My apologies for straying from the blog - it's been a busy summer. But I'm not the only one who has been away. Oh, Miss Julia, how we've missed you!

Miss Julia Delivers the Goods was worth the wait. I know it's only been a year since Ann B. Ross's previous book (Miss Julia Paints the Town), but when you've read the whole series the characters become like family - you miss them when they're not around. Everybody's back - some carrying a few surprises along with them. Funny, witty and close to home. You don't want to miss Miss Julia's latest adventure!

From Ann B. Ross's web site: When Hazel Marie comes down with vague, but suspicious, symptoms and takes to her bed, Miss Julia immediately considers Hazel Marie's age and makes a diagnosis of female problems. And, my goodness, does she ever have them! Not only is Hazel Marie sick, but Mr. Pickens has moved away and Hazel Marie says she never wants to see him again. Miss Julia, however, is convinced that Mr. Pickens is the only one who can solve all their problems, especially the female kind.

And when Sam's house is burglarized and important papers are stolen, Julia sees it as the perfect excuse to put Mr. Pickens on that case, as well as on Hazel Marie's. But those two don't seem to want anything to do with each other, so it's up to Julia to heal the breach. As she accompanies Mr. Pickens to interview likely suspects, she -not entirely subtly- prods him to do the right thing. Since, however, Mr. Pickens is too focused on solving Sam's problem to pick up on Miss Julia's hints, it's finally up to Lillian to lay it on the line. (Viking)

Peter Brown's The Curious Garden left us with a feel-good attitude and a strong desire to plant something.

Loved the main character's head of hair (red) and how all through the book it stood out, popping off the pages like a bright little flower, especially in the beginning when the city is so glum and gray. This is before the little boy got a hold of it and transformed it - and the people too, I might add - into a celebration of all things green.

This is a stand-out book. It was to the point and a pleasure to look at. It had a concrete message too. I liked that it was subtle and not being shoved down our necks, but rather whispering a plea to take good care. And, you know, that's a pleasant way to get your point across. We don't need to yell from the rooftops all the time to be heard. My kids heard the message loud and clear and immediately set out to take a look at their own little garden in the backyard. I think that was the best part about this book - it whispered a powerful punch.

The Gecko & Sticky was fun and fiendishly fantastic!

The kids loved the quick-witted humor in this book. And I have to say I did too, even though some of it got a little tongue-twisty.

The gist:  Thirteen-year-old Dave Sanchez finds a gecko named Sticky, which is a fine thing until the gecko starts talking - admittedly strange, for sure. But then the little troublemaker gets Dave involved in a dangerous adventure involving an ancient Aztec wristband, coin-sized disks called ingots that have unbelievable super powers and a dastardly, diabolical treasure hunter. The teenager's hum-drum life gets turned upside-down as he tries to capture the ingots and save the world from the evil clutches of the villainous Damien Black.

Two thumbs up from the seven and eight-year-olds in the house. I was begged into reading the last seven chapters before bed one night, and even though they were short, they still left me a smidge hoarse. My eight-year-old even said he liked this book more than the last 39 Clues book, which may or may not be surprising. I would chalk this up as an intermediate level book because it was short and sweet but older readers might enjoy it as well. Some of the vocabulary was advanced and Dave, after all, is thirteen. We're all looking forward to the next installment in this series . . . The Gecko and Sticky: The Greatest Power.

Oh - an extra little bonus that the kids enjoyed was the Guide to Spanish and Stickynese Terms in the back of the book. It was muy muy asombroso (Spanish/ah-sohm-BRO-so):  awesome, amazing.

My very favorite passage in Marcello in the Real World is the following.

Every time you decide, there is loss, no matter how you decide. It’s always a question of what you cannot afford to lose.

I think we all understand the above concept, but I don't think I have ever heard it explained so well. Marcelo in the Real World is a book about choices when it all gets boiled down. And Marcelo is confronted with many throughout this book.

Marcelo's story is told in the first person. He has a form of autism and the story reads meticulously as he shares his experiences of change. He leaves his safe haven, his school, to work in his father's law office for the summer, something he was intensely reluctant to do. It was not in his routine and doing something that veered from that meant that he would have to learn something new. This invoked fear. But he encounters life-changing events and people that shape his new adult life. Marcello learns about love and honesty and also suffering with an overwhelming since of justice looming over a good portion of the book.

Marcello in the Real World is simply wonderful - one of the best books I have read this year. I have heard a few predictions that it may be a contender for the next Newbery Award. It certainly has the potential.

Who doesn't love a good argument?

Well, you know kids do. It's proven. You say black. They say white. You say left. They say right. It's the thrill of the debate, asserting their independence, freedom of expression, or really just plain arguing for argument's sake. Which is why kids are going to love Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Look at the cover of this book. What do you see? A duck? A rabbit? A confrontation? All of the above? You bet! There are two characters in this book. Their identities are not divulged, but they are arguing over what this creature is. One says it's a duck, the other a rabbit. "Are you kidding me? It's totally a duck. It's for sure a rabbit." The banter continues to the end when the opportunity for another squabble ensues.

Everyone has an opinion and Duck! Rabbit! opens the door for discussion. Check this newbie out from the library and let your voice be heard . . . because it really is a rabbit. Right?

Inconsolable. We've all been there. Thank goodness for the rallying support of friends. Boo Hoo Bird, by Jeremy Tankard, takes empathy into the forest and shows that boo boos eventually take care of themselves, but a cookie or a rousing game of hide-and-go-seek are optional solutions too. Share this colorful and humorous book to the ouch-prone in your family. It's sure to bring on the smiles. And be sure to check out Bird's 2007 debut in Grumpy Bird, also available at the library.

Yesterday was dismal. It was overcast and drizzly. It was the perfect day to hang out with a good book. But what do you do when the kids have cabin fever and are sooooo bored? We got out The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls and spent the afternoon making Cootie Catchers and Paper Airplanes. We had the best time!

I love love love these books. Not only do they show kids how to make things like friendship bracelets and go-carts but they also teach them how to do things like put their hair up with nothing but a pencil or how to do a proper cartwheel. There's lots of information on pirates and princesses and ancient queens and famous places. There is something in these books for every child.

If you haven't checked these books out from the library yet, I highly recommend you do so. They are a great way to interact with your kids . . . without sharing the same space with the tv or video console.

And if you want to check them out for yourself, adults, don't be shy to do so. There's loads of nostalgic stuff in there to bring back some long-forgotten childhood memories. Have fun!

In case you didn't know, Janet Evonovich's new Stephanie Plum book is being released this June. It sounds like a good one. Read an expert from Finger Lickin' Fifteen and see what you think. If you're new to this series, the Warsaw Library has them all!

Some books start out unassuming, building up with suspense into full-blown action, but in The Forest of Hands and Teeth you're catapulted into the story from the very beginning. Mary's mother has been infected and has chosen to become one of the Unconsecrated, the zombies that live on the other side of the fence. She chooses this fate over death because she believes her husband is with the undead. And so begins the real adeventure for the heroine of this book, Mary, a teenager bent on knowing what lies beyond the realm of the fence. It sounds just like another horror story and maybe not even that tempting of a read, but wait! If you pass up The Forest of Hands and Teeth just because you're not into zombies, you will be missing out on something unique and compelling.

Not only is this book exciting - you will be gripping the cover - but it is also well written. It is the first novel for author Carrie Ryan and she will sweep you away with the fluidity of her words. Ryan turns a classic horror tale around and gives it a completely new spin, centering on mystery, love, choices and the chances we are all willing to take to find out the truth. It just happens that the truth in this book lies outside a guarded fence on the other side of a forest full of death and darkness.

So, turn on all the lights and curl up with The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It will be one of the best scares you've ever read.

I'm reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I've read it before. It's been years, but I  love coming back to it. I love the names in the book and how they roll off your tongue - Francie, Neeley, Johnny, Katie, Sissy. I love the story and how it flows so simply but how the predicaments throughout the book are anything but. It's Francie Nolan's everyday life, her story, and it's told so eloquently, humorously, honestly and tragically that it's difficult to set it down. It's a very real story, based on the author's own life. It's gritty and authentic and so fiercely different then anything out there today that it's like a big breath of fresh air. And here's some great news: it's available at the library.

I think sometimes we get caught up reading the latest books out there that we forget the classics that are sitting on the shelves, waiting to be rediscovered. So along with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, here's a short list of books that are available at the Warsaw Library, patiently passing the time, until some lucky patron picks them up and is rewarded with a truly remarkable experience.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Beowulf
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Emma by Jane Austen
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Iliad by Homer
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Odyssey by Homer
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnet
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
White Fang by Jack London
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

If you're a fan of Alexander McCall Smith's popular series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, you will be thrilled to know that HBO has brought it to your livingroom. Singer Jill Scott plays the lead role and Time magazine reports that she "shines like the sun." Find out for yourself Sundays at 8pm.

I've noticed that there have been quite a few posts about great children's books and not so much for adults. So, I wanted to share a list of New Classics that Entertainment Weekly put out in 2008. These are the "100 best reads from 1983-2008". How many have you read?

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Sometimes getting kids to read can be a real struggle. Even putting quality award-winning material in front of them can have them running toward the TV faster than you can say Newbery Award. How can you get them to exercise their brains instead of zoning them out? Reveal books that kids, just like them, enjoy and have actually read from cover to cover.

The Children's Choice Awards finalists were announced late last month by the Children's Book Council. The winners will be announced in May. This list shows kids that reading is FUN, that it's engaging, that it can take them anywhere. And the great thing is kids chose them! The books in this list are great jumping-off places too. Some are part of a series where kids will be more likely to want to read more. More reading is more brain food. Parents will rejoice . . . and kids will too!

Take a look at Rachel Ray's Just In Time cookbook, available at the library. You will find plenty of Ray's signature 30-minute meals, but she also features - hold on to your spatula - 15-minute meals! I know it's almost unbelievable, but test one of the tasty entrees and find out for yourself. We tried the Sloppy Dude Burgers and the Italian Parm Soup with rave reviews from the folks around the table. Bon Appetit!

Check out this list of outstanding children's books - kind of like the very best of 2008. There's some great ones in there, all broke down by age level. Definitely worth a look!

I was just looking around the other day - skipping from one site to another -marveling over the abundance of information that's available on the internet. It's overwhelming, but addictive. I got caught up looking at author pages and all the details that go into them. Stephen King's site, for example, has more than a list of his books, but actually involves you in online games. Patricia Cornwell has a message board and a Q and A section about her books and Barbara Delinsky features vidoes, podcasts and her own blog. And these are just the sites for adults. The sites they have up for children are pure eye candy. Check out Dav Pilkey's site or Mercer Mayer's Little Critter. The American Girl site lets you go on adventures with characters from the books and Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones offers trivia and other activities. And let's not forget the ultimate book/internet tie-in, The 39 Clues, where kids use gaming cards to access clues online to win prizes. Lots of fun!

Look around. I'm sure your favorite author has something special in store for you too. With the internet, it seems the adventure doesn't end . . . even after you've read the last page.

A couple entries ago I posted about the Newbery and Caldecott awards. Neil Gaimen was awarded the Newbery award for The Graveyard Book. In 2002 Gaimen wrote Coraline, which is now playing in theaters.

Coraline is a dark tale, revolving around a young girl and her taste for adventure. Coraline's life is rather hum-drum and she's often dismissed by many of the adults she's surrounded by - her parents, Misses Spink and Forcible (the tenants below her flat) and the crazy old man that lives in the attic flat above. Coraline spends her time exploring the building and the grounds. Soon her exploring finds her in a completely different world, similar to her own but eerily different. Coraline is frightening and scary and will certainly give you chills, but it is also a page-turner. A delightful book about bravery and wit.

It's a wonderful tale for kids 8 and up who like a good scare and it's a great escape for adults too. Check out coraline.com for a look at the movie trailer and other spooky perks, but really, read the book first - that's best!

If you have not read Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, then now would be a great time to do so. And if you have already, then you should read it again because you never need an excuse to reread a great book. Rebecca Bloomwood, the heroine of this debut novel, hits the silver screen just in time for Valentine's Day.

Becky Bloomwood is having trouble keeping up with her spending habits. She wants to be the "It" girl but her job writing for Successful Saving magazine doesn't pay much and when the letters start pouring in from Visa and the Endwich Bank, she starts looking for ways to dig herself out of financial ruin. Unfortunately, the lottery doesn't pan out. Neither does cutting back. What's a girl to do? Why, go shopping, of course . . . and find a little romance along the way.

Have fun . . . read a good book!

Award winners were announced late last month for the 2009 Newbery medal and the 2009 Caldecott medal. The John Newbery Medal recognizes the author of the book that delivers the best contribution to children's literature while the Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist with the best picture book for children.

2009 Newbery Medal Winner
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2009 Newbery Honor Books
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
Savvy by Ingrid Law
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

For further information about the Newbery Award and the books above, please visit the Association for Library Service to Children website.

2009 Caldecott Medal Winner
The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson

2009 Caldecott Honor Books
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Maria Frazee
How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

For further information about the Caldecott Award and the books above, please visit the Association for Library Service to Children website.

I'm happy to report that the Warsaw Public Library has a new look - we have been transformed, people! Please take a look around. It's so exciting to see all the details on-line and to get them in front of all of you. I can't decide what I love the most!