Am I Next?

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Why did I read it?

I always find myself interested as to why I open my Book Blurts with this question. Often times I think someone might read a book because of some of the reasons that I read a book, but I can never be sure if this question is helpful or boring. What do you think?

If it were to be helpful it might be because it mentions stuff like this book winning the 1989 Coretta Scott King Award for outstanding African-American contributions to children and young adult literature.

What happened?

Richie Perry just graduated from high school at seventeen, and is now sitting on a plane bound for Vietnam. Even though he wasn't for or against the war in Vietnam, he didn't think he had any better options at home. But, nothing could have prepared Perry for what he was in for. Whether its convincing locals that American are the "good guys" or surviving a Viet Cong attack, Perry begins to realize that he will never be the same after his time "in country." 

What did I like or not like?

Even though this isn't an easy read, I do think it is an important read. As someone who has never been in war, I think its easy to forget what men and women have done for our country. This book, and others like it, give us a glimpse into a terrible situation that we can only imagine without them.

In addition to a very realistic look at being a soldier during the Vietnam War, this book also deals with racism, death, killing, reasons or the lack thereof for fighting in war, and camaraderie between "brothers in arms."

Another interesting thing I found is that the author joined the army at seventeen just like Perry.

P.S. This book contains cussing, crude jokes and discussions, and some graphic violence. But, being a novel on war, I don't think it would be very realistic if it didn't include these things.

Pinterest: Your Interests in a Picture Social Network

So, something that has come across my radar recently is Pinterest, and I have to say that I am a fan.

Pinterest is a new social media fad that was originally popular with crafters and do-it-yourselfers. This social network allows you to create a "board" and then "pin" pictures to it. Your board could be "Books Worth Reading" (my first board of pins lol) and each one would be filled with pictures with a short description underneath them.

The thing that makes this different than other social networks is the focus on pictures instead of text. It also cites the web page that you got the picture from automatically.

If you have interests that would look cool in a picture format, or you just want to browse what others have set up, take a look at Pinterest.

Experiments with Light and Sound

I love doing science experiments with kids! First of all, there is the excitement and wonder in their eyes when you show them something they haven't seen before. But secondly, they start putting the ideas together for themselves, and that's when you know they are learning something from the experience, while having fun.

This month, I focused on experiments with light and sound. In the future, I might split these into two seperate topics because there are a lot of experiments that can be done with both. But, for now, we'll just take them as one.

Light

Stand about five feet away from a window, and face away from the window with a magnifying glass in your hand. Hold a piece of white paper in your other hand, and let the light shining through the magnifying glass hit the piece of paper. An upside down picture of whatever is outside the window will appear on the piece of paper.

This experiment is great for talking about lenses, cameras, and whether something is concave or convex.

Sound

Can you see sound? Of course not! Or can we? Spread some plastic wrap over the entire opening of a bowl, and put some rice on top of that. Grab two 2 liter bottles, and bang them together over the bowl. The rice will start to jump.

This experiment obviously shows sound waves in action, and can be used to introduce the topic, or show some effects of sound.

Other Resources

There are a whole bunch of science experiment books on the shelves at my library. A couple I used were Light: An Investigation by John Gorman, Light by Sally M. Walker, and Experiments with Light and Sound by Trevor Cook.

If you can't get over to your library, I just Googled "sound experiments" and "light experiments" and got more experiments than I knew what to do with. These three sites made my list.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~kogrange/sound_experiments.html

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/science-projects-for-kids-producing-sounds.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ESULJwIjY

That Name is My Name Too...

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Why did I read it?

I'm always amazed at how many books there are in the Young Adult category. From fiction to non-fiction, romance to realism, straight to gay, there are more books out there than any one person could read. However, there are a few books that many folks agree should not be missed, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson is one of them. While I must admit I probably wouldn't have picked it up unless it was for a class, I'm glad I did.

What happened?

Although there are two Will Grayson's living in the Chicago area, they have never met each other. Will Grayson has two rules: shut up and don't care. will grayson doesn't see a reason to care. Will Grayson has a best friend named Tiny Cooper (who is in all actuality the largest and gayest football player you'll ever know), and will grayson has a frenemy named maura. Finally, Will Grayson's desire to be with Jane is only matched by his desire not to be with Jane, and will grayson's desire to be with isaac is the only thing keeping him upright.

Ultimately, these two distinct characters and stories begin to blend together as their lives intersect one night in downtown Chicago, and as Tiny becomes the main character in both of their lives and his upcoming musical production of Tiny Dancer: The Tiny Cooper Story.

What did I like or not like?

The way this novel was written was really cool. Green wrote the story from one Will's perspective, and Levithan wrote the story from the other Will's perspective, and the truth we find between these two perspectives works out really nicely. another cool fact is that one will grayson perspective is written entirely in lowercase letters. Ultimately, we get an interesting look at how trying to avoid hurt by not caring might actually hurt more than pouring your life into someone else.

P.S. Obviously, this novel has several gay characters, and deals with sexual identity throughout. There is also some sexual content and discussions, and cussing. Even though its a good book regardless of these elements, I didn't want you to be surprised.

Small Demons: The Devil is In the Details

Ever wonder why you like a particular book? It's probably because the characters are awesome, the plot is so taut, or the ideas are just intriguing. But, what if it is also the details that are contained in a book that make it so awesome.

Small Demons is a website that lists all the details contained in a book, and then connects those details with other books with the same details. Let's so Albert Einstein shows up in your favorite detective story. Small Demons will list all the other books with Albert Einstein in them. What if you enjoy books that have been turned into movies. Small Demons will list those for you as well.

When I get done with a book, I'm always looking for the next thing to read. Oftentimes, I want something similar to the book I just finished. I thought Small Demons would make it really easy to do this :)

Drinks to Keep You Warm

So, the first Monday of each month we have a cooking program, and we thought it would be fun to do Hot Chocolate and Apple Cider. You know, its cold outside, so why not be warm at the library? But, we also added another twist. Instead of just Hot Chocolate, we did Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Apparently, both the warm drinks and Mexican Hot Chocolate was a good idea, because the kids had a great time.

We had a pretty good group (15-18 kids) that came to the program, so I divided them in half, and had one group work on the Mexican Hot Chocolate, while the other group worked on the Apple Cider.

Our kitchen is a little small for 15-18 kiddos, so we got all of our ingredients together in our large meeting room, and then we carried them into the kitchen to cook.

While we waiting for the drinks to get hot, we made a Hot Chocolate Powder mix that the kids could take home with them.

If you have a stove at your library, I'd say definitely give this a try. The recipes are simple and easy to do, but the taste of the drinks was amazing!

Mexican Hot Chocolate from Rachel Ray

http://bit.ly/wUSxS9

Simple Hot Apple Cider from Making This Home

http://bit.ly/wzBXmd

Hot Cocoa (what I used for the powder mix) from Food Network

http://bit.ly/wfif28

Library: After Hours

As we approach our 2012 Teen Film Festival, myself and the Next-Gen Advisory Team here at the Hayden Library, couldn't help but make a video :)

A Whale of a Tale

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Why did I read it?

The story actually starts last year with a book I read called Angry Management. Angry Management was written by Chris Crutcher as well, and in it he further explores the stories of side characters from his previous novels. Sarah Byrnes was one of the characters talked about in Angry Management, so I took the chance to read it for my YA Lit class.

What happened?

A swimmer who is big as a whale, and a burn victim who literally has Byrnes (pronounced Burns) as a last name don't seem like the likeliest of friends. But, Eric (Moby) Calhoune, and Sarah Byrnes have been inseparable for the majority of junior and senior high. Maybe it is their not-so-perfect home lives, or maybe it is having to deal with crap from others, but Sarah has always been the strongest person Moby knows, and he has always been there for her. However, when Sarah stops speaking, Moby has to figure out how he can help her deal with her demons; especially since she has never been one to accept help willingly.

What did I like or not like?

I'm a big fan of Chris Crutcher. He is able to deal with tough topics like abuse, bullying, and abortion, in a truthful, honest, and realistic voice that doesn't pull any punches. But, he is also able to discuss hope, courage, and friendship in a way that is so real that you have to appreciate it. Finally, Crutcher tells us a great story of someone who doesn't have anything to live for, and yet chooses to find the good in the bad and keep on going.

P.S. This book has some language in it.

Create Your Own Comics and Hillariousness

So, I can't resist talking about cool websites that I find, and others tell me about. I'll be bouncing through my email, surfing the web, or chatting at a conference, and suddenly, BAM! there is this cool thing that someone talks about.

Today, I'm going to chat about some online ways to make cartoons.

ToonDoo-You can create your own comics, make a comic book, design a character, manipulate photos, or add drawing touches to stuff you create. Once you sign up with a user name and email account, its free to use.

Pixton-Although similar to ToonDoo, Pixton seems to focus on sharing your work through social networks. It also offers different interfaces: Pixton for Fun, Pixton for Schools, or Pixton for Business. Another cool thing I saw is that you can fully pose your characters while creating your comic.

Bitstrips-Bitstips calls itself "Your Online Funny Pages," and gives you the option of designing comics, characters or avatars. Another thing these sites encourage is telling your story, and remixing the stories of others.

Although all three look pretty similar, I'm sure you'll probably like one over another. I just created accounts at all three, so we'll see which one I actually start using. Have fun!

Anybody Need Program Ideas?

So, every Monday from 4-5pm, we do a program for 3-6 graders. The first Monday we have Play With Your Food, where we bake and cook. The second Monday we do Ka-Boom, where we have fun doing science experiments. On third Mondays we have Couldn't Put It Down, which is a gaming and technology time. Finally, we have Express Yourself on fourth Mondays which is us making crafts.

In addition, we just started a program for Middle Schoolers, 6-8 graders, called Tuesday Works, and we're going to be doing something fun and different each month.

Oh, I almost forgot about our High School programs. We have a Next-Gen Advisory Team that meets to brainstorm cool things for Teens to do at the library, and we also just started a book club called TeenBookWorms.

As I thought about these programs, I thought that someone, somewhere, might be interested in what we did, and how we did it. So, when I get the chance, I'm going to do a quick blog post with resources and a quick breakdown on what we did, how we did it, and how it went. Hope you like the idea =D

Hoping to Get Out of There

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Why did I read it?

I'm really enjoying my Young Adult Literature class. Even though its a lot of reading, its forcing me to read some fantastic books that have been on my radar, but I might not have read.

What happened?

It all started when Junior threw a dilapidated textbook at his math teacher's head. His teacher could have been furious, but instead, he was truthful. "Junior," he said, "unless you get off of the rez, you are going to wind up like every other Indian here; drunk, hopeless, and going nowhere. But, if you get out of here, you could be someone." Sizing up his situation on the reservation and finding it pretty accurate, Junior decides to do the crazy, hopeful, insane thing and go to Readan. Now, he would be the only Indian at the school, his friends on the rez would hate him, and no one like him had done anything like it before. But, Junior was committed to seeing things change, and change they do.

What did I like or not like?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an amzing story that sucks you in from the first page with its honesty, normality, and truthfulness. Mixed throughout the novel are short comics, drawn from Junior's perspective, that enhance the experience. Junior deals with grief, rejection, bullies, poverty, friendships, navigating relationships, being caught in-between two worlds, and dealing with his family. But, through it all, Junior finds hope in what he has, pushes toward a better future, and encourages the underdog in all of us.

P.S. This novel does contain some language and characters talking about sexual and crude topics.

3D Printing: Get Your Ideas into the Real World!

Ever had a cool idea in your head that you wish you could actually make? Something like a chair, a necklace, a sculpture, a toy, a tool...but you didn't know how to make it?

What would you say if you could put your idea into a computer, and it would 3D print your idea into the physical world? With modern architecture and construction software, some people are doing just that! Its called 3D Printing, and its a pretty awesome idea, no?

In more technical terms, 3D printing is additive manufacuring, which means the object is created by laying down one layer at a time.

There are some really cool people that actually make their own 3D printers, but if you don't want to tackle that idea, there are a couple websites that will do it for you.

Shapeways is one of those websites. You can order someone else's idea from the site, or you can upload your own idea, they'll 3D print it using their printers, and ship it to your doorstep. They have a How It Works page if you want to see what they say about it.

I also found a Youtube video of a 3D Printer in action.

Kind of sound like science fiction? I kind of think so. But, people are actually doing it! Crazy!

Come In From the Cold

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Why did I read it?

In 2010, I worked with the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICFL) as a presenter for Teens and Technology. We held a workshop on creating booktrailers, and we used the 2010 Teen's Top Ten as the books. This fantastic book was on the list (and required reading for my Master's class, so I finally sat down and read the whole thing).

What happened?

Why hadn't she answered the phone? Could she have saved her? Could she have talked her out of it? After Lia's best friend Cassie is found dead, Lia is racked with guilt and quickly returns to her destructive patterns of depression, anorexia, and cutting. Convinced that becoming thinner will make her stronger, Lia ignores the pleading, begging and ordering of her mom, dad, and stepmom. But, her stepsister, Emma, thinks the world of Lia, and that love might be just enough to help Lia hold on and come in from the cold she has been creating.

What did I like or not like?

Wintergirls is a powerful and well-written novel that will make you understand where Lia is coming from, but will make you want to scream as she injures herself. Through powerful metaphors, scrambled words, and literally crossing out the thoughts that Lia wouldn't like, Anderson helps us comprehend Lia's experiences. While the novel deals with difficult topics, it ultimately has a hopeful message that will reach out to anyone struggling with depression, eating disorders, or cutting, as well as anyone who needs a realistic and helpful look at this subject.