Curiosities and Wonders: Attention Grabbers Prompt Reading

One of the hottest books in our library is the Guinness Book of World Records. Elementary and middle schoolers, boys and girls, are particularly subject to its freakish charms. This is a great book for reluctant readers. Current circulating copies of the Guinness are usually in short supply but copies from previous years or other books on the subject heading "curiosities and wonders" can be found under the Dewey Decimal Call Number of 032.

Pictured is Guiness World Records: To the Extreme, a circulating juvenile book. Click here for the record and put it on hold!

Click here for Ripley's Believe It or Not books, a strong second runner up!

Family Literacy: Families Read Better When They Read Together

Family Literacy helps boost a child's individual literacy skills.

For tips to increase your family's literacy from the NCFL (National Center for Family Literacy), CLICK HERE.

More ways to build family literacy:

Listening to audiobooks with your child(ren). Audiobooks allow families to listen to the same story and then to practice the skills listed in the NCFL tips website. Time spent in the car or preparing meals becomes a rich literary experience when audiobooks are added to the mix. Audio books are great for reluctant readers and help "hook" them and keep them engaged till the end of the book. They also increase listening comprehension.

Have siblings (or other family members) read to younger siblings or to each other. We now have a new series of books at CCPL called We Both Read that is perfect for this kind of activity. These books come in a variety of beginning reading levels, from pre-kindergarden to Level 2-3. The left hand page is for the adult or fluent reader and the right hand page is for the beginning reader.

Read poetry with your children. Poetry helps engage younger children and reluctant readers. Short humorous poems are fun and appealing to children and can be easily memorized. American poetry is found under the call number, "J 811" and British poetry, such as the classic, A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is found under "J 821" in the Children's section.

Get Graphic! Graphic Novels Are Good Reading

"Graphic Novel" is a term used to discribe books that use a comic book type of format. "Grapic Novel" describes ficion and nonfiction works of this type.

Why are graphic novels such a hot print format?

1. They are great for reluctant readers, visual learners, EFL (English as a Foreign Language) readers, and readers who read below the reading level of the text for any other reason.

2. They provide visual information about the setting of the text. This is useful with graphic novel histories and biographies where readers are able to get more information about the clothing and environment of the time period of the work. This is especially nice for student reports requiring a visual display.

3. They are fast, exciting reads, full of color and action.

• To find graphic novels on the shelves at CCPL branches, just look for the light blue "Graphic Novel" label on the spine.

• In the library catalog search under the subject heading, "graphic novel". Use the subject heading "graphic novel and juvenile" to locate graphic novels in the Children's area.

• For great reviews of graphic novels visit the website, No Flying No Tights (www.noflyingnotights.com).

• Click for 2005 Newsweek article on graphic novels from the CCPL Electronic Databases. You will need your library card to access this article if you are at home.

(CLICK FOR GENERAL CCPL DATABASE ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS)

Source Citation: Foroohar, Rana, Tracy McNicoll, Mary Acoymo, Mark Russell, and Kay Itoi. "Comic Relief; Take that, batman. Graphic novels are moving out of the hobby shop and into the mainstream." Newsweek International (August 22, 2005): 58. General OneFile. Gale. Charleston County Public Library. 29 Dec. 2007 .

Guys Read

One of my favorite literacy websites is author, Jon Scieszka's, Guys Read. Guys Read has reading suggestions for guys of all ages and links to author websites and more. The site is also extremely visually appealing with bright graphics and moving pages that help keep the user's attention.

Dr. Jean's Got the Prescription for Childhood Literacy!

Dr. Jean Feldman is an awesome educator, artist, and source of emergent, family, and pre-school literacy goodies. She did a wonderful presentation for Charleston County Library Children's Services staff members several years ago where I picked up a lot of tips and tools for improving my story time techniques.

CCPL has added a nice selection of Dr. Jean's CD's to its collection. Supplement these with her website (www.drjean.org) in order to get the maximum mileage from her fantastic compilation of songs, games, etc.

Severus Snape: The Hanged Man

The motif of the Hanged Man is a constant thread in the Harry Potter series. Numerous games of hangman are played throughout the series and the Gaunts and the Riddles live outside of the town of Little Hangleton, which is home to the Hanged Man pub.

The Hanged Man tarot card literally symbolizes the state of attentive waiting. The hanged man represents suspended action and is poised, ready for the correct moment to make his move. He hangs upside down by one foot and when inverted appears to be dancing a jig.

The symbol of the hanged man describes the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series perfectly. Snape waits through out the whole series to atone for his crime of unintentional complicity in the death of Lily Evans Potter, his only love. He maintains an unflinching mask of composure and remains ever ready to strike at Voldemort when the time is ripe. He has only one significant moment of weakness; at the close of Book 6 after Dumbledore's death in the scene when Snape prevents Harry from following him. Severus Snape endures having his actions misinterpreted throughout the series in order to keep his mission on track. He is the true anti-hero of the Harry Potter series, not Sirius Black.

Idiomatic: Harry Potter's Journey to the West

I wrote most of this earlier in the year not long after Deathly Hallows was released.

Translation has always been a literary topic of interest to me. In high school I decided that I would only read literary works that were originally written in English because I was afraid that significant linguistic nuances would be lost in translation. I felt that I would be wasting my time reading translations because I would never be able to get the full weight of the symbolism if I couldn't read the work in the original language. The idomatic German expression, "Gemuetlichkeit" (I am subbing "ue" for the uemlatted "u"), was the word that prompted this decision. I was told in German class that this expression had no exact translation in English but that it meant a feeling or atmosphere of having a really good time. The idea that a word could be untranslate-able totally blew my teen-aged mind and I decided to stick to English lit only at that point.

I continued in this vein for the most part, until, post-college, I happened to read Madame Bovary with its lovely up and down perspectives and I fell back into reading translations of world classics. The lost-in-translation excuse caused me to avoid reading Russian novels and so I have never read War and Peace or Dostoievsky. I have never read Faulkner either (except for the short story, "The Bear"). I like to think that I am "saving" myself for Faulkner. Ok, yeah right. *wink wink*

One of the things about the Harry Potter series that astonishes me is the wonderful way that it has been assimilated, translated, and embraced by non-English speaking/non-English cultures. It really speaks to the truth of Jung's collective unconscious and it would be interesting to know how much world myth J.K. Rowling knowingly drew upon and how much just entered the text serendipitously/synchronistically.

One use of myth, which appears to be conscious, was the linking of Salazar Slytherin with the eastern Monkey King myth cycle. I first happened on this when I noticed that the statue of Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets was described as "ancient and monkeyish". The Gaunts, his decendants, were also described as simian in appearance. I was intrigued by the description in COS but I really took notice when this monkey business reared its head again in Half Blood Prince so I investigated and learned about the mythical Monkey King.

The core of the Legend of the Monkey King, which relates to Harry Potter, is that the Monkey King fears death above all things and goes to all sorts of lengths to cheat it including various unconscionable nastinesses, somewhat like Voldie. The Monkey King is overcome when a mountain is dropped on him. This image of the nasty monkey Loki trickster/overlord is reflected in lots of anime and cartoon characters like Mojo Jojo in Power Puff girls. He is a classic Jungian shadow figure.

Perhaps the Monkey King's greatest literary appearance is in a 400 year old Chinese novel, titled Monkey: Journey to the West, where he is resurrected and goes on a journey with an actual historical figure, a Buddhist monk, Hsuan Tang, who traveled from Xian, China, to India and back in search of precious Buddhist texts and learning. This story has recently been made into a Chinese opera with help from the British pop group, Gorillaz.

J.K. Rowlings' allusion to the Monkey King, who is an unknown literary figure to most westerners, in the Harry Potter series, makes the translation of the series into languages where he is a familiar stock character, an enhancement rather than a dilution of the subliminal richness of the storytelling art.

Tech Trek Flashback: I Want My MP3!

The MP3's are on the way! I am pretty excited about getting mine. I plan to try to learn more about podcasting.

Tech Trek got me into the Library 2.0 groove. I am putting the things I learned from my TT2.0 experience to good use, especially Del.icio.us. I feel really fortunate that the powers-that-be in my world of work (St. Andrews Regional Library/Charleston County Public Library) were willing to let me learn in such an open-ended way. Knowing that they were behind the program gave me a real boost of confidence in my ability to master all of the new technologies I encountered. If there is a part two, sign me up!

Thanks to Ms. Rose Mary for sharing the cool cat graphic with me!

Bluford High Series: The Bully

Sometimes the bullies you face aren't only school. The Bluford High Series books are in Y Fiction and Young Adult Paperbacks. Most are written by Paul Langan, author of The Bully, and Anne Schraff.
Edginess Factor 2

Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper

Romeo and Juliet in Cinci with high school gangbangers and online chat. Sharon Draper, a former teacher, shoots and scores again!   Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper is available in Y Fiction and YA Paperbacks   Edginess Factor 2

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

It's your senior year, you are trying to remember, that "the tassle is worth the hassle", and deal with boyfriend issues, a job, life, family stuff, and being on the prom committee 'cause prom is something you are really looking forward to, and then your prom advisor/teacher turns out to be a total prom thief! How would you deal? Can the prom be saved? Read Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson and find out!
Edginess Factor 3

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, winner of the Newbery Honor Award and Michael Prinze Award, is an historical fiction inspired by real events in turn-of-the-century Maine. It is an interesting read about a friendship between an free-spirited African-American girl, Lizzie Bright Griffin, and the new kid in town, Turner Buckminster, whose dad is the new minister and who is a convenient target for the local bullies. Lizzie shows Turner that life on Maine's rocky coast can be exciting and fun. Turner tries to help Lizzie and her family when their community, which was founded by freed slaves, is faced with eviction off the beautiful coastal island where they live because the town elders want to make the island a tourist resort.
Southerners are used to hearing about prejudice and discrimination set in the South. This story, set in the Northeast, makes an interesting contrast to stories like Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, which are set in the South. This book helps remind readers that prejudice is a national issue, not just a regional one.
Edginess Factor 1

Storytime by Edward Bloor

Take a pinch of Lemony Snicket of the Roald Dahl derivation, a dash of Louis Sachar, and a dollop of Edgar Allan Poe and mix with a base of Orwellian distopic angst to get the flavor of Storytime by Edward Bloor.

Author Bloor acknowledges the Orwell connection in his post-script about this story of two interestingly-related teens, George and Kate (he's her uncle but she's older), in this story of a magnet school gone wrong. Mandatory testing, Mother Goose, Peter Pan, and a haunted library also figure in this humorous noire satire.



Included on the Blessed Sacrament summer reading list (2007).

Bloor is also the author of Tangerine (a SC Junior Book Award nominee) and Crusader.

This title is available in Y Fiction and Young Adult paperbacks.

Edginess Factor 2

Edginess Factor: How I Rate Books

Once upon a time, when I was a YA, I liked to read edgy books about teens engaged in risky behavior and the consequences they faced. Things have not changed. These types of books are still popular and some of the books that I read and liked are still on reading lists today.However, it is important to remember that not every book is right for every reader. Some families don't feel that teens should read about adult issues and themes until they are older. Some families are not comfortable with certain types of books. As a librarian, I respect the wishes of families to make decisions about what their members read. Families generally want their members to read books that reflect their own family's values.In order to make sure that I am not making blanket recommendations for the books listed on this site, I have rated books by what I call their "edginess factor". This is a purely subjective determination on my part. In other words, it is just my opinion.I am using a rating from 1 to 4, with 1 being the least edgy and 4 being the most.Edginess Factor of 1 - Contains 1 or more of the following: conflict, making or almost making poor choices, some risky behavior, tragedy, exposure to bullying, etc.Examples - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson and Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer CholdenkoEdginess Factor of 2 - Contains 1 or more of the following: conflict, characters making or almost making poor choices, some risky behavior, tragedy, graphic violence, sexual overtones, etc.Examples - Pirates by Celia Rees and Eragon by Christopher Paolini Edginess Factor of 3 - Contains 1 or more of the following: high level of conflict, teens making poor choices and/or engaging in risky behavior, tragedy, violence, minor use of drugs or alcohol, some sexual themes, etc. Ending is redemptive and positive and shows negative behavior consequences.Examples - Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas and Prom by Laurie Halse AndersonEdginess Factor of 4 - Contains 1 or more of the following: high level of conflict, deliberately making poor choices, highly risky behavior, tragedy, violence, high level of use of alcohol and drugs, strong sexual themes, disturbing images, etc. Ending may or may not be redemptive.Example - Gossip Girl SeriesA book with an Edginess Factor of 4 is basically an adult book.

Facing Bullies

Can there be a school without bullies? Bullies are a real problem for kids; some kids face them and some kids are them.5th grader, Gabe, in The Liberation of Gabriel King, by K.L. Going, gets help facing his 6th grade tormenters from Frita, a whip-smart, outgoing African-American girl who is Gabe's best friend (courtesy of integration), in rural 1976 Georgia.In The Revealers, by Doug Wilhelm, Russell bands together with two other victims to take on and expose the bullies in his seventh class using the student email system despite the insistence of the school's principal that bullying is not an issue at "Darkland" Middle School. Visit author, Wilhelm's, Revealer's website (click here) for more info on the impact of this book.Both books appeared on the 2007-2008 South Carolina Junior Book Award List. These books are recommended for ages 9 and up.

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine works hard trying to help her autistic brother, David, get along and remember how to act normal. Her main strategy is making lists of rules: rules for how to act, what to wear, how to eat, what to do, what not to do, and more. It's summertime and Catherine wishes she could have an ordinary life and that everything at home didn't seem to revolve around David. She wants to make friends with the new girl next door and then there's that guy she met at David's therapist's office, who liked her drawings. Find out more about Catherine in Rules, Cynthia Lord's Newbery Honor winning book.