Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is about an elementary school student with attention-deficit disorder. Joey tries very, very hard to follow the rules, but between his disorder and his vivid imagination, he finds staying out of trouble to be quite difficult (often with humorous results). The author of the Joey Pigza books, Jack Gantos, does a phenomenal job of reaching into Joey’s head and Continue Reading »

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Twisted is a coming of age story about a boy of nearly eighteen who is facing many challenges in his life. He is no angel, but he is not the bad boy everyone seems to believe he is. His home life is troubled, and his future is uncertain. When he is falsely accused of a crime that could very well send him to prison, he loses hope and seriously contemplates Continue Reading »

Reading Makes You Smart!

Recently, an adult came in to the children’s department and selected a number of juvenile non-fiction titles. Before she left, I asked her if she had found everything she needed. She replied that she had found what she was looking for and added, “I like to read about a lot of subjects, and I prefer to read the children’s books because they are Continue Reading »

Hi, I’m Joel and I’m an addict!

A few months ago, Allie recommended that I get some audio-books to help me pass the time while commuting to and from work each day. She selected the prequel to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time Series, but neglected to mention that it was the beginning of a very long series. The next thing I knew, I was hooked. It was nice. Bad traffic was no longer a problem. No road rage for me. I would just sit and listen to my book. Sometimes I would remain in the driveway after returning home because I just couldn’t “put the book down.” Continue Reading »

No I won’t wear a Beaver costume

One of the hazards of my profession is that I am often approached by self-published authors, self-professed performers, and other similar self-promoters who want to do a “free” program at the library. This translates to: “I can’t get anyone to pay me to do this, but I’m sure I’ll be rich and famous if I can just get some people to notice me.” Don’t get me wrong. Continue Reading »