Book vs. Movie

What do you usually prefer? 

The book version or the movie version?

VOTE & WIN

So... Books allow for so much more detail. I mean, how often does a key scene get left out of a movie? How often do movies just get the whole thing wrong? And, when it comes to the final part in a series, the book usually doesn't get split into two or more parts so the studio (or whoever) can squeeze more $$ out of the franchise. Everyone says, "The book is better". 

But is it always?

Movies, on the other hand, bring your favorite characters to life: Harry, Frodo, Katniss... And, true, they're A LOT more visually appealing than books (when you don't count reader imagination, that is). Movies can be tackled a lot quicker than books. Even the two-hour-plus epics. Also, with movies, you don't have to worry about buttered popcorn stains on the pages.

But We Want To Know What YOU Think!

Stop by the Teen Department in December and vote for what YOU prefer: The Book or The Movie (See the voting box on the display by the Graphic novels). A winner will be randomly chosen in January.

I Could Pee On This Too, by Francesco Marciuliano

Here in the Teen Department, we Teen Librarians read A LOT of books written specifically for the teens and tweens. It's our job to keep on what's good (and not so good) in Teen Literature. But we don't limit ourselves to that. Occasionally we'll pick up and read a book from another department (Youth or Adult). And if we think teens might enjoy said book, we review it here.

This is the case with I Could Pee On This Too: More Poems by Cats, a humorous poetry collection by Francesco Marciuilano.

So: Everyone knows about Librarians and Cats. And it's not just a stereotype or cliche. It's actually true in a lot of cases. We bookish/literary types really DO tend to be cat people as well (Although other animals are cool too. I, personally, have an affinity for turtles--especially sea turtles). I am no different. 

So when I passed by the New shelf in the Adult Area and saw I Could Pee On This Too, with its cover featuring two adorable fluffy kittens, I just had to check it out. And I was pleasantly surprised. Very much so. Because I don't usually go for poetry. In fact, I avoid it if I can. Basic rhyme, slant rhyme, free verse, and the occasional iambic pentameter all kind of escape my interest along with the hidden meanings and metaphorical imageries poems are meant to convey. Reading it just makes my eyes glaze over. Give me straight-up narrative any day.

But I Could Pee On This Too is laugh out loud hilarious! These "poems by cats" are simple and straightforward and totally sum up feline behavior. Anyone who has ever coexisted with a cat will be able to relate to them. There's "Sit," all about a cat's mysterious need to sit on whatever their humans need at the moment. There's "Home Decour," which details knocking things to the floor ("I'm Sorry" reflects the same musings, but involving food). There are poems about catnip, poems about interacting with other cats, poems about the desire to spaz at 3 a.m. after sleeping all day, poems about self-esteem. And more. Accompanying each poem is a cute cat picture, which adds to the book's Awesome Rating. 

I Could Pee On This Too can be found in the Adult Area (811.6 M). --AJB

Can YOU Solve The Ultimate Puzzle?

Do YOU love puzzles? 

Do you love winning prizes?

If you answered "Yes" to both questions, than stop by the Teen Department in December and try your hand at solving The Ultimate Puzzle (yes, it's really called that). If you get it right, you'll receive a small prize, bragging rights, and be entered into a drawing for the chance to win an Ultimate Prize.

You should totally try this. Because who DOESN'T love winning prizes?

Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

I just finished reading the fourth installment in this series and it is so wonderful that I wanted to give you all a little overview.

Phoebe is a normal girl who one day sees a unicorn transfixed by her own reflection in a lake.  The unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, grants Phoebe one wish and after the customary wish for infinite wishes, Phoebe wishes for the unicorn to be her best friend.  At first, Marigold seems too selfish and vain to be much of a friend but eventually she grows attached to Phoebe too.

Then there are all of the great side characters.  There's Dakota, the popular mean girl who always picks on Phoebe and somehow ends up with sentient hair.  There are goblins, who want Dakota's magical sentient hair.  There is a candy dragon named Todd.  Phoebe has a guy friend named Max who is kind of a nerd.  There is even a lake monster named Ringo.

These comic strips are funny enough to make me giggle out loud like a weirdo.  Plus, who doesn't love unicorns?  Look for the books in our youth department.

Dear My Blank: Secret Letters Never Sent, edited by Emily Trunko

Have you ever really really wanted to say something important to/about someone, but didn't have the courage to sign your name or single out the person or persons you wanted to say this important thing to/about? 

Well, now you can!

And I don't mean by posting a vaguely-worded, passive-aggressive meme on Facebook (as if the world can't figure out that you're talking about your ex or your best frenemy). 

Dear My Blank: Secret Letters Never Sent is a book based on Emily Trunko's Tumblr of the same name. Here you'll find Words of Wisdom to younger selves, hate mail to ex boyfriends or girlfriends or friends, yearnings of unrequited love, musings of regret, and more angst than can be comfortably handled in one sitting. Really, it's all kind of depressing. And sometimes reading it gives you that squeamish feeling of sorting through someone's dirty laundry (or, if you prefer, closet skeletons).

But it's entertaining for the same reasons. And its easy to see how this book could become as popular as Post Secret or Cringe. And I did love Cringe

The only real problem I had with Dear My Blank was in the formatting. Half of the pages feature either dark yellow text on a light yellow background or white text on a yellow background. Often the text is microscopic small. This made for difficult reading, and I was more inclined to skip those pages. 

Make A Magazine Tree

Stop by the Teen Department this Saturday to make and decorate a Magazine Tree. No registration is needed to participate in this seasonal craft, but supplies are limited...so don't wait until the last minute. Program begins at noon and runs until 4 p.m. (or until supplies run out).

See you there!

Dan vs. Nature

Geeky Dan Weeks is the last person you'd expect to find on a wilderness survival camping trip. He's more the sort to sit safely in his room in suburbia and work on drawing his comic book. And that goes double for Dan's germaphobe best friend, Charlie, who is twice as geeky and ten times as wimpy. Yet here they are. Hundreds of miles from civilization, with the cold ground as their bed and leaves for...you know. 

How did a guy like Dan get himself into this mess?

It's like this: His mom, whose soon-to-be husband, Hank, is a hockey-loving outdoorsman, signed him up. So he can properly get to know his soon-to-be stepfather. Just them. Out in the Idaho wilderness. With nothing but their witts and a Swiss Army Knife. Worse than being out in the sticks? Being forced to bond with Hank, who Dan is positive is no different from the other losers and deadbeats his mom thought was "The One" (before they showed their true colors).

So Dan and Charlie formulate a plan: They will stage a series of increasingly gross and humiliating pranks until Hank can't take it anymore and flees like the cowardly snake the boys are sure he is. But that's easier said than done. Not only do the pranks backfire, but it turns out that Hank may not be such a bad guy after all. 

Dan vs. Nature is pretty much everything you'd expect from Don Calame, the author who penned Swim the Fly and its two sequels: Gross humor, crude language, seriously awkward moments, and plenty teen boy shenanigans. But it's also a coming-of-age story in which all the characters emerge better, more mature people for the torment they endured. There's even a bit of romance, albeit not the swoony fairy tale sort. Although it was likely written with teen boys in mind as a target audience, I think that Dan vs. Nature is something that lots of people (regardless of gender) would enjoy. 

Definitely recommended--AJB