Tales from Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan

A family hosts a peculiar exchange student who chooses to sleep in the pantry, asks unusual questions, and departs mysteriously one day... leaving behind a most spectacular thank you gift.

An elderly man entertains his grandchildren with the story of his wedding day. But if you're expecting a tale of dancing, cake, and fancy parties, think again. Back in those days, weddings were much more complicated affairs.

A family, down on their luck and weary of their dreary existence, discovers a secret passage within their own home... A secret passage that leads to a kind of perfect paradise. Maybe there's one in your home?

Welcome to Outer Suburbia, where a blind reindeer visits once a year to take peoples' most valued possessions, where endangered sea creatures appear (quite suddenly) on the front lawn, where mandatory government-issued missiles become a thing of beauty, where turtles need to be rescued and there exists a magic formula for growing a beloved pet out of every day random discarded objects. 

Shaun Tan's (The Arrival) bizarre and beautiful book, Tales from Outer Suburbia is packed with such stories. Some are several pages long, while others are no more than a couple sentences. Still others are mostly told through bright illustrations. Each is fantastical in a way that it will transport you the way a great story should. It's a memorable book, and I'm very happy I finally picked it up.

This one is memorable, guys! Don't pass up the chance to read it! --AJB

1339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop

Did you know....

Edgar Allan Poe's iconic poem, "The Raven" was originally going to be about a talking parrot. (changes things, doesn't it?)

Or... The artificial sweetener Splenda was originally going to be marketed as an insecticide, but became a sweetener when an assistant misheard an order to "test" the product and tasted it instead. (good thing it wasn't poisonous)

Or... Elvis really did wear Blue Suede Shoes--to his senior prom. (Ah, irony)

Or... The first ever hot-air balloon passengers were a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. (There's a bad joke in there somewhere)

Or... There exists a type of horsefly that is named after Beyonce. (That fly must be pretty fly)

Or... An Olympic gold medal is 92.5% silver. (makes you wonder what silver medals are made of, doesn't it?)

Impress your friends and your teachers with weird, wild, wacky and, in some cases, totally freaky facts from John Lloyd's 1339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop (dewey# T031.02L). From the creators of the BBC quiz show QI and the sequel to 1227 Quite Interesting Facts to Blow Your Socks Off, 1339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop is positively addicting! Read it cover to cover or open it open it at random. Either way, you're sure to learn something new that will change the way you view the world! I know I'll never look at the Jurassic Park movie the same way again! Or Walt Disney, for that matter... I now know which curious tourist attractions to visit if I ever find myself in South Korea with a few hours to kill (I just won't use the Korean version of "lol" when I'm texting my American friends about it, 'cause that could be very awkward!)... I know that Winston (or any of our aquarium fish friends) should never, under any circumstances, be given Prozac... AND I know who first used "u" as an abbreviation for "you" (and it wasn't the texting generation).

Each fact in this fun book has been researched and proven true to the best of the authors' abilities. 

For more, visit the website.

p.s. In case you're wondering: Despite what Mythbusters say, you CAN fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times (you can fold it 13 times, to be exact).

A "Mysterious" find

It's the year 4022, and life as we know it is no longer life as we know it. In fact, little is known about the once-thriving land once known as Usa. Then amateur archaeologist Howard Carson (quite accidentally) makes an incredible,  first-ever discovery: Deep beneath the earth is an ancient burial chamber--still sealed! Within, Carson finds never-seen-before evidence of the primitive culture that was once a mystery to him. As Carson and his team excavate this monumental find, they make educated guesses about the people of Usa's way of life and death. And how wrong they are! 

The Motel of Mysteries is a parody of sorts about the field of archaeology--and how wrong the so-called experts can be when making snap assumptions about ancient civilizations based only on what they find buried beneath the earth. Was that small, domed object a ceremonial head-dress...or was it a cereal bowl used by the children yester-millennium to contain their Fruity Pebbles? Sure, you'll get a good chuckle at the wild assumptions Carson and his team make. And yes, this book IS good for a laugh or six. But it's deeper meaning is this: Who we truly are is not to be defined by appearances or material possessions. I mean, do you really want someone to someday define you solely based on that Gangnam Style ringtone you never got around to changing? Didn't think so. --AJB