ZOMBIES: COMING SOON TO AMES

Meet Leah!

Hey every one,

So I'll be writing this about my favorite and least favorite book! I'd have to say my favorite books are probably The Hunger Games series!  I like The Hunger Games because I can see the book in my mind like in a movie while I'm reading it!  It's a very popular series and I love it!!!!! =)

My least favorite books would have to be Little Women.  I hate Little Women because there isn't much action and I really enjoy action.  Why did you read Little Women you're probably asking?  Well...I'm homeschooled and my mom is my teacher, and she has me and my siblings read a book or two through out the school year. So yeah.

- Post by Leah
(Meet Leah here!)

Two Related Things

TAG! Including our adorable
bride & groom!

 And we're back!  So the past couple of weeks here in APL-land have been absurdly busy.  We had our wonderful, fantastic, and generally ridiculous "Harry-Potter-Bill-and-Fleur's-Wedding" event last week, followed by a TAG (teen advisory group) meeting so huge we couldn't even fit it into our regular meeting space (wish I had a picture!).  

Me & the Death Eaters!
(Best looking Death Eaters I've ever seen!)

The kinda cool, kinda weird, kinda amazingly coincidental thing about the HP program is the fact that some pretty huge J. K. Rowling news broke just a few days after our event (oh I'm sorry, did I say "pretty huge" news?  What I meant to say is "HOLY FREAKING COW* THIS IS GIANT NEWS!!!).  So here's what happened (think of this as the "Tanvi Condensed" version): "The Cuckoo's Calling," an adult thriller/mystery/crime/detective novel by debut author Robert Galbraith comes out in April.  It doesn't sell very many copies, but it gets rave reviews by both critics and regular readers alike; in fact, a lot of people are so amazed by this book that they're all like, "no way is this written by a first-time author, it's too freaking good!"  Well, um, turns out they were right -- it wasn't written by a first-time author.  Actually, it was written by the woman herself, the phenomenon we all know as J. K. Rowling.  Who wrote a new book.  And published it under a pseudonym.  Which is kind of insane.  So a book that originally sold like, a couple thousand copies now has the coveted #1 bestseller spot on Amazon; and here at APL, we originally had 1 copy that like, never checked out--now there are 56 holds and the library is buying 7 more copies (yes, needless to say, it IS on my APL holds list).  

I know this isn't necessarily YA-related, since the book in question is an adult title, but does anyone think you'll try it out anyway?  Also, when asked if J.K. Rowling is the actual author of "The Cuckoo's Calling," she and her publisher readily admitted that she is.  Anyone else smell something fishy?  Think this was some sort of genius marketing ploy?  I kind of do.**

By the way, stay tuned for more teen posts!

*Yes, I realize that I am probably the only person on the planet who says "holy freaking cow," and I am totally okay with that.

**But I don't care!  I still love her!

Photobooth! & Harry Potter!

Had to share pictures of a few of APL's teen advisory peeps from last week's teen event (click photos to see a larger image).  The photobooth pictures came out great!  Next week's event is the Harry Potter celebration of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding.  So psyched.  How ridiculous and awesome will it be to watch Bill and Fleur get married in person (not to mention, how amazing will it be to hear them read the ridiculous vows we wrote them? ;)   Come by Bandshell Park on Wednesday, July 10 at 4pm to watch the ceremony, then stay for the butterbeer, cake, and chocolate frogs afterwards!

Doctor Who! Post by McKenzie

So psyched to introduce our first post by an APL teen blogger!  Be on the lookout for more teen posts here on the APL Teen Zone Blog!

Recently I've finished series seven part two of Doctor Who. Part two, in my opinion, it was the absolute best of the series, you had a new companion known as the "impossible girl" as well as old foes like the Cybermen.

The most amazing episode of this series (and im sure you will agree) was the Name of the Doctor. This episode gave us insight into new and old characters, an amazing plot line that involved the doctor having to go and visit his own grave, and random silliness between Strax (the potato one), Vastra( the lizard one), and Jenny (the human one). 

You all know as well as I do that the Doctor visiting his own grave could potentially create a paradox, so it was interesting to see how it all play out. In conclusion this episode went above and beyond the normal standards and really did give surprises, if you don't know what doctor who is and you think this completely strange, then I suggest you watch a few episodes, it's a great summer activity.

-- Blog post by McKenzie

Calling It for the Printz: "Winger" by Andrew Smith

I will absolutely get to the comments you guys have posted over the past several days, put up your book reviews, AND welcome our new blogger(s) (by the way, did I mention we have new bloggers! so awesome!), but right now I just want to direct everyone's attention to this book ------------>

It's Winger by Andrew Smith, and I'm calling this one now: it's definitely my pick for the 2014 Printz award (honoring what the judges consider to be the past year's best YA book).  To sum it up quick and dirty, it's about 14-year-old Ryan Dean West, a junior (yes that's right, he's a 14-year-old junior) at a northwestern elite private school for rich kids.  Ryan is pretty much a normal teenage dude: he's in love with a "smoking hot" girl (his best friend, who's 16 and thinks of Ryan Dean as a little kid), gets into fights with jerks, plays sports (rugby, which I never found particularly interesting until Winger), and he's navigating that tricky terrain between constantly feeling like a loser and not actually being a loser.  Oh, and he's constantly thinking about the stuff that pretty much all teenage boys think about (I won't say anything more about that other than wink wink).

It's an incredibly funny book that chronicles the everyday misadventures of Ryan Dean West (there's all kinds of comics scattered throughout the store), but ultimately Winger (named after Ryan Dean's position on the rugby team, which is also his nickname) is a tragicomedy.  I won't say anything more, other than that something pretty life-changing--no, very life-changing--happens at Pine Mountain that....Well, that changes Ryan Dean's life (hence, you know, the life-changing thing).

It's hard to say a lot about this book without giving away major plot points, but I will say it's one of my top reads of 2013 so far.  I'd strongly recommend it, especially for anyone 14+, but please be aware that Winger contains graphic language and semi-graphic themes (you know, the whole wink wink and all).  In other words, it contains the kinds of language you'd probably hear kids saying in most high schools; it contains the kind of words you'll probably hear (and probably already do hear) in real life.

Winger is a fairly mature read that may not be for everyone.

Go read it.*



*Unless you don't want to.  Or wait a couple of years, and then read it.  It's worth the wait!

The Desolation of Smaug

So here it is, the trailer (well, one of many more trailers to come, I'm sure) for the second part of the Hobbit movies.  The Hobbit is one of my favorite books, so I'm slightly bummed that the fim version doesn't follow that storyline very closely, but I get that the movies are supposed to sort of encompass the entire LOTR universe.  That's cool, I guess.  I can get on board.

So, I don't know about anyone else, but I think Bilbo Baggins is pretty crush-worthy.  First of all, despite the hairy feet, he's kind of adorable (why yes, I will happily admit that Martin Freeman, the actor who plays Bilbo, happens to be one of my few celebrity crushes.  I mean, he's been in the Hitchhiker's Guide movie, Sherlock the tv show, Hot Fuzz (one of my favorite movies), AND he's Bilbo?  Who DOESN'T love this guy?!).  Second, Bilbo is a seriously badass and epic hero.  Yes, he starts out wanting to sit around in his little* hobbit hole drinking tea and eating biscuits and making nice floral arrangements (okay I don't know if he actually does this, but arranging flowers seems like a hobbit-y type of thing to do).  He's not into the whole adventure scene, going out and fighting scary things and slaying dragons and rescuing looted treasures and stuff.  But that's sort of exactly what makes him a freakingly awesome hero.  Right? Because anyone who's INTO that kind of stuff can go out and do it and maybe be pretty good at adventuring and all that; but you kind of have to admire Bilbo because he's terrified and uncomfortable and doing something so far beyond what he ever imagined he would or could do in his  life--and THAT takes some serious guts.  THAT, I think, is what being a hero is about--being ballsy and sticking up for and rescuing your friends and standing up against the bad guys, even when you're terrified.

The movie comes out in December!  Can't wait.

Put the first movie, The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey, on hold at APL or
find the book in our catalog

*I say "little," but let's be honest, that hobbit hole is HUGE and pretty freaking luxurious.  I'd trade my tiny little apartment for Bilbo's hobbit hole any day.

Books, please!

Anyone read a great book recently?  I just finished the graphic novel Cardboard, and I'm looking for something new to read.  Heck, I'll even take a "just okay" book!

Edit (6/15/13): A few of the books you recommended for me.  Can't wait to get to them!

YA Book Review: "The Probability of Miracles" by Wendy Wunder

So this book was recommended to me by TAG's own Caitlyn* and yes, she assured me, Wendy Wunder IS the author's real name (I totally didn't believe it was her real name, because doesn't it sound like a superhero name or like, a bad stripper name?).

Anyway, The Probability of Miracles is a book about cancer, and nothing says fun summer read like YA books about teens with cancer!  But really, sort of like John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, this book is actually incredibly witty and lots of fun, though obviously yes, there are terrible, incredibly heartbreaking moments as well (because, you know, CANCER).

Campbell Cooper is 15, lives in Disney in Florida with her mom and younger sister, and she has cancer; she's also completely sick of being dragged around from hospital to hospital and healer to healer to find something, anything that will help make her better.  She's slowly dying from her illness, and there's probably pretty much nothing that's going to change that.

Except....Except Cam's mom hears of a town in Maine that's nearly impossible to find but supposedly possesses healing powers, and so the family packs up and heads north for the summer in Cam's little car and a U-Haul to lovely, beach-y Promise, Maine (which they do find, but barely, after picking up some milkshakes and whoopie pies from a Dunkin Donuts which, by the way, is one of my most favorite places ever).

Soon Cam is noticing all kinds of things -- flamingos nesting in Maine (if you've never been to the northeast, I guarantee you you'll never see a flamingo up there that isn't in a cage), the astonishing reappearance of something that'd been missing, the fact that is, in fact, feeling so much better -- things that her mother and sister swear are miracles, but which Cam just writes off as coincidences.  The thing is, Cam doesn't believe she can afford to have hope.  How can she hope for a miracle when she's pretty sure she won't live to see her 18th birthday?

Enter a guy (an adorable guy named Asher); old friends (well, really just one old friend**); a cast of new friends; and the "Flamingo List," Cam's list of stuff she'd like to do before she dies, like have an awkward moment with her best friend's boyfriend--all of which change Cam's life in ways she never thought possible.

Seriously, I love Cam's sarcasm, her little sister's funny way of being both weirdly mature for an 11-year-old but also adorably young (she has this ridiculous theory on why unicorns obviously exist), and Asher's sweet naivety.   Despite the heavy topic, I think this actually is a great summer read, and I'm really glad Caity recommended it to me.  Two thumbs up.

Find "The Probability of Miracles" at APL

*Spelling fixed, thanks!**That is, someone Cam's been friends with for awhile, not someone she's friends with who's like, a hundred years old.  Just clarifyin'.

"House of Hades" Book Cover!

Here it is!!!!  As I'm sure many of you already know, the official House of Hades book cover was revealed on May 31st, just a few days ago.  What's going on on the cover?  Well, it looks like Percy half-holding, half-dragging Annabeth through "the house of Hades."  Annabeth also appears to be wearing some kind of weird, fish-looking outfit, though I'm assuming it's actually just armor.

SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK.

Here's the info that's on Rick Riordan's website:

*** WARNING!  Contains mild spoilers if you haven't read the first three books in the Heroes of Olympus series! ***

Heroes of Olympus, Book Four

Coming October 8, 2013

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

Did I mention that I am SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK?!  Also, why is every amazing- book-release-that-I-am-anticipating-more-than-other-book-releases (like Allegiance, the last "Divergent" book!) happening in October?  Must practice my speed reading skills....

YA Book Review: "One Came Home" by Amy Timberlake* **

1871 is a big year for 13-year-old Georgie: her older sister has disappeared with a group of pigeoners and instead of bringing Agatha home, the sheriff returns to their Placid, Wisconsin town with a body half-eaten by animals and missing a face and both hands, but still recognizable by its dress, a beautiful, shimmering, turquoise green gown hand stitched for Agatha by their mother.  For Mrs. Burkhardt and Grandfather Bolte, the dress is indisputable proof of Agatha's death; she is buried the next day.

Georgie suffers through her sister's funeral, but refuses to believe Agatha is dead -- Agatha, who craved a life of education, rather than marriage; Agatha, who climbed up into trees and down into caves and could survive nearly anything; Agatha with the red, red hair.  For the past year, Georgie's worst fear has been the possibility of losing her beloved sister to a husband or to the university, but death?  She knows her sister would never leave her that way, and with her rifle, a mule, Captain Randolph B. Marcy's The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-Book for Overland Expeditions, and a heart nearly collapsing with guilt -- Georgie had betrayed her sister not long before Agatha vanished; had she been ultimately responsible for whatever fate her sister met? -- Georgie sets out to prove that Agatha is alive.

Joined by Agatha's former beau on a journey to Dog Hollow, Wisconsin, Georgie unravels mysteries and discovers others, and is changed in ways she never sought or believed she would be.  One Came Home is a beautiful historical coming-of-age story full of mystery and adventure (Georgie just happens to be the best 13-year-old shot in Placid, if not in all of Wisconsin).  Recommended.

Find "One Came Home" at APL

* I would just like to point out that I wrote this book review for APL Youth Services's more "mature" blog for adults, which is why it doesn't sound like me and lacks all my favorite words to use, like "totally" and "yeah, so" and "awesome."  Rest assured, though, that this book is seriously awesome.  I highly recommend it!

** Also by the way, Amy Timberlake is also the author of the picture book "The Dirty Cowboy," illustrated by Adam Rex.  It's a children's book about, well, a dirty cowboy and it's been challenged, restricted, and/or banned in a handful of libraries, as well as by parents around the country, because it depicts a "half-naked" cowboy who's getting ready to take a bath.  Well I gotta say, librarian or not, I'm on the side of the parents here.  Taking clothes off to take a bath?  Never!  I don't know about anyone else, but I always shower with my clothes on.

Makes Me Wish...

...I knew how to ride a bike.  Oh, by the way, did you know that your teen librarian never learned how to ride a bike?  (I also don't know how to ice skate.)  My guy Kris tried to teach me how to ride a two-wheeler last fall, and it was kind of a disaster, not because I fell a lot (I don't think I fell once, actually), but because the seat was REALLY uncomfortable, and I could barely walk for like, two week afterwards.  I'm thinking we might go the tandem-bike route--Kris gets to do all the work, and I get to happily sit on the back of the bike, pedal, and pretend I'm actually doing something.  Works for me!

So basically, what we've got here is a 2-story high bike named the Stoopid Tall bike by its creator, Richie Trimble.  

Let me stop here to say that there are times in my life when I'm just utterly tired of humanity (one of my dreams in life used to be to move to rural England to become a sheepherder with Kris; he wasn't as into the idea as I was).  People do terrible things to each other -- war and violence and abuse and poverty are very real and very terrible and there are people who experience these things every day of their lives.  Then there's the smaller stuff that's just annoying, like the jerk lady who honked at me yesterday even though I had the right of way.  And when my cat throws up on the floor and it's disgusting and slightly stinky, and I have to clean it up and it makes me late for work.

And then you have something like THIS.  This utterly bizarre and completely wonderful giant bike that makes you glad there are strange and creative and smart people on this planet.  Apparently, Trimble had to climb a series of beams just to reach the seat.  I wonder if his bike is still functional and if so, whether we could convince him to come visit us in Ames for a demonstration?  I do have a little money to hire a performer....

TAG Meeting Minutes: May 17, 2013

People:

Maria, Fletcher, Izanna, Benji, Alex, Zoe, Maya, Kira, Jordan, Angela

Percy Jackson Plan:

Start out by dividing all participants into either Romans or Greeks Five gods will have activities, Hades, Ares, Apphrodite, Posidean and Zues

Hades: Treasure Hunt Tag

                -start point and end point (door to underworld)

                -person as Hades to be tagger

                -pick up treasure on the way

                -person with most treasure in the end wins

‘THE MAZE RUNNER’ FIRST LOOK: GET LOST IN THE GLADE

Best maze EVER

Apparently the picture here isn't a screenshot from the upcoming movie version of James Dashner's The Maze Runner, but is just a picture director Wes Ball created for himself as inspiration for the filming.  Should Wes Ball happen to stumble upon this blog, my thoughts to you are: PLEASE MAKE THE MAZE IN THE MAZE RUNNER LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THIS.  It is awesome.  So freaking awesome.

For those of you who haven't read The Maze Runner, it's about this kid Thomas who wakes up in an elevator that rises up out of the ground and drops him off into this lush, green pasture-type place called the Glade, where a bunch of other kids -- all dudes, no girls -- sleep, eat, work, hang out, and basically live, trapped in the Glade, with no adults in sight.  It sounds kind of awesome, but it isn't -- Thomas can't remember anything other than his name, a lot of the other guys in the Glade are hardened and tough, they have no memories or any idea why they've been brought here, and seemingly the only way to escape what is essentially their prison is to try to find their way through a maze that changes each morning and is deadly to be trapped in at night.  Also, there's no girls (this is not a main plot point.  Thomas doesn't sit around wishing there were girls.  I'm just saying, a green field with a bunch of smelly guys and no girls?  Lame.)  There's a lot of suspense in The Maze Runner, plus a couple of pretty good plot twists.  It's not like, my most favorite YA book ever, but it's definitely pretty great.  Worth reading for sure, two thumbs up, etc.

The Maze Runner will star Dylan O'Brien as Thomas, and the official movie release date is currently set at February 14, 2014.  Valentine's Day!  Nothing says romantic like a dystopian movie about teenagers who've had their memories wiped and are forced to fight for their survival, right?

TAG Minutes: April 13th and 26th

TAG April 13^th and 26^th Minutes

May Events

·      Blackout Poetry May 17^th 7pm

·      Bake Sale at Ames Public Library, May 18^th 10-12pm

o   Volunteers needed!

·      Friends Foundation Meeting May 9^th

o   Maria and Zoe

·      Next TAG meeting May 11^th

o   Voting for one new co-president

o   Characteristics of a good co-president: availability, sense of humor, creative, consistent involvement and dedication, where do you see TAG in the future?

Summer Events listed below are all at Bandshell Park, 4pm

·      Percy Jackson, June 12^th

·      Tie-dye, June 19^th

·      Carnival, June 26^th

·      Harry Potter, July 10^th

·      The Hobbit, July 24^th

·      The Hobbit Movie at APL, July 31^st

Things That Have Happened in the Last Forever

1) E. L. Konigsburg died, which is sad, because she was an awesome author (she's got TWO Newbery gold medals, which only a few other authors have (another is Lois Lowry) and she's the ONLY AUTHOR EVER IN THE HISTORY OF AUTHORS to have won both a Newbery gold medal AND a Newbery honor IN THE SAME YEAR--that's like winning best actress and best supporting actress at one time!).  This is also particularly sad, because From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was my favorite book when I was in 6th grade, and I've read it probably more times than any other book (in fact, my copy was so ragged that it completely fell apart and was held together with a rubber band).  If you haven't read it, it's the story of Claudia and Jamie Kincaid, a sister and brother who team up to run away from home to live / hideout in the Metropolitan Museum of freaking Art, which, if you haven't been, is MASSIVE and wonderful and solemn and gorgeous and is part of the heart of New York City, one of the best places on the planet.  They sleep in Marie Antoinette's bed.  They bathe in the glorious fountain in the museum cafe (then realize that they can um, borrow some of the coins people have wished on to buy food and other necessities).  They hide in bathrooms from security guards.  Oh, and they end up finding a mystery to solve, too.  The book is sort of old timey, yeah, since it was published in the late 60's, but the old timey-ness comes across more as quaint than lame (like, it costs them a dollar or something each to travel by train from Connecticut to New York; um, hello, the last time I took the train from New Jersey into New York it was like, 40 bucks or something, and Jersey's way closer to the city than Connecticut is).  ANYWAY.  Mrs. Konigsburg's passing is a bummer for sure.  Rest in peace, lady.


2) These grass heads made by some TAG'ers are awesome, plain and simple.

3) Oh, and HERE'S something else that happened: I updated this blog!  Amazing!  Big pat on the back to me!  I've decided to make it a goal to write at least once a week.  I used to think things like sleep and eating and snuggling my cats are important, but obviously I've had my priorities wrong.  This will happen, even it means doubling my general intake of 3 cups of coffee a day.  I might just die, but rest assured, this blog will be updated.

(What I will probably look like in a few weeks)

Tag Meeting Minutes, 3/15/13

TAG Minutes

March 15, 2013
Present: Eunice, Caitlyn, Maria, Jenny, Caleb, Izanna, Benji, Fletcher, Angela, Alexander, Zoe, Mya

• Volunteers signed up to attend Friends Foundation Meetings--this is to prevent confusion about who will be attending the meetings.  If you sign up but can't make it, just let the group know.  At least one person from TAG should be in attendance each month.
• April 11 -- Zoe and Mya wil attend
• May 9 -- Maria and Zoey will attend (and maybe Jenny)
• May program -- Blackout poetry and Madlibs
• SUMMER PROGRAMS!!!!  TAG came up with basically the best ideas ever
  
• Rock the Library -- still need a date.  Friday, August 16?
• Harry Potter party celebrating Bill & Fleur's wedding!
• This will be a dance, but maybe with other stuff too?
• Last program of the summer
  
• Hobbit party!  Smaug treasure / scavenger hunt with obstacles
• Possibly have to compete in some obstacles wearing cheap flip flops?
• Have Kris dress up as Smaug for the final obstacle
• Percy Program!  We probably want this to be our kickoff event.  Ideas
• separate everyone into Roman vs. Greek, then separate further into separate cabins
• maybe have a test that divides everyone into their cabins
• have mini-events that you compete in to earn points that go towards your final score
• could also have extra water balloons to use in final battle as rewards
• use pool noodles
• the last battle is a water balloon capture the flag -- if you get hit, you're frozen until tagged by a teammate OR....you die
• The end.

You Had a Good Run, Uncle Vernon

So I'm sure as many of you know, our beloved (and Harry's much despised) Uncle Vernon Dursley passed away this past Thursday in England.

Obviously as you can tell, I haven't posted much (i.e. at all) the past couple weeks, mainly because I've been feeling a little under the weather lately (weird combination of sore throat and migraines; I'm shaking my fist at you, weird and windy Iowa weather!).  But the news of Richard Griffiths's passing stirred me enough to drag myself on to the internet and fire up the old blog again--okay, actually I'm work right now and therefore probably would've been on the internet anyway.  That being said,  I did feel pretty emotional about the loss of the actor who played Uncle Vernon.

Here's the thing about Vernon Dursley, his misunderstood (but also pretty jerky, even if she did sort of come around in the end) wife, and his pretty annoying (again, even if he did sort of turn out slightly okay) son.  Actually,  here's the thing about pretty much all of the "Harry Potter" villains: they are awesome.  They are fantastically awesome.  Yeah, you hate them, because that's what they're basically there for in any story--to be evil and therefore be hated for their evilness while we cheer for the good guys and, you know, their goodness.  But you also kind of love the HP evildoers, too, don't you?*  When I think of say, the White Witch in "Narnia," I don't feel any particular fondness for her; she's just a jerk, and I hate her, and I'm glad when she's gone.

But Voldemort?  Totally fascinating.  I wanted to know everything about him.  I love seeing his weird lizard face on screen and took a strange delight in his quest to rid the magical world of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.  J.K. Rowling's bad guys aren't just bad guys--they're characters with histories and quirks, and they're interesting.  Maybe you wouldn't want to run into any of them in real life on the street, but from a safe distance, they're pretty freakin' fun.  I'm glad all ends well for Harry and company (well, minus a twin and a few others), but come on, let's be real: what's the HP-universe without a little Voldemort in it?

So back to Richard Griffiths.  Vernon Dursley, as written by Rowling, is a deliciously mean-spirited, fat old man that I absolutely despised, and I felt a lot of satisfaction each time Harry or another character managed to one-up him (which, yeah, was pretty much most of the time).  But Griffiths made that character.  He was the perfect Vernon Dursley--a totally bossy, petty, garish, contemptible, and kinda insecure guy of mediocre intelligence--and portrayed Harry's uncle in a way I doubt any other actor could.  A guy's got to have pretty damn good acting chops to make you not only hate him, not only love to hate him, but also feel genuine affection for.  So I suppose that's the finest praise I can give: Mr. Griffiths, you had some damn good acting chops.  I will think of you fondly each time I watch "Harry Potter" (which will, of course, be many, many times).

*The correct answer to this is: Yes.  Yes, you do.

Awesome. Yeah, That Pretty Much Says It All.

Courtesy of Carol Hartsell/Huffington Post via npr.org

Um, yes.  This is THE coolest house ever, beating out both the entirely underground house (which I guess may or may not be cool, as I've never actually really seen it, since it's, you know, underground) and the octagon-shaped house that were both near my home back in New Jersey (although to be honest, I guess they were more "kind-of-weird-and-therefore-sort-of-interesting" than actually "cool"). Anyway, this house is awesome.  Aaron Jackson, the guy who bought and painted it, is awesome.  And let's face it, it just LOOKS awesome.  I wonder how much Mr. Jackson would charge to come paint my apartment?

So basically, Jackson went out and bought this house that's across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. For those who haven't heard of Westboro, it's basically a group of people led by this guy, Fred Phelps, who are (in)famous for hating on LGBT people and crashing funerals with signs that say things like, "God hates [insert insulting, derogatory word for gay people here]."  Apparently their rationale behind such pickets is to proclaim their belief that God is punishing the world (through war / gun shootings / other events that result in death) because of humanity's moral decline as more and more people accept our LGBT friends/family/neighbors/acquaintances as being equal and, you know, basically exactly like everyone else on the planet.  Basically it's weird and ridiculously horrible, but hey, that's just my opinion.

I wonder what the folks over at Westboro think every time they look out the window of their church and see the rainbow house across the street.

Aaaaaand Even MORE Book Face!

 Eunice, Fletcher, Izanna, & Mya!  I think we can all agree that the coolest thing here is Mya's t-shirt (though obviously the book faces are a very close second).  Everyone here is entered to win the Lego notebook and bucket of Legos, which is awesome for you and slightly sad for me, as I kind of really wanted that notebook.*

*That's right, I'm a selfish jerk.

Aaaaaand More Book Face!

Zoe, Caity, Mya, & Benji!  I gotta say, while these are all completely awesome, I am especially impressed with Caity's--mainly that she was able to a) line her head up so perfectly pretty much all on her own; and b) hold that weird, horrible half-laying (lying?)* down pose for so long!  My abs never would've forgiven me...

*Yes, I realize I am a bad librarian for not knowing the difference between "laying" and "lying" and not bothering to look it up.  Hey, cut me some slack, I'm off-the-clock here!

Book Face!

Angela Book Face with The Vampire Diaries!

Book Face: Teen Tech Week Challenge!

Sunday, March 10 marks the beginning of Teen Tech Week, a nation-wide event sponsored by YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association).  My goal for TTW this year is to encourage young adults (you guys!) to use the internet in the safest, most awesome ways possible and to interact with others--whether it's your friends and family, people you dislike, or people you've never met--with respect and kindness.

So speaking of doing something awesome on the internet, I'm issuing a challenge in honor of TTW.

TEEN TECH WEEK CONTEST:

Snap a picture of you with your best book face (or get someone to take one for you) and submit it to me at trastogi[at]amespubliclibrary.org as an attachment OR use the "Submit a Review" link above and send me a book/movie/music/game review.  I'll be posting all book faces and reviews here on this blog (with your permission).  What's a book face? See pictures above.  Also, click here for some amazing and hilarious examples.

DETAILS:

Teen Tech Week only lasts a week (okay, I know you're totally rolling your eyes here), but I'm going to run this contest from now through March 31.  When you submit a book face, let me know your full name, email, and age.  You can use any kind of book--kids, teen, adult, fiction, nonfiction--but keep it clean!

WHAT DO I GET?

Each time you submit a book face or review, you'll be entered into a raffle for a Lego Moleskine journal--the only journal that comes with a built-in lego block on its cover so that you can actually build on it--and a box of Legos (so you can do aforementioned building and playing!).  (Before you ask, yes, I do see the irony in holding a tech week drawing for the most lo-tech toy ever; that being said, unlike most technology, Legos never get old, obsolete, or so-bad-they're-funny--I'm looking at you, giant old cellphones from the 90's.)