What is it about this book?  It’s like watching a train wreck…no matter how much you may want to, you just can’t look away.  A genie in a lamp, a baby with three fathers and a hint of AIDS keeps this story moving a frantic pace.  I think students, especially more reluctant readers, will be charmed by the writing as well.  Should you snare a reader with Lia Block’s story, then you may want to check out The Center for Children’s Books has a link to some read alikes.  http://ccb.lis.uiuc.edu/Projects/yalit/weetzie/front.html
My only question…where or where did she come up with all those names?  Enjoy!

I don’t really have to wonder too much why I became an avid reader. I grew up in a home filled with books and watched my parents repeatedly choose to curl up with a book rather than sit in front of the television. I recently finished a class on the history of children’s literature and it made me think of my own reading history. Here are a list of the books that live on in my memory:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss was a favorite. My parents tell me I loved Seuss and often memorized the stories cover to cover.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubose Heyward and Marjorie Hack
I don’t know specifically what it was about this story that captured my imagination, but it’s the one picture book that I remember reading over and over.

Little Joe Otter by Thornton Burgess
I loved all of the books by Thornton Burgess, but this was my favorite. Burgess wrote in the early 20th century and was extremely popular. His series of over 100 books are about different forest animals and begins with Old Mother Westwind.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Tideaback, read this to me and I was forever hooked on fantasy. How could you not love these little mice?

Anything Judy Blume. My first introduction to her was Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. I read everything she wrote as fast as I could.

Figgs & Phantoms by Ellen Raskin was a book I think of as a foreshadow of my future career. I liked this book and for some reason thought I should try searching by publisher. Really. I remember scanning the bookshelves at our tiny local bookstore for the large C that identified a Camelot book. How funny is that? I don’t know where I got that idea, but who other than a future librarian would think that up?

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. This is one of the first books I remember being sad to finish and longing to find something like it. I loved the fact that the survival story was about a girl. Why didn’t I just ask my librarian?

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkein. My Mom read these to my brother and me when we were in elementary/middle school and they are some of my fondest literary memories. We started with the illustrated version of The Hobbit because my brother was only in the 2nd grade and still learning to sit still for a long story. The pictures helped hold his attention before he became fully captivated by the story (a love affair he has still today).

It’s fun to think of the books that left their mark. I’m sure there are others if I sit and dwell on them, but really–how much of an impression is really left if it takes me an hour to remember?

Enjoy!

Okay, this one’s for the girls. I came across the coolest website today while I was catching up on by Bloglines. ReaderGirlz http://www.readergirlz.com/issue.html is a visually interactive site with tons of suggestions for books and music. This month’s highlight includes a list of 31 Authors for Teens–one for every day of October. Very cool.

When I typed out the title for today’s blog I couldn’t help but finish singing one of my favorite childhood Beatles songs:

“When I was younger, so much younger than today

I never needed anybody’s help in any way.

But now those days are going and I’m not so self assured.

Now I find I’ve changed my mind…I’ve opened up the doors.”

Isn’t that how we all feel sometimes when we’re either standing in a superstore trying to choose from fifty types of jelly or puzzling over strange band names trying to remember if it was Panic at the Disco or Plain White Ts? But now, who should come through that “door” to help? Your librarian!

Though I originally started humming the tune when I typed in the “Help!” title, I had to laugh out loud as I continued singing and realized the lyrics suited my situation quite nicely. Collection development (the library’s fancy term for selecting what to put on our shelves) is a challenge for me and I’ve got plenty of resources at my fingertips to help guide my decisions. What about parents? Or students?

Here are two useful websites that you may want to add to your bookmarks:

The Center for Children’s Books
We are so fortunate to have this wonderful resource right here at the University of Illinois. The staff read and review new books as they are published (from literally thousands) and provide free access to many of their recommendations right at their website. They even put out a guidebook for gifts each year. Visit:

http://bccb.lis.uiuc.edu/

Common Sense Media
Then, I got this resource from the Champaign Public Library (and Ms. Olion–my inspiration for today’s post). Common Sense Media is a site that has reviews and recommends all types of media including music, movies, video games, and books. The site is easy to navigate and provides some guidance when faced with a virtual sea of choices. Visit:

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/