Celebrate the freedom to read!

 

It’s Banned Books Week, and the American Library Association has released a list of the top ten most frequently challenged books of 2009.  The list includes the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer, ttyl by Lauren Myracle, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, and several other young adult books.  A challenge to a book, whether it’s in a school library, public library, or elsewhere, is an attempt to remove or restrict access to a book.  A banned book is one that has actually been removed from the shelves.  The ALA has more information on book challenges and why they happen here.

“Enjoy” this “post”.

Today is National Punctuation Day! You can celebrate by visiting a couple of my favorite online pedants, the “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks and Apostrophe Abuse. Oh, and don’t forget to correct someone’s punctuation mistakes as obnoxiously as possible!

New monthly event – Teen Craft Club

Starting in October, the library will be hosting a monthly craft day for teens on the first Monday of each month.  I’m really excited about our first craft project, Thai string dolls.  I hadn’t heard of these things until I saw the 4YA page, but apparently they’re becoming a global smash hit, especially in Asia.  I’m definitely sold on the idea – they’re so cute, and all we’ll need is some embroidery floss, felt, and beads and other little odds and ends.  So come join us on Monday, October 4 from 4 to 5:30 to make your own adorable little keychain doll.  And if you’ve got any great ideas for a craft we should do, please let me know!

NPL Anniversary

Hey, did you guys know that the Normal Public Library has been around for 75 years?  That’s right, we’re older than most of your grandparents.  And we’re celebrating our birthday this Saturday the way most people do – we’re throwing a huge party for ourselves, complete with birthday cake.  Plus Eric Rohmann, award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, will be here to talk about his work with us.  Okay, I know you’re not exactly children, but this guy’s done some really cool illustrations and won the Caldecott award, so he should have a great presentation and you should stop by and check him out, as well as all of the other fun things we’ll have going on.  And, of course, free cake.  So come see us this Saturday from 1 to 3 to celebrate our 75th!

It’s a YA Takeover…

Right now, books published for the young adult market are hotter than ever. It’s one of the few areas of publishing that’s actually seen sales increasing in recent years, and more and more books aimed at teens from a vast variety of genres are published each year. Compared to what was published for teens back when I actually was one (lots of Sweet Valley High and other endless paperback series is all I can remember), you guys have got it good.

And Hollywood has started to sit up and take notice. Just in the past few months I’ve posted on this blog several times about YA books that are coming out as films – the most recent here and here.  The Twilight movies are international bestsellers, Pretty Little Liars and the Vampire Diaries are huge hits on TV, and a movie based on current phenomenon The Hunger Games is in the works.  Now everyone wants a piece of the next YA bestseller.  If you’re curious to see what other books have been optioned for film and television, I’ve just found a great blog called YA Takeover that keeps tabs on the latest news out of Hollywood as it relates to YA books.  Right now, all kinds of Twilight-esque supernatural romance is big, but there are so many coming to the big screen that there’s something for everyone.  Go check it out!

Busy week…

Lots of stuff going on at the library this week for teens:

	Tonight ( September 7 ) from 4:30 to 6:00 we’ve got our regular Manga Anime Club meeting.  We’ll be watching another episode of Ouran High School Host Club, then finishing up with the final episode of El Hazard.  Also, tonight is the last night to submit an entry for our MAC mascot contest!
	Tomorrow ( September 8 ) is our monthly Teen Game Day.  Come on down to the community room from 4:00 to 6:00 for Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, air hockey, and lots of board games.
	Thursday ( September 9 ) is Teen Advisory Council.  We’ll hang out downstairs and have some snacks, then migrate up to the teen section for a work day, helping me shelfread and remove new stickers from some of the books.  We’ll also spend some time discussing the future of TAC and what you’d like to see us accomplish during the upcoming year.

New Graphic Novels and Manga

	Shinobi Life vol. 5 by Shoko Conami  An average high school girl is suddenly saved by a time-slipping ninja who thinks she is a princess he has sworn to protect. Romance blooms as he tries to protect her in the crazy modern world.
	Troublemaker by Janet and Alex Evanovich  Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker are back together and fighting crime the only way they know how –  by leaving a trail of chaos, panic, and disorder. Alex, an auto mechanic and spotter for racecar driver Sam Hooker, is drawn to trouble like a giant palmetto bug to a day-old taco. Unfortunately, she’s also drawn to Hooker in the same fashion. There’s no steering clear of trouble or Hooker when friends Rosa and Felicia call for help. A man has gone missing, and in order to find him Barnaby and Hooker will have to go deep into the underbelly of Miami and south Florida.
	Chi’s Sweet Home vol. 1 by Konami Kanata  Chi is a mischievous newborn kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost.  Overcome with loneliness, she breaks into tears in a large urban park meadow, when she is suddenly rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The kitty is then quickly and quietly whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada family apartment…where pets are strictly not permitted.
	Silver Diamond vols. 5-6 by Shiho Sugiura  Rakan is a lonely orphaned teen with an unusual attraction to flowers and plants. Chigusa is his surprise guest, who arrives mysteriously one day out of nowhere. Together, these two uncover secrets about each other–including the fact that Rakan may be a special prince who Chigusa insists on protecting at all costs!
	Black Jack vols. 7-9 by Osamu Tezuka  Black Jack is a mysterious and charismatic young genius surgeon who travels the world performing amazing and impossible medical feats. Though a trained physician, he refuses to accept a medical license due to his hatred and mistrust of the medical community’s hypocrisy and corruption. This leads Black Jack to occasional run-ins with the authorities, as well as from gangsters and criminals who approach him for illegal operations.
	Twin Spica vols. 1-2 by Kou Yaginuma  Thirteen-year-old Asumi lives in Japan in 2024 as the country’s space program is resurrecting itself in the wake of a launch tragedy 10 years earlier, and Asumi aims to be among the first wave of young astronauts to take Japan into the stars. Raised by her construction worker father, Asumi is the apple of her dad’s eye and he will do everything in his working-class power to make her dream of attending the Tokyo Space School come true.
	Bride of the Water God vol. 5 by Mi-Kyung Yun  With a jealous admirer and a bitter mother plotting behind his back, Habaek’s controversial decision to return Soah to his magical kingdom has the elemental gods and goddesses in an uproar. Habaek, the water god who rescued Soah’s village from famine, is also dealing with a curse that turns him into a child during the day and reverts him to his true adult form at night. While some of the inhabitants of his domain are friendly to his human bride – and some are a bit too friendly – Habaek has kept his curse secret from Soah, who’s become completely confused by all the attention and resentment her presence brings!