SPECTACULAR POSSIBILITIES

I took a trip up to the Bay Area last weekend. It’s a 5.5 hour drive (without traffic) from LA, and I settled into the driver’s seat, automatically reaching for a familiar audiobook: Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt, read by Lincoln Hoppe. It’s a trip I’ve made several times and a story I’ve listened to several times more since its publication in 2011, yet it has never failed to elicit the same depth of emotion each time. It draws me back to a place I’d never visited and a time I’d never experienced: a small town in upstate New York in 1968, the peak of the Vietnam War era.

Fourteen year old Doug Swieteck is starting eighth grade in a new school in a new town, where his father has just secured a new job after being fired for a poor attitude and a questionable work ethic. The Dump, his family’s latest residence, is small and dingy. His father is spiteful. His older brother is a menace. His gentle mother rarely smiles anymore. And Doug can’t think of a single good thing about the stupid town they've just moved to.

You can easily envision the trajectory for a kid like that: he’ll grow up to be a bully, a thief, a liar, a victim and a victimizer. And everyone else in town thinks so too-- including Doug himself.

Until he finds unexpected solace in a public library and purpose in a rare copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America. There’s something mesmerizing about the paintings in Audubon’s book, even for Doug, who would be the first to tell you he’s no artist. Soon he’s drawn into the stories he sees in each carefully crafted bird, which become the metaphor by which he interprets his world. His spirit soars and dives throughout the novel as he faces a deluge of circumstances that test his resolve to sketch a different future for himself.

Another librarian (whose name I unfortunately cannot recall) wrote in her review of the book that it had broken her heart and put it back together a thousand times. I can certainly relate to that feeling. There’s a lot to mull over here: the tangible and intangible effects of the war on returned veterans and their families, the dichotomy of wealth and poverty, the cyclical nature of abuse, and the problematic prejudices of adults. At the same time there’s the thrilling freedom of art, the unexpected kindness of others, the gentle glow of first love, the healing found in offering compassion even when it seems undeserved, and a long lingering note of Possibility. It’s a tale of resilience and redemption.

I highly recommend listening to the audio version of book (which still counts as reading, in case you’re wondering!) Lincoln Hoppe’s reading of Okay for Now received an American Library Association Odyssey Honor in 2012 as one of the best audiobooks produced for children and young adults, available in English in the United States.

A truly rewarding read for grades 6 and up.

A STATE-OF-THE-ART HISTORICAL MYSTERY

Laura Marx Fitzgerald, author of Under the Egg, is back with a new art-centric mystery in The Gallery. It's the height of roaring twenties, and twelve-year-old Martha O'Doyle finds herself employed as a servant for the wealthy, pompous newspaper magnate, Mr. Archer J. Sewell. The grand Fifth Avenue mansion is a far cry from the tiny Brooklyn apartment she shares with her family, and our inquisitive heroine wastes no time exploring every opulent corner. But it is the ever-absent eccentric mistress of the house--Mrs. "Wild Rose" Sewell, supposedly bedridden due to her madness--who really piques Martha's curiosity. What drove her so crazy in the first place? What is the story behind her hidden collection of world-renowned paintings? And what can a mere maid like Martha possibly do to bring all the secrets of this mansion to light? 

This compelling middle-grade novel features a spunky and relatable protagonist, backed by a cast of intriguingly quirky characters, fascinating historical details, and an action-packed mystery that will keep young readers in 5th to 8th grades turning the pages all the way to the very end. 

FRANS & FUDDLES ON THURSDAY

Frans Vischer will be in the Children's Room tomorrow to read his book Fuddles to help us celebrate National Library Week. 

Join us Thursday, 4/16 at 4-5 p.m. for this author program.  

His books will for be available for purchase through Once Upon a Time Bookstore. 

For more information contact us at: 818-548-2035
Central Library - Children's Room 
222 E. Harvard St. 
Glendale, CA 91205

* This event will be in place of our weekly Art Cart.  

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Thirteen-year-old Theodora Tenpenny’s grandfather’s last words to her before he dies are “It’s under the egg.” He tells her that there is a letter and a treasure under the egg, and she should find them before it’s  too late. Theo guesses that her grandfather meant the egg painting above the mantelpiece, under which she placed the best, most perfect egg from their chickens every day since she was little. As she is looking for the letter and the treasure under the egg, she accidentally spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on the painting, which causes the paint to peel off and expose a different painting underneath. The painting looks suspiciously like a stolen masterpiece by a well-known artist, so Theo embarks on an adventure to find the real artist of the painting and its owner. Along the way, Theo will discover her grandfather’s secrets, a great deal of art and history, and a best friend.

Under the Egg has got it all - a page-turning mystery, art, history, and humor. It is a smart, witty book that has great writing and will continue to surprise the reader until the very last page. 

For grades 5-8.

MOXIE TAKES AFTER HER GRANDFATHER AND HAS SOME MOXIE

The last thing Moxie wanted to do this summer was to be stalked and stressed out by the creepy Redhead.  You see her grandfather, who has Alzheimer, use to hide things for criminals.  He has good days, where he remembers who she is, and bad days, when he thinks she is her mother, Anne.  

So when the creepy Redhead wants the stuff her grandfather had hidden for Sully Cupcakes all those years ago, she has to figure out where he hid them or else her entire family is in danger.  Along with her best friend, Ollie, Moxie races against time and her Grumps' spotty memory in order to find the missing Gardner art pieces, hidden all over Boston when he worked as a carpenter.

Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking by Erin Dionne is a fast paced mystery adventure perfect for readers and mystery lovers in grades 6-8.   

A PORTRAIT OF PIA

At first, Pia might seem like your average typical thirteen years old girl who is interested in boys and doing the fun stuff. However, there is a lot about Pia that even she does not know yet. Her living in New York has enriched her life on so many levels. Being exposed to great food, art and culture in general has contributed to her good upbringing. However, Pia also has family issues that have never been resolved. For example, finding about who her father is, or why her brother suddenly quit a very prestige school. In addition to all the madness that she is going through, she is also attempting to create a self portrait. The metaphor being that until she does not find herself in life, her portrait will not be complete! A PORTAIT OF PIA by MARISABINA RUSSO is an outstanding book that has so many great elements, one which I liked the most is the idea of Pia being such an avid reader and an art lover!

For grades 5th and up.

CHASING VERMEER!

Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay are the heroes in this book which has many similarities to the DaVinci Code. The story is about these two kids who are in the same class but not close to one another and don’t know much about each other. However, on a museum field trip they realize that they do share something that each person values: these are the love for the arts, their teachers and blue candy:) However, they become much closer when a very famous and expansive painting by Vermeer gets stolen with some trails of its whereabouts left by the thief. However, it is not an easy task to recover something as precious as a Vermeer painting. They do not give up and through their curiosity and analytical minds, try to find solve the mystery of the stolen Vermeer painting. CHASING VERMEER by BLUE BALLIETT and illustrations are by BRETT HELQUIST.

For grades 5th and up.

AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE

Ten years-old Melanie is not quite ready to travel to Italy with her family, especially when she is charged with keeping an eye out for her wandering little brother. This is another winner in the series, with lots of art, gelato, pizza, all recorded in Melanie's travel diary with a great dose of humor of a long suffering older sister.

The Diary of Melanie Martin or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza by Carol Weston is still funny. A perfect read for 4th - 6th graders.

SUGGESTION FROM A LIBRARIAN'S MEETING

All of the children's librarians meet monthly to look at the new books, share their personal reviews, tips and updates from their various sites.

Jennifer Boyce from the Montrose-Crescenta Branch suggests:

ART APPRECIATION: IN A PICTURE BOOK

Artful Reading by Bob Raczka introduces art made in homage to reading. Through a series of 32 paintings, the author describes the ways, reasons, and places people read. Children will discover that reading can take many forms, be done for work or pleasure, and has captured artists’ hearts and minds for centuries.

A lovely homage to art and reading. For Preschool – 2nd grade.

ANOTHER PAULSEN CRACKUP

The Glass Cafe or, the Stripper and the State; How My Mother Started a War With the System That Made Us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous by Gary Paulsen is the really long title of this hilarious tale of how some figure drawings of exotic dancers became part of an art exhibit and landed Tony, a budding artist and his mother, Al, in trouble. The story unfolds in the rambling way of a great storyteller who has you hooked from the first line of this incredible story of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary a mother.

Short and tiny at 99 pages, it is one of the funniest thing I've read in a long time. For mature readers in 6th grade and up. Be sure to read another hilarious boy book by Paulsen, The Amazing Life of Birds: (The Twenty Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech) As Discovered by Gary Paulsen. Stay tuned for more Gary Paulsen book reviews.

EVERYTHING IS NOT FINE

Much like Ann Dee Ellis's last book, EVERYTHING IS FINE leaves a lot to the imagination at first. Mazzy's mother has been in bed for over a month. Her father is nowhere to be found. To top it off, Mazzy, who tells the story, seems to have some serious mental issues herself. The story unravels through little windows into Mazzy's life, with a cast of characters helping the plot along. Mazzy has discovered art to help her deal with the madness of her life. She ties her different emotions to different art mediums, such as when a boy she likes is being a jerk, she calls it "chalk on paper" or if it's something she feels good about, it's "oil on canvas." Not everyone will like this book, but there is a shocking secret that explains everything. For grades 6 and up.

BEAUTY IN WORD AND VISION

EMMA'S RUG by Allen Say is a cute story about how a young girl discovers art. Everyone is impressed with her young age and ability to paint and draw with amazing talent. Emma swears she just “copies” the pictures she paints, but no one believes her. Emma finds all her ideas in a rug she was given at birth. One day her mother washes the rug and Emma feels her artistic days are over. Only then does she learn she can see the same images in other things. I like this book because it impresses upon kids that art can be found anywhere. Great for Kindergarten - 3rd grades.

NO EXCUSES FOR YOUR PASSIONS!

Art, photography, courage, discrimination, civil movement, beauty, family bonding and much more will be found in this thin book that is about the world famous artist Gordon Parks. It is amazing what photography can teach us about so many things that are at times hard to explain in words. I guess the saying that ' a picture is worth a thousand words" will be perfect for this artist who chose to express his views on the state of the world through photos. His work ranged from one extreme to another. He shot the glamorous world of the Parisian fashion world with the same passion as he photographed the gangs of Harlem.

His artistic passion motivated him to also write books, paint and make movies as well. One passion led to another and he became without an excuse a wold famous artist. GORDON PARKS: NO EXCUSES by ANN PARR and the pictures by GORDON PARKS is available for you to check out.

For grades 3-5.

BOOKMARK CONTEST 2008

It's time for our annual BOOKMARK CONTEST, so come one come all to your local Glendale Public Library and design a bookmark with the theme - CATCH THE READING BUG!

From January 28th through February 10th, design a bookmark at your local branch library and enter to win. You can be 5-years-old or 55-years-old; our only rule is that the actual drawing of the bookmark must be done in the library, at either Central or one of the Branches.

Submissions will be divided into age groups and given to a panel of judges. All winners will be presented with a certificate and copies of their winning bookmark at an award ceremony in April. The winning bookmarks are also distributed throughout the Glendale Public Library System, so make sure yours is in the running!

JUDGE THIS BOOK BY ITS COVER

Black, white and red are supposedly the first colors that babies can tell apart from each other. Perhaps this is why THE TERRIBLE HODAG and the ANIMAL CATCHERS, written by Caroline Arnold, and illustrated by John Sandford, is so eye-catching. The book is about a monster living in a forest, and some bad guys try to capture it. Luckily, the lumberjacks working in the forest help protect the Hodag from being caught. Each drawing is in pen-and-ink, and there are so many lines and shapes, you can imagine how long it took Mr. Sandford to do each page. But what's really neat is the story has words in red ink that pop off the page as much as the illustrations do. It's always nice when the pictures are as good as the story, just like this book. Ages 7 and up.

EVERYTHING YOU LOOK AT HAS ART

Chances are that you have seen the now famous paintings of Campbell's soup cans. But when Mr. Warhol had decided to paint them no one thought that it was a good idea except for him. Andy Warhol said "everything you look at has art" therefore he made art out of ordinary things in life. He experimented with a lot of different materials and techniques and made people see ordinary things in life with a whole new perspective. ANDY WARHOL: POP ART PAINTER by SUSAN GOLDMAN RUBIN will either inspire you to start making art or to start appreciating the ordinary things in life more.

For grades fifth and up.

LET IT SHINE!

The illustrations in this book are so well done that at first glance you would think that you are looking at an art book. The colorful cut-paper collages are really beautiful with a lot of intricate details. At times you will find yourself wondering if you too can start making similar paper-cuts as well. The book itself contains three classic well loved spirituals. So if you don't want to read them you can just look at the art work and it will be guaranteed that you will not be disappointed. LET IT SHINE by ASHLEY BRYAN can also be viewed as an art and craft book for it's cut out shapes.

For ages four through eight.

LET IT SHINE

The illustrations in this book are so well done that at first glance you think you are looking at an art book but the book is really three classic, well loved spirituals beautifully illustrated with colorful and intricate papercut collages. After reading LET IT SHINE by Ashley Bryan you may be inspired to create your own papercut collages.

For ages four through eight.