To Read: How they Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

Bragg, Georgia, and Kevin O'Malley. How They Croaked: the Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. New York: Walker &, 2011.

This one graced our shelf of new books this week and I bounced between grossed out and completely intrigued.  I have a HUGE stack of books to read right now, but as soon as I get a bit of free time, I'm definitely going to read this one.

YA Graphic Review: Level Up by Gene Yang

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Almost every gamer has had this boss battle.
Almost every young adult has had this hurdle.
The one where what you LOVE to do, is questioned by parents who want you to do things that will get you a job.


Dennis Ouyang was bitten by the video game bug when he was six years old but try as he might, his parents refused to even let him have money for the arcade, let alone purchase a home system.  Playing games is no way to learn how to "eat much bitterness", his father decides, and instead steers young Dennis into a life of science and schoolwork.

Storytime: It's Raining Cats and Dogs

So I came up with this theme today as I worked on my storytime for this month and I thought I'd hit on some amazing idea, then I found that there have actually been a few other witty librarians who have come up with the very same.  You know what they say about great minds. A couple of the titles: Raindrop, Plop and Kitten's Summer, are great to tie this theme together because they actually feature cats and dogs in the rain. However, if there is anything I've learned from libraries and librarians over the past few years though, its that no matter how simple the theme, each person will execute it differently.  So, that being said, here's my take on the Raining Cats and Dogs theme.

I tried this theme with my nieces last weekend and I think it'll be great for my library kids.  I do Family Storytime, which consists of a LOT of different age groups.  In that respect, I've added books for toddlers as well as older preschoolers.  With the amount of summer storms we've been having, I think this one will be great.

Theme: It’s Raining Cats and Dogs

Books for Babies and Toddlers:

Kitten’s Summer by Eugenie Fernandes

Bad Dog, Marley by John Grogan

Raindrop Plop by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
I Got Two Dogs by John Lithgow
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to Sleep by Bill Martin

Good Boy, Fergus by David Shannon

Cat the Cat, Who is That by Mo Willems

Books for Preschoolers:

Diggy Takes Charge by Caroline Jayne Church

Doggy Dreams by Nancy Kapp Chapman

Dogs Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

The Cat Barked by Lydia Monks

There are No Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

No Dogs Allowed by Anne Davis

Gaming Review: Portal 2 (First-Person)

This past week I finished up the solo storyline of Portal 2, and I have been singing the praises of this humorous and challenging puzzle game ever since.

Tween Read Review: A Tale Dark And Grimm

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perhaps the best advice found in this book was written in the author's final note: "Trust the stories, and trust that children can handle it, whatever IT is."

I've been convinced of this very thing since I began studying story years ago. Too often we have watered down these tales in the interest of making US more comfortable while robbing children of the stories that they would love. If they can handle the idea of a wretched pair of parents leaving them out in the woods to starve to death or be eaten by a cannibalistic witch with a gingerbread house, then why not hit them with the "real" story of how they fought dragons, cut off heads and fingers, and were almost chopped to bits by their first real crush?

YA Graphic Review: Brain Camp by Susan Kim

Brain Camp by Susan Kim
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jenna and Lucas are pains at home.  Jenna is too silly and free-spirited for her prestigious and acadademic family.  Her parents worry about her, and her younger sister doesn't even want to be seen with her.  Lucas, son of a single mom, gets horrible grades despite his intellect.  Both teens and families are surprised when a representative from Camp Fielding visits their home to invite/recruit them.