Eleanor is the new girl in town and her wild red hair and patchwork outfits are not helping her blend in. She ends up taking the only seat available to her on the bus, and finds herself sitting next to Park. Park keeps himself separate from the rude jocks on the bus. He loves comic books (although the rest of his family loves sports). Eleanor and Park, both outsiders, sit in awkward silence every day until Park notices that Eleanor is reading his comics over his shoulder. He begins to slide them closer to her side of the seat. And that begins their love story. Their relationship grows gradually--making each other mixed tapes (it's 1986) and discussing X-Men characters--until they both find themselves looking forward to the bus ride more than any other part of the day. Things aren’t easy for them. Eleanor is bullied at school and then goes home to a really scary and abusive family situation. Park’s parents do not approve of Eleanor’s awkward ways. In the end, though, this is a book about two high school kids who just really, really like each other and who believe that they can overcome any obstacle standing in the way of their happiness.
Here’s a very short video clip from the publisher that gives you a feeling for the book.
I highly recommend this book! Try it and let me know if you like it as much as I do.
That’s the day the movie, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” based on the second book in Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games trilogy, opens! The sequel picks up where the last film left off with Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) winning the 74th annual Hunger Games along with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). As the couple embarks on their Victory Tour of all the districts, it becomes clear that a revolution is on the brink - with Katniss and Peeta at the center of it.
I loved the first movie and can’t wait for the second one.
The Maine Student Book Award, a joint project of the Maine Library
Association, Maine Association of School Libraries, and Maine Reading
Association, has been around for decades. While most awards for
children’s books are chosen by adults (I mean, what’s up with that,
right?) the Maine Student Book Award is awarded each spring to a book
that kids in grades 4-8 in Maine have chosen by voting. A committee
chooses a list of books, published the previous year. Kids can suggest
books to go on the list. Kids in grades 4-8 read from the list, and
then vote by April 1st.
There
is a display of available titles in the Youth Services Room at the
library. And don’t forget that many are available in Scarborough Public
Library’s very cool Cloud Library, too!
The Cloak Society, by Jeramey Kraatz is a fantasy title on the list.
Like
many kids, Alex isn't sure he wants to continue in the family business
and is struggling to find his own path. Complicating matters: the family
business is super-villainy! His great-grandfather was a founding member
of the Cloak Society, a team of radiation-enhanced bad guys whose
powers range from controlling electricity to super strength and, in
Alex's case, telekinesis. His mother is telepathic, which presents the
ultimate kid nightmare: his mother really can read his mind. On his 12th
birthday, Alex fails in his first field test, a bank robbery. His
powers cannot open the vault and he impulsively does the unthinkable: He
saves Kirbie, a shape-shifting member of The Rangers of Justice,--the
good guys. Even worse, she becomes his friend. And the more time he
spends with her, the more Alex wonders about the world outside of
Cloak—and what, exactly, he's been fighting for.
Check out the other titles on the list for more great books!
As we wrap up April and National Poetry Month, I wanted to share the great poetry tweets that the kids who participated in the poetry workshops created. When they shared these with family and friends in an evening presentation at the library, the audience enthusiastically snapped their fingers (applause at a poetry slam is not clapping but snapping!).
People are like snowflakes. Not one of them is the same. So never, ever, ever let the world change you. How about you change the world? Zoe
Drawing. Line sliding, turning, starting, stopping. “Needs more ,” I say. More painting. Brush strokes, starting, stopping. A new day. Maddie
Time to go. Running home. In the dusty sky, stars flying by, moon glowing as much as the wonder in my eyes. Cameron
With every moment more heat. I can hear the beat of my heart. Wonder who is sharing the earth with me, who is hidden in the shadows. Scared. Cameron
A flower stands in a field, weathering the storm. The beauty will never yield. This flower will always stand. Max
Kids run, balloons in their hands. They lose their grasp. Balloons float away. Tears. Balloons float peacefully up in the air into outer space. POP! Sasha
The sun shining, wind blowing. I go to my house with something to say. “Let’s go outside. It’s a beautiful day. Let’s go play.” Dyllan
Scared. Scared as shadows move under the stars and moon. The wind blows peacefully through the trees. Chilling my heart with fear. Scared. Sarah
Writing. Flowing, cascading, rushing like a river. The words pour out of my pen link a fountain. What is my story? I don’t even know. Elizabeth
Making dinner again. My family is lazy. Doing chores stinks. Can’t text right now. Wish my family would get up and do something, too. Maya
Bravo to Scarborough Public Library’s young poets! I am already looking forward to next April when the library again will host poetry workshops and presentations.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the Book Spine Poems in the last blog post. I want to share with you the second creative writing we worked on in the Sweet Tweets Poetry workshops: Six-Word Memoirs. You can find lots more examples of these online, too. The idea is to say something about yourself in exactly six words.
Clicks. Popular. Mean. Not for me. (Sarah) Without Lego, life has no meaning. (Max) Disney is my life and future. (Dyllan) Writing is flowing lines for reading. (Maddie) Anime isn’t weird. You’re too normal. (Sasha) Never found the lion. Which wardrobe? (Cameron) Photography is my way of speaking. (Cameron) What is music? My entire world. (Zoe) Writing just happens. Don’t rush it. (Elizabeth) I’m not weird. I’m “limited edition.” (Maya)
Try writing your own Six-Word Memoir and post it as a comment on the blog!
And we have been celebrating in the Youth Services Room! A group of young poets attended two after-school poetry workshops. They had a lot of fun creating poems from book spines. Here are some examples of their Book Spine Poetry:
They also created Six-Word Memoirs (describing something about themselves in exactly six words) and Poetry Tweets (writing a poem using only 140 characters or less, like a tweet). I'll share some examples of these in the next blog post, after you've had a chance to hear the poets speak their words!
Come to the library this Wednesday, April 10th, from 6:30-7:30 when the young poets will share their poems. You are invited to share your poetry, too! So bring a friend and be at the Youth Services Room on Wednesday.
We hear so much about the cruelty of bullying. There are many helpful books that explore this important topic. Here are two which pair nicely together and which I think are really good.
Bystander by James Preller
Most of us are not bullies, but are likely to be bystanders. We see and hear someone being bullied, but we try to ignore it…to not get involved… and we don’t stand up to the bully. Eric is the new kid in seventh grade. Griffin wants to be his friend. When you’re new in town, it’s hard to know who to hang out with—and who to avoid. Griffin seems cool, confident, and popular. But something isn’t right about Griffin. He always seems to be in the middle of bad things. And if Griffin doesn't like you, you’d better watch your back. There might be a target on it. As Eric gets drawn deeper into Griffin’s dark world, he begins to see the truth about Griffin: He’s a liar, a bully, a thief. Eric discovers there are consequences to standing by and watching as the bully hurts people. In one shocking moment, Eric goes from being a bystander . . . to being the bully’s next victim.
Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance edited by Rhoda Belleza
It does not necessarily take a fist to create a punch in the gut. Fourteen short stories by well-known young adult authors delve into the experience of being bullied—socially, emotionally, physically, psychologically, and sexually. The school hallways, walking home, and house walls are no longer boundaries for intimidation and harassment. With social media and smartphones, bullying has lost all limits, and the lines among truth, lies, and real accountability have become blurred. Cornered includes stories by Jennifer Brown (Hate List), Elizabeth Miles (Fury), and Josh Berk (The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin).
Books can help us understand ourselves and others.
