Read Like a Rock Star: Teen Books Where Music Takes Center Stage

The written word is always entertaining, but it’s even better if you can tie your reading habits in with your other interests.  If you’re a musician, or just a music lover, there’s no better way to relate to a book than to find yourself a story with music as a main theme.  If you’re in the market for a rockin’ YA read, try one of the following titles where music plays a central role.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen: Remy doesn’t really believe in relationships, until she meets rock-band member Dexter.

Beat the Band by Don Calame: Coop tries to increase his social status by entering his terrible band in the Battle of the Bands.

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick: Stephen uses music to help deal with his younger brother’s leukemia.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway: Audrey deals with newfound, and unwanted, fame when her rock star ex-boyfriend writes a break up song about her.

Beige by Cecil Castellucci: Katy leaves home to spend time with her estranged, punk rock legend father.

Jane by April Lindner: In this retelling of Jane Eyre, nanny Jane falls in love with her rock star employer.

-Liz V., Youth Services Librarian

No Blog Today…Really

Local career expert Lisa (a.k.a. Recruiter Uncensored) shares some of her knowledge with us every Monday. You can read this post in its original form along with comments here.

I joked the other day about not wanting to blog and then changed my mind after taking in the compliments of a reader. Well, today I’m really not going to blog. I’ve been trying all morning and the words aren’t coming right. They are muddled and overdone. The problem isn’t a lack of things to talk about, but too much. I have so much to say and my mind isn’t functioning well enough to pull it off effectively. Plastering up substandard work on the internet, whose memory is better than an elephant’s, just isn’t a good idea. Coincidentally, this morning a friend of mine tweeted the quote “Breathe. Know that the internet has no eraser. ~unknown”  It’s true.

Because I can’t let the moment pass without sharing some nugget of wisdom, I encourage job seekers to be honest with themselves when they are having an off day. Know when you need to say “tomorrow.” You’ll have better results submitting a stellar application tomorrow than submitting something not up to snuff today. It is important to make an effort before throwing in the towel though. The last time I was going to skip a blog post I simply didn’t want to write that day. I hadn’t even tried. Not good. Today it’s not that I don’t want to, I just can’t. Next week I can though. And I will.

- Lisa W-P, CADL Guest Blogger

Are You My Mother? Readalikes

On Sunday, Jan. 29 Michigan State University’s Wharton Center is featuring a musical based on P.D. Eastman’s whimsical picture book Are You My Mother?. This performance tells the tale of Baby Bird who emerges from her shell and expects to be greeted by her mother’s song. But her mother is not there. Not knowing that her mother has left the nest to gather food, Baby Bird  is determined to find her – no matter what – and sets out in search of Mother Bird. Her courage is  bolstered by the unlikely “family” of colorful characters – Dog, Cat and Hen – who are ready to lend a paw or a wing to help their friend.

In honor of this great story, our children’s librarian has chosen several titles that have a similar feel to Are You My Mother?.

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin
Illustrations and rhyming text portray a young bear searching for its mother and meeting many North American animals along the way.

The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman
Mr. and Mrs. Bird’s search for a “better” nest leads them to some peculiar spots.

Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman
When a strange egg appears in their nest, Mr. and Mrs. Bird kindly take it upon themselves to raise the “baby bird” inside.

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
Feeling too grumpy to fly, Bird begins to walk and finds out that his mood changes as other animals join him.

I Love You Just the Way You Are by Virginia Miller
Even when Bartholomew the bear is having a very bad day, his dad lets him know that he is still loved.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
A young llama asks his friends if their mamas are llamas and finds out, in rhyme, that their mothers are other types of animals.

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
While his mother is away finding food, a newborn owl falls out of his nest and anxiously tries to find her, receiving help from various forest animals.

Walking Works!

Have you signed up yet for the 2012 annual Winter Warm-Up Challenge?  This is the 9th year that local communities are invited to participate in this free, 8-week long walking program, sponsored by Community Partners in Health.  Participants register online at www.walkingworks.com and then return regularly to log in the number of miles or steps they accomplish each day. Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan is awarding grants to all participating teams, with larger rewards earmarked for communities with the most logged miles and most active participants. The grants will be used to support public health and wellness projects in each community.

This year’s participating communities are:  Lansing Township, Delta Township, Delhi Township, Lansing, Williamston, Grand Ledge, Charlotte, St. Johns and East Lansing.

Go to www.walkingworks.com to sign up.  Choose Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield, then 2012 Winter Warm Up Blues Community Challenge, then select your team from the list, enter the required information, and click submit.  You’re now registered with a personal tracking page that links to your overall team page.

Weekly health themes will be discussed  in a single-page newsletter. Newsletters will be e-mailed weekly and paper copies will be available at the Lansing Mall information desk and during the Lansing Mall weekly program. If you would like to receive the newsletter by mail, contact Alicia Armstrong, Playmakers at 517-282-5035.

Community sponsores include: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network, Capital Area District Library, Delta Township Parks and Recreation, Capital Area Health Alliance, City of Lansing, City of St. Johns, East Lansing Parks, Recreation and Arts, Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital, Ingham County Health Department, Ingham County Parks, Ingham Regional Medical Center, Lansing Community College, Lansing Mall, Meridian Township Parks and Recreation, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, MSU Health4U Program, Playmakers, Sparrow Health System, and YMCA of Lansing.

- Eunice B., CADL Reference Librarian

Consumer Reports is Back!

The Consumer Reports magazine actually never left the library, but a few years ago the CR organization removed access to it from our online databases. A lot of you miss the library’s online access and believe me, the staff misses it too! We have the physical magazine of course,  but it was nice to be able to send articles to patrons via email or tell them how to access reports from home.

I am happy to report that the library is now able to offer Consumer Reports Cars Best Deals Plus online. You can access it from home with your library card. While not as complete as the full ConsumerReports.org, it does offer reports on many commonly researched products.

Examples of products include: cars, washing machines, computers, TVs, mattresses, cribs and much more! When you look up a product you will see the same grids with ratings that you see in Consumer Reports magazine. The site also covers recalls.

Happy shopping!

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Graphic Novels for Kids

The variety of graphic novels continues to expand, and there are some terrific selections for young readers who may not be ready for the sophisticated and more mature themes addressed in graphic novels for older kids. While some may argue that reading graphic novels isn’t really reading, there are benefits to making graphic novels available to kids:

• The appeal to reluctant readers can’t be denied.  Graphic novels include lots of illustration, and the pacing of the story tends to be fast and full of action, which will capture the attention of many who resist reading chapter books.
• Learning to read between the panels.  Graphic novels are more about illustration than words – but this doesn’t mean that the story is any less detailed than a standard narrative.  Rather, readers of graphic novels develop comprehension skills as they decipher how the words and illustrations complement each other to tell the story.

Give some of these graphic novels a try with your young reader:

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray

Fashion Kitty by Charise Mericle Harper

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer Holm

Squish: Super Amoeba by Jennifer Holm

Chi’s Sweet Home by Konami Kanata

Dragon Puncher by James Kochalka

Johnny Boo: the Best Little Ghost in the World by James Kochalka

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka

The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier

Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? by Agnes Rosenstiehl

-Lynn H., CADL Youth Services Specialist

What Are Your Weaknesses?

Local career expert Lisa (a.k.a. Recruiter Uncensored) shares some of her knowledge with us every Monday. You can read this post in its original form along with comments here.

“What are your weaknesses?”

This particular interview question has come up several times in conversations this week. It’s certainly not a new question. Since it seems to be a popular topic, I figured I’d take a stab at sharing my views on how to approach it with an answer.

Flickr User: bpsusf

When companies ask this question what they often hear is how candidates are perfectionists, workaholics, quick to say yes to what is asked of them, etc. In a nutshell, candidates are determined to share weaknesses that they think will also come through as a positive to an employer. I should add they claim the above weaknesses even when they aren’t necessarily true for them. The thing is, that strategy is so overused it does more to stimulate a gag reflex than it does to bring an employer peace of mind. When candidates don’t give me genuine answers I’m torn between believing they don’t care to give me a real answer or they truly have no knowledge of where they need development.

My advice for tackling this question is to be honest. Employers want to know you have some grasp of your shortcomings. Recognition is key to overcoming them. We all have room to grow. We all have things we are more or less suited for. Pretending otherwise is silly. Acknowledge them and couple that acknowledgment with a plan to address them. For example, if your weakness is that you lack extensive experience in Microsoft applications, say so. Couple it immediately with ways you’ve researched for you to learn them either through your next employer or on your own time.

Now, honesty does not mean giving a 20 minute account of all you lack. Sharing your faults to the point you are punching an employer between the eyes with them will get you nowhere. Be succinct. State the weakness in basic terms and dedicate more time to sharing how you’ve overcome that weakness or how you plan to in the future.

I can imagine some of you thinking, “but what if I share a weakness and it ends up costing me the job?” Have you considered that may be a good thing? Interviews shouldn’t be about getting a company to make you an offer regardless of your fit for the position. Garth Brooks says, “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” On a similar note, sometimes the best gift a potential employer can give you is a rejection letter.

- Lisa W-P, CADL Guest Blogger

Celebrate Michigan!

Jan. 26, 2012 marks Michigan’s 175th Anniversary of becoming a state and it’s a great time to update our Michigan picks! Here’s a few of your CADL staff”s favorite Michigan reads. Check out the long list on our website.

Fiction with Michigan Lansdscapes

South of Superior by Eileen Airgood, FIC (Sarah R.’s Review)
My American Unhappiness by Dean Bakopoulos, FIC (Ann’s Review)
Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell, FIC (Sara D.’s Review & Sarah R.’s Review)
What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day— by Pearl Cleage, FIC
A Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble, MYS
Middlesex by Jeff Eugenides, FIC
Company Man by Joseph Finder, AS
The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford, Y (Liz V.’s Review)
Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley, MYS ( Sarah R.’s Review)
A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton, MYS
Returning to Earth by Jim Harrison, FIC
The Narrows by Alexander C. Irvine, SF
The Detroit Electric Scheme by D.E. Johnson, MYS
A Venture Into Murder by Henry Kisor, MYS
Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie, MYS
Wake by Lisa McMann, Y (Liz V.’s Review)
Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen, FIC (Mari G.’s Review)
Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet by Joanne Proulx, FIC (Sara D.’s Review)
Cold by John Smolens, FIC
The Lost Tiki Palaces of Detroit: Stories by Michael Zadoorian, FIC

Non-fiction Picks From All Over the State

Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg, 306.87540874 Luxenberg (Mari G.’s Review)
The Vernor’s Story: from Gnomes to Now by Lawrence L. Rouch, 338.4766362 Rouch
Grit, Noise and Revolution: the birth of Detroit Rock n’ Roll by David A. Carson, 781.660977434 Carson
Picturing Hemingway’s Michigan by Michael Federspiel, 813.52 Federspiel
Going back to Central : on the road in search of the past in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Lon L. Emerick, 917.7490444 Emerick
Made in Detroit: (a south of 8-Mile memoir) by Paul Clemens, 921 Clemens
Still With Me by Andrea King Collier, 921 Collier
Michigan’s Columbus: the Life of Douglass Houghton by Steve Lehto, 921 Houghton
At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse, 921 Rouse (Peg’s Review)
Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka, J 921 Scieszka

The Path to Publication

Plenty of people dream of writing the Great American Novel one day, or maybe the next beloved children’s classic, destined for a place on the shelf next to Green Eggs & Ham and Goodnight Moon. Some may go so far as actually writing a manuscript, although many of these end up gathering dust in a desk drawer.

But some aspiring authors manage to get all the way from great idea to published book. How did they do it? There’s no one single answer to that question, which is why I’m delighted about an upcoming event at the Haslett Library called “Children’s Author Panel: The Path to Publication.” Held from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, it features four local children’s authors who have all been published by traditional publishing companies. Each of them has a different story to tell about how they did it.

The idea for the program came from our Public Services Librarian, Kate Nicholoff. “I had heard one of the authors give a presentation about getting published that was really interesting and informative,” she explains. “I was sure there would be an audience for this kind of program. People check out books about writing and publishing all the time—now they can hear first-hand how others did it. I’m excited that we were able to pull together such a star-studded panel!”

With credits ranging from picture books to middle grade novels to young adult fiction, that panel includes:

• Ruth McNally Barshaw (The Ellie McDoodle series for ages 8-12)
• Deborah Diesen (NY Times-Bestselling picture book The Pout-Pout Fish)
• Carol A. Grund (The Anna Mei series for ages 8-12)
• Amy Huntley (The Everafter, a 2009 ALA Morris Award Finalist for ages 12 & up)

After speaking about their experiences, the authors will take questions from the audience and share resources. Their books will be available for sale and signing after the program. They are also available at the Capital Area District Library; visit cadl.org/catalog to place holds and have them delivered to any branch.

If you’re an aspiring writer with a manuscript in a drawer, it’s time to take the next step! Start by coming to hear the success stories of these published authors. Then maybe next year, we’ll be featuring you in a library program!

-Ann C., CADL Haslett’s Head Librarian

DVD Tips and Tricks

As a movie and television buff, I really enjoy our collection of DVDs and suspect many of you out there do as well. We thought it would be a good idea to tell you about our collection.

Q:  Are DVDs free to borrow? How long can I have them?
A: They are always free to check out BUT you have to pay fines if they are late. New DVDs go out for three days and are $2.00 a day for every day late. Older DVDs go out for one week and are $1.00 a day for every day late.

Q: My CADL branch has a pretty small collection of DVDs. How do I get access to more?
A: Think of the library as one big DVD shelf. Go to the catalog to place a hold on titles at other branches. You can pick up and return DVDs at any CADL branch.

Q: You don’t get movies as fast as I see them in stores. What gives?
A: Some of the movie studios won’t release popular DVDs to libraries right away. For some titles we have to wait until they have been in stores for about a month.

Q:  The new DVDs are never on the shelf, help!
A:  You can put DVDs on hold before they are released, so they take a while to land back on the shelves as they make their way from person to person. To put new releases on hold, enter the title in the catalog and click Place A Hold. If you want to see a list of DVDs that are on their way to us, go to our orders lists. I also like videoETA.

Q:  Do you have BluRay?
A: We sure do. You can search for just BluRay titles by going to Find Movies. Enter your title or actor etc. and make sure only the BluRay box is checked before you click Find. If you want to see ALL of our BluRay titles, go to the catalog and under Quick Search select Call Number search. Enter BluRay

Q:  How do I find movies that a particular actor/actress is in, or that are directed by a certain director?
A:  Go to Find Movies. Enter an actor, director or actress’s name and search on that.  I sometimes use Internet Movie Database to check against the library catalog. In IMDB you can pull up every movie/show a person has participated in!

Q:  Can I get DVDs from libraries outside of CADL?
A:  Many libraries in MeLCat do not loan DVDs to patrons outside of their system, reserving DVDs for their own patrons. (CADL does not loan out DVDs outside of our system.) However, if we don’t own a title, Try MeLCat. Once in a while you get lucky. Also see suggesting a purchase below.

Q:  Can I suggest that the library buy a DVD?
A: Yes, if you have a library card. Go to Suggest a Purchase in the catalog. Remember to check the catalog to see if we already have it on order.

Happy Viewing!

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian