CREEPY, AND CREEPIER

Courtney has just moved into her uncle's mansion with her clueless and self absorbed parents when she realizes there's something strange about her uncle's mansion. The kids in the new school are weird but the mansion and her uncle are seriously creepy. Curiosity gets the better of Courtney and all is not as it seems in the Crumrin mansion or the 'burbs. her uncle catches her going through his things and she sees that he's not the creepy one but he's just private and trying to protect her from a cast of creepier characters living in another world alongside the human world. She discovers the talking cat, a wolf, and other magical and dark beings whom she must conquer in order to survive.

Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh is truly creepy graphic novel for those who like Cirque Du Freak or those too old for Goosebumps. Just looking at the blank eyes of the characters in the book are enough to give you the shivers.

For 6th & up.

SHORT STORIES OF LOSS, DANGER ... HUMANITY

Highway robbers, weird diseased trees, aftermath of bombings. All are told in this haunting (not scary or creepy) collection of short stories. Hauntings And Other Tales of Danger, Love, and Sometimes Loss by Betsy Hearne is a well written set of stories about humanity and how we as humans deal with loss and tragedy.

For readers in 6th and older.

^@^@^ BOOKMARK CONTEST 2009 ^@^@^

BE CREATIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY!!!

January 26 - February 8, 2009

Each January the Library holds a contest to design new bookmarks to be used during the year. This competition is open to any one who wishes to participate from infants through adults. The only restriction is that the actual drawing must be done in the Library, Central or one of the Branches, with the materials supplied by the Library. The submissions are then judged by outside judges and the winners are chosen according to age groups. The winners are given a certificate and copies of their winning bookmark at a ceremony which is held at the Central Library. Winning bookmarks are duplicated and distributed throughout the Glendale Library System. This year's theme is Be Creative @ Your Library.

A HORSE TO LOVE

Chancey is an albino Appaloosa horse that's getting old. His vision is clouded with tumors and he's having trouble seeing. Now, his owner has to sell her farm and Chancey may end up at the glue factory! But luck is on his side when he ends up with a loving farm owner and discovers a girl who needs him as much as he needs her. CHANCEY OF THE MAURY RIVER by Gigi Amateau Together they beat many odds and excel in the little things while learning how to love with their whole heart. For 5th grade and up.

DANGER IN ART

While in a small London town, Calder becomes intrigued by a piece of art work created by the artist he was named after, Alexander Calder. The sculpture mysteriously disappears one day and so does Calder. His father and the police are clueless as to how to find Calder so they must enlist the help of his two closest friends to search for clues. His friends must set aside their personal dislikes of each other to find him before it is too late.

In this third art mystery novel, The Calder Game by Blue Balliett, the puzzle lover finds himself within a life size maze that has somehow swallowed him up without leaving a trace.

For readers in 4th - 6th.

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY

Who knew birds had their own Arthurian legend to speak of? At least that is what SWORD QUEST by Nancy Yi Fan seems to be. Wind-Voice leaves slavery through a number of miraculous escapes in search of a magical sword, one that can only be wielded by a great hero. He meets many good friends along the way, and narrowly evades capture and death at the "wing" of his enemies. Encrypted jewels throughout the world lead Wind-Voice and his companions to the island where the sword is kept. Hopefully, he will make it in time to save the sword before the evil Maldeor gets to it first! This is a prequel to Swordbird, and great for 4th grade and up.

I HATE TO READ!

Victor Dickens is a regular kid who likes to watch television and do whatever he feels like. However, he is suffering from a major symptom, and that is the "I hate reading symptom." At school he gets A's and B's on all subjects except reading. All of his family members try to help him by feeding him alphabet soup and investing in volumes of books. However, all fail do to his almost incurable problem.

And than...really unbelievable events start happening and even if you too hate reading, you must read this book to see what happens and if you too can also be cured as well.

I HATE TO READ is written by RITA MARSHALL and the illustrations are bye ETIENNE DELESSERT.

For grades 2nd and up.

TO BE IMMORTAL...

Kezi accidentally sentences herself to death, right as she begins to fall in love with the immortal god of wind, Olus. Being mortal herself, Kezi only wants her mother to become healthy when she sacrifices her own life. Olus, who has watched her from afar for many months, wonders if he can thwart this from happening by making Kezi immortal herself. An adventure that travels through many mythological worlds is Gail Carson Levine's latest attempt at fairy tale greatness, in this book entitled EVER. For grades 5 and up.

A NEW AND IMPROVED MAGICAL ORPHAN!

He lives in an orphanage. He doesn't have a scar, but he does have a strange spiral birthmark on the bottom of his foot. He thinks his name is Ernie Banks, but it's not. He doesn't have a magic wand, but he does have a mysterious crystal acorn that's hung on his neck ever since the mean orphanage mother found him on the doorstep. There's a history to his life that he doesn't even know about. Not until he happens to get sent to a farm for a few weeks in summer, and strange coincidences intermix with crazy monsters, small elf-like creatures, and the first humans to ever show Ernie what it feels like to be loved. PUDDLEJUMPERS by Mark Jean & Christopher C. Carlson is a great story about what one boy does to save an entire species without even knowing it. For 6th grade and up.

GET SET, GO!

The year is coming to an end, and everyone has probably planned what they want to accomplish next year. I bet that one of the first things on your list is to become physically more active in your daily life.

Now... How do we all try to stay motivated and have the drive to make this happen? Real Fitness: 101 Games and Activities to Get Girls Going! from the American Girl series is the perfect pocket book that gives so many fun ideas, from miniature golf to playing mazes to swinklering ( setting up a sprinkle in front of a swing). The book has tons of unique ideas that will definitely inspire you to get going.

For grades 2nd and older.

PEG LEG GIRL PIRATE

Descended from a notorious female pirate? That what Polly is told one night when she is mysteriously transported in her bed in the middle of the night to meet some of her mother's former pirate mates. All they want from her is to take up where her mother left off... her rightful place as The Pirate Queen. Polly never thought adventure and the improper life of piracy was not for her. That kind of life is not for her, but soon she must choose when her life is in jeopardy.

Polly and the Pirates by Ted Naifeh - an unlikely adventure for an unlikely heroine. Fast paced action for a graphic novel readers grades 4th & up.

WATCH OUT FOR METEORITES!!

Something BIG crashed into Brady Steele's home-- a meteorite from outer space. Instead of calling the police, Brady and his dear cousin, Quinn, decide to see Dr. Rip Ripley, an astrobiologist from the museum. Brady's neighbors, Cal, Buzz, and Matt Carver are onto Brady and Quinn and realize that their discovery is something special. They eventually gain possession of the space rock, but little do they know that it has given Brady super agility and speed. Instead of a friendly exchange of hands, the Carver boys pose an ultimate challenge by using their homemade "Destructo" catapult machine. Now it's a race against time for Brady and Quinn to regain possession of the space rock. Will Brady and Quinn succeed in getting the space rock back?

Will Hobb's fiction novel for 5th graders and older is a good novel for those who are seeking a story that includes adventure, humor, and a touch of science fiction. Go Big or Go Home was a fun read. The parts I most loved to read were about Brady and Quinn's love for South Dakota and extreme sports--what awesome cousins!