Hoot Discussion

So, to begin our discussion, I thought I'd post some questions to just get things started. You don't have to answer all of the questions (this isn't a school assignment); they are just a starting point. Feel free to add additional comments about the book, just remember to be nice about it and the feelings/comments of everyone else participating in this online discussion.

What did you enjoy about Hoot? Was it easy to "get into" the story? Was it a quick read? Were the characters and plot believable? Why or why not? Who was your favorite character in the story and why? Who did you dislike in the story and why? What are the major themes of Hoot? Are they relevant to your life; have you ever experienced anything similar to this novel? Were Roy's actions justifiable? Were Mullet Finger's? What about Mother Paula's? Was the ending what you expected? How did it differ from what you expected?

YA Summer Reading Programs

The following programs are for young adults entering 6th grade and up. YA programs are presented on Thursdays at 2 p.m.

June 11 YA Bookshelf--Hear about what's new in Young Adult Fiction and pick up our first book for online discussion here. (1 hour)

June 18 Balloon Sculpture--Learn to twist balloons into fabulous artistic creations. Space limited; please call 817-410-3406 to register. (1.5 hours)

June 25 Exploring Your Family Tree--Learn to use Ancestry.com and some of our other library resources to learn more about your family history. (1 hour)

July 2 Mad Science--Watch some wild science experiments. (45 min.)

July 9 Mid-Summer Movie--We'll be watching the movie version of our book club selection and passing out the next book! (2 hours)

July 16 Art Afternoon--Learn to draw a self-portrait. (1.5 hours)

July 23 Songs, Rhythm, and Dance with Doc Gibbs--Sing-Along, Play-Along, Dance-Along Music program. (1 hour)

July 30 Illustrated Journaling with Janee Trasler--Learn from a professional author and illustrator how you can to tell your life stories in comic book form. (1.5 hours)

Aug. 6 Zooniversity--See and learn about wild animals. (45 min.)

Aug. 13 End of Summer Movie--We'll be watching the movie version of our second book club selection! (2 hours)

See you there!

Summer Reading Club

The YA Summer Reading Club--officially known as Time Twistin' TTR.09 (that's Texas Teens Read 09)--flyers are available to pick up at the library in the Teen Zone or at the Children's Desk. We've got a great line-up of events, so be sure and join us. We're also reviving the online book club for the summer. Pick up a copy of our selection at the first program YA Bookshelf on Thursday, June 11th at 2:00 p.m., post your thoughts here on the blog, then join us for the movie on Thursday, July 9th at 2:00 p.m.

Featured Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I just finished reading Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta last night and couldn't wait to blog about it! Since it was the winner of the Printz Award for Young Adult literature, I had high expectations for this novel. And I must say that it far exceeded them -- It is probably the best book I've read in quite a while! Very impressed!

Jellicoe Road is the beautifully written story of Taylor Markham, a girl who doesn't remember much of her past except for being left at a 7-11 by her mother and is visited in her dreams by a beautiful boy. Who is he? Why do both her mother and Hannah leave her? Will Taylor be able to keep the Townies and Cadets from gaining more territory from the boarding school students? I felt really connected to the characters, and the end of the book left me in tears. And, I didn't even mind that I had the whole story figured out way before any of the characters did!

I loved how Marchetta weaves two storylines together, how the past eventually comes to explain the present! Amazing storytelling! This novel is truly deserving of the Printz Award, and I'd highly recommend it. However, I must caution that it does contain some content that may make it more appropriate for older readers.

If you've read Jellicoe Road, tell us what you thought!

New Books, Good Reads

So, has anyone read any good books lately? If you want to recommend any titles or just discuss any of the books you've read recently, comment here.

Since I work in a library, I have daily access to lots of great books! Feel free to comment on/discuss anything I've read. Some of my most recent reads are:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

First Light by Rebecca Stead

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas

Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley

Dingo by Charles de Lint

Madapple by Christina Meldrum

Paper Towns by John Green

Envy: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen

Alfred Kropp: The Thirteenth Skull by Rick Yancey

Wrath of the Bloodeye by Joseph Delaney

The Bone Magician by F. E. Higgins.

I can't wait to hear about what you've been reading!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Congrats to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book
for winning the Newbery Award!

I recently read The Graveyard Book, and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it but feel that it is geared toward older audiences. Like, Coraline this book has a very eerie, dark, creepy feel to it. I was hooked from the very first sentence, and I couldn't wait to solve the mystery-- why did Jack want to murder Bod's entire family?!

I enjoyed the descriptions of everyday life in the graveyard and Bod's ghost family. Gaiman set the atmosphere and developed the characters well. I really liked Silas and Liza Hempstock. And, I found that I had quite the soft-spot for Miss Lepescu even though Bod did not particulary like her at first! I totally saw that "Jacks of all trades" thing coming...

Overall, it was a really quick and enjoyable read. Have you read The Graveyard Book? If so, share your thoughts on it here!

Movie

Jurassic Park Movie Screening on Saturday, March 21st at 2:00 p.m. in the Children's Program Room at Grapevine Public Library. See you there!

Coraline movie

I went to see Coraline in 3-D the other day, so I thought I'd write about it. I read the book when it was first released and thought it was really creepy, especially the part about the button eyes. I haven't read the graphic novel, but I looked through it to see those creepy button eyes. Anyway, I quite enjoyed the movie. The animation style was quirky and I didn't really like it, but I must say that it fits the quirkiness of the story. I particularly was grossed out by the father's really long neck. The "other mother" was very spindly looking and rather disturbing as she should be. Overall I liked it. The 3-D effects helped to make it more interesting too.

Twilight: The Movie

So, I know that all of you Twilight fans are excited about the movie, which comes out Friday! Since this is a blog about books and Twilight is based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer, I thought that this would be a great place to discuss the movie and to compare it to the book. Let us know what you thought. Here are some questions to think about and help get the discussion started: Were the characters cast well? Does Robert Pattinson make a convincing Edward? Does Kristen Stewart make a good Bella? What did you think of the soundtrack/movie score; did it help set the scenes? What was your favorite part of the movie/book? What were you most excited about seeing on screen? Were there parts of the novel that you felt should have been included in the movie but weren't? Which did you like better: the book or movie? Are you excited to see the rest of the series made into movies?

Jurassic Park

We're sorry to report that Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton passed away yesterday, but we can think of no better way to honor his memory than by continuing to read and discuss his work. For those of you who have finished reading Jurassic Park, feel free to comment on this thread. For those of you just looking into our blog, it's not too late to pick up a copy and join in our online book discussion.

I would like to open the discussion with the topic of scientific tinkering getting out of control, along the lines of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The further science advances, the more the "fiction" part of "science fiction" falls away. What do you think? Is it good for humanity or can it go too far? Let's begin there...

Board Games

There are now some games available in the Teen Zone for in-library use. We are providing chess (instructional and regular boards), checkers, dominoes, and Uno. Scrabble is coming next and then ??? depending on the use and interest in the games. Enjoy!