"A library book, I imagine, is a happy book." Cornelia Funke

"Everything puts me in mind of a story." Ben Franklin

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Amazing Read: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I haven't been so shocked, sickened and fascinated by a vision of the near future since reading M. T. Anderson's gritty teen classic Feed. It's made me an instant fan of Shusterman, and I'm definitely going to catch up on his many other titles. Unwind will definitely grab your teens and get them thinking and discussing.

It's after the United State's second Civil War, and if you're a certain kind of teenager, you had better watch out. If you've broken your parents' hearts, or taxed the system's resources a little too long, or if your parents believe in tithing with all that they value, you might learn first hand about a new process called Unwinding. In this society, abortions may no longer happen, but unwanted teens are scrapped and put to a new use, as organ donors. Every piece of them is kept alive within other humans. This may have satisfied the warring factions of the Life Army and the Choice Brigade, but for runaways Connor, Risa and Lev, it is not just a political move that ended a war, it is their horrifying intended fate. Follow them through this thriller and witness storking, clappers and the eerie urban legend of Humphrey Dunfee, whose family had him Unwound... but, in spite of regrets, couldn't put Humphrey together again.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Books for Creative Teens


I put together these suggestions for my sadly unattended book group.


Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thing 47: Evaluation

What can I say, I loved doing the Things, from 1-47. It was great fun learning about tools I otherwise probably wouldn't have known about. Unsurprisingly, my favorite Thing was Books 2.0!

Thing 37: Picnik

Zoe and Mama: 1960s filter
Duo-Tone

B & W Focal



Infrared Filter



Neon



Orton-ish


Pencil Sketch


With Stickers

Wow. I love Picnik . What a fun photo editor and so easy to use. The above photo is the day I got engaged, showing off my garnet ring and Zoe, my new doggie by marriage.






Monday, June 1, 2009

Thing 46: WebJunction Minnesota

I registered at WebJunction Minnesota, friended one person and joined the group MN Early Career Librarians. I figure a 5 year librarian counts as early in her career, even if she isn't so early in her life. :) There haven't been any new discussion since April, but that's okay.

Looking over the events calendar, the 30th Annual Children's Literature Workshop looks interesting, but it is held in Saint Cloud and I'm no longer a Children's Librarian. Just the teens.

Some of the courses look good, such as Reader's Advisory and Reaching Teens. I think that they will be most helpful for me. I would like to talk to my supervisor to see if I can get the green flag to enroll in a couple.