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Author: Terri Shearer Trenchard
Illustrator: Tracy Councill
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Boys / Health
ISBN: 9781466427846
Pages: 74
Price: $12.99

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Having a “facts of life” discussion with his parents doesn’t usually top the list of bright ideas a pre-teen boy might consider. But when whispered conversations with friends leave him wondering what’s really going on, he needs somewhere to turn for information. Bork Reveals the Real Deal About the Facts of Life can provide the answers.

Speaking in a humorous and light-hearted manner, Bork explains puberty and adolescence in a way boys can understand. Body changes, fluctuating hormones, and even “the facts of life” are covered in this all-inclusive book about growing up.

Most boys would probably rather not talk to a parent about this topic, unless they first have some basic understanding, but Bork encourages them to try. Even if they choose not to, they will have enough information to handle the many changes going on inside them.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

     Keeping this in mind, you might not want to smile or laugh while reading this book.  And when you get to the Flip-O-Rama parts, I suggest you flip with a bored, disinterested look on your face or some adult will probably take this book away from you and make you read Sarah, Plain and Tall instead.
     Don't say I didn't warn you.

My review of Hard Gold as it appeared in the January 2013, issue of School Library Journal.

Hard Gold: The Colorado Gold Rush of 1859 (I Witness Series). By Avi. 4 CDs. 4:00 hrs. AudioGo. 2012. ISBN 978-1-935430-84-1. $49.95.

Gr 5-8--Early Whitcomb's family is in danger of losing their farm. They're behind in their payments, and a local banker is working with the railroad company to force them into selling. Early's young uncle, Jesse, thinks he has the answer. Handbills from the West indicate that gold has been found in Pike's Peak, Nebraska Territory, and it's there for the taking. Early's parents and older brother discount the reports, but Jesse and Early have the itch. Jesse soon sneaks off (under a cloud of suspicion due to a coincidentally timed bank robbery) to strike gold and save the farm. Early's family forbids him to follow, but when word arrives that Jesse has found gold and is in danger, he strikes out alone, joining a wagon train as a hired hand for a barber, his ailing wife, and feisty daughter. The grueling journey, a budding romance, and the possible ill intentions of fellow travelers add suspense and intrigue as Early learns how desperation and circumstances can change the course of one's life. The historical focus of Avi's novel (Hyperion, 2008) is broad. The endless wagon trains are likened to advancing lines of tiny white ants, but individual hardships are presented with considerably less detail. Dialogue and behaviors ring true, and the narration by Alston Brown is clear and pleasing. The diary style is well-suited for audio format. Similar to the "My Name Is America" series, Hard Gold brings history alive, particularly for boys.

Copyright © 2013 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Wisdom’s daughter walks alone

The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,

Twin snuff out the angel’s breath,

Who holds the key to endless death.

Giant’s bane stands cold and pale,

Won through pain from a woven jail.

• 586 pages or 15 hrs, 9 min in audiobook version
• Read the first chapter of The Mark of Athena here.
• Listen to an audiobook excerpt of The Mark of Athena.
• A Teacher's Guide to Rick Riordan's books is available on his site.
• Fans will love it.
• I'm in the Greek camp.

Never pass a puddle without stomping in it. Never go to sleep until the last minute. Never go near Forbidden Hut. Never kiss a girl.

Jubilee

Rides!

4 Stars Drummer Boy of John John Mark Greenwood Frané Lessac Lee and Low Books Pages: 32         Ages: 4+ Jacket:  Carnival is coming and the villagers of John John, Trinidad, are getting ready to jump up and celebrate with music dancing, and a     parade. Best of all, the Roti King has promised free rotis—tasty friend [...]

It has been a while since I reviewed any Young Adult books so for this update I will review Three wonderful YA books that your teens would love.  Please enjoy and grab them for the holiday season.

1) Starters- This book was written by Lisa Price and published by Delacorte Press in 2012. Imgine a world where a deadly war called the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between 20 and sixty years old. A young girl named Callie decides to rent her body to Enders-seniors who want to be young again.  Callie's world is divided and  full of danger, while teens are only second hand citizens. This book follows Callie and her survival in this detopian world full of renegades who will kill for food. As she rents her body she discovers that her renter intends to do more then just have fun. This is a great book to read. It will make you ask the question What if this can happen to us? I highly recommend this book not only for teens, but adults as well.  It will take you to place that may excist one day. Who know it may already be a parral world like this already. It is a very enjoyable read and lots of fun.

2) Elsewhere-  This book was written by Gabrielle Zevin and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2005. An imprint of Macmillan. "After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to "live".  This book look at the afterlife in a whole new way. The writer creates an amazing world that will imerse the reader in it's content. It is full of wonderful discrptions and has a great voice. As you read the book Liz will become a part of you and you will cheer her to the end. A great page turner.  Please grab this book and read it yourself or share it with your teen. A great gift  for everyone.

3) The Knife of Never Letting Go. Book 1 in Chaos Walking- This book is written by Patrick Ness and published by Candlewick Press 2008. "Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World." I really enjoyed this book and the world the auther created. In this world males can here what other males are thinking. Our two main Characters Todd and Viola set out on a journey running away from death. This book is full of action and intersting characters. You get to know the young teens very well. As you read the book it will be a page turner. it also has a much deeper meaning to it. I highly recommend you grab a copy for yourself and your teens. Just be warned the is very gruesome and not recommended for children under 12.

Thank you everyone for reading my blog and have a wonderful Holiday season. Look for a new update soon.

Boys read. As librarians, we know that’s a fact. Research does indicate, however, that boys typically don’t read as much or as well as girls their same age, and as a result they can fall behind. Some great male writers, beloved by all readers, gave their perspectives on why getting more boys reading is necessary and how we might accomplish that goal:

Funny Business, the first volume of stories in the “Guys Read” series edited by Jon Scieszka.

• Jon Scieszka: Start by asking boys what they want to read. Listen to what they say, and note what are your heavily circulating titles. These should be your go-to titles, regardless of what the library literature has to say.
• Michael Grant: Escapism has value in encouraging reading. Is the book one the reader is willing to spend time with?
• Andrew Smith: There are a few dirty words when it comes to encouraging reading: “appropriate,” which casts judgment; and “for,” which excludes potential readers (e.g., books FOR boys, books FOR teens).
• Daniel Handler: Speaking of dirty words, teen boys in particular like their books to have violent and dirty bits. These parts reflect their own thoughts and conversations with friends. To the young male reader, these parts are just one contributing factor to the overall enjoyment of the book, but censorship-happy adults view even short instances of language and sex as rendering the whole book objectionable.

Some boys don’t read, but there are plenty of clandestine male readers, too. The prevalence of readers who hide their enjoyment of reading suggests there’s something fundamentally wrong with our reading culture–why do boys want to keep their reading secret? The answer to this question could shed light on the whole issue of boys and reading.

How do you engage young male readers at your library?

*******

I am the Children’s Librarian at the Corporate Parkway Branch of the St. Charles City-County Library District in Missouri. I am active in ALSC, and I blog as the Show Me Librarian at http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/.

It's opening day for MLB!  Let's start off the season with another baseball book.

     "What's a rez-u-may?" I asked him.  That's how he said it: "rez-u-may."
     "It's a list of all your past jobs and your accomplishments," he said.
     "I've never had a job."
     "Good point," my dad said.  "But you do have a lot of accomplishments."
     So I got on the computer and typed up my accomplishments.  It took me all day.

     "I've never seen "I have my own resume" on a person's resume before," Dad said when I was done.
     "But I worked really hard on it."
     "Good point.  It looks great.  Let's mail it tomorrow."

Angleberger, Tom. 2012. Fake Mustache: How Jodie O'Rodeo and her Wonder Horse (and some nerdy kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind. New York: Amulet.

(Advance Reader Copy supplied by publisher)


With another impossibly long title (who can forget last year's hilarious Horton Halfpott: Or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset?), Tom Angleberger is ready to unleash another load of laughs on eagerly waiting middle schoolers in Fake Mustache: How Jodie O'Rodeo and her Wonder Horse (and some nerdy kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind.

In retrospect, 7th grader, Lenny Flem, Jr., realizes that he never should have loaned his friend Casper Bengue, the ten dollars to buy the Heidelberg Handlebar Number Seven from Hairsprinkle's own Sven's Fair Price Store.  The mustache, combined with the "man-about-town" suit purchased at Chauncey's Big & Small, Short & Tall Shop, enable a chain of events that threaten the town of Hairsprinkle, the presidential election and especially, Lenny Flem, Jr.  A cast of zany characters, including washed-up teen rodeo queen, Jodie O'Rodeo, fill out this funny, improbable adventure story.

Midway through the story, the first-person narration switches from Lenny to Jodie, so the reader doesn't miss any of the action.  Angleberger's humor can be blatantly obvious, as in the "first-ever billion-dollar bank robbery" "carried out by a gang of strolling accordion players," or hidden away for those who take notice. 

One chapter ends,

"No, thanks," I told the mime. "You clowns can either let us both go or get your heinies kicked.  What'll it be?"
"First of all, I'm not a clown.  I'm a mime.  Second of all, do you really think you can kick the heinies of Hairsprinkle's top ten karate instructors?"
"I only see five."
"Look behind you." 

"Well, mister," she informed me with no trace of sympathy in her voice, "I'm going to march your father into this room and make him cut you down to size. And when he finishes with you I'll make him wish he had already built that bomb shelter because he might be living in it."   ...  It took two days for Dad to march into my room and cut me down to size.  He knew he had gotten me in trouble with Mom and so he quickly wrangled a construction job in West Virginia for a couple days of paid work.  He thought Mom might cool down, but he could have been away for two years and she would still have been just as angry.  It was as if she could preserve her anger and store it in a glass jar next to the hot horseradish and yellow beans and corn chowchow she kept in the dank basement pantry.  And when she needed some anger she could just go into the basement and open a jar and get worked up all over again.

• An audio excerpt is available here.
• Read an excerpt here.
• Teacher's Guide 1 Comments on Dead End in Norvelt - a review, last added: 12/13/2011