So many movies have come out lately that are based on children’s books and we have the stories before they made it to the big screen. Percy Jackson and the Olympian books have been very big lately, so big we have trouble keeping it on the shelf! Alice in Wonderland is also another big seller. We have everything from the gorgeously illustrated edition by Robert Ingpen to Robert Sabuda’s pop-up version! And we can’t forget the blockbuster that came out this past weekend: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We have the four books in the series, as well as the Do-it-yourself Diary and the Wimpy Movie Diary. And speaking of movies, if you have been alive for the past few years, you have heard of Twilight. The Twilight Graphic Novel Vol. 1 is out, and we have it. Come see what you think about the drawings and this different take on our favorite characters.

Story Time:

Last week’s story time was with the wonderful Susie! She read Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don’t!) by Barbara Bottner

This week’s story time will be with me and since Gilbert Ford will be here the Saturday before Easter to sign his fantabulous new picture book Flying Lessons, we will be having our Easter story time this Saturday with The Easter Egg by Jan Brett.  Come join us as we read this fun story and decorate plastic Easter eggs with Jan Brett stickers. And, of course, candy will be involved. We’ll be having a blast and you won’t want to miss this one of a kind storytime here in Oz!

Faves of the week:

Picture Books: The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na
Beginner Readers: The Night Fairy by Laura A. Schlitz
Young Adult: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Teen: Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
Non-fiction: How the World Works by Christian Dorian

Upcoming Events:

April 3rd – SIGNING – Flying Lessons by Gilbert Ford

April 7th – SIGNING – Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

April 8th – SIGNING – Undead Much by Stacey Jay

April 10th  – SIGNING – Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

I recently read an essay in the New York Times Book Review written by an author who claimed to be glad she wasn’t exposed to the classics as a child. She insisted that she was “glad” that she picked up The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at age 35 for the first time. She says that as a child, she wouldn’t have understood the book as well, or enjoyed it as much.

I am going to have to say I completely disagree with this mode of thought, and not just because I work in the kid’s section (although that may be part of it).  Little Women, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Wuthering Heights, all of these books played a part in who I grew up to be because of when I read them. And sure, I didn’t understand them in their entirety, but I am positive that if I read them again today, I would still miss parts of the story. Books are just like that; so much can be said with the written word, that there is always going to be something new, something you missed the last time you savored those same words. They take you back to how you felt the first time you read them but you learn something new every time you experience them. So, the way I see it, why not start exposing kids to great writing at an early age?

We recently moved the Classics section in Oz to the opposite side of the room and in the move, I had to stop myself from buying every single copy of the beautiful Everyman’s Library Children Classics collection. Each cloth bound hardback is in a different color and all the spines have this great gold and black embossed diamond pattern on them. They look gorgeous sitting beside each other on a bookcase and are just great keepsakes. Another plus is that every one of these is under twenty dollars. Maggie, one of our worker bees at the front desk , has started this collection for her cousin who is too small even read, but when she is ready, she will have this great collection of classics to delve into.

Right now, we have the complete collection. Random House has a website to go along with this collection if you are interested in what books are included. These books are just a small part of our extensive classics section geared for children and young adults. Parents, these are the vegetables of our section, so come on in and expose your kids to some veggies. I mean, they’re classics…how much harm can they cause? :~)

Last Saturday, Sarah Campbell was here at Storytime (10:00) to read and sign her new book, Growing Patterns! On her blog she has some great pictures of the event. Check it out!
Sarah Campbell’s Blog

Our next kids event is this coming Saturday at 12:00 with The Weeb by local art teacher Robert Maxwell.

Berlin, 1932: In many ways Gabriella Schramm lives a charmed, carefree life. She loves her sister, Ulla. She loves her new literature teacher. She loves her family’s summer lake house, next door to Albert Einstein’s. And most of all Gaby loves books.
But soon she begins losing all these things, one by one, as Hitler climbs to power. People Gaby thought she could trust turn out to be Nazis. Many of her friends are fleeing or, worse, being taken away. And there’s something troubling about Ulla’s boyfriend that Gaby can’t quite figure out. As always, she turns to her books for comfort—but now even those are in jeopardy of disappearing. How can Gaby say good-bye to the way of life that she loves?
Newbery Honor winner and master of historical fiction Kathryn Lasky once again brings the past to life with this searing portrait of a nation on the brink of war, seen through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old girl. (Ages 12 and up)

Read about other books by Kathryn Lasky on our blog.

The Night Fairy is the newest book from Newbery Award Winner Laura Amy Schlitz is all about Flory the night fairy. She loves her wings–until a horrid bat mistakes her for an insect and her wings are ruined. She lands in a giant’s garden and makes a home in a birdhouse. Angry at the bats, angry at the night, and angry at herself, Flory decides she won’t be a night fairy anymore–she’ll be a day fairy. She slowly learns that some things are more important than vanity. This book has beautiful illustrations and is perfect for anywhere from a first grader to third grader.

Wondrous Strange  and Darklight by Lesley Livingston are the first two books in a fairies series centering around plays of Shakespeare, and personally, I thought they were so much fun. I actually I spent my whole day yesterday reading the second book, Darklight. Lesley has definitely hit her stride with this book and I am hoping I can get the review copy for the final book in the trilogy ASAP!!! There’s not much I can give away about plot, but what I can say is that I love that main character Kelley Winslow is empowered and rash. I mean, she’s a teenager, that’s how she’s supposed to be. Yet, she doesn’t cower just because she is a girl or because she is young. I love that! Definitely a good continuation to the story and I think it makes me love this trilogy even more. Age: 12+