Featured Library Item Staff Review
Quirky. Original. Brilliant. Napoleon Dynamite is like nothing I'd seen before. The first time I watched it I was captivated just because I didn't know what was going on. Every time since I've just been amazed and in love. If you haven't watched it yet... won't you please do so?
Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure
By: edited by Rachel Fersbleiser and Larry Smith
Review by: Dan M.
If you had to describe your life in six words, what would you say? That's what Smith magazine asked and the resulting book is simple and surprisingly addictive. The entries range from comical to depressing to motivational to downright bizarre. Here are some examples: "Cursed with cancer. Blessed by friends." "Seventy years, few tears, hairy ears." "Let's just be friends, she said." What I like about this book is that it shows how much can be said in so few words....
I opened this book on a whim and three days later I hid myself away so I could savor the last chapter without interruptions. This book deserves quiet moments. Doug Swieteck, our honest if not always forthcoming narrator, writes about the year him, his abusive father, his jerk of an older brother, and his mother who does not smile enough move to a small town in upper state New York.
The new town sucks. Out of desperation, Doug goes to the library where in the upstairs room he discovers a...
The author of Possession proves her mastery of language in this introspective retelling of Norse Mythology as seen through the eyes of a “thin child in wartime.” Based on the authors own experiences reading Asgard and the Gods as a young girl, this book is not a traditional story but a series of impressions and images. The thin child is not so much the narrator as the mind through which the reader is introduced to tales of gods and monsters all careening toward an inevitable fate....
“Revolution” by Jennifer Donnelly, is a well crafted and thoughtful book. The storyline is not new: a girl finds a lost journal and learns both about history and about herself. Andi, the protagonist, is struggling to keep her depression over her brother’s death under control. When her home life spirals out of her control, Andi, goes to Paris with her estranged father. There, she explores the streets of Paris and reads a diary of a young Parisian player. Alexandrine, an...
Just about as cute as it gets, Russell the Sheep helps children find their way to dreamland. This is a favorite in my household, and I seem to get sleepy each time Russell does.
Katie is a beautiful young woman with a secret past. She has escaped to Southport, North Carolina, and is starting over again. In Southport, Katie makes a couple of new friends: Alex, a widowed father of two, and Jo, her next door neighbor. As these relationships blossom, more and more of Katie’s past is revealed, especially as she becomes more attached to Alex and his children. With the help of Alex, his children, and Jo, Katie begins to let her guard down and live a more carefree life,...
Comic book styling and sweet fight scenes make this a visually interesting film. The characters are over-the-top, as is everything else. I would say it's just plain fun to watch.
Many children (and adults) are fascinated with bats! So imagine an adventure book whose main character and hero is an undersized Silverwing bat named Shade. Add some dangerous fire-carrying owls and six-foot, carnivorous bats and you have a gripping story that's fast-paced and engaging. During a month-long unit on bats, I read this book to a combined 2nd and 3rd grade class. Each day they couldn't wait to hear what was going to happen next in the story. Independent 4th and 5th grade readers...
In her brand-new and first Young Adult novel, author Tricia Rayburn takes one of the most well-known mythological beings and explores the effect these alluring creatures would have on a modern day community. Vanessa and her sister Justine are on vacation in Winter Harbor, Maine, a place they have visited often, when suddenly Justine dies in a tragic accident. Struggling with the loss of her sister, Vanessa teams up with Simon to investigate Justine’s final moments and if her accident...