Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull

Summer and Bird
Katherine Catmull
Genre: Junior Fiction
Rating: 4

I got this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and am glad I did :) 

Summer is a practical and loving young girl, older sister to Bird, a wild and free-spirited, sometimes irrational little girl. Summer and Bird.  This is a lovely story completely out of the ordinary. After waking  up to find their parents, and cat Sarah, missing one morning, Summer and Bird embark on a magical adventure which will change their lives forever.   A beautiful swan queen, an evil puppeteer, a mysterious old man, and all kinds of birds flock this book and mix with the two girls, for better or worse, throughout the story.  Summer and Bird is filled with many thought provoking issues and beautiful imagery, making it not just a young adult story, but a gret read for adults too.

Summer and Bird was a bit hard for me to get into right away, but it was well worth the difficult start.  I feel like I gained something from reading the story and learned about myself too. (Always the sign of a great book).  I have a feeling this book will become quite popular shortly...

Quote:

"We never really know what might be beside us or ahead, but most days we walk as if we do."
(from uncorrected galley) — Katherine Catmull

Youth Library Program - "Make Your Own Dry Erase Board!"

For the first "big" event of fall programming this year in my tiny library, I decided to try a "Beat the Back to School Blues" theme for youth in town.  We made dry erase boards out of old thrift store picture frames.  I was super worried because this was the first event I had completely planned and carried out on my own (and no extra help was available that day, so I knew I would be running around like a crazy woman).  What if the kids spill paint everywhere (carpet, themselves)? What if I run out of frames because it turned out to be super popular? What if no one comes and now I am stuck with a ton of old picture frames?

Turns out I needn't have worried.  The program went very well and I will probably repeat it in the future. (Pictures will be up within the week)

Supplies Needed:

For the Dry erase boards:

-8x10 old picture frame for everyone who attends

-Paint (I used acrylic)

-Paint brushes

-Sponge brushes

-Cardstock paper in different light colors (for background in frame)

-Blank calendar templates

-Dry erase markers

For set up:

 -Old newspapers

-Glass cleaner
-Paper towels
-Paper cutter

Here's what went down:

I went around to thrift stores around the area and collected some cheapo 8X10 picture frames. (I learned the non-glossy, wood frames allow the paint to dry faster and adhere better to the frame.)

Then I chose acryclic paint in colors youth would most likely enjoy at a local craft shop. (Bright Neon Colors!)

I already had cardstock paper for backing the frames and paint brushes for painting in my stock of "stuff". I also printed off templates of blank calendars in case some people wanted a erasable calendar.

I forgot I would need dry erase markers to give out for the kids to take home, but I found out that old Crayola markers work just fine, so I gave those out instead since I have way too many anyhow.

After getting all of the supplies rounded up, I decided to play it safe and tape newspaer securely around all of the tables I planned on having the kids work on. Turned out this was a great idea.  The kids could just put the paint they wanted to use directly on the newspaper and it made cleanup a breeze.

The Set Up

Then I sat around and waited for people to show up. (The worst part :S)  Thankfully, the perfect amount of people came!  Ten kids showed up to actually make dry erase boards (for the size of town I work in, this is great!) some came with parents and siblings, so around 15 people were there.

For the most part, the program went very well! (Only one minor paint spill.) 

I started off by having everyone choose a frame they wanted to work with.

Then I had everyone remove the backing and glass from the frame to make it easier to paint.

After just the frame remained the kids started painting!

While the paint was drying between coats the kids talked and watched a movie which was playing in the background.

Then, when the final coat was drying, I had the kids pick out the color of cardstock paper they wanted to put in the back of the frame to be the background of their dry erase board and I cut all of the paper to size using a paper cutter. Some of the kids decided they did want to use their boards as calendars so I just glued the calendar template to the cardstock for them.

Once, the frames were dry (or mostly dry) we put the glass, cardstock, and backing back in the frame.

And Voila! Customized dry erase boards :)

What I learned:

-Make sure the kids don't use too much paint! Otherwise the frames will be camping out at the library overnight while they dry.

-If you have to use glossy frames, it would probably be best to sand them first to make it easier for the paint to stick and cover.

-Enlist the help of some adults or older teen volunteers especially if you will be working with a larger group of kids, because you will be running around helping people the entire time. (Cleaning the glass, answering questions, helping choose colors, etc.)

I would say this program was pretty successful!  The kids enjoyed themselves, and it didn’t cost a lot (since what library has money to spare?).  A win-win in my opinion! Plus, I had a lot of fun myself J

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore



Title: The Rise of Nine
Author: Pittacus Lore
Genre: Teen Sci Fi
Rating: 3.5



Just like the previous two books in this series, The Rise of Nine is a fast, action-packed, quick read. The title is a bit misleading though, as the story doesn't really focus around Number Nine, but tells the story of all of the kids except Number Five. It's a good story to just get lost in for the day it will take you to read it, since it doesn't involve much thinking at all.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith



Title: Abraham Lincoln:
Vampire Hunter
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Genre: Sci.-Fi
Rating: 3.5


So I'll admit, I only read the book so I could watch the movie when it comes out on DVD, and I didn't have high hopes, especially given the kinda gross cover.  However, I was pleasantly surprised (I did skip the gory parts though).  It wasn't so completely out there to make it sound absolutely ridiculous and it wasn't so "completely true" to make it seem like an actual boring biography.  I actually found myself looking up different things that happened in the book to see if some of the happened in Lincoln's real life to like his familiy history manic depressive tendencies (so I did learn a little too:) Overall, it was a good read, held my attention and made me curious (possibly curious enough to read a non-fiction book?). 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartmann
Rating: 4.5
Genre: YA Fantasy

I'll admit I judge a book by it's cover sometimes...and this one had a cover so gorgeous I wanted to read the book curled up in bed with the reading lamp on and pretend I was living inside the picture.  And, for the most part, this book lived up to it's attractive cover.

Seraphina has a terrible secret, one so big it could kill her if the truth is learned by the wrong people. Her goal is to stay unnoticed and blend in, however her decision to go to court and her inability to keep her strong opinions to herself make this impossible. Special abilities she didn't realize she had are also making themselves known to her.  While at court Serafina also realizes she may be the key to keeping the peace between dragons and humans during a tumultuous time. Can she restore the peace between humans and dragons and keep her secret hidden?

This is a great "escape your everyday stressful life" read.  It does a good job of putting the reader in a different world; old world setting, with a fantasy element (my favorite). Seraphina gives a very unique take on dragons. They aren't your dragon and rider type or the impersonal "terrifying" kind either.  Instead, the dragons in this story are intelligent and can change forms into human bodies, yet don't view emotions the same as them. Emotions to them are "weak". 

The main heroine, Seraphina, is also very likable, being strong-willed, intelligent, kind-hearted, and downright stubborn at times (though not whiny which happens far too often nowadays). She also has a secret which weighs on her conscience and makes it impossible for her to tell the truth at times.

Meanwhile, the peace between humans and dragons rides a thin line, and Seraphina finds herself thrown into the middle of the conflict.

Overall, this book has everything a good read needs; good setting, strong main character, characters with depth, a bit of mystery, and of course some romance.

Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers program and was super exited as I already have all of the previous books in this series :) !

Heather Wells returns! Be ready to put everything you planned on accomplishing for the day on the back burner, because once this book is started, it won't get put down until it's finished. Romance, mystery, action, and lot's of humor, Meg keeps writing amazing, contemporary chick lit.
In this fourth installment of the Heather Wells series, Heather once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery and... mortal peril. But why? Could someone really want Tania Trace or Jordan Cartwright, two of the most beloved pop stars, dead?
While Heather has all the worries of keeping the people around her in Death Dorm safe (along with herself), she's also worrying about how her recent engagement to Cooper Cartwright will be taken by others (most importantly her ex Jordan, Cooper's brother).
Can Heather handle everything and stay alive?


"I've come to the conclusion that, aside from Nazis, the Taliban, and possibly the honey badger, there is no one in the planet more merciless than a teenaged girl, once she's decided she dislikes you."

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Rating: 5
Genre: YA Dystopian

I loved this book.  It's a fast, fun, action-packed read. This book reminded me of a more grown up version of The Giver because of the ceremony to decide your fate for the rest of your life and that whole dystopian theme.  However, it's for a way more grown up audience (not that The Giver can't be enjoyed at all ages:) because there is a lot of brutal violence and the necessary young adult romance aspect.  The violence part reminded me of the Hunger Games (I was in total shock at parts of that book) but in both books it was necessary in the fact that it showed the reader how far society can fall, but people will still accept it as "normal".

In Divergent, Beatrice aka Tris makes a fateful decision to leave her family's faction of Abnegation to join the Dauntless faction, one of five faction's this Dystopian world is made up of; Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Dauntless (the brave), and Abnegation (the selfless. Tris partakes in the brutal Dauntless initiation, trying to prove herself as a fierce compeitor despite her small size and selfless upbringing. Even though Tris feels more at home in the Dauntless faction, there is still something different about her; her test results were inconclusive and she can easily manipulate the serum induced fear tests. Plus, she senses something isn't right in the Dauntless faction; their faction didn't use to be so senselessly violent and brutal. What will she find out about herself? And what is actually going on in the Dauntless faction?  Will she find out before it's too late?