The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 

Fourteen-year-old Junior is frustrated with his life on the Spokane Indian reservation.  He gets beat up all of the time because of a physical disability, his family’s crushing poverty means there is never any food in his stomach, and he’s afraid that he will end up in the same hopeless, alcoholic cycle as so many of his family members.  When he opens up his tattered geometry book in school and realizes that it is the same one that his mother used over thirty years ago, Junior reaches his boiling point and throws the book as hard as he can.  Unfortunately, it smashes into his elderly teacher’s face.  Rather than scold him, the teacher shocks Junior by forgiving him and encouraging him to get off the reservation before he loses hope and gives up like everyone else. 

In a move that has never been done before at the reservation, Junior decides to enroll in a rich prep school located twenty minutes away where the only other Indian is the school mascot.  Everyone on the reservation calls him a traitor and an apple (red on the outside, white on the inside) and everyone at his new school believes every stereotype about Indians is true and treats him like a freak.  His best friend on the reservation feels betrayed and wants to beat him up for leaving, which leaves Junior all alone and torn between the two places.

Junior considers himself an awkward nerd, but he is also incredibly tough.  From punching the captain of the football team in the nose to dealing with tragedy within his family, Junior never gives up and keeps his sharp sense of humor and hope. He is a budding cartoonist, and there are witty drawings scattered throughout the book.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is equally hilarious and heartbreaking, and Junior and his struggles will probably stay with me for a long time.

Posted by Lena at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This Wednesday’s Website of the Week is http://cuteoverload.com/. It’s a blog with a collection of really cute photos and videos, mostly featuring kittens.  Even though the captions are pretty cheesy sometimes, the pictures are adorable enough to melt even the hardest of hearts.  So if you need some sweetness in your life, click the link and get ready to say “awwwww…”

Posted by Lena at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paintings of You by Mia Paluzzi and Chris Delk 
Claude’s paintings are realistic but completely devoid of emotion. At his new art school, he meets Ben, a photographer who takes amazing pictures. Claude likes Ben and he thinks Ben likes him too. But everyone is trying to set up Claude and Beatrice. Beatrice is a nice girl, but Claude accidentally offended her when they were introduced. Ben is teaching Clause to improve his paintings, but can he teach him about love as well?

Telling a story about art through a graphic novel format seems like a natural fit, especially in the hands of Mia Paluzzi and Chris Delk. They create fun and flamboyant roommates and add love triangles wherever possible!  I love the “guest art” section in the back of the book where other artists drew portraits of Claude and Ben. I was glad to discover that the publisher, Iris Print, features more graphic novels and short fiction with gay characters at boyslovebooks.com. This is a highly enjoyable story that will appeal to manga romance readers!

Posted by Lissa at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bratz
Four teenage girls who come from different social and economic backgrounds empower themselves by rejecting their respective high school cliques and band together, calling themselves Bratz. (2007, 102 minutes, rated PG)

Hot Rod
An amateur stuntman tries the stunt of his life when he jumps 15 buses to raise money for his stepfather's heart operation, so he can finally beat him in a sparring match. With Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Andy Samberg, Chris Parnell, Ian Mcshane, Isla Fisher. (2007, 87 minutes, rated PG-13)

I Know Who Killed Me
Aubrey Fleming, a promising college student, is abducted and tortured by a serial killer, but she escapes and awakens in a hospital. Aubrey insists that she isn't who everyone believes her to be, and that the real Aubrey is still in trouble. With Julia Ormond, Lindsay Lohan, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon. (2007, 106 minutes, rated R)

Mr Bean's Holiday
Mr. Bean wins a camcorder and an all-expense paid vacation to the French Riviera, and along the way falls into a series of mishaps that are all caught on camera and entered into the Cannes Film Festival! With Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe. (2007, 90 minutes, rated G)

The Namesake
The son of Indian immigrants born in America wants to fit in with fellow New Yorkers, but his family is unwilling to let go of their traditional ways. With Kal Penn, Irfan Khan, Jacinda Barrett. (2006, 122 minutes, rated PG-13)

Skinwalkers
Two packs of werewolves, one that lives to hunt and kill and the other that lives in peace with society, are signaled by the moon of the coming of an ancient prophecy. With Elias Koteas, Natassia Malthe, Kim Coates, Rhona Mitra, Shawn Roberts. (2007, 110 minutes, rated PG-13)

Waitress
Trapped in an unhappy marriage, a small-town waitress finds her life forever changed by an unplanned pregnancy. Transforming her misery into delicious desserts, she sets out to win a pie contest and free herself from her abusive husband. With Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Andy Griffith, Adrienne Shelly, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto. (2007, 100 minutes, rated PG-13)

Who's Your Caddy?
A rap mogul from Atlanta tries to join a conservative country club, and runs into fierce opposition from its buttoned-down president. Now he and his friends will stop at nothing to force themselves in. With Big Boi, Finesse Mitchell, Jeffrey Jones. (2007, 93 minutes, rated PG-13)

Posted by Daniel at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Haters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez 

When sixteen-year-old Paski Archuleta’s dad gets his big Hollywood break, he abruptly moves them both from sporty Taos, New Mexico to upper crust Southern California.  Paski misses her friends and almost immediately runs into the “haters,” the gorgeous, rich, and mean queens of the school.  They don’t like Paski because she is getting lots of attention from the hot guys of the school, particularly the most popular girl’s studly boyfriend.

This fish-out-of-water plot has been done many times before, but Haters adds some interesting new elements to the situation.  Paski has special powers that allow her to see visions of the future, and a lot of the book is about her learning to accept and control her talents.  When she sees an ominous vision about a popular girl who hates her, Paski is conflicted about whether or not to try to help her. 

Paski’s realistic relationships with the people around her also improve this book.  Her single parent dad is funny and embarrassing as he tries to connect with his daughter and be “cool.”  Their interactions are both awkward and sweet as he realizes that she’s not a little girl anymore and he has to let Paski live her own life.

Posted by Lena at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Triple Crown, Urban Books, and BET Books are very popular publishers of Street Lit or Urban Lit. But some publishers are taking a look at Urban Lit from a teen perspective. Kimani Tru is one of these. So now the same page-turning drama is being told from a teen view—the son or daughter—instead of an adult viewpoint.

Keysha’s Drama by Earl Sewell
I’ve never met anyone with as much drama in her life as teen Keysha. The worst part of Keysha’s life is that no one has her back. Her Grandma Rubylee loves her, but she’s in jail for robbery. Her mom, Justine, neglects the teen and doesn’t even provide the basics for Keysha. Keysha’s boyfriend cheats on her and dumps her. Her friend, Toya, wants her to drop out of school so that they can hang out and take care of Toya’s baby together. Nobody is on Keysha’s side.

Everything goes from bad to worse though, when Justine disappears without a word for several days.  A social worker is notified and places the teen in a group home while she searches for Keysha’s biological father. Keysha doesn’t have high hopes for finding her dad or being accepted by him. But she's wrong, Keysha's rich dad turns her life upside down by inviting her home to his mansion. Will Keysha's nightmare of a life turn into a dream come true, or will this be just one more disappointing drama?

Posted by Michelle at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seventeen Magazine is joining forces with bestselling author, Meg Cabot, to sponsor a writing contest for young people aged 13 to 21. So if you love to write, take a peek at the story Cabot started, and then write your own ending in 350 words or less. Meg Cabot (and a few others) will read and judge the entries.
 
I think it would be an honor just to have Meg Cabot read my writing, but they are offering great prizes too. The winner will have his/her story published, with a byline next to Cabot’s in Seventeen Magazine, plus he/she will win $2,500. How awesome is that?! Be sure to read their contest rules. Entries must be received on or before January 2, 2008, so get started today!

Posted by Michelle at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Wednesday's Website of the Week is http://www.kissthisguy.com/. It is an archive of lyrics to songs that people have misunderstood.  The name of the site comes from the commonly misheard Jimi Hendrix lyric, "'scuse me, while I kiss the sky."

Most of them are really funny and some are pretty embarrassing for the person who made the mistake.  You can browse the top rated misheard lyrics or search by song title or artist.  After reading through them, I think that I like some of the mistakes better than the real lyrics.  For example, someone thought that the Ramones song, "I Wanna Be Sedated" was actually " I Want a Piece of Bacon."  I do love bacon, but that's just funny.

Posted by Lena at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest book to be turned into a movie is Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.  If you haven’t read it, this is the hilarious story of a 14 year old British girl named Georgia who has some crazy stuff going on in her life.  She has an insane cat that is big enough to eat a poodle, a little sister that smells a bit “hamsterish,” and parents that are clueless about everything she does.  It’s written in diary-style, so the reader really gets to know and love Georgia.

The book has so many funny and weird scenes; it should translate into a movie really well. I can’t wait to see the part with Georgia dressed up as an olive for the party!  What parts of the book are you excited to see in the movie?

 Gurinder Chadha, the director of Bend It like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, is directing this movie and the cast looks pretty good to me.  Click on the picture for an article about the cast.  Georgia is the second one on the left.  If you’ve read the book, is that how you pictured her? 

Posted by Lena at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hairspray
In 1962 Baltimore, plus-sized teen Tracy Turnblad becomes obsessed with a TV dance program, much to the dismay of her mother. She wins a spot on the show and is transformed overnight from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. With John Travolta, Allison Janney, Nikki Blonsky, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron. (2007, 117 minutes, rated PG)

The Santa Clause 3 —  the Escape Clause
Santa, aka Scott Calvin, juggles a full house of family and the mischievous Jack Frost, who is scheming to take over the 'big guy's' holiday. With Tim Allen, Martin Short, Judge Reinhold, Elizabeth Mitchell, Spencer Breslin. (2006, 92 minutes, rated PG)

Live Free or Die Hard
New York City detective John McClane delivers old-school justice to a new breed of terrorist when a massive computer attack on the U.S. infrastructure threatens to shut down the entire country over Independence Day weekend. With Timothy Olyphant, Bruce Willis, Justin Long. (2007, 129 minutes, rated PG-13)

Rescue Dawn
Based on the story of Lt. Dieter Dengler, an American fighter pilot who was shot down and captured during the Vietnam War, and how he found even more horrors in the jungle once he and a group of other prisoners escaped. With Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Christian Bale. (2007, 126 minutes, rated PG-13)

Posted by Daniel at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Play your favorite board games or learn a new one.  The whole family or anyone can play chess, bingo, checkers, Uno, Battleship, Candyland, Scrabble, Dominoes, and more. Spin the wheel of fortune and win a prize!

Marvin Auditorium

Fri              Nov 23                  2:00–4:00 pm

Posted by Gayle at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis
Logan is an easy to like character. He’s awkward, shy, and completely normal, but his life is not normal at all. Although he’s not talking about it, Logan witnessed a horrific crime a few months ago. He can’t talk about it; he doesn’t know how. His silence fills the pages of the book as others try to figure out what exactly happened. His parents move the family to a nearby neighborhood hoping to get a fresh start. However, the stories and rumors follow Logan, plus Logan’s own guilt and horror remain fresh over what happened at Zyler’s (his best friend) house. While Logan’s parents are loving and supportive, they are both just a little too preoccupied with their own lives and fears to really be able to help Logan when he needs it most.

Ann Dee Ellis writes in a very unique style, sort of movie script-like, and the pages fly because she hooks you in. What happened to Logan and his friends? In an all-too-sadly-true portrayal of our society, Ellis looks at the ugly side of some people’s family life—domestic abuse—and its consequences. A gripping book that will have you asking, “What would I do?”

Posted by Michelle at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Attention chess players! Test your skills against other chess players and win prizes. Let our resident chess master help you hone your chess skills. Registration required. 785-580-4565

David J's Place

Wed     Nov 21            6:00–8:00 pm

Posted by Gayle at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Would you like a list of book recommendations JUST FOR YOU?

Click here to request a personal reading list.

Just fill out the form with whatever information you want us to factor into making your list, and tiny, chattering library monkeys will get busy researching some awesome book titles that you might love to read.

Did you read that part about the monkeys? Because I was just being silly, of course librarians make the lists. 

Posted by Lissa at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

13-year-old Lexi Lemons has a message she  wants to share with other teens, “if you never start smoking, you never have to quit.” Lexi has watched her grandfather battle emphysema since 2003 and her grandmother suffers chronic bronchitis due to secondhand smoke. Her 45-min presentation called “Breathe: The Lexi Lemons Project” shares her family experiences and the dangers of cigarettes and chewing tobacco. About 125 hours of research went into Lexi’s project which she shares with area schools and organizations. Read more.

Posted by Gayle at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Out of Order

Reviewed by Jeri Eckhardt

What do you think? Post your comments below.

Posted by Lissa at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This Wednesday's Website of the Week is www.Says-It.com. This site lets you create your own funny graphics by adding whatever words you want to their existing templates.  You can put your name on a concert ticket, spell out a funny message on a church sign and do a ton of other stuff.  When you’re done, you can save the image and use it for anything you want.  The possibilities are endless, so get creative. Please post your great ideas for creations in the comments below!

Posted by Lena at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gerard Way, the lead singer of the band My Chemical Romance, is now writing a comic book series called The Umbrella Academy.  It is a six-issue limited edition series about a disbanded group of superheroes that were trained by a disguised alien named Sir Reginald Hargreeves.  After he dies, the group reunites to carry on Hargreeves’ plan and try to save the world. 

I really like My Chemical Romance, and I think that Gerard Way’s theatrical style might translate well into a comic book. Some of their music videos have a lot of dramatic fantasy and the artwork from the comic looks very spooky and impressive. What do you think? Do you like the band? Would you read The Umbrella Academy comics?

Posted by Lena at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shrek the Third
When Fiona's father, the King, croaks, it's up to Shrek and his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to find a suitable heir to the throne before Shrek becomes King of Far Far Away. With Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Antonio Banderas, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Julie Andrews, Justin Timberlake. (2007, 92 minutes, rated PG)


Je T'Aime Paris
The world's top directors and some of America's top stars create a panoramic portrait of Paris. Find yourself transported by these sexy, romantic, haunting, dramatic, and beautiful stories. With Nick Nolte, Ben Gazzara, Marianne Faithfull, Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood, Bob Hoskins, Sergio Castellitto, Willem Dafoe, Gerard Depardieu, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Juliette Binoche, Fanny Ardant, Steve Buscemi. (2006, 110 minutes, rated R)

Amazing Grace
Based on the life of William Wilberforce, his passion, and perseverance to pass a law ending the slave trade in the late 18th century, and the people, including his minister, who pushed him to pursue it to the end. With Michael Gambon, Rufus Sewell, Ciaran Hinds, Ioan Gruffudd, Toby Jones, Stephen Campbell Moore, Albert Finney. (2007, 111 minutes, rated PG)

La Vie En Rose
Born into poverty, she survived using the only gift she had - her voice. Edith Piaf's tragic life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love, with no regrets. With Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu. (2007, 141 minutes, rated PG-13)

Ocean's Thirteen
Ruthless casino owner Willy Bank never imagined that the odds were against him when he double-crossed Danny Ocean's friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff. But the gang's going to need more than luck to pull off their most ambitious and riskiest casino heist. With Ellen Barkin, Elliott Gould, Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Andy Garcia. (2007, 122 minutes, rated PG-13)

Posted by Daniel at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Governor Sebelius invites all Kansas students in grades K-12 to participate in a contest to help celebrate and commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inspiration his contributions continue to provide.

Four students will win $100 U.S. Saving Bonds and one student in each grade level will receive a certificate signed by the Governor. All student contest winners will be invited to Topeka to celebrate with the Governor on January 17, 2008.

Winning posters will be selected that best capture this year’s theme: “Inheriting a world house: what we learn from others.” Younger students in particular, after hearing about Dr. King’s life may wish to draw or paint (or use construction paper cutout, ect.) a picture/poster about what Dr. King’s lessons mean to them.

The essay contest is for students in grades 9 thru 12. Student essays should expand on the contest theme and reflect on the following quote by Dr. King, “The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.”  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., A time to Break Silence, 1967.

All entries must be received in the KAAAC (Kansas African-American Affairs Commission), 900 SW Jackson St.,  Suite 101, Topeka, KS, 66612, no later than 5:00 pm, Friday, December 21, 2007. Posters shall be no smaller than 8 1/2 x 11 inches or larger than 17 x 11 inches. (Posters will survive the journey best if mailed in tubes.) 

Posted by Lissa at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Have you ever wondered what would cause a young kid, a preteen, to kill another kid? Author Gail Giles delves into this murky territory to explore the motivations and consequences of a child killer.

Wade’s real name is Kip, but he’s trying to create a new identity and a future for himself. Kip spent four years institutionalized in a mental ward trying to accept and understand how and why he murdered 7-year-old Bobby Clarke. Wade tries to leave “Kip” behind as he moves from Alaska to Indiana, and re-enters the “real world” by attending his first public school. But the guilt of Kip’s actions weigh heavily on wade and makes it difficult to have close friends. However, if Wade shares the truth about his past, Wade’s dad and stepmom will be in danger. It happened before. People burned their home Alaska, but Wade doesn’t know how to build a new life on a lie.

The Maricopa Public Library made this great youtube book trailer. Enjoy!