Picture Books to Movies

Two classic picture books are becoming full length feature films this year:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendack looks amazing! If you haven't read the picture book, it's about a boy named Max who gets into trouble with his parents and decides to leave to become the king of the Wild Things. The release date is October 2009. Watch the movie trailer.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett is scheduled for release for September 2009. They took a few liberties with the storyline but the main idea is a town called Chewandswallow that gets very weird weather. Talk about fresh food....Watch the movie trailer.

As a librarian, I am always excited to see that popular books have started to influence the movie industry. Now, I just hope they stay true to the books! In more good movie news, 20th Century Fox will be doing The Lightning Theif (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1) scheduled to be released February 2010. This is a comedic, action/adventure series about a boy whose father was a Greek god and the roles they play in the present. Let's not forgot that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will be released this July!

Thoughts on Picoult's newest, "Handle With Care"

Anyone familiar with the works of Jodi Picoult knows that the story just isn't over until the very last page. While I appreciate a "surprise" ending when it truly lends to the story, or the reader's interpretation of the work, I have become somewhat suspicious of Picoult's incorporation of these endings to her novels. It almost seems lately that the sole purpose of Picoult's ending twists is to pull on the emotions and heartstrings of her loyal readers. In my opinion, a story doesn't have to shock the reader with its ending to be a good (or even great) read.

Without giving too much away, I truly believe that "Handle With Care" could have ended about five pages before it actually did, without harming the impact of the storyline. With this book especially, I feel like the final few pages were only written to play to the reader's emotions. Through the course of the book, I was definitely drawn into the many layers and controversial issues that the story explores. Without a doubt, Jodi Picoult's works do cause you to really examine your core beliefs and values; and the ability to evoke that from a reader is truly a gift I do appreciate. But with "Handle With Care", I feel that Jodi went just a little too far to get her desired reaction. I almost felt like I was being clubbed over the head with emotion, just to ensure that I felt something when I was done reading. Just a thought, I'd be interested to hear what other readers feel about this .......

Twilight-the movie v. the book

I finally watched the movie "Twilight." I suggest you read the book. Don't get me wrong, the movie is okay for the low budget indie that it is, but as usually is the case there is so much left out that the reason the book became such a hit is hard to see. This is just the truth of trying to fit hundreds of pages and thousands of words into an hour and a half. Can't be done. Didn't work with "Eragon" either. And I can never figure out why I usually think the deleted scenes should have stayed!

I read the entire "Twilight" series. I will watch the next movie. But, really, if you saw the movie and didn't get it....read the book. If you LOVED the book and hated the movie, just think of it as two different stories. The movie is just abridged. Librarians and abridged stories do not go well together. :)

If you LOVED the movie, buy it from us. It's a fundraiser.

We're SO 2.0!

If you have a facebook account, sign up for our group. It will include upcoming events, discussions about literature, and news.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=62699925850


Also, our TAG (Teen Advisory Group) is working on a YouTube channel for library commercials.
Check out our rough cut of "The Cure for Boredom" and subscribe to our channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwbW8bQ7urU

Scribbles 'N' Stuff

I am so proud of my creative writing group. We just published our first newsletter, "Scribbles N' Stuff", full of creative writing, news, contests, and sports. Anyone ages 5 and up is welcome to submit articles and artwork to our newsletter. They can be emailed to me (jlamarre@sailinc.org) or dropped off at the kids desk.

Our link is here http://www.pembrokepubliclibrary.org/yanewsletter1%20(2).pdf

Stay tuned monthly for more editions!

Heroes of the Valley

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
Recommended for ages 12 and up

Everyone in the valley knows the old stories of how the Heroes settled the valley and kept the peace among the people. As the second son of a prominent House in the valley, Halli Sveinsson has grown up hearing the tales daily. His older brother Leif will inherit the family's title and rule of the land, and so Halli spends most of his time getting into trouble. When Halli unintentionally starts a feud he leaves his home in hopes of restoring his family’s honor and discovers the world beyond his House.

With fights, thieves and mysterious monsters, this book is as thrilling as it is humorous. Though it starts off slow, Stroud (author of the bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy) will soon have you hooked as Halli's knack for getting into trouble leads him from one mess to another in quick succession. Can a prankster like Halli ever hope to become a hero?

New and Interesting

We are always getting new books and I thought I 'd announce this week's. Jodi Picoult's new one, Handle with Care, arrived Tuesday. Others are :
Karen Rose's Kill for Me.
Last Lion (the biography of Ted Kennedy)
and Dirty Water, a Red Sox Mystery.
I can't list them all. We add hundreds of titles a month!
Happy reading.