I read White Cat on the beach so I wanted to mention it before summer is over and the beach is cold. Of course, if your beach is the Oregon Coast or icy old Lake Michigan, it’s probably already cold and might require a sweater or two. Not that White Cat is particularly beachy in any way, but I read it there so you might want to too.

It’s about grifters, con-artists, magic, crime and getting kicked out of boarding school. Like The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks meets, um, I don’t know… something scary with possible mob connections?

Bridget

Since the issue of geographical/Evanston/Chicagoland authenticity was stuck in my craw, I brought it up to the group. The kids told me that it was important to them that geographical details ring true–they make the book seem authentic and grounded. They said the Chicago stuff seemed real, for the most part. Some of them wanted to figure out if Frenchy’s really does exist and where exactly it is (!). Then I asked them about Evanston’s high school. They were all pretty much convinced that the events in the book could not have taken place at ETHS because it’s full of gangsters and thugs. Now, it should be stated that ETHS and their high school are rivals, and that as a result certain stereotypes about ETHS may exist in their minds. I have to take their comments with a grain of salt. I’m still waiting to hear from someone who actually did go to ETHS to get a second opinion on that one. Bottom line, geographical authenticity does matter to teen readers (at least on Chicago’s North Shore). Writers, keep doing your homework.

A last word: although ETHS’s mascot really is Willy the Wildkit, there are no murals at ETHS, the girls in my group reported. So here’s my virtual mural:

wildkits

Aries Rising by Bonnie Hearn Hill is sort of a supernatural light book–if you like books with just a touch of mysticism but aren’t interested in all-out paranormal, this is the book for you! The story is all intertwined with astrology tidbits and very fun–a nice summer read. Janet kindly shared her copy that she picked up at PLA which is great because sadly Multnomah County Library doesn’t have a copy in the system so if you live in Portland and are interested, you’re going to have to buy it. It looks like the second book Taurus Eyes is out already, so if you like it, you can keep going!

On the other end of the spectrum is Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. This is paranormal and a bit dark (there are lots of knives and swords and things). Yet also funny and addictive with hot guys. Suzanne Young recommended it on her blog and has all sorts of gushy interesting things to say about it (thanks Suzanne!). So click through to her site to hear more about it. This book also has a sequel out The Demon’s Covenant which you will most likely want to pick up when you get hooked on the first one.

Enjoy!

Bridget

Elipse, the movie, was rampant with skinny jeans. Bella’s pants were an unpleasant distraction from the otherwise visually stunning movie filled with lots of guys without shirts on.

Other than the distraction of the pants, I quite liked Eclipse, the Movie. There was plenty of action, and, of course, all of those guys without shirts  on. They even strayed from the Bella Would Do Anything for Love storyline and put in a few bits about independence and how she wants to be changed for her and not for Edward.

My favorite parts of the movie were the snatches of humor that popped up now and then.

Random bits quoted from memory, not verbatim, in no particular older  –

“Where I’m from getting married is how you say, ‘I love you.’” “Where I’m from, getting married at my age is how you say, ‘I got knocked up.’” (Edward to Bella, Bella to Edward)

“Doesn’t he own any shirts?” (Edward about Jacob)

“You know I’m hotter than you.” (Jacob to Edward)

“I’m starting to like him better now.” (Bella’s dad after she’s informed him that Edward is “Old School” and that she’s a virgin)

Also, pretty much anything the dad says or does had me laughing.

I thought these little chunklets of funny broke up the trauma-drama nicely.

Has anyone else seen the movie?

Bridget

photo taken by nellyfus

Take a great series like Harry Potter. Every book has its own plot and set of challenges, and most of those issues get resolved by the end of the book. But a few niggling questions remain, and the series plot arch continues. You’re left pining for the next book. A good series should make you want to read the next book, not make you feel duped.

I fear this is a growing phenomenon. I read The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink, and was left with the same empty feeling–very little was resolved. I’m so annoyed that now I refuse to read the rest of the series. What’s going on here? Did the author mean this to be a single book, and then the publisher decided to extend that single book into a series? Couldn’t the author just write a second book? Series are great, but not every book needs to be part of one. Sometimes it’s better to tie up all the loose ends in one fell swoop.

Please, writers and editors, throw us readers a bone and publish more books that are self-contained.

In library school and on various listservs, we spend a lot of time talking about the importance of authenticity in multicultural literature for children.  What I hear over and over is  that it is important to be sure you’re depicting a people from a particular culture or place fairly and accurately. But now I wonder…do you have to represent a town accurately? Does geographical authenticity matter?

Does Evanston’s high school really have lots of murals of its mascot? Does Jane’s house at 1712 Wesley exist and does it really have a porch? Am I being too obsessive? I mean, I live here and I don’t know. Then again, I’m not really the audience the author had in mind, given that I’m, you know, not a teenager. (I do know, however, that Will and Tiny and Jane drove home from the Hideout way quicker than is actually possible, at least when I’m driving. )

I’m still undecided (maybe you people out there can help me decide), but here’s how I’m leaning on this question. In this case, geographical authenticity matters when it shapes the story. It matters that Will Grayson and Tiny live in Evanston because it’s far away from will grayson, who I think is supposed to live over in the southwest suburb of Naperville. It also matters matters because Tiny and Will Grayson are Evanston rich kids, and will grayson is not a rich kid (although I’ve heard there are plenty of rich kids in Naperville). These are things that might pull the characters apart, but various events and strong feelings conspire to bring them together. On the other hand, it doesn’t matter because a story can be, well, just a story. The murals on the wall at ETHS don’t push the story forward, nor do they hold it back. Sometimes fiction is fiction, in that it’s made up,  but it sure is neat when the details correspond with reality.

I’m hoping to give WGWG to a recent ETHS grad, and we’re also going to do a book discussion at my library (one suburb north) on it later this summer. Perhaps some of those teens can tell me if it is authentic, and whether or not it matters to them. I’ll get back to you on that.

What am I getting at? After I got back I had to reread Ruined by Paula Morris. I read this book this winter, and it had me glued to the couch. The same thing happened the second time around, except that this time I had actually seen some of the places mentioned in the book and the story seemed so much more vivid. Anyhow, it’s about a New York teen named Rebecca who’s suddenly shipped off to New Orleans to live with an old family friend. An outsider in her very stodgy and traditional private school, Rebecca has to look elsewhere to find friends.  She meets Lisette in the cemetery across the street from her house. Turns out Lisette is a ghost. Lisette introduces Rebecca to New Orleans’s history, with its complicated race relations and class structure. Rebecca soon finds out that New Orleans’s history is, well, not history at all. Lisette is connected to an old voodoo curse on the family of Rebecca’s  snootiest schoolmate, and Rebecca herself may have a part to play in the curse. There’s a cute boy and a dramatic ending and lots of Mardi Gras beads. Morris does a does a great job of creating a sense of place and giving an overview of the history and culture of New Orleans. Plus it’s a riveting story.

So…if I can’t make it back for Mardi Gras, I’ll just read Ruined. You should read it, too.

Tomb of voodoo queen Marie Laveau

Commander's Palace, mentioned in the book

2. Things seen during conference sessions: a librarian talking on her cell phone; a librarian with her baby (what set of circumstances led her to bring that baby to PLA? I felt like I was back at work in the children’s department when the baby starting crying, which in turn almost made me start crying); a librarian (Nancy Purl, see earlier post) knitting–her pink sweater was really coming along by Friday

3. Thank you, Albert Whitman, for The Boxcar Children, and for dinner on Thursday. Your new books look good!

4. I gave my presentation on Friday. I think our group did well. I hope we spread Scratch to lots more libraries! The presentation is online somewhere and when I figure out where it is, I’ll post it.

5. Bridget and Barrett took me to see the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden!

6. Rumor has it that the Multnomah County Library in downtown Portland has a problem with fake therapy animals. For instance, someone tried to bring in a “therapy squirrel.” Now, I’ll be the first to advocate for therapy animals, but that’s taking it a little too far…

7. On Saturday we had a wonderful dinner with famous authors Laini Taylor and Suzanne Young.

8. The presenters served wine at one session…silly me, I got there too late to get a glass! Now, why didn’t we think of that for our presentation?

9. We went to the Two Tarts bakery! I have never been so full from cookies in my life. YUM!

10. In one 20-hour period, I cleaned up both cat puke and dog puke.

2. A librarian knitting (Nancy Purl?)

3. A dirt bike gang

4. A woman carrying a rat on her shoulders

5. A dog on the light rail (with its owner)

6. A long line in front of Voodoo Doughnut

7. A bacon doughnut

8. A panic-attack inducing amount of books at Powell’s

9. A crazy giant pink awning on a store selling funky Asian stuff, but I can’t remember the store’s name. Anybody know what it is?

10. A giant dish of cassoulet