Unlike Paula, I have been a pretty bad librarian and can’t say that I’ve finished a book for awhile.  Apparently planning a wedding takes up a lot of time!  I am working my way  (slowly) through the book Cut (we have this book in the library but the link will take you to Amazon to see more reviews) by Patricia McCormick.  It is a young adult book about a girl, Callie, who is in a residential treatment facility for cutting herself.  Callie is unhappy with her life and her life at the facility.  She refuses to take part in her treatment and resists by not talking to anyone, instead she observes the other girls who have a variety of issues including anorexia and drugs.  So far the book is interesting and shows a realistic side of issues that face some teens as they cope with drug abuse, cutting and eating disorders.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress (hopefully I can finish the book this weekend!).¼/p>

Recently we got news that the library was selected to receive the 2008 We the People Bookshelf. The bookshelf features 21 titles that correlate to the theme Created Equal, 4 of which are Spanish titles.  These books are provided by the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The goal of this project is to “encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture.”  To learn more about the bookshelf please visit the We the People website or ask me!  To help celebrate these books, we will be hosting several fun activities this summer that will highlight the theme Created Equal.  Also keep your eyes out for a special display of the bookshelf.

In other news, children can stop by anytime during the month of April to vote for the Children’s Choice Book Awards. The winners will be announced in May during National Children’s Book Week. For more information about nominees, to vote online, or to learn more about Children’s Book week check out http://bookweekonline.com/index1.html.

On a final note, I’ve finished The Invention of Hugo Cabret (which I mentioned in my last blog… oh so long ago) and I thought I would mention that I loved it! The story itself is a little on the predictable side (other than the ending), but the pictures completely make up for it. The story also has an amazing ending that I have to say I didn’t see coming. While I’m still not completely happy with the Caldacott Committe for choosing such a massive book for their award, I can definately see why they did. I guess I’m just a traditionalist.

On a completely different topic, I am currently making my way through this years Caldecott award winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  The Caldecott is given every year to a children’s book for outstanding illustrations.  Usually it goes to an easy children’s book but this year it was awarded to a pretty massive chapter book.  I, like many other librarians, was both shocked and annoyed by this choice (this may surprise you but librarians don’t always like change).  So I decided to see what could have possibly made the judges pick such a huge chapter book.  I have to say as sceptical as I was, the illustrations are amazing and a very important part of the story itself.  While I haven’t completed the book, I would say it is definitely worth taking a look at.  The story itself is about a boy (Hugo) who lives in the walls of a Paris train station without anyone’s knowledge.  His secret way of life is put in jeopardy when he is caught stealing from a toy shop in the station.  Unfortunately that is about as far as I am.  I will keep you posted about the story’s development but I would highly, highly recommend looking at the pictures.  They are amazing.

On more library related news, as Paula’s blog mentioned, spring break is coming up the week of March 17th and we have several youth activities planned.  Monday the 17^th is a teen Wii free play event.  The Wii will be set up from 1-4 and teens are welcome to stop in at anytime to play.  The games available will be Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Mario Party.  Teens are welcome to bring their own games to play but the games cannot have a mature rating.  Remember to bring any special controllers they may require.  The games will be projected onto the wall to get the full experience. 

On Tuesday the 18^th, we will again set up the Wii and projector.  Tuesday’s Wii will only be for grades 1-5.  Again, Wii Sports, Wii Play and Mario Party will be available.  Other Wii games are welcome but must have an E Rating.  Both days will be a lot of fun and a great way to spend some free time on break.  It you have any questions please feel free to email me at laura@adelpl.org or comment to this post. 

How about another lovely winter day? The last I heard for the forecast was 4-6 inches of snow! Wooohooo! Well, unfortunately for me (and lucky for you) this blog isn’t to express my grumpiness at the weather (although it will probably sneak in there a few times). Instead, this blog is a way for me to keep you posted on all of the fun children and teen activities taking place at the library. I’ll also probably post a few random things about what I am reading (I will now take a moment to say that I do not read nearly as many books as Paula – in her blog she mentioned she read 8 books in 3 days!!!!).

That said, here are just a few exciting things that are going on this week at the library. Tonight, we will be having our second session of the Family Knitting program. Today there will also be a Teen Advisory Board Meeting after school. This group is for teens that have completed 6th grade and who are interested in having there voices heard on teen issues at the library. Tuesday and Thursday we will be showing movies after the early outs from school. Finally (whew… this is a busy week!!!), on Friday we will be celebrating the end of February with ‘Leap in into the Tropics.” All day we will be celebrating with games, snacks and music. Dress up in your tropics gear and be entered for a tropical prize!!!!