Young Adult Fiction 10/11/2010

The Trolls

by Polly Horvath

The Trolls is yet another book by Polly Horvath that has me convinced that she is one of the best children's book writers today. It is the story of three children whose aunt babysits them while their parents are on vacation. During this time, their aunt tells them stories from their father's past. Some are funny, some are sad, some are a bit frightening. What is true about all of them is that it teaches the children a lot more about their family.

Not only does The Trolls have Polly Horvath's trademark humor, it ends on a serious note, which has kept me thinking about it days after I have read it. It is simple enough for middle schoolers to read, but older people can get something out of it as well. Well done, Polly Horvath, yet again.

JERRY SPINELLI!

The other day, we received mail from Jerry Spinelli himself! It was pretty awesome, and I think I am still reeling from it a bit.

This is what he sent:
His letter was a response to one we had sent a few months ago, proclaiming our love for all things Stargirl that included this picture to show that I loved Stargirl enough to get it tattooed on my arm.
He sent us temporary tattoos, for those who want to show their Stargirl love a little less drastically. All in all, it was awesome.

Store Updates!

Hello All,

So much has happened since last entry. Our children's room got an amazing update - brand new wood floors! They look absolutely fantastic and make reading on the bean bag chairs even better. Here's a photo:

Not only did we get beautiful new floors, we just got a shipment in of new puppets! I spent a good chunk of time processing them today, and they are all so cute! My favorites? I think the octopus is pretty rad, and the turtle wearing a turtleneck is just kind of funny. We got in a bunch of new finger puppets as well - super sweet chicks, black woolly sheep, and more!

You can check out the new and improved children's room TOMORROW when you come to our monthly Poetry Open Mic Night. In case you forgot, it is on October 2 at 7:30pm. If you can't come them, stop in anyways and ask about the other events coming up!

See you soon,

Christie

Staff Pick: Christie

Big Sur

By Jack Kerouac

I read this book at a bar in New Jersey that considers Jack Kerouac as their patron saint. Old men stared at me. It was a nice evening.

Big Sur takes place ten years after On the Road. Kerouac is famous, hates it, drinks a lot, and is basically in self destruct mode. He decides to stay at Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur in order to stay away from his fans and booze. This results in a poem about the sea (which is at the end of the novel) and a mental breakdown.

Young Adult Fiction 9/15/2010

Savvy

by Ingrid Law

Mibs (short for Mississippi) has an unusual family. On each child's 13th birthday, they discover their savvy, that is, their special gift. One of her older brothers caused a hurricane on his 13th birthday and her mother's savvy is that she is absolutely perfect at everything. Mibs' 13th birthday is coming up but right before she finds out her savvy, her father (who is normal) gets in a terrible accident. Mibs (along with her brothers and new friends) decide to go on a long journey to reach her father and hopefully save him with her savvy.

Savvy is definitely a unique book. Ingrid Law uses "magic" without the story seeming too fantastical or unbelievable. Deep down, Savvy is really the tale of a girl growing up and learning about herself, along with learning about her special abilities. It's not shocking at all that this is on Oprah's Book Club Kids Reading List.

Early Readers 9/15/2010

Judy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt

by Megan McDonald

It's the summer, and Judy Moody and Stink are on vacation! They become part of a several day treasure hunt, where the winner gets to ride on a pirate ship!

This is a great story for young readers who are not quite ready for chapter books, but illustrated books are a bit too easy. It is fun to go on the adventure with Judy Moody and Stink and try and figure out the clues to the treasure along with them.

Children's Ilustrated 9/15/2010

Fairy Tale Timpa

by Michael Altan

My life has improved dramatically by the discovery of the Timpa books. Timpa has been a best-selling series in Italy for years, but now it has finally reached America!

Fairy Tale Timpa is Michael Altan's hilarious take on different fairy tales in comic strip form. Timpa (a red-spotted dog) discovers Pinocchio, Sleepy Beauty, and other favorite characters. Michael Altan's stories and are absolutely hilarious and incredibly absurd.

Seriously, I can't recommend this series any higher. I've been looking through each one and laughing hysterically. I think I know my next tattoo (hint: it's Altan's illustration of a sun eating ice cream).