Check out your child's school library

It is Texas Public Schools Week here in the Lone Star state. If you are visiting your child's school this week be sure you visit the school library. Visit with the librarian and the school's administration about the library's role in your child's education. Does the library have a certified librarian? Does the librarian have an aide? Is there adequate funding for new materials? The answers to all those questions should be YES!

A library program is an integral part of your child's education. Studies have verified a school library is one place in the school were dollars invested yield happy students and faculty as well as higher test scores

School Library Impact Studies--Great link to studies and articles about the importance of school libraries

Hugh Laurie & PGWodehouse

Thank you, thank you to Phil at Brandywine Books for pointing me to this delightful article,Wodehouse Saved My Life by actor Hugh Laurie. Laurie is as funny on paper as he is on the stage or screen.

I was, in truth, a horrible child. Not much given to things of a bookery nature, I spent a large part of my youth smoking Number Six and cheating in French vocabulary tests. I wore platform boots with a brass skull and crossbones over the ankle, my hair was disgraceful, and I somehow contrived to pull off the gruesome trick of being both fat and thin at the same time. If you had passed me in the street during those pimply years, I am confident that you would, at the very least, have quickened your pace.

You think I exaggerate? I do not. Glancing over my school reports from the year 1972, I observe that the words "ghastly" and "desperate" feature strongly, while "no", "not", "never" and "again" also crop up more often than one would expect in a random sample. My history teacher's report actually took the form of a postcard from Vancouver.

I keep meaning to dial up Laurie's new TV series, House but the only shows I can seem to remember to watch on a regular basis these days are 24 and Battlestar Galactica.

Whether he is in Black Adder, Jeeves and Wooster, or Stuart Little, Hugh Laurie is always interesting to watch.
I am now headed to the bookcase to find my Wodehouse and read "Uncle Fred Flits By."

ALA Prez-elect is a ...

Librarians have their knickers in a twist over the latest "screed" from Michael Gorman whose commentary "Revenge of the Blog People!" slams bloggers. The listservs are alternately outraged and defensive of Gorman. He is lucky in his friends.

Many, many bloggers have posted on this topic but I loved author, screenplay writer and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman's take:

...when I read an article by the president-elect of the ALA, and find myself unable to decide whether it's mostly that a) he's simply a very, very bad writer, or b) he lacks any skills of a diplomatic nature, or it's just c) he really believes that statements like "Given the quality of the writing in the blogs I have seen, I doubt that many of the Blog People are in the habit of sustained reading of complex texts" are somehow going to disabuse people who keep blogs, journals and such from believing or repeating the calumny that "Michael Gorman is an idiot" (someone apparently said this on a blog, he tells us, expecting us to feel an outrage on his behalf I somehow wasn't able to muster). (Surely, if you're upset that someone called you an idiot, the wisest course of action would be not to write an odd screed that will itself convince many people who haven't heard of you before reading it that this is in fact the case.)

Gaiman is an original voice in the publishing world. His "children's" books include The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, Wolves in the Walls and the very...uh...interesting/creepy...Coraline.

Character: Aslan

You know that Disney Co. has been gnashing their teeth for missing the Harry Potter phenom. They have DESPERATELY wanted a franchise like Harry or Lord of the Rings.

They have chosen The Chronicles of Narnia to test the waters. This article in the NYTimes describes the alternating terror and interest they feel at handling the Christian symbolism of the stories.

That spirituality sets Aslan apart from most of the Disney pantheon and presents the company with a significant dilemma: whether to acknowledge the Christian symbolism and risk alienating a large part of the potential audience, or to play it down and possibly offend the many Christians who count among the books' fan base.

One good thing the movie has going for it is the involvement of Walden Media. They are the company behind the excellent movies: Because of Winn-Dixie and Holes.

Movie goers embrace movies with spiritual themes. Didn't Disney notice a movie called The Passion of the Christ that a guy named Mel brought out last year? Harry Potter (despite some groups that criticize the magic in the books) and Lord of the Rings have a very Christian basis. The Christian imagery in Rowling's books is hard to miss. Stories with themes of good against evil are timeless but especially timely now and audiences are hungry for them.

Author: Dav Pilkey

Pilkey's website is a dream come true for his devoted fans.

WARNING: This website contains scenes and material which may be considered too silly for grown-ups, small animals, and many varieties of houseplants. If you are a grown-up, a small animal, or a houseplant, we strongly urge you to seek the permission of a kid before browsing this site!

He has added some music to download. What's Up, Mr. Krupp?, Hooray For Captain Underpants!, and Go! Poopypants.

Top Secret

Top Secret: a handbook of codes by Paul B. Janeczko, 2004
Paul Janeczko dedicates this book: For Teri Lesesne, kind and generous lady whose heart & spirit are grand

This is the book kids have been asking me for since I became a school librarian. This book includes code making, ciphers and secret codes, codebreaking and a codemaker/breaker hall of fame. Highly, highly recommended.

New Award named for Andre Norton

Sweet!
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has created a new literary award to recognize outstanding science fiction and fantasy novels that are written for the young adult market.

"Many adults today, myself included, were first introduced to science fiction and fantasy through her books and have gone on to become readers, fans, and authors themselves. Andre Norton has done more to promote reading among young adults than anyone can measure."

Wilhelm Grimm

Semicolon notes that Feb. 24 is the birthday of Wilhelm Carl Grimm, as in Grimm's Fairytales. She found a very nice site on Grimm's Fairytales. Sherry notes: there are "games, coloring pages, animated stories" for young folks.

Website for Graphic Novels

Janice Biebrich is a teacher librarian in Winnipeg, MB Canada. She has built a terrific site about graphic novels. She has links for parents, teens and librarians.

Her list of recommended titles under Myths/Fables/Legends look like good bets for elementary libraries. I have read these two.

Rod Espinoza created The Courageous Princess a story with lovely art which is accessible to readers of all ages.


City of Light, City of Dark by Avi and Brian Floca originally came out in 1993. I have been looking for it for several years. It is back in paperback now that the graphic novel market is taking off. Two children try to unlock the mystery behind a subway token. Re-reading Kirkus Reviews, I notice that some of the dialogue is in Spanish as well as English.


The links in the Manga section will tell you everything you want to know about this popular genre.

Author: Louis Sachar

Louis Sachar has adapted his novel, Holes, for the stage. This article in the Bradenton Herald has a very interesting interview with him.

Sachar, 50, didn't start out as an author. According to his Web site, www.louissachar.com, he didn't become a dedicated reader until he was in high school.

While he was attending Antioch College in Ohio, his father died. He returned to California to be near his family, took time off school and worked as a Fuller Brush man, selling household products door-to-door.

He went back to the University of California at Berkeley and majored in economics. On a whim, he volunteered as a teacher's aide at the nearby Hillside Elementary School, which inspired his first book, "Sideways Stories from Wayside School."

Little did he know that acting on that whim was the beginning of a successful writing career.