What It Is, by Lynda Berry

"Do You Wish To Write?" Cartoonist and writer Lynda Berry poses this question in her visually stunning how-to guide that's almost impossible to put down or fit into any genre or category. Part collage/scrapbook, part autobiography, part graphic novel, What It Is uses memories, imagination, dreams, hopes, fears, past experiences, future maybes, and the mundane-ness of day-to-day life to stimulate the mind inspire writing ideas. Read it cover to cover or open it at random. Either way, you're sure to find that cure for writer's block.

If nothing else, What It Is makes for a very entertaining read.

Thrice Told Tales

Everyone's familiar with the tale (tail?) of the Three Blind Mice: They run after the farmer's wife and, as a result, get their tails chopped off (Yikes! Such a violent conclusion for a children's story!). But Thrice Told Tales by Catherine Lewis puts an entirely new spin on this familiar story. Hear the story from different viewpoints, learn what happened before the fateful chase scene, discover why the mice are blind... Hear the story retold as a mystery, a comedy, a superhero story.... Find out how it would sound translated into different languages... And much more! And, in the process, it learn (in a FUN way) about all sorts of literary, writing, and language elements. What's an oxymoron? The difference between a simile and a metaphor? How do you write from the perspective of an unreliable narrator? It's all inside!

Thrice Told Tales isn't just educational, it's entertaining too! You'll find this book (T803L) on our new book shelf, nonfiction area. --AJB

Teen Reviewer: Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Teen Reviewer Sidney, 14, read Ketchup Clouds, by Annabel Pitcher. The book jumped off the shelf and hugged her. Although it wasn't the best book ever, Sidney found it entertaining enough to keep her attention. Here is her review:

"I liked Ketchup Clouds a lot. I liked the setup of the book and how it was written as a letter to Mr. Harris (a prisoner on Death Row). I just wish we could have gotten a few replies from Mr. Harris and learn about him in more detail. Zoe was a success as a character. She was a very real and likable person. My personal favorite (character) was Aaron. I liked him a lot. The book itself was very entertaining and well-written. I also loved the fact it took place in the U.K. Throughout the book, Zoe says how guilty she feels. You can feel her guilt in her writing to Mr. Harris.  

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher was a very entertaining, well written book. I would recommend it to friends and many others."

Ketchup Clouds is a follow-up to Pitcher's 2011 novel, My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece, which is about a young boy dealing with the death of his older sister from a terrorist attack. Ketchup Clouds was published July 1, 2013.

GLEE-fully Funny

Multitalented Glee star and YA writer Chris Colfer's hilarious new book Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal (based on a soon-to-be movie) has just hit our shelves!

Carson Phillips needs to beef up his school resume in order to get into Northwestern, the college of his choice, so he can someday live his dream of getting out of his small town and becoming the youngest ever editor of The New Yorker. The plan: Show up those administrative monkeys by cranking out an amazing, jam-packed issue of the school literary journal.  Completely jaded and openly sarcastic about everything within the confines of his small town--including the zombified sheep who populate his high school halls--Carson isn't exactly Mr. Popularity. So getting the requisite contrabutions from other students is harder than scaling Everest with nothing but a toothpick and roll of dentil floss. Unless, of course, Carson has blackmail ammo. And perhaps he does.

Applying the same flavor of sarcastic, witty humor as found in Perks of Being A Wallflower, Going Bovine, and How I Paid for College, Struck By Lightning is sure to entertain--whether you're a Gleek or not. --AJB