Exciting Times at the Library

Of course, aren't they all exciting times?

It was fantastic to get caught up in the excitement of the awards earlier this week. I didn't agree with all of the choices (Seraphina and I will have to agree to disagree) but I did agree with the love and excitement shown as they were awarded. Full list of winners can be found here. I've since ordered a few of the ones I'd not read - very excited.


I begin book talks today with students. This is such a vital and important part of my job and I love it so much. I'm busy cataloging books that I bought at Chapters recently and planning out what to say with each of them ("it's about the Titanic. And werewolves. Yes. Werewolves on the Titanic..."). I love it when kids talk back - respond - with their opinions on books as well. If you look at my Goodreads profile, you'll see that the ones on the 'Non-Word Reads' shelf are languishing as I try to get through ones for the booktalks. Ah well. I'm currently reading 'Dash and Lily's Book of Dares' and have fallen in love with it. Why are all of these teens so much cooler than I'll ever be? Ah well....


I recently got an ipad for the library - and have since ordered an ipad mini. On each I put quotes from books. This one has 'I am Selfish. I am brave'. The mini will have (I hope!) 'Maybe okay will be our always'. I'm hoping that putting these quotes will mean that it makes it that much more obvious that the connection between technology and books is there! I spent yesterday downloading apps - now I need to explore more and see what I need to do to make it the ultimate library tool. I did just download the YALSA book finder, so that might help! I spent about 20 minutes the other day making a video about the library - no plot, no focus - just to see how to do it in iMovie. It's an app I'll be recommending to teachers to use for book trailers or even general presentations. 20 minutes, no fuss, no muss - just a not great but looked fantastic horror movie trailer about the library.

It always amazes me how many things can happen in a library. The set for our school musical is over in the corner, a college is presenting here third period, a social justice class is scheduled for fourth period and I'm book talking during fifth period. My homeroom has been here, the PASS teacher has students scheduled all through the day. Our PD day will be here, the set will be gone! and prom decorations will be created. It's a cozy place.

Now... if the books would catalogue themselves.....

Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Published by:Balzar + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, in 2012

ISBN: 978-0-06-202056-7

Reading Level: Grades 9 and up

I was a teen of the 90's. The grunge scruffiness, the bands trying to make a mark, the general questioning of the age. Who am I and why did I used to wear florescent shirts and all that jazz. Reading a book set in that era was nice, especially one that wasn't focused on the popular culture of the times but instead the living in the culture of those times. It felt familiar.
The subject matter was less personal but was still familiar. The story of a girl trying to find her place and her self during her teen years in the 90s sounds like the story of my life. Less like my life was the life of Cameron Post. Her parents die suddenly in a car crash and she's relieved - relieved they will never find out that she was kissing a girl at the time of their crash. Once she is orphaned, Cameron has to live with her well intentioned but old fashioned Grandmother and her very conservative and Christian aunt Ruth. She knows her home life will never be the same and knows that to fit in in her small town she's going to have to lay low and blend in, no matter what inner angst she is feeling. Then, SHE moves to town - beautiful cowgirl Coley Taylor with her perfect life and her perfect boyfriend. Cameron and Coley strike up an intense friendship, one which becomes intense in many ways. When the intensity turns to something physical, Cameron is sent away by her Aunt to be "fixed". Cam is forced to face the reality of what it will mean to deny her true self - and the reality of figuring out who her true self really is.
This book was visually quite beautiful - the descriptions of vistas, towns and places were striking and appealing to the reader. Cameron was a character I enjoyed meeting - and about whom I'd love to read more. Danforth scripted her characters beautifully and believably, and their joys and angst were quite visible and tangible as you navigated their lives. Character, setting, plot - all of these tenants of storytelling were beautifully developed and left the reader informed and wanting more.
This is one book I can't wait to share with my students.
I rate this book 5/5.
Goodreads page.

Review: Love and Other Perishable Items

Review: Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buza

Published by: Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. Originally published in Australia by Allen and Unwin, Sydney (2010). American Publication 2012

ISBN: 978-0-373-87000-2

Reading Level: Grade 9+

Love, when you're a teenager, is almost always complicated. Love, when you're 15 and the person you're in love with is 21 is a little more problematic. 'Love and Other Perishable Items' addresses the question - what do when your first love is someone you shouldn't love?
Amelia and Chris both work in their local supermarket. Chris is a university student who is finding the motivation to finish his last year difficult to find. Amelia is finding high school to be not quite what she wants. Amelia, at first sight, fell head over heels with the sophicated Chris, but knows enough to not act on it. Instead she plays it cool and strikes up a friendship where they compare the injustices of growing up as well as bantering about books and b movies. On the surface they're perfect for each other - witty, funny and with similar interests. As time progresses, Amelia does not seem like the only person who longs for a romantic relationship. Yet those six years stand between them - inconsequential when they're in their sixties, miles apart when they're spanning their teens and twenties. Told in alternating sections of Amelia and Chris, the reader wonders if these two can find love - or is their relationship about to meet it's best before date?
This book details the firsts that Amelia is experiencing - her first love, her first real party, her first job, her first hangover. She's a very observant and mature fifteen, forming opinions on literature and feminism and practicing the ability to spout these opinions when she can. At the supermarket, she is not one of the girls who's 15-going-on-35 in terms of social maturity and sexuality. It is her opinions, not her actions, which makes her stand out to Chris. Chris is in search of something - badly burned by Michaela and finding solace at the Uni bar and in his crush on his coworker Kathy he goes from day to day unsure of where his life is leading. He is intrigued by Amelia and her mix of maturity and innocence and enjoys discussions with her, especially those where he can mentor her on books and popular culture. They are well suited and their friendship is one that develops organically, romantic feelings aside. The conclusion of their story is one which does not demean either character and which allows for the idea that the future is always wide open.

I found this book to be nicely written. It captured the angst of unrequited and inappropriate love without making it seem taudry and unrealistic. The issues presented are ones that the characters are quite aware of and it never becomes a 'he and I against the world' kind of Romeo and Juliet tale. Both Amelia and Chris grow and develop as characters, finding their places with each other but also in their own worlds. The alternating of voices, especially since they tell of the same times and events when appropriate, is done quite well, as is the conclusion where these voices are shared. At times, Amelia seems a little too perfect for Chris, Chris seems a little too aimless and the secondary characters seem a little too much like caricatures, however, overall they exist together in the world they inhabit, helping each other find what they want and begin to figure out how to get it.

I give this book a 4/5. Nicely written, draws on the simplistic at times, well concluded.

Goodreads page.

Book Review: I Hunt Killers

As I have been known to do, I spent this weekend reading YA lit. Oddly, it took a turn for the macabre. After reading 'Ripper' by Stefan Petrucha, I found myself opening up 'I Hunt Killers' by Barry Lyga. Yes, it was a serial killer kind of weekend. I should note I also read several non-serial killer books, but they also involved death, dying and angst. At some point, YA is going to kill me.

Moving past that point and into 'I Hunt Killers', I was really impressed. This book, at the basics of it, is a good teen thriller mystery with a suspenseful build to a satisfying conclusion. A lot of words to say, it's a good book.

Imagine your dad is the most prolific serial killer in the United States. He is, infact, considered a new brand of serial killer - a super serial killer, due to his ability to adjust and change his MO and tells.His son, Jazz, was trained from a young age in the art of being a serial killer and lives each day in fear that he will give into his training and cross a line that he does not want to cross. Now that his dad has been caught, Jazz lives with his senile grandmother, fighting against the system that wants to put him in foster care. He's lost his friends - hard to keep your popularity when your dad has killed over a hundred people. His best friend has stuck with him and his girlfriend tries to get him to look past the surface and into his own humanity.

Things are coming together for him until the body shows up. While his dad has been jailed for years, bodies are appearing in their small town, each one copying one of his dads victims. In an effort to show that he isn't a killer, Jazz has joined the police in trying to find the new serial killer. However, the more he helps, the more he tries to fight the thoughts that tell him he is more like his father than anyone would ever know.

The premise of 'I Hunt Killers' was a new twist on a old tale - a child feeling pressured to follow in the footsteps of their parent. Mix in the twist on another old tale - dead parent, parent in jail and living with a family member and you've got a very fresh story. Jazz is fighting against what he has learned from birth - he does not want to be a serial killer. He does not want to know what he knows about the dismemberment and disposal of bodies. He does not want to cause harm. He just wants to be left alone to live with his senile grandmother and hang out with his friends, helping the police when he can (and when they let him). The battle between nature and nurture is fully developed and drives the story.

Jazz is a child of his circumstances and luckily the characters around him were supportive in a realistic fashion. They understood his differences and didn't allow themselves to get either caught up in them or freaked out too much when it wasn't appropriate. However, when it was appropriate, they did note it and make reference to the fact that he was freaking them out. They keep him grounded, which is important when you're dealing with the fact that you've been groomed from birth to be a serial killer and are fighting it as hard as you can. His grandmother is not a support. The character is used to keep 'the system' in Jazzs life - a foster worker insists on visiting and is fighting to get Jazz placed in another home. This all comes together in a morbid and twisted way that I expected - but didn't expect. It also explains why Jazz didn't go into witness protection - he fought hard to be kept in his home town and family. Realizing this cleared up a lot of questions I had and made the book a little more realistic.

This book is gory, descriptive and macabre. It almost dips into the unbelievable until you as the reader remember - chances are you're not the child of the most prolific serial killer around so you would have a little trouble relating at times.  Readers who are fans of 'Dexter' or people who enjoy a gory thriller will appreciate this book. However, this book isn't just for fans of gore or thrillers. The relationships are solid and the characters well developed so as long as you don't mind a little gore in your nature vs nurture debates, you'll find something enjoyable in this book.

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Book Review - 'The Fault in our Stars'

I always keep a list of books that I've been told I should buy for the library. All of a sudden, out of the blue, students came to me asking if I had any John Green novels. Not just one, but several students came and upon hearing that I didn't, implored me to buy some. As luck would have it, that evening on a (personal) trip to the bookstore, I saw a copy of 'The Fault in our Stars' by the much lauded John Green and picked it up.

I picked it up and fell in love.

Ok, that might be an overstatement. But it was, in my mind, a perfect little book. 'The Fault in our Stars' is a story of snarky kids with cancer. Hazel, who has terminal cancer which has been distracted (but not deterred) by a miracle medicine enjoys watching marathons of 'America's Next Top Model' and rolling her eyes at her cancer support group which takes place in the literal heart of Jesus. However, when Augustus Waters and his one leg enter the support group, Hazel gets a chance to enjoy parts of her life in a way she and her family had never anticipated. When she shares her favorite book with Augustus, he joins her in her pursuit of finding out what happened - the book ends in the middle of a sentence. This pursuit takes them around the world and back again, as they try finding out the ending of that story before they have to confront the ending of their own.

This book has everything that I look for in a book - strong characters, compelling story, believable plot lines. It also has dry wit, humour, realistic situations and some great people. Green makes me believe in these characters and does a great job in showing their divide between those with and those without cancer. However, they are, to quote Jonathan Larson, living with disease, not dying. It is this distinction that makes Hazel and Augustus - two children with old people names who will never be old - real to me.

And obviously, these characters are real to many, not just mid-thirties librarians. When I mention this book to students (having bought a copy for the library as I didn't want to donate the one I bought for me) they, or the friend they were with exclaim how much they loved the book. How they loved the characters. It works for them and they love that.

I am now reading 'An Abundance of Katherines' by Green. I like it, just not as much as 'The Fault in our Stars'. 'Looking for Alaska' has been checked out of the library by two or three people in a row and I've had no chance to get it myself. Thank you Mr. Green for these books. It's fantastic to get realistic fiction that's funny.

This is a bit of a love letter rather than a review. I will admit, I just really liked this book. It's nice, writing about something I really enjoyed. I have also recommended it for our Provincial High School reading list. It was that solid.

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Review - Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

As a teacher librarian with a penchant for reality novels and a focus on Social Justice, I'm familiar with Laurie Halse Anderson and her novels. 'Speak' is a fantastic view of how a traumatic event can impact and change you, 'Wintergirls' is beautiful and tragic in it's portrayal of eating disorders. When doing a search of books about prom for a display, I found that Anderson had published one called 'Prom'. Intrigued, as most of the books about prom I'd found previously were very bubbly and her writing to me thus far was anything but bubbly, I decided to pick it up.

'Prom' is the story of Ashley Hannigan, a graduating student who does not care about prom in any way, shape or form. She does not begrudge her friends for being excited, but it's not for her. School isn't really her thing either - she's close to dropping out, has no college plans and has more detentions than she has days left in school to serve them. Her boyfriend TJ has been kicked out of school already and says he's saving money for them to have an apartment together. Then, the worst happens: the teacher-adviser has taken the money that had been paid by students for prom which means it can't happen. Ashley's best friend, Natalia, the head of the prom committee is devastated. Through her own special charms, a wish to help her friend and a deal with the principal to take care of some of those detentions, Ashley finds herself in the middle of the prom whirlwind and an active - and leading - member of the prom committee. Will it work out? Will Ashley lose the chip on her shoulder and find school spirit? Will the students have a prom to remember? And, if they do, what role will Ashley have played in it?

I had expected the novel to be a little cheesy, even though it was written by Anderson. From the first page I learned that no, it's not going to be cheesy. It was a strong story told around the occasion of prom. The story of a 'normal' teenager and her life and how this event happened upon it. At the end Anderson thanks 'normal kids' who said to her that their story is never told. Which is true - we learn of kids going through situations, kids who are going through supernatural situations, kids going through dystopian situations and kids who think a pimple is a situation. This was a refreshing view on prom and how for some people, it's not that important. That sometimes, crappy boyfriends and humiliating after school jobs is the best that it can be. And that sometimes, it takes a major kick from an unexpected place to make your life find the right path.

'Prom' is a fairy tale. It's not your standard tale, but it is a fairy tale, none the less. You have Cinderella in the character of Ashley (even her name evokes the ashes of her allegorical match), the Fairy Godmother in the character of Natalias eccentric grandmother and the evil stepmother in the form of the Vice-Principal. You have her helper mice appear as her family and friends, all supporting her through her endeavors. Ashley happens to be on a quest and the discovery of that means she begins to grow into her ambitions. At the end, the reader is left with the feeling that she might just get her happy ending.

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Book Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

"You're not dead, but you're not alive. You're a wintergirl....."

Continuing in her tradition of taking current realities for teenagers and weaving them into a narrative, Laurie Halse Anderson has tacked Eating Disorders in the novel 'Wintergirls'. In it we follow Lia, an anorexic and a cutter who has lost her best friend Cassie. Lia and Cassie were close, sharing almost anything, including their eating disorders and their constant competition to succeed at them. However, while Lia is able to tell us the story, Cassie is dead, having been found alone in a hotel room, having drank, binged and purged for two days until her esophagus ruptured. Lia feels guilty for her death, having ignored her phone, hiding it away due to the constant ringing, only to find out that it was her friend, calling from the motel, trying 33 times to reach her. Lia carries the shame of this through visions of Cassie following her around, encouraging and taunting her. As the book progresses, Lia and her disease progress to the point that she has to make a choice - is competing with a ghost worth losing everything she loves?

As a high school librarian, I see the impact that eating disorders have on students daily. I will admit, I hesitated putting this book in the library for that reason - the worry that it would teach how to bypass help offered and allow students to fall further into their disease, which for many, like Lia, is their life. However, any information and teaching presented in this novel is not done in a sensationalistic way or in a way that would differ from thousands of other sources. However, the gripping reality of Lias life - and Cassies death - will be more than instructive. There is a lot of literature that talks about how eating disorders can kill a person - this book - very graphically - shows how they can kill a person but more than that, kill everything around them. Watching Lia struggle with her relationships with her mother and her step-sister really shows the reader what an eating disorder can do, not just to those directly suffering from one, but also to those who care for them.

The novel is told from Lias point of view - we see her thoughts, her reactions, her story through her eyes. For most of the novel this is quite effective - her self destruction is beautifully documented, her downward spiral is very evident and her reactions to events are heartbreaking at times. Hearing the death of Cassie described to her was far more effective than having it described to us the reader. At times it would have been nice to see more than this point of view but overall it was a startling and strong choice for this novel. There were a few subplots - especially the one with  Elijah - are not always necessary, but are used, at times to show how much despair and damage has been done to her life. The lesson from the novel, about choices and how one life can impact all of those around them does not suffer from the large doses of gritty reality that help teach it, but instead are greatly enhanced - the sense of relief as a reader when you reach that point aids in teaching and growing.

'Wintergirls' is a strong offering and aptly titled. Readers who enjoy reality fiction and want to read about realistic situation faced by teens would be the target audience for this particular novel.

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