Banned Books Week

Just a reminder, this week, September 26 – October 3, is Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  The American Library Association offers an online list of books that have faced banning or challenges.  You can also come out to the library to see our banned and challenged books display or pick up a bookmark for some more reading suggestions.  And don’t forget to come out to the Bloomington High School auditorium this Wednesday at 7:00 to hear young adult author Chris Crutcher speak on censorship and book challenges.  Crutcher is a former teacher, therapist, and child protection advocate whose books deal with realistic, sometimes tragic situations with humor and honesty.  We’ve got lots of copies of my favorite of Crutcher’s books, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, at the library right now, plus all of his other books, if you want to check out some of his stuff.

Water on the Moon??

So, NASA reports that after years of assuming the moon was dry as dust, they’ve found water on the moon!  Any other science geeks out there as excited about this as I am?

New Graphic Novels

	Uzumaki, Vols. 1 & 2 by Junji Ito Kurôzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world.  As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurôzu-cho are pulled ever deeper, as if into a whirlpool from which there is no return…
	Runaways: Dead Wrong by Terry Moore The gang’s back in L.A. But it’s not the same city they left so long ago. The Runaways try to stay off the radar, but the sins of their parents won’t make that possible…
	Emma Vol. 9 by Kaoru Mori This follow-up to the main story offers glimpses into the lives of Emma and William’s contemporaries in the strict and constricting society of Victorian England.
	Polly and the Pirates Vol. 1 by Ted Naifeh Polly has grown up in a prim and proper boarding school, far from any kind of adventure, and she likes it that way. But when she discovers that she’s actually related to the Pirate Queen, she’s got to find her inner-adventurer. Hijinks and high adventure await in the world of the pirates, can Polly rise to the occasion?
	Cirque du Freak vol. 1 by Darren Shan and Takahiro Arai Darren Shan was an average kid until destiny brought him to the Cirque du Freak. Now Darren’s been immersed into a shadowy world inhabited by vampires, werewolves, and strange creatures the likes of which he’s never imagined, and his life will be changed forever!
	Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion by Goro Taniguichi In the year 2010, the Holy Empire of Brittania declared war on Japan. Powerless to stop them, Japan surrendered in less than a month. Freedom was lost and Japan was renamed “Area 11.”  When Lelouch, a Brittanian, meets a mysterious girl that gives him the power to control people’s minds, he dons a mask and becomes the ruthless terrorist known only as Zero, destroying any who might stand in his path.
	Bride of the Water God vol. 3 by Mi-Kyung Yun Human bride Soah tries to uncover the truth behind her strange husband’s predicament and his previous wife’s early, brutal demise. While Huye distracts her with flirtations and the dreadful goddess Murah becomes increasingly jealous, strong-willed Soah is determined to find out why her powerful, moody husband is cursed to live in the form of a little boy during the day, returning to his true, adult body at night.

Arrr!

Avast, me hearties!  Me favorite holiday, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, be this Saturday, September 19.   So all ye landlubbers grab yer wooden leg, eyepatch, and parrot and get ready to celebrate in proper pirate fashion.  Need some help with yer pirate lingo?  Try here.   Or ye can take this quiz to see how well ye know yer pirate history.  And don’t forget to come to the library and check out some of the fine pirate booty listed below!

	Airborn by Kenneth Oppel Matt is a cabin boy aboard the Aurora, a luxury airship.  Kate, a passenger, is determined to prove that the strange creatures her grandfather saw in the area really exist.  But after pirates attack the ship, they become shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island.  Can Matt and Kate escape in time to stop the brigands from stealing the Aurora?
	Nick of Time by Ted Bell On the eve of World War II, Nick and his sister are spying for Winston Churchill. But the Nazis become the least of Nick’s problems after he discovers a time machine hidden in a cove. Unfortunately, the evil pirate Captain Billy Blood, who travels through time capturing children and holding them for ransom, will stop at nothing to possess the priceless machine.
	Pirates! by Celia Rees Nancy Kington is a wealthy merchant’s daughter. Minerva Sharpe is a penniless slave living and working on the Kington’s Jamaican plantation. These two young women, united through a set of extraordinary circumstances including a brutal murder, and an arranged marriage, find themselves sailing the high seas in search of love, adventure and freedom—as pirates!
	Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there’s the chance to learn to swordfight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other?
	Polly and the Pirates by Ted Naifeh This graphic novel by the creator of Courtney Crumrin tells the story of Polly, who has grown up in a prim and proper boarding school, far from any kind of adventure – and she likes it that way. But when she discovers that she’s actually related to the Pirate Queen, she’s got to find her inner-adventurer. Hijinks and high adventure await in the world of the pirates, can Polly rise to the occasion?
	Piracy: The Complete History by Angus Konstam Pirate expert Angus Konstam sails through the brutal history of piracy, from the pirates who plagued the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to the Viking raids on northern Europe through the golden age of piracy and on to the era of privateers who flourished during a period of constant warring on the European continent.
	Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World by Jane Yolen Throughout the ages, women from all classes and walks of life turned to pirating out of necessity, desperation, or greed. Meet Artemisia, the admiral-queen of Persia in 500 BC; Grania O’Malley, the Irish “pirate queen” who challenged Queen Elizabeth I’s ships; Madame Ching, who sailed the South China Sea in the early 1800s; and more.
	The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with “the dust of one hundred dogs,” dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body – with her memories intact. Now she’s a contemporary American teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.

Banned Books Week author visit!

Young adult author Chris Crutcher will be here in Bloomington-Normal during Banned Books Week (September 26 – October 3) to discuss book bans and challenges.  Crutcher is one of my favorites and a great speaker, and since several of his own books have been challenged, he can speak from experience.  He’ll be at Bloomington High School at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, September 30 – don’t miss it!  And make sure to check out some of his books here at the library before you go.

Writers’ Workshop

So we’ve been trying to get a writing group going here over the summer.  I  know we’ve got a lot of writers out there among NPL teens.  The problem now that the school year has started up is that we’ve got to figure out a good time to shift our meetings to.  I’ve got our next meeting scheduled for this coming Monday, September 14, at 4:00.  We’re going to talk about NaNoWriMo and the possibility of developing a creative writing ‘zine.  I’d love to have some feedback about what you’d like to do at a writer’s group and when you think the best times to meet are.  Any suggestions?

September Game Day

It’s that time again!  Come out to the Normal Public Library this Wednesday, September 9 from 4 to 6 pm for Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, Apples to Apples, and lots more games.  We’ll have snacks and drinks for you, too.