read the New York Times

Kurt Vonnegut has died. When I was in high school, there a couple things I always checked the library shelves for: new "Alice" books, and short story collections by Kurt Vonnegut. My absolute favorite: Welcome to the Monkey House.

Have a great Easter weekend!

Regardless of whether you celebrate Easter, you'll surely enjoy this site: Daily Bunny. A new adorable bunny every day? Awesome.

Bibliomania!

It's true, I finally did it. I joined LibraryThing.com! You can check out some of the books in my library over on the right side of the blog. Instead of adding to my virtual library the books that make up my real library, I've decided to add the books I read as I read them. Right now it has 30 books, because so far in 2007 I've read thirty books. I've been writing them down on a list in my planner and was starting to feel a sense of accomplishment until I typed them in here. Typing in thirty books didn't take that long. And then, looking around at other people's libraries, mine seemed kinda, well, small. Of course, they are usually writing down all the books they own in their real library, but still. I think I suffer from bibliomania. Okay, on second thought not really, because I just read the Wikipedia entry and this doesn't sound like me:

"Bibliomania is an obsessive-compulsive disorder involving the collecting or hoarding of books to the point where social relations or health are damaged."

Well, I think my social relations and health are doing alright. But... OH NO!

"...bibliomania is characterized by the collecting of books which have no use to the collector nor any great intrinsic value to a genuine book collector."

Sometimes I come across books that have no use to me, and no value to a book collector, like, um....

VOYAGE TO RADOS


Yeah, it's a Barbie book where she goes to space. I have to admit, I still haven't even read it, but the images are something to behold. "Outer Space" is very pink and very sparkly. Okay, maybe it does have some use to me (entertainment).

Man, there are some scary book-related conditions that could be afflicting me:

bibliophagy (book-eating)
bibliokleptomaia (book-stealing)
bibliotaphy (book-burying)

Book burying?! Not to offend those out there suffering from bibliotaphy, but that is weird! I might not mind suffering from bibliophagy, as long as the book looks like this:

She's halfway there....

Well, I am probably late in reporting that they've finally released the cover of the final (::gulp::) Harry Potter book. What do you think of it?

Also, an update: I am now halfway done with my Harry Potter-catch up, having finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban earlier this week. I have to say, I like it a whole lot more than the first two. Do they just keep getting better?

Vote for your favorite Harry Potter book!

Oh no!

Beloved young adult author and keeping of the Brotherhood 2.0 Blog (along with his bro), John Green is in the hospital with an infection in his eye. Yuck! Send him well wishes by clicking here. He'd sure appreciate a video of you with stuff on your head. Which is kind of making me think I should find something, put it on my head, and make a Youtube video. Thoughts?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I'd heard a lot about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas this book before reading it. One, that people had issues with the fact that the author calls it a "fable." What does it mean to be a fable about the Holocaust? I'm still not sure. And two, does the author call it a "fable" to avoid having to be factually accurate. I don't want to spoil this book for you, because I found it to be so affecting (I definitely cried at the end). What I will say is that it is about a nine year old boy names Bruno whose father is, though he doesn't seem to entirely grasp this, the Nazi commander in charge of a concentration camp. Uprooted from his home in Berlin and relocated to what he only understands as Out-With (Auschwitz), Bruno is lonely, and so one day he searches for a friend. He finds a friend on the other side of a fence, where there are, he learns, thousands of people in striped pajamas. Bruno will frustrate you for much of the book, and then he will find his way into your heart, as his ignorance comes closer to understanding, but never quite reaches it. This is a thought-provoking novel, whose implausibility left only a small mark on me. How does the Holocaust look through the eyes of a young German child? This book is just an attempt to imagine what that might have been like.

* * * * (four stars)

P.S. Word on the street is that the book is already being made into a movie.

Sometimes award-winning young adult authors break into abandoned buildings in Detroit

And make videos about it. Of course, this is from Brotherhood 2.0 and features John Green and M.T. Anderson (Tobin) doing just that. Check it out!

So...

I'm getting ready for bed last night and my roommate shouts out to me, "Hey, that book you're reading is on TV." So, I walk into the living room and, oh yes, the Colbert Report is on and Stephenie Meyer's "New Moon" is his topic of discussion! Go Stephenie Meyer!

The Tale of One Bad Rat

Helen looks like a boy, is homeless, and really likes Beatrix Potter. None of these things made me think that The Tale of One Bad Rat would be an interesting graphic novel to read... but it was! The book starts off with Helen passing her time in a London tube station, her only companion a pet rat. Something has happened to Helen that makes it hard for her to open up to people, and that also led her to run away, but we don't know what that is yet. Instead, we are treated to glimpses of her past through flashbacks, and read and look on as she tries to make it on her own. Eventually, she finds help in the form of two kind old folks, who provide safe room and board, while allowing Helen to work at their pub in the countryside. Helen learns that Beatrix Potter, her idol, once stayed at their inn, and finally confronts her past. While at first, the book sat on my shelf for awhile because I wasn't sure I would find it interesting (see first line of the review), once reading it, I immediately cared for Helen and wanted to see her situation improve. It does, but I won't tell you how!

* * * * (four stars)

Women's History Month

It just occured to me today that it is no longer Black History Month, but now, Women's History Month. There are all kinds of ways to get into Women's History Month, but one thing that just launched today is Readergirlz. This website, put together by young adult authors Janet Lee Carey, Lori Ann Grover, Dia Calhoun, and Justina Chen Headley. Their website celebrates strong, gutsy girls. Each month, the site will spotlight a different book, playlists to accompany the book, an author chat, a nonfictional gutsy girl, and everything you need to host your own gutsy girl book discussion.

Are you a gutsy girl?

Breaking News!

The nominees/short list for the L.A. Times Book Prize were announced this morning. For Young Adult Fiction, they are:

M.T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party

Coe Booth, Tyrell

John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

Meg Rosoff, Just in Case

Nancy Werlin, The Rules of Survival

Desert Crossing, by Elise Broach

Fourteen year-old Lucy, her older brother Jamie, and his best friend Kit are driving across the desert, making their way from Kansas to Phoenix for their spring break, when a thunderstorm appears out of nowhere. The driver, Jamie, exclaims that he can hardly see through the windshield, the rain so furiously pelting down on them, and then - BAM! - they've hit something. But what? Jamie and Kit swear it's a coyote, but Lucy insists they turn back to see what it was, just in case it was someone's pet. They finally do turn around, but what they find is no coyote. It's a girl. And she's dead. Desert Crossing is a captivating mystery that will get you hooked. Did Jamie kill her, or was it, as he swears, a coyote. And if he didn't, how did she end up there. What was a girl doing on the side of a long stretch of desert highway? I am so not going to tell you, so check out Desert Crossing, since I'm going to put it back on the shelf right now.

* * * * (four stars)

Where do you put all your books?

Earlier this week, by buddy Hank Green (John Green's brother, and not actually my buddy since I haven't met him, but I've been watching his videos for almost 2 months now, so I feel like I "know" him --- anyway!) posted this video about where he houses all his books.

Me? Well, back at home my books are in alphabetical order on a shelf, but here in Chicago I've yet to organize my small collection. I do have one shelf entirely devoted to books I've checked out from the library and keep meaning to read.

Where do you put your books? Do you leave a trail of stacks of books behind you, like Hansel and Gretel? Or do you have your bookshelves organized. How many of you have checked out or used Librarything.com? Sound off in the comment section, book lovers!

The End of An Era

Tonight, the night we have all been waiting for (okay, that this librarian has been waiting for) has almost arrived. Yes, the series finale of the O.C. will be airing on Fox tonight at 8:00 PM CT. Sadness, right? I don't know. I was reading Sarah Dessen's blog today, and then watching her YouTube clip of the first season finale of The O.C., and all of a sudden I remembered how good the show was when it started out. Don't get me wrong, I've actually watched most of the current season. (I wanted to watch last season, but because "Everwood" was on at the same time, I never could. Still, I plan to watch the DVDs of it.)

Watching the YouTube video brought me back to first season, when the show was both popular and quirky, when Seth Cohen made girls all over the country swoon for, well, a (TV) nerd! Someone who loved comic books and action figures, and had held the same crush on Summer Roberts for waaaay too long. I don't know what happened over the past three years, as the show plunged in ratings and quality, but I'm able to overlook that tonight, to say goodbye to some characters that were at times brilliantly written, witty, but also flawed and human. Julie Cooper, Seth Cohen, Ryan Atwood, and Summer Roberts were my favorite characters. I'm going to miss them.

So what to watch, now that The O.C. is (about) over? If you're like me and were drawn to the show for the funny characters, for the geekiness of Seth Cohen, and for aspects of family drama, here are some shows you might want to check out. They're all out on DVD and available at libraries in our system.

For the Seth Cohen geek in you:


Freaks and Geeks. An amazing show that lasted just short of one season on NBC. Set in 1980, it focuses on an older sister and younger brother, Lindsay and Sam Weir, as they deal with high school from two different perspectives. Lindsay's ditched the Mathletes to hang out with "the freaks," while Sam is perpetually in fear of getting beat up, since he's a nerd. One of the best television shows. Ever.

For the Seth-Summer, Ryan-Marissa, Ryan-Taylor, Kirsten-Sandy, Julie-Everybody(?) fans:


Everwood. Amy and Ephram are this fine show's Marissa and Ryan. The friendship/relationship of these two characters is at the center of this show set in small town Everwood, Colorado, about a New York City neurosurgeon who moves his family, including his son Ephram, to Colorado after the death of his wife. All the drama of small town life plays out brilliantly in a show that last year ended it's four year run on the WB (now the CW).

For those who can't get enough of the references, quips, and sad Cohen jokes:


Veronica Mars. Still on the air (CW, 8 PM, Tuesdays), Veronica Mars helps out her dad, a private eye, even though she's just in high school. Set in Neptune, an affluent made-up California town home to celebrities and the uber rich, the show follows Veronica as she slips down from the A-list to the who?-list when her dad is kicked out of the Neptune police department because of his belief that one of the wealthiest fathers in the community is responsible for his daughter Lily's death -- Lily was also Veronica's best friend. Like our friend Seth Cohen, Veronica is a quippy fast-talker.

Hope these suggestions help you get through the post-O.C. blues, in case they afflict you! Or, you could always re-watch season one of "The O.C." In tribute, I'll think I'll watch the series premiere right before I watch the series finale, for added effect. Happy watching!