A Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian

8:30a - Arrive at work, put lunch away, check email

8:40a - Make to-do list for the day, create budget sheet for my audio orders for this fiscal year

8:55a - Work on audiobooks order. I order all our children's audiobooks and audio book-and-CD kits. I recently finished weeding the audio cassettes and kits, so in addition to our regular standing orders I have a wish list I'm working on. It's quite fun and I've discovered a love for audiobooks since starting this job!

10:15a - Turn in my audio order for the month, get together with J in the story room to practice the storytelling program we're doing

11:00a - Finished going through our program, I head back to the office to plan our upcoming preschool educator night. Update my monthly report, chat with my boss about our new Flickr account

11:45a - Head outside to do our oral storytelling program (Garden Tales). J tells Beware the Bears and The Most Wonderful Egg in the World and I tell Epossumondas. We do rhymes and songs in between the stories. Families are invited to bring picnic lunches and eat while we entertain. We do this two or three times a summer and it's always well attended.

12:45p - Clean up Garden Tales and head inside (ahhh air-conditioning!)

1p-2p - Lunch time!

2:00p - Back in the office, go through PUBYAC emails, draft and send various communications about upcoming outreach programs

3:00-4:00p - On desk. In between signing up and checking in kids for the Summer Reading Club, here's what I am asked:

Do you have Twilight? (Yes, but there is a long holds list.)

Can I get the "real people" 101 Dalmatians? (By "real people" she meant the live-action version and we do not own it. I ILL it for her.)

Where are Judy Moody audiobooks? (I walk her over to the audiobooks and we find the one she wants.)

4:00p - Off desk, I head back to the office and work on my list for our storytime planning books. We do storytime sessions in the fall and spring and we plan them out ahead of time. It took some getting used to, but now I find it really convenient to have books and alternate formats already pulled. We're trying something a little different this fall, having drop-in programs instead of registered storytimes, so we'll see how it goes!

5:00p - Time to go home!

Audiobook Roundup: Time for a Road Trip!

'Tis the season for car trips and I've taken a couple over the past weeks. I love having audiobooks in the car and I've listened to some great ones on my trips! I posted about some non-fiction titles yesterday and here are the novels I listened to:

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver, read by Ian McKellen. I am a huge, huge fan of this series, but I had never heard the audio recordings. I'd heard that they were fabulous... and they totally are! All the action and drama in the story are unleashed by Ian McKellen's great reading. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was delighted by the way he creates different tones and voices for each character. This is a great listen and I highly recommend it for families with middle school or older kids (or just for adults!).

Crash by Jerry Spinelli, read by Jeff Woodman. John "Crash" Coogan has always crashed through life. He's a jock and a bit of a jerk, caring more about clothing labels and sports than anything else, but his favorite pastime is making fun of his dweeby neighbor Penn Webb. Penn is a vegetarian and a pacifist and always seems to go against the grain. While Crash plays football, Penn tries out for the cheerleading team. But as seventh grade goes on, Crash just might find that he and Penn have more in common than he ever thought. I hate to designate anything as being "for boys" or "for girls", but this would be a great book for your reluctant readers. I think it's something middle school boys would definitely identify with and there are lots of items for discussion. It'd be a great book to read or listen to with the whole family and then discuss afterwards. Plus, it's funny and there are lots of sports.

This is what I've been listening to recently... how about you?

Audiobook Roundup: Non-Fiction

I've had the pleasure of listening to some great non-fiction audiobooks on a couple of road trips this summer. I think non-fiction is a great choice for family listening, especially with older kids, because you can find something that is interesting for everyone. Or you might find something you didn't know you were interested in... So here's what I've been listening to:

Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogran, read by Neil Patrick Harris. This is an adaptation of the bestselling Marley and Me and it's expertly narrated by Harris. Y'all know the story... Marley is a goofy, naughty, but loveable lab who gets into scrapes, is filmed in a movie, and enriches the Grogan family's lives more than they ever thought possible. I loved listening to it, but I'm not sure who I would recommend it to because the ending is, well, quite sad. So, that's one red flag for listening on road trips... I was teary throughout the fourth disc...

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman, read by Sharon Washington. Marian Anderson was an internationally acclaimed singer in the 1930s and '40s. Internationally acclaimed, and yet she still couldn't book some venues in the United States because she was black. In this fascinating biography, Freedman explores Anderson's life from her under-resourced roots in Philadelphia to her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt to her success performing in countries around the world. I didn't know anything about Anderson before listening to this book, but I found her story absorbing and important. A great choice for families with upper elementary or middle school students.

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, read by Kathrin Kana. This book tells the story of children and young adults growing up in Nazi Germany. The reparations from World War I had hit Germany hard and the Nazi party promised jobs and money. Children joined the Hitler Youth, not knowing that the Nazis were committing such atrocities. Bartoletti concentrates on a handful of German youth, each with a different and interesting story. I was especially interested by the kids who found out the Nazis were lying to them and participated in resistance movements. This is definitely a choice for older kids - middle school and high school.

I think all these books would make great family listens because they're interesting to a range of people and they provide material for lots of discussion. And happy Non-Fiction Monday! Check out the round-up at Picture Book of the Day!

A Non-Review: The Underneath

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt with illustrations by David Small. (Grades... 4-7?)

I'm not going to review this one. Nope. Uh-uh. Pretty much everyone and their mother has already reviewed it, so I'm going to point you to their reviews and just tell you that I LOVED IT. It's sad and violent and lyrical and hopeful... Truly, I think it's the best book I've read in a long time.

If it's on your TBR list, bump it up.

Or if you'd like, y'know, more information than some random librarian in Illinois loved it, you could check out the following reviews:

A Fuse #8 Production
Sarah Miller: Reading, Writing, Musing
The Reading Zone
educating alice
A Year of Reading - Franki
AYear of Reading - Mary Lee
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Becky's Book Reviews
The Goddess of YA Literature

(Do you SEE why I cannot possibly review this book? What could I possibly say that is different from all these heavy-hitting reviewers?)

The Underneath is also in the running for the ACPL Mock Newbery (so if you've read it, feel free to add your comments).

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today's my birthday and in celebration, I thought I'd share some picture books for a birthday-themed storytime!

Otto has a Birthday Party by Todd Parr. I love the goofy humor and super bright illustrations in Todd Parr's books. In this one, Otto the dog throws a birthday party, but all the gifts he receives are not quite what he wants (underpants that are too small?! Yipes!). This is a silly book that will get the kids laughing!


The Cake that Mack Ate by Rose Robart. A cumulative story that's a variation of The House that Jack Built, this story starts with the egg that went into the cake that Mack ate and continues all the way to the farmer's wife who baked the cake that Mack ate. A cumulative story is a great way to get the kids chiming in and the unexpected ending is a sure crowd-pleaser.

Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson. I'm sure I've mentioned my undying love for Karma Wilson, right? Well, Whopper Cake is another favorite. Unlike one of my coworkers who is creeped out by larger-than-life food, I really enjoy this story of a doting husband creating the world's largest cake for his wife's birthday. It's so big, they can't mix it in a bowl, they have to mix it in the bed of a pickup truck! And the fun doesn't stop there. It may be a little long for younger audiences, but the bright pictures and rhyming text make it great for storytime.

I am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems. Piggie is invited to a party, but she's never been to one before and she's not really sure what to expect. Luckily, Elephant knows parties and comes up with all kinds of outfits in case of any possibility. And when it might be a fancy party, a pool party, or a costume party, the outfits get pretty silly indeed!

A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas. Thomas, creator of the hilarious What Will Fat Cat Sit On? brings us another book sure to have them giggling. (Have you noticed that I prefer silly/funny books for my storytimes?) The animals are making a birthday cake for cow and duck keeps trying to add a special ingredient... Will cow like his birthday cake? Bright pictures and simple text make this a new storytime favorite for me.

The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli. When he gets a present from Grandma, this young child eagerly unwraps it and finds the perfect present... a box! With a little dose of imagination this box can be anything! It's perfect for standing on or hugging... and eventually he might discover that what's inside is even better! (Or maybe he'll just keep playing with the box...)

So, there you have several of my favorite birthday picture books. What are your favorites??

Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian

8:20am - Arrive at work, put lunch away, fill out review slips for employee summer reading club, return books

8:30am - Organize desk, check email, go over the storytime I'll be doing later, check with other staff members going on outreach this morning to make sure we're all on the same page

9:30-11:30 - Outreach program at local neighborhood. We bring books for families to check out, sign kids up and check them in for the summer reading club, have a storytime and do a craft. This week I read Minerva Louise, Tanka Tanka Skunk, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? (and had them retell it with velcro pieces). We also sang a few songs and did a craft.

11:30 - Back at the library, I put together the narrative report for the grant I co-wrote and get that mailed off. Call the winner of our weekly prize drawing for the middle school SRC and leave a message telling him he's won.

12-1pm - Lunch time!

1-4pm - On the reference desk. In between signing kids up and checking kids in for the summer reading club, here's a sampling of questions I was asked:

Where are the shark books?

J597.3

Do you have any novels about gymnastics?

She was already looking at the American Gold Gymnasts series, so I gave her The Gymnastics Mystery and Megan's Balancing Act. She took both.

What are some good books for 4th- and 5th-grade boys?

I handed her the lists we update every year for summer reading. We keep spiral bound copies at the reference desk and the SRC table.

What programs do you have in July?

Gave her a copy of our calendar and let her know the schedule's on the website as well.

Can I sign up to put my collection in a display case?

Absolutely! Signed her up to bring in a collection next year.

Do you have any books about the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana?

No to the Jonas Brothers, but yes to Hannah Montana. Showed her the books and also pointed out the High School Musical books which were one shelf down.

4:00pm - Back in the office, go over Wednesday's storytime with J, we pick out books to read and songs to sing

4:15 - Work on planning a middle school craft program we've scheduled for August. We're doing back-to-school crafts inspired by a couple of posts I read on The YA YA YAs

4:35 - Am starving, so take quick break to grab a donut in the staff room. Our new director started today, so there were donuts! Yay!

4:50 - Tidy up desk and make to-do list for tomorrow

5:00 - Time to go home!

See Mom (and Dad!!) Read

I'd like to take a few minutes here and post about a phenomenon that was not common where I grew up or where I went to school. That phenomenon? Adult Summer Reading Clubs. I love 'em!

Before moving here to the library-rich suburbs of Chicago, I'd never seen a library that held a Summer Reading Club for adults. The library I worked at while in grad school does have a winter reading program for adults, which is a great idea. Winter, summer, I'm totally in support of it.

In terms of developing literacy, one of the best things parents can do is read themselves. Seriously. It seems like such a simple thing, but I think it's a really potent thing. Kids watch their parents. They want to emulate them. If they see their grownups enjoying books and making time to read, they'll want to know what all the fuss is about. They'll be eager to learn how to read.

And is it easier to get a kid to do something they want to do or something they don't want to do? Exactly.

My library runs Summer Reading Clubs for every age (including a staff SRC). And I, of course, signed up for the Summer Reading Club at my home library. (Yes, Chicagoland is so library-rich that I live five miles down the road from the library at which I work and I actually live directly behind a different library in a different library district!) Not that anyone ever needs an excuse to read anything, but I feel like the SRC gives me an "excuse" to read grownup books. It's easy to get caught up in all the children's and YA literature that I love to read and need to read for my job. This summer I'm making sure to take time to read adult books.

So far this summer I've read the following adult books:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
ridiculous/hilarious/terrible/cool: a year in an american high school by Elisha Cooper
Prey by Michael Crichton (which I reviewed since I read it for the 48 Hour Book Challenge)
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic (arguably 'tween or YA reading, but found in the adult section of my library, which means it counts!)
Naked by David Sedaris

I'm currently in the middle of The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger and I have a big stack of "grownup books" waiting for me.

So, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but I think it's important for parents to read and to make time for it. And any way the library can promote that idea, well, I think it's awesome.

Book Review: George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver by Tanya Bolden. (Grades 4-6.)

There was much more to George Washington Carver than peanuts (though I admit that prior to reading this book, I thought of him as the "Peanut Man", too).

George Carver was born in Missouri during the Civil War. When his mother, a slave, was kidnapped, George was raised by the family that owned him. Since he was a young child, George had a thirst for knowledge. He loved the outdoors and nature. Neighborhood folk came to him with their gardening questions and George was able to help them. They called him the "Plant Doctor". George was handy and crafty and he could fashion tools from things around the farm. He also painted, creating paintbrushes and paints from plants that he found.

Eventually George went to school and to college and graduate school. He studied and learned more and more about plants, believing that everything humans needed could be fashioned from growing things. He became a professor of agriculture and was recruited by Booker T. Washington to teach at the Tuskegee Institute, a school for African-Americans. The South during Reconstruction was a bleak place. The soil was exhausted from continuous cotton growing. The people were uneducated and under-resourced.

Carver taught classes in agriculture, encouraging people to respect nature and not just take from it. He spread his teachings to people he met every day, on the street, in church, etc. He prepared pamphlets with gardening tips and advice on how to use plants in many different ways. And yes, he developed many, many uses for plants such as peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.

Carver lived a life of study, finding practical applications for nature's bounty, and educating his fellow men. This biography tells his story in an interesting and accessible way. Tons of photographs accompany the text, bringing the man and his plants to life. I had no idea that there was so much more to the "Peanut Man" and that it would be such an interesting story. Weeks after reading it, Carver's story is still in my head! Hand this one to science buffs, ecologists, or anyone wanting a great biography.

Be sure and check out The Brown Bookshelf's interview with Tanya Bolden. I'll certainly be checking out more of her books. You can read more reviews at Fuse #8 and Check It Out.

Annnnd happy Non-Fiction Monday! Check out the other posts over at Picture Book of the Day.

Book Review: Debbie Harry Sings in French

Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers. (Grades 9-12.)

Johnny has had a difficult life. His dad died when he was 12 and his mom collapsed inside herself, leaving Johnny to take care of the house and the bills and everything. To dull the stress, Johnny turned to alcohol and eventually found himself in rehab at the age of 16. When he gets out of rehab, his mom decides she can't deal with him and she sends him to South Carolina to live with his uncle. Johnny finds himself living with a new family, attending a private school where the jocks beat him up every day, and coping with his addiction by listening obsessively to Blondie. He first heard them in rehab and he immediately fell in love with Debbie Harry. But it's not so much that he wants to be with her... more like he wants to be her. She just seems so strong and sure of herself, like the person Johnny wants to be.

This is a great coming-of-age story. With music as an essential part of the plot and the main character's rather naive view of the world, it really reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (which was the book we all passed around obsessively at my high school). I love that Johnny finds a strong father figure in his uncle and that his uncle is so open-minded. Throughout the book, Johnny questions whether he might be gay. He doesn't think he is, but the thought of putting on a little white dress and lip syncing to Heart of Glass is actually quite appealing... I love that his questioning is a natural thing. Johnny's figuring out who he is and if being gay is part of that package, he's okay with it.

Read more reviews at Oops...Wrong Cookie, Reading Rants, and Worth the Trip.

Much thanks to the publisher Henry Holt for sending this book along with my copy of The Adoration of Jenna Fox! It was a very pleasant surprise!

Book Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. (Grades 7+)

In a future America where overuse of antibiotics has led to the existence of super-bacteria that cannot be cured and genetic engineering has wiped out some species of plants, Jenna Fox was in a car accident. She doesn't remember the accident. In fact, she doesn't remember much of anything. And her parents aren't providing the answers she needs.

Jenna knows that they recently moved across the country. She knows that she used to have two best friends, but they're not around anymore. She knows that her grandmother seems to hate her, but she doesn't know why. And she knows that something fishy is going on.

As Jenna starts to remember more about her life, she uncovers exactly what happened to her. And she finds out just how far her parents would go to keep her from dying.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book from Amanda's giveaway and I devoured it immediately. I've read bunches of great reviews of this title and I was eager to sink my teeth into it. Why was I intrigued?

First of all, it's sci-fi with a girl for a main character. It seems like our local schools always end up giving a science fiction reading assignment and it can be such a struggle to find sci-fi that appeals to girls (if they're not already fans of the genre, that is).

Secondly, it's set in a well-imagined future America with problems that could really conceivably happen. It's future, but it's a future that seems so real that one could imagine it might not be that far off.

Thirdly, I've really been into amnesia books this year and this definitely has some flavors of that as well.

The book is totally gripping. The reader finds out what's going on as Jenna begins to uncover what happened to her. For the first half of the book I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know What Happened to Jenna?! I had my theories and they were partly right. For me, it was the perfect building of suspense, the perfect amount of clues and uncovered information. The answer wasn't obvious, but by the time we got there, it wasn't totally out of left field either.

So the first half of the book is completely suspenseful. The second half of the book was really intriguing because we get to see how Jenna deals with the information she finds out. She realizes just how much her parents wanted to save her, but she also figures out that she can make some decisions on her own. Her whole life Jenna was this perfect little girl on her mommy and daddy's pedestal, but now she can essentially start over. Will she want her life to be the same as it was? Or might she want to change some things?

I really, really enjoyed this book and the more I think about it the more I really like it. I'd hand it to fans of The House of the Scorpion or anyone looking for a great sci-fi read.

Read more reviews at The Well-Read Child, Becky's Book Reviews, Jen Robinson's Book Page, Reading Rants!, The YA YA YAs, and oh so many more... Mary E. Pearson was interviewed for the Summer Blog Blast Tour and wrote a guest post over at Teen Book Review.

Many thanks again to Amanda for holding the drawing and to Henry Holt for giving away copies! This'll end up as a prize book in our teen silent auction at the end of the summer, so the love will be shared!