TV vs. Books

I must confess that I've not been reading as much as I usually do. After three years, we broke down and bought a television and entered the present by also getting satellite TV. I felt like I entered a whole new world - the History Channel, Discovery, Food Network - WOW! I scanned, watched the Guide, flipped, and experienced this new world.

And, after a month of this, I've discovered that most channels show the same old shows over and over again. All of this money to watch the same shows...again and again. So, what with the football games on yesterday (my team was eliminated earlier) I. Picked. Up. A. Book.

Oh, the feel of the pages, the immersion into the story and characters...so good! The book I picked up was Six Innings: A Game in the Life by James Preller, one of the PA Young Readers' Choice books. It should come as no surprise that the book is a baseball book.

The book takes place during the little league championship game. IF you love baseball, like I do, this is a great read as it includes the thoughts of the players, the strategies of baseball, and friendship of the boys playing the game. It is funny and exciting, and isn't one of those preachy books about "baseball as life". But you'll get the message.

Two Suggestions

It seems I have two or three books going at a time right now. When the books are of similar story lines or the same genre, characters and plots do get a bit jumbled in my brain. However, the two most recent completions (say that fast five times) are very different.

Bystander by James Preller starts with the new kid in town, Eric, shooting hoops on the playground. He sees this boy, about his age, running towards him. This boy's gait is off, he keeps looking over his shoulder, checking on who might be behind him. He stops to catch his breath, and quickly takes off again. What Eric picked up from this short interaction is this kid is scared. Very, very scared. And then Eric meets Griffin and his cronies.

Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin is an exciting sci-fi adventure. The story begins with a plague - a man-made plague - designed to destroy entire countries. When the canisters are precisely detonated, anyone over the age of fifteen is struck. What the designers of the plague failed to plan for was mutations, and so they become victims of their own planned disaster. Everyone that remains is fourteen and younger. This is story of a group of kids who had been on vacation with their families in a theme park - Isles of Wonder. How will they survive without rules, adult guidance, or even food?

Margaret Peterson Haddix

I just finished the second book in The Missing series by Haddix, of Shadow Children series fame. Found, the first book, is a great science fiction read. Jonah is a regular middle school kid who likes to shoot hoops, hang with his friends, avoid his younger sister - he could be you. His parents, who love him dearly, told him as soon as he was old enough to understand, that he is adopted. One day while hanging with his friend Chip he received mail in a plain white envelope with this message inside: You are one of the missing. Missing? He's lived in his house for as long as he can remember. What he doesn't know is that thirteen years ago a plane appeared at an airport that wasn't scheduled to land, hadn't reported engine trouble...it just wasn't. However, he was on that plane along with thirty-five other babies. No pilots, no navigators, no flight attendants - just the babies. Jonah, Chip, and his sister Katherine set out to discover what the note means and a drawn into the mystery surrounding their arrival thirteen years ago.

On to book number two - Sent. Without giving away too much of the first book, Jonah, Chip, and Katherine find themselves in the fifteenth century in the Tower of London. This book is suspenseful, mysterious, and as thrilling as the first one. I am ready for the third one...whenever that may be.

NOTE: Found is one of the books in the PA Young Readers choices. Read any three - and they are all good - and you can vote for your favorite one. The author will receive an award from PSLA (PA School Librarians Association). Authors really like this kind of thing...honestly.

Yummy, Yummy!

I thought since the holidays are fast approaching I'd focus on some great cookbooks we have in the library. Check one out. Try a new recipe and impress the folks!

• Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill and Sandwich Maker by Laura Werlin. I never met a cheese I didn't like and put it in a sandwich - divine!
• Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat by Megan and Jill Clark. Recipes for breakfast, snacks, dessert, soups, salad, your family, and just for one.
• The Teen's Vegetarian Cookbook by Judy Krizmanic. Easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack-time made from ingredients found in the local grocery store. The granola recipe looks quite tasty!
• The Tailgating Cookbook: Recipes for the Big Game by Bob Sloan. Going to Penn State? Tailgating? Check out this book and make everyone's mouth water with your delectable delights!
• The Young Chef's Mexican (French, Chinese, Italian) Cookbook(s): Step by Step Fun Recipes for Young Chefs. Great pictures and yummy recipes are included on each page of this series. In the Mexican book, the salsa pico do gallo looked particularly tasty.

And, last but certainly not least, the grand dame of cooking - Martha Stewart.

• Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share. I am sorry to say this is not a scratch and sniff book. How do Macadamia-Maple Sticky Bars sound? Or Peppermint Meringue Sandwiches with Chocolate Filling? Or Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies? Or...
  

Cool Generator!

Check out this easy to use cartoon creator from ToonDoo! Try it.

Catching Fire Book Trailer

Lions, Cyclops, and Goats..oh my!

After hearing rave reviews of this series - picture Mrs. Owens doing cartwheels - I had to read this one. It has everything a great read needs - a hero, villains (plenty of them in here), adventure, suspense, humor,and action ...oh and throw in a sword fight or two too. I finished this one last weekend and am now half way through the second one.

Don't miss this rollicking modern day mythology laden adventure!

In the series:

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan's Curse
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Last Olympian

Update: I have finished The Sea of Monsters - another exciting fantastic adventure filled with Mythology references. Now, on to the next one!
Update #2: Finished The Titan's Curse but I can't proceed because I only brought two home...sigh
Update #3: I have finished the series. It is quite good, a bit repetitive with the series recap information in each book. You know why authors do this - someone hasn't read the series inorder, they need to recap and fill in all the blanks - just skip over that since you really don't have to retain any of this. BUT, if you like this, try more detailed stories, like Edith Hamilton, Olivia Coolidge, or even Homer's writings.

If you liked Harry Potter, try this series. They are similar, but this series has more humor.