Updates…

So, it appears that people who follow my blog via RSS feed readers got quite the surprise earlier today.  I heard from a reader that my work of editing old posts [to consolidate the categories "award winners" and "book awards"] put a whole bunch of posts back through her feed reader even though some of the original posts were years old… Sorry about that!  In the future, I will do my best to avoid updating old posts unless absolutely necessary so that y’all don’t have to deal with that again.

Happy Reading!

It’s Teen Read Week!

And that means a few things:

1. The Teens’ Top Ten list has been announced.
2. I will be posting a book review a day, today through Saturday.
3. Our library will be hosting it’s 5th Annual TRW Lock-In — with a Hunger Games theme!

Happy Teen Read Week!

Banned Books Week

“Torch every book.
Burn every page.
Char every word to ash.
Ideas are incombustible.
And therein lies your real fear.”  – Ellen Hopkins

I like to celebrate Banned Books Week every year to help raise awareness and remind people that censorship is still a problem, even in our “free” country.  The saddest thing, in my opinion, is that some would-be censors don’t even realize that their actions constitute censorship — which is why it is so important to remind people about the basic principles of intellectual freedom and how important that freedom is.

“The number of attempts to remove books from schools and libraries is growing. This is not a thing of the past, sadly. It is a thing of today. What do you say to people who believe that one parent can dictate curriculum? How can we talk to people who view books that reflect the realities of society as dangerous objects that need to hidden away?” – Laurie Halse Anderson

The most important thing to remember is that censorship is not an appropriate response to the fear that our children will have negative experiences or be exposed to dark or scary things.  Instead of trying to ban books you wouldn’t want your children to read, just take a more active role in helping your own children to select appropriate reading materials.

“The wish for kinder, gentler literature for adolescents is really a wish for a kinder, gentler adolescent experience. But that just doesn’t exist anymore.” – Patricia McCormick

To celebrate Banned Books Week, I will post a review a day [for the next four days] of books that have been or likely will be challenged.

Happy Banned Books Week!

I’m Back!

Hey everybody!  Sorry I basically disappeared for a while there.  I had to have my tonsils removed.  [It's not fun when you're an adult, by the way!]  I had kinda assumed that I would be OK enough to read a lot and post from home, so I never thought I needed to say anything.  As it turns out, I managed to read two books in two weeks (not exactly stellar) and didn’t post a single review.  As a holiday present to my readers, though, I have decided to post a review every day for the rest of this week.  Let’s just hope that catching up on two weeks worth of stuff at the library doesn’t prevent me from sticking to this goal!

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading is here!

Sorry if it seems like I have fallen off the face of the planet…  I am busy training VolunTeens and getting geared up for the Summer Reading Club (SRC)!  If you would like to be a VolunTeen, you should check out the information on our website.  You can also go on our website to find out all about the Teen SRC.

In the meantime, here’s a video of me singing the karaoke raffle song at the Teen SRC Mini-Lock In on Friday night:

Happy Reading!

NEW BOOKS by Susan Beth Pfeffer!!!

If you’re anything like me, you LOVED the Susan Beth Pfeffer Moon Crash trilogy (Life As We Knew It, the dead & the gone, and this world we live in).  Well, it seems that she not only has a new book coming out this fall — and you can read the first two chapters of Blood Wounds online! — but that she is in negotiations with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt about a FOURTH Moon Crash book, The Shade of the Moon!  Read all about it on her blog:  http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/2011/06/501-is-good-number-for-announcement.html

Happy Reading!

My reaction to the Wall Street Journal article about YA fiction

I believe S. R. Ranganathan said it best when he came up with the 5 laws of library science:
First law: Books are for Use
Second Law: Every reader his or her book
Third Law: Every book its reader
Fourth Law: Save the time of the reader
Fifth Law: The library is a growing organism

The second and third laws say it all. A book would not be out there if the author, editor, and publisher didn’t think it had an audience. And, if you are unable to see why anyone would want to read that book, you must not be the intended audience.  Move along and find something else, if you please.

In case you have not yet read it and you are interested in knowing exactly how the WSJ attacked YA fiction/authors, here’s a link to the article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html

I also feel compelled to link to one of the best responses I have read thus far, from Liz B. of “A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy”:
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/teacozy/2011/06/05/theres-dark-things-in-them-there-books/

People need to recognize that the books they themselves like to read and the ones that they would be comfortable recommending to someone else are not necessarily the books that other people need to read or would enjoy reading. If there is one thing I wish I could get through the heads of so many people who complain about the books they come across in book stores and libraries, it would be, “Please feel free to make choices for yourself and the children in your care, but leave the rest of the world to make their own book choices, thank you!”

Happy Reading!

Jeremy Bender vs. The Cupcake Cadets by Eric Luper

Although Jeremy Bender vs. The Cupcake Cadets has been out for a little while now, I was not able to make it to any of the book signings until last Friday night.  I am happy to report that I picked up my own copy of the book — in which Eric actually drew and colored a cupcake to go along with the autograph and inscription!  How awesome is that?  In case you’re curious, he wrote, “To the real Ms. Morrison.  Get cupcaked!”  So, of course I had to take his advice and pick up some cupcakes from the Bettie’s Cupcakes bus outside the bookstore.

And, yes, they were just as good as they looked!  (Contrary to what I wanted to do, however, I was nice and shared them with my family instead of eating them all myself.)

Happy Reading!

Update: This blog is NOT moving!

After some discussion with the tech people, I have decided to leave well enough alone and keep my blog where it is.  So, no need to worry about how to switch any subscriptions or anything!  Sorry about the premature announcement and any confusion I may have caused.

Happy Reading!

An apology & some good news!

An apology is in order because I seem to have forgotten to post when my maternity leave started, despite the fact that I said I would…  I guess I must have thought I posted when I sent out an e-mail to my library teens and updated my professional Facebook profile.  So sorry about that!  My daughter was born on January 31st and was a healthy 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.25 inches long.

(This picture was taken 3/7/10.)

The “good news” for people who follow this blog, though, is that I am going back to work on Monday — which means I will soon be posting a lot of book reviews for all the books I’ve read during my maternity leave.  To whet your appetites, I’ve decided to do one post today…  So, check back in a few hours!  (I still have a baby to take care of, afterall, so I won’t likely be able to finish my post too quickly.)

Happy Reading!