Sometimes I think I might be a nerd . . .

As I sit here, ordering things for all the branches, certain things intrigue me, amuse me, or otherwise catch my eye. Then I realize what a dork I am for being so intrigued. At least these books are intrinsically cool . . .


The Squampkin Patch by J.T. Petty
You can tell just by the title that Petty has a way with words. This easy-to-read tale of two "temporarily orphaned" children taking up residence in a candy maker's abandoned house is being compared to the works of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl. SLJ hailed its inventive language and humor, and I think it will be the perfect thing to press into eager young hands.


Golden by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Lissy James can read auras--a skill that comes in handy on her first day at a new high school. When she senses a dark and evil presence at the school, she assumes that it comes from the cruel popular kids, but soon learns otherwise. Who hasn't thought, at one point or another, that the popular crowd was enveloped by a murky dark aura of evil? And what teen won't want to read a book that combines teen chick-lit with supernatural overtones?


Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp
This book is about high school football in Oklahoma, but I think that it will appeal to anyone who has ever played the game or cheered on the local team. With the popularity of such films as Any Given Sunday and Friday Night Lights, this similarly gritty tale will find its audience. And the cover is awesome!




Dracula Vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular by Kirk Scroggs
Is the title enough to make you anticipate this book? Do I even need to tell you that this title launches a new series? Should I even bother to mention that there are "Simpsons-style" illustrations on nearly every page? Will it even matter that it's being compared to Captain Underpants? Do you really need to be convinced that the boys in your library will be clamoring for this one?



Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M. M. Blume
Okay . . . I'll admit that I have no idea if this book about a lonely eleven-year-old girl and her friendship with an elderly neighbor is going to be any good. But how can you resist a bright green book with a pug on the cover? Tell me how you do that! And it has the word "audacious" in the title, which is always a good thing.




Butter-Finger by Bob Cattell and John Agard
This book, about an island boy who plays cricket, sounds like your typical learn-about-life sports drama. Except that it's about cricket. Who plays cricket??!?! Either kids will pick it up because they are drawn in by the bright colors on the cover and the foreign mystique of the subject, or they will completely ignore it because cricket is not within their realm of experience. So you should try to convince them all to read it!

For all the anklebiters . . .

We all know that I love the teen books, but wee ones deserve good stuff too. So here are some new things for the younger crowd:


Go Bugs Go! by Jessica Spanyol
This book is (obviously) about bugs on the go--in cars, planes, trains, and all manner of things that move quickly and make noise. In addition to the universal boy-appeal of the subject, the illustrations feature bugs so cute I want to squeal. They are like little jelly beans with legs and wings and happy expressions.


Hippo! No, Rhino by Jeff Newman
The zookeeper has made a horrible mistake, and now everyone thinks that hippo is a rhino--no matter how often he tries to convince them otherwise. With plenty of fun rhyming wordplay, bright colors, and creative use of typeface, I think this book will be a hit.


Cowboy Ned and Andy by David E. S. Stein
It's almost Cowboy Ned's birthday and his equine companion, Andy, wants to be sure to give him the perfect gift. All the reviews talk about how wonderfully and expressively Andy is illustrated, and if the one interior illustration I saw is any indication, the talk is justified.



Bud and Gabby by Anne Davis
I'm not overly fond of cats--or books about cats--but I'm willing to make an exception in this case. The story of big, bossy Bud and his kitten companion first drew me in with this line from the Kirkus review: "Gabby is taken to the vet, and Bud doesn't know what to do with himself. He over-grooms and gets a hairball." Hee hee! Who among us has not done the human equivalent of that? But once I took a closer look at the slightly goofy cover art, I was hooked.



Henrietta, There's No One Better by Martine Murray
Okay . . . I will admit it. I fell in love with the heroine of this book before reading a single word about it, merely because she appears on the cover with a pair of underpants on her head. Happy as a clam with underpants on her head. Once I found out that she's a fiesty, creative, talkative oddball who can turn a phrase with the best of them, I was a goner. She may even replace Junie B. Jones as my favorite kooky kid.



Barbie Hit Mix 2 by Various Artists
OH MY WORD!!!!!!!! IT'S ANOTHER BARBIE CD!!!!!!!!
Barbie and her friends remake such popular songs as "Hollaback Girl" and others that I'm not even cool enough to know. This will fly off your shelves. You will beg me to buy more. Your patrons will shriek with delight. You will be a hero to them for having it. Yeah baby . . . it's everything that little girls love all rolled into one. Maybe I'll glue shiny paper or jewels onto the case . . . but no . . . there would be ecstatic fainting if I did that.

You mean the library has more than just books?

I recently went on a CD-ROM buying blitz, so I thought I'd give a little heads-up so that you can continue to surprise and amaze your patrons with the awesome variety of materials we offer.


Over the Hedge
This movie got a HUGE promotional push when it first came out. I have no idea if it's any good, but it certainly has made a mark on our collective consciousness. The game seems to be geared toward the 5-8 year old crowd, and involves taking the role of one of four characters from the movie and making your way through an obstacle-riddled suburban neighborhood. I'm guessing that there are a lot of kids who will love this movie and want to check this game out.







Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
Another CD-ROM that is based on a movie that got a TON of promotion. This one includes "over 10 mini-games" and is interesting to me because it features the actors who did the voice-overs for the film. Which means, of course, that my boyfriend, Owen Wilson, is featured. Hmmmm . . . maybe I should start checking out CD-ROMs.









Paws & Claws Pet Vet
It's entirely possible that I'm the only person in the world who finds this cool, but I'm hoping it will appeal to all those animal-obsessed kids who troop through the library every day. The point of this game? To create your own veterinary clinic and "treat" a variety of animals. Sort of like Sims for the young, horsey set.








Solomon Says
This Bible-based trivia game with a game-show format claims to be "the perfect party game for families or church youth groups," although I'm thinking that all of our home-school families will also enjoy it. At a time when all computer games seem to be extremely violent and racy, it's nice to be able to offer something that parents don't have to worry about.








Snap! Origami
When I was at the branch every day, I can't tell you how many kids came in obsessed with origami. Because every kid learns differently--and because kids today are so technologically savvy--I was way too excited by this instructional origami CD-ROM. Way too excited. And everyone in KDL-land can also keep an eye out for Origami with Leonor Volume 2, a new DVD that I recently bought for the system. Soon, EVERYONE will be doing origami! Mwa ha ha ha ha!





2Simple CD-ROMs
I actually purchased a number of titles from 2Simple . . . I only pictured one because, frankly, I'm lazy. But ignoring that fact, these sound like big fun to me. The Music Toolkit teaches kids K-8 about such things as rhythm, tempo and harmony, as well as allowing them to perform their own compositions. 2Simple 2Type uses games, exercises, and cool color coding to teach kids touch typing. 2Calculate teaches elementary-aged children about spreadsheets, fractions, graphing and more. There are a lot of other titles, and I'll happily buy any that you think your patrons might find particularly helpful (well, if you work in my library system, I mean). Go to www.theavcafe.com, click on the "new" button on the left of the screen, and find these on the first page.



Pirates of the Caribbean: Legend of Jack Sparrow
Yeah boy!!!! Is there anyone out there who ISN'T looking forward to this movie? Is there anyone out there who DIDN'T secretly want to become a pirate after seeing the first one? Is there anyone who WON'T want to play this game, with its fully interactive environments, hordes of enemies, mistly moonlit caves, and secret treasures? I think not!