Most Grevious Library Errors

I found this in my school library catalog while trying to help a student find a book on Edward Hopper. There was a double take, stunned silence, mad cackling, and then a rapid email to coworkers. Wethinks the ISBN # was wrong. BUT MY GOSH. What a magnificent error.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly: Charles Darwin v. Texas

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Jacqueline Kelly (2009).
Henry Holt: NY. ISBN: 0805088415

It is 1899 in Texas, where Calpurnia V. Tate, 12 years old and the only girl in a family with as many children as there are days in a week, begins a scientific journey into the natural world when she starts to take note of the wildlife in her yard. Nobody can tell her why animals behave in certain ways, and she is directed to her gruff and reclusive Granddaddy, who challenges her to figure it out on her own. When she does, he recognizes in her a fellow naturalist at heart. He takes her under his wing, sharing in particular the works of the scandalous Charles Darwin. Meanwhile, as the womanly arts of her era are being forced upon sweet and spunky Callie, she begins to realize that what she wants (to be a scientist when she grows up), and what is expected of her in her own natural world may not add up.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is an extremely well rounded story, with well-developed, likeable characters in realistic situations . I found myself particularly amused by Granddaddy, a seeming curmudgeon with a heart of gold and wicked sense of humor. Callie Vee herself is totally personable; you can really sympathize with her being the only girl in a family filled with boys who keep falling in love with her friends! Callie Vee’s heartbreaking realization about her probable future is keenly felt, especially knowing that women today have options Callie could only dream of. This book is probably best for middle schoolers, but high schoolers and adults will probably dig it too (especially if you like historical fiction and/or science!).

And now, a few off the cuff thoughts about this book. First, this book gets lots of snaps for having a fabulous, gorgeous, oh-so-pretty cover. Snaps! It features two of my favorites: yellow and silhouettes. I DIG IT.* In fact, the first time I saw it sitting on a bookstore shelf way way back in winter times of ought 8 or ought 9, I thought "that book is BEGGING for a medal to be stuck on it and ruin the cover." AND WASN'T I RIGHT, NEWBURY AWARD RUNNER UP? WASN'T I? I mean, everything about this book screams "A book adults love for kids to read." However, having read it, and definitely having enjoyed it, I'm still struck by the fact that it is just that: a book adults love and earnestly want kids to love too. It touches on some big issues in a safe way, like feminism, equality, science, evolution...a lot of things. But what adults fail to recognize is that it operates on a plateau of nostalgia and perspective...which kids get...but don't totally get...largely because all 12 years of them hasn't lived all that long to have all that many memories. Which is not to say that they don't, but just that in this story, there is a lot of that in the narrators voice. And adults just get it, better than kids. However, it is definitely charming, and I kind of hope it becomes one of those middle school staples, like Tuck Everlasting or Bridge to Terabithia, books that I find feel similar. LASTLY: Granddaddy and his pecan whiskey distillery experiment. LOVE. I'm pretty sure we'd be besties. That is all.

* But not as much as I love the cover of Marcello in the Real World or The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks (before they released that horrorfest paperback cover that gives me shivers even to think about. POORLY PLAYED.). This is why I think illustrators/artists need to sell more of their illustrations. BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM. I'm looking at you, Mo Willems and estate of Trina Schart Hyman.

The Princess ap-Pea-ls to me

The Princess and Pea. Child, Lauren (2006).
NY: Hyperion. ISBN: 0786838868

Lauren Child is best known for her Charlie and Lola series of picture books (and television show). Her version of the Princess and the Pea is a definite departure from these, artistically, in genre, and in style. This mixed medium work (photographs of collaged dioramas) aims for and reaches an older audience than that of her hit series. A grade 2 and up audience can appreciate the complexity present in the juxtaposition of miniature 2-dimensional characters with miniature 3-dimensional environments, and may also enjoy seeing doll house furniture used this way. Curious readers will be pleased to find the creative process detailed in the back end papers. The hybridization of styles greatly enhances the story, drawing the reader further into Child’s imaginary world. This playful and fanciful retelling of the classic fairy-tale, the Princess and the Pea maintains this fun tone from the illustrations on down to the text and even to the font, which changes periodically when it comes to a word that is key to the telling of the story. Older readers will enjoy the conversational (“You know what parents are like, and a prince’s parents are no different.”) and often comically mocking (“No, if he couldn’t marry for love, then he would rather live alone for all eternity, gazing at all the stars in the night sky. Not only was he romantic but also a little dramatic.") tone of this work. This beautiful book is for people young and older who enjoy witty dialogue and innovative eye-catching illustrations.

In related news, I totally love this picture book, and not just because I have a bit of a thang for fairy tales (in related related news, read Fables, by Bill Willingham if you are a grownup who likes fairy tales. You're welcome). Any author/illustrator who can make me laugh while reading a picture book deserves a high five. The illustrations in the Princess and the Pea are gorgeous and memorable but what really makes this book is the cheeky tone carried throughout in both prose and illustrations. Kids will dig this book, but methinks their parentals will dig it more. Lauren Child, could you please illustrate my life?

Making Lady Gaga proud

I've made the executive decision to start posting about the moste amusinge thingse that happen to me at work, because really, these gems should not go to waste. Particularly because it is only a matter of time before I make a clean dissociative break and start living under the name Shanequa D'nt Liveherenomo on my yacht in the Mediterranean, and FORGET THEM ALL! What a loss to all humanity that would be. A great and terrible tragedy, indeed.

SO. Today at work the following things happened to me, which helped me live up to one of my life goals. Specifically, to live by the song lyrics of Lady Gaga songs. You know, as they make so much sense and all. In this instance, a little ditty called Poker Face comes to mind.

CASE IN POINT:

- A mother and son duo chose to have a moste serious discipline conversation about said sons overdue fines while checking out, effectively making me the uncomfortable third party. Why do you do that parents? I mean, come on. Not cool.
- A lively lad of approximately 10 minced about the library wearing a skunk-skin cap for approximately an hour. Yep. SKUNK-SKIN CAP. Upon check out, he stashed his videos in his Lady Grace plastic bag. Lady Grace, you guys. POKER FACE. Can I adopt you, awesome kid?
- While his mum was checking out, a young lad of about three decided to tell me that he really needed to change his pants. Well, I needed to change my face. Thank you to Lady Gaga, I'm 99.9% sure that he couldn't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face. In fact, I'm pretty sure homeboy can't read at all.

Need I mention it was a full moon? Because I just did.

Peeps, by Scott Westerfeld: Candy coated...vampires?

Dear Imaginary Readers,
Tomorrow I get to meet Scott Westerfeld. He is coming to my work. Yes, this is true. I am one lucky librarian! Badass that I am, I will be skipping out on my class early to do so (even grown ups like to play hooky!). Mwahahaha. In gleeful anticipation, please read my review of one of my favorite Westerfelds. And miscellaneous thoughts on the horror that is his 2nd edition paperback cover.
Be jealous.
Love,
S

Peeps. Westerfeld, Scott (2005).
NY: Razorbill. ISBN: 1-59514-031-X

Oh sexy books, how I love thee. Peeps is a medical horror thiller. Subjective? Yes, definitely. But also, Peeps is totally and completely about sex, sex, and more sex. It is on our protagonists mind, as hard as he tries to ignore it, which means it permeates the entire book, sexily seeping out of the pages and into our minds, infecting us parasitically with dirty sex thoughts. However, while Peeps begins by playing into the YA cliché of sex as a honey-pot, bound to doubly screw you, Westerfeld deftly turns this cliché on its ear by the end of the story. Double props go to him for taking another overplayed YA staple, the vampire, and managing to give readers something new to chew on (teeheehee, read on). The story is gripping, a mysterious thriller from start to finish, interspersing the chapters of the story with chapters of true gross-out medical facts about different types of parasites. Kudos to whomever insisted upon including an appendix with a list of the top 10 ways to avoid getting a parasite. The hipness of the city of NY and all its gritty underground glory radiates and helps keep this story modern; it is not a story that would work in any other setting.

Peeps begins with our young studly hero, Cal, in pursuit of an ex-girlfriend he unintentionally infected with a deadly STD. However, this STD isn't deadly for her, it's deadly for everyone around her, as this STD is a parasite that turns its host into a crazed "vampire." Those who are parasite positive are known of as Peeps for short, and have an aversion to sunlight and a crazed desire to consume human flesh. Yum. Cal, it turns out, is a carrier Peep, meaning he's somehow resistant, but carries the parasite, making him quicker, hungrier, and way hornier than your average 18 year old dude. After moving from Texas to NYC for college, Cal managed to get crazy drunk and loose his virginity in a one-night stand to a strange girl he met in a bar (herein lies the cliché). Now that he's a Peep, he can never have sex again, or even kiss a girl, since the slightest swap of body fluid can infect someone with the rascally parasite. Cal has been recruited to join the Night Watch, an underground organization that tracks and contains outbreaks. In Cal's hunt to find the girl who infected him, he unintentionally creates some challenges for his enforced celibacy when he meets Lacy, a true to form very curious and cute journalism student. He reveals his secret identity to her, and the story here morphs into a mystery when crazy stuff starts to happen, including the discovery of Morgan, the girl who infected him. Turns out that bumping uglies and swapping spit aren't the only way for the parasite to be transferred, and that Peeps might not be so out of control after-all.

As a side note, I was super disappointed with the end of the story. It was all excitement, all tension, all gross-out medical stories to weather, all buildup…and then nothing but a sort of happy ending, marred by the lack of any other conclusions to late plot relevations. If I may use a secondary character reference from Judy Blume's Forever, the ending was a bit of a Ralph, if you catch my drift. I felt short changed and pissed. And then I found out there is a sequel, The Last Days. And now I feel much better about Peeps. The end. (Except now, months after I originally wrote this review, I have taken the liberty of reading The Last Days. And it is no Peeps.)

Best for: High school aged YA's. I'd say boys and girls, but the sort of sparkly, sexy, mascara heavy cover art on my copy totally precludes your average teenage boy picking this up on a lark, and is even more targeted in the lipstick heavy paperback version…why must you always market to girls, publishers of America? Woe to you, losing readers on this one.

This brings me to the following point. Someday, I will write a long an lengthy rant about how publishers occasionally ruin a perfectly delightful cover in the hopes of selling more books to teenage girls, who they presume are daft magpies. But I'll save it for another day. Behold the cover directly to your right-o'clock. Now, I have never been nor will I ever have the displeasure of being a teenage boy. But I can pretty safely say that walking around with a book covered in hot pink print, hot chicks, and male models is something no average teen boy will willingly do before pigs have the opportunity to evolve and grow those wings they've always been meaing to do.

PUBLISHER, I believe I make my point when I say this is a book that a lot of teen boys would actually identify with given the opportunity to not look like a tool carrying it around! Cal has rampant hormones and sexy urges! Many teen boys have rampant hormones and sexy urges! There are lots of gross true medical facts! Teen boys love a gross true medical fact...? Cal is always ravenously hungry! Teen boys are often ravenously hungry! Cal has serious relationship problems! Teen boys have serious relationship problems! And did I mention that this entire book is about sex? SEX. Epic fail, target marketer. Way to aim for a specific audience and miss a whole other one. Now that I've wound myself back down, I just stumbled upon a new edition paperback cover. I think it moves leaps and bounds in a less alienating and way grittier direction, so I choose to overlook what I think are the rose petals...yay for acknowledging that this isn't a shiny happy pod people book!


Book talk hook: Turn the idea of vampires on its head, luring eager young readers in. Describe the symptoms of peeps, maybe using some of Cal's own descriptions and play on the whole "Cal can never kiss anyone again. EVER."