Summer Reading? Heck Yes!

 

So it seems that the end of the year hectic schedule has caused me to lapse in my entries to my blog...My goal was to do one a month, but somehow April came and went.  Regardless, I won't lie when I say that I'm just a little bit excited for it to be the end of the year.  Knowing that summer is just around the corner, the geeky librarian in me has already started scanning the shelves in the library for the books I want to grab to take home and read this summer. 

Having just polished off Papertowns and Life As We Knew It, I'm in the rhythm to just keep reading.  I've been wanting to read John Green's entire collection including Looking for Alaska.  All of Green's books seem to be super popular, and the kids repeatedly check them out.  Of course The Fault in our Stars has its movie version coming out in June, so I'll treat myself to that movie since I managed to sob my way through the novel. In addition, I also want to tackle Susan Pfeffer's series which starts with Life As We Knew It - This semi-apocalyptic novel hit a bit home for me because it just isn't far fetched enough for my liking.  But there is a companion novel to the book and then a sequel to the two first novels.  That alone will get me started for summer.

I'm excited for the kids to do their summer reading this year - there are some really great, new, kid fun books out there for their choosing. But if that's not enough to fulfill their needs for summer, I have an entire page on my Library Media Center website that gives ideas, award winners and even staff picks :) http://lib.ojrsd.com/OJRHSSummerReading. I for one plan on taking home a big bag of books I've been dying to read all year!  I hope the students of OJR take the time to find a good book (or two or three or...) and enjoy reading this summer! 

You Want What We've Got?

 

 

My library has so much to offer, yet so many kids don't take advantage of the resources.  Yes, we have books. Duh. We're a library. But we have so much more. We have magazines that date back to some pretty cool times in history, and we have microfilm that goes even further back.  Microfilm?  See....you don't know what we have to offer. There are multiple computers, but so often I see kids never look further than the world of Google (I get it - I love Google too but...).  Lying just a few key strokes away are hundreds of thousands of digital articles, essays, magazine articles, newspaper articles and journals from every topic from The American Revolution to the Global Warming crisis.  It's like having 1000 libraries available at once - like one stop shopping :)

 

So, we do have some pretty cool books.  A LOT of them actually.  So much so that I've had to figure out where to put many of them.  Not only do I actively search for some of the best new releases, but we've got some pretty amazing titles that have stood the test of time.  I love a good work of fiction, and when I find one, I enjoy sharing my opinion with any kid that will listen, or any that will humor me long enough to act like they're interested :) Of the many type of books that sit on the shelves, we have much more than fiction or books about World War II - we have books about jobs you might want to have one day, recipe books on delightful dishes from all over the world, poetry books with works from teenagers just like you, short story collections, graphic novels, biographies, horror stories, nonfiction that reads like fiction (a big fav of many) and more and more and more. 

 

There just isn't enough time for me to brag about all the amazing resources the library has to offer. But the best way to find out what we have that you may want to utilize is to get down here and check it out for yourself. :)

Paper vs. Device

One of the "hottest" discussions of hardcore readers is whether the good old-fashioned book is best or if the experience of reading on an iPad, tablet, phone or e-reader trumps all.  I have no preference.  Personally, I love looking on the shelves of my library for a book to read. I like to pick it up, read a few pages, check out the cover.  When a box of new books arrives at the library, the book-geek in me loves just pulling new book after new book out of the box.  But...but...truthfully, nothing is better than being able to have books quite literally at my fingertips if I choose to read them.  Reading a book series takes on a whole new meaning when I can simply just tap a few spots on the screen, and the book magically appears. 

When one asks those of us who remember electronic typewriters as the source for typing papers instead of devices that will change our voice to text, the consensus seems to be that traditional books are best.  There is something appealing about flipping pages, and marking spots with a bookmark or sticky and sitting that book on a bedside table for later that just feels right.  Reading a beat up paperback on the beach seems to be part of the tradition. Dog-eared corners, splitting spines and warped pages of a book that has been read over and over are simply battle scars showing its popularity with readers.  Some of the books in my library are so well-read that I need to buy new (or several new) copies so that it can continue to circulate into the hands of readers.  It's worth it to me to spend a few extra dollars if it means kids will read.  

I'll be the first to admit that I've read multiple books on Kindles, tablets and iPads...and liked it.  With the latest apps available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes,  and the ease of buying and borrowing books, it doesn't take long to amass a well-stocked virtual library of favorites. I took a Kindle on a vacation, packed with multiple books I wanted to read and it was a dream.  I ran out of power before I ran out of reading material and I was able to take a dozen or more books and didn't have to stuff my carry on bag to do it :)  Admittedly, ebooks make me a little nervous. They have the potential to make my job as a librarian change tremendously.  Why the thought of having a "virtual" job where I could lead kids to books while chillin' in my pj's seems delightful, it makes my heart hurt to imagine the time when kids will say "Remember when books had paper pages in them?" 

For now, I'll sit back and be happy that both "traditional" and e-books continue to coexist happily in my library and that students haven't made the huge shift to yet one more technological movement that stands to change everything. 

Happy Reading...

 

Books and Movies

The recent trend seems to be taking all the books that are really really good and turning them into movies.  Why?  I guess because the books were so well-loved that it only makes sense.  Clearly, the best example of this is the YA department is the block-buster movies from the Twilight series.  I won't lie. I saw (and bought) them all.  I read the books multiple times.  Were they good literature - uhhh no. But boy were they a fun read and fun to watch in the theater as well. The latest is the book-to-movie sensation The Hunger Games.  Again, I've read and watched and eagerly awaited the release of the next movie like so many millions of fans. 

What makes me a little angry though is when a producer completely and totally butchers the books in the movie.  I "get" that you have to eliminate some parts of the book to actually make a movie that is less than 10 hours in length (which is why reading the books helps when you see the movies), but when you completely alter and change more than 50% of the book, then it ruins both for me.  The case that comes to mind is The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  I loved the entire series and when I hear they were making it into a movie I was thrilled...until I watched.  UGH.  The movie itself was decent, but any parallels between book and movie were quite minimal.  Perhaps I just had a different picture in my mind, but regardless, I was disappointed. 

Gratefully, as a librarian, sometimes the whole "book-to-movie" ordeal increases business for me.  I often get kids coming in begging for the books title of a movie so they can read it before they see it.  Fine by me. It's why I have three copies of The Hunger Games and rarely is it on the shelf. 

If you're thinking of trying out some books before you see the movie, click HERE!

Happy reading and watching.

Quiet in the Library??

So, when I was in high school, my librarian scared the bejeebers out of me.  For the sake of this blog, we'll call her Mrs. G. She was MEAN and I was a "good" kid.  I went to the library as necessary but I went solo - never with friends because I knew if we sat together we'd be screeched at by Mrs. G.  There was a NO tolerance policy with her - it was silent. Period.

My library is rarely, if ever, totally quiet.  It's not loud, but it's certainly got a busy buzz to it on most days.  Kids are chatting, texting, doing homework, flirting, typing, reading, maybe sleeping, but it's busy.  Most kids get things done.  Most kids look busy.  And most days, I can handle it, but some days, I feel like I've lost total control and I need the library police.

 

But then I step back and really listen.  If I pay attention to the conversations, I hear collaboration, discussion and questioning.  I watch as kids assist each other, answer questions and guide peers on how to complete the next to impossible lab report for a notoriously strict science teacher.  There are always going to be kids who don't need to be in here, but then I have to remember that of all the places they could have gone during their free time, they chose to come to my library :) 

 

I hope that my library continues to be a place of busy learning and that kids don't remember me the way I remember my librarian. 

Series Insanity

One of the most frustrating things I've encountered as a librarian is keeping up with the incredible amount of series that seem to be hitting the YA Literature scene.  Just when I think I have an handle on it, I realize that I have numbers 1,2,3 and 5 of a series and someone have missed the 4th book.  New books come my way all the time, and I'd say about 50% of them are book one of a series. 

In some ways, this makes sense because book publishers want to keep readers...(and sell books) and one of the best ways to do that is to end a book in such a way that sequel (or many) is required.  Case in point - the HUGE HIT The Hunger Games made on both young adult and adult readers.  I couldn't keep the books on my shelves and I had three copies of each book.  Right in line with that dystopian trilogy is the Divergent series that now has readers diving in as the movie is set to premier in a few months.  I could list oodles of series but there is only so much space on the page.

How do I feel about reading series?  Well, like most readers, my favorite part is I don't have to wonder about what to read next.  That's both good and bad.  I've found myself dragging through a series just because I hope it gets better or I just need to know how it ends.  For me, a perfect example of that is the Beautiful Creatures series. I love the first one, but after that they lost their appeal - though many of my readers loved them all.  The worst part about series? Waiting for the next one to come out when you've finished the book you have.  For me, the Harry Potter series was pure torture as I would rapidly go through the books that was just released and then have to know it could well over 18 months until the next one appeared!  I for one am grateful when I discover a series that is already complete because then I can gather them all up and take them home and read until my heart's content :)

If you really must torture yourself, check out this list of series for young adults - I gasped a little when I realized how many I've read :) 

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4794.Best_Young_Adult_Book_Series

Chris Crutcher

So, it's rare that I grab a book by a male author. It's not on purpose - honest!  It just so happens that I tend to be drawn more to subjects written about by female authors.  However, I just happened to pick up a book by the author Chris Crutcher (check him out at http://www.chriscrutcher.com/) and was hooked instantly.   The book was titled Period.8 and it has an opening scene that is a what I consider a little bit of a "sidebar" to grab the reader and suck him/her in for the remainder of the book. I couldn't put it down for a minute and even though I pretty much figured out the general overview of it about 2/3 of the way through, I had to read to find out if I was RIGHT (which I only sort of was). Crutcher does his research. He totally "gets" the teenage kid.  He was a teacher at an alternative school and a family therapist for 25 years.  His characters are dead on for at least one kid we've all met, and the characters in this book are no different.  Paulie - the main character - is such a 'good' kid and respected by his peers.  His home life is kind of a drag but he manages to do well in school, excel at a sport he loves and maintain an after school job.  But this is not just your run of the mill "boy has crappy home life and overcomes it" book. In fact, it's not really about his life at all but more so about those around him and how things aren't always what they seem.  This book is fantastic for both boys and girls alike.  Already handed it off to a student who has almost finished it!   I may even consider reading another one by Crutcher!