Thursday, April 27, 2017

Tween picks

I am a JTAB ( Junior Teen Advisory Board ) member at the Peter White Public Library. At our monthly meeting we like to talk about our  favorite books.  Here our some of my personal favorites!

Warriors: Into the Wild  by Erin Hunter.  This book comes up a lot in conversation because it is so good! It is about a small “Kittypet” named Rusty who stumbles upon “Clan Cats” and his new life is born. Surely once you read the first book of this series, you will be hooked right in.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier. This wonderful graphic novel is about Raina herself! She tells us about a dental disaster involving her two front teeth.  She goes to Junior High school and all her friends seem to think Raina has not grown up a bit since elementary school. Raina starts to feel self-conscious about her new appearance. Read the book to hear her story and feel her emotions. Will she get over her dental-drama? Read the book to find out!

El’ Deafo by Cece Bell. Like Smile, Cece tells her story about her childhood too! Little Cece Bell manages to pick up meningitis which causes Cece major hearing loss. She goes to a new school with lots of new people. Cece must get a super special “Phonic Ear” which helps Cece hear.  Cece must go to a regular school again and that means more new technology to help Cece hear. She has a microphone attached to her and a microphone on the teacher.  This graphic novel is super funny and is sure to make you laugh.

Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters. The Lumberjane scouts are at it again! The camp for Hardcore Lady-Types seems to have some hardcore wacky-antics going on! For instance, The kitten holy, Dinosaurs, and Lake monsters!!?? What does all this mean?  Read the book to find out.

Goldie Vance by Hope Larson. Goldie Vance seems to be the modern-age Nancy Drew! She is a amazing, hard-working super sleuth who is just itching to solve a case. She dreams of becoming a full-time super detective. One day, the home-town detective stumbles along a case he can't solve.  He takes in Goldie for her hard-working spirit and her random skills. If you love a good mystery, this graphic novel is perfect for you!

Baby-Sitter’s Club (Graphic Novel Edition) by Raina Telgemeier. This is another great graphic novel by Raina herself! In this book, Kristy decides she and her friends should start a club just for babysitters! She and her friends in the BSC go through some big changes and wacky activities. You should read this book if you like to laugh.  This is the perfect graphic novel series to read with your friends.

Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss. Amelia’s family has to move to a different town due to their job situations. Her mother gets her a notebook to write down her feelings. She starts out not so fond of the notebook but starts getting the hang of it.  The move is too much to handle for her older sister, Cleo. And Amelia isn’t happy being so being many miles away from her best friend in the world, Nadia. This book is super funny and has amazing illustrations. Read it to see how Amelia handles moving to a different town. If you like diary-type books, this book is perfect for you!     

--Hayden Steltenpohl, 11, PWPL Junior Teen Advisory Board Member
       

Reading without Walls, Teen Choices



Graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young Adult Literature, is challenging readers of all ages to expand our horizons by “Reading Without Walls” during April and beyond.  Read a book about a character who doesn’t look like you or live like you; a book on a topic you don’t know much about; or a book in a format you don’t normally choose to read for fun. Here are some suggestions from PWPL’s “New Teen” book shelves to help you begin Reading Without Walls.



Angie Thomas’ debut novel The Hate U Give has made a big splash in the literary world as the first Black Lives Matter book, a powerful story told in the voice of teenager Starr Carter. Starr is a smart, athletic girl straddling two worlds: the poor, mostly black neighborhood in which she lives and the high school she attends in a wealthy, mostly white neighborhood. Starr balances her worlds admirably until the night she watches in horror as a police officer brutally murders her childhood friend during a traffic stop. Don’t miss The Hate U Give and its raw, unflinching look at what it means to live as a black person in the United States. Starr’s narrative voice is authentic and entertaining, her story compelling.



Why not check out Adam Rapp’s and Mike Cavallaro’s romantic dystopia, Decelerate Blue, and give graphic novels a look? In Decelerate’s futuristic world, speed and efficiency are everything, and people rush along under a nonstop barrage of sensory stimulation. Angela thinks she might be the only person alive who sees anything wrong with this picture, but in fact she's not alone. She finds herself recruited into a resistance movement where the key to rebellion is slowing things down. In their secret underground hideout, they create a life unplugged from the breakneck pace of the consumer culture outside. Can they free the rest of the world before the powers that be shut down their utopian experiment?

For another new format, discover the beauty of a novel written in verse! Ronit & Jamil, by Pamela L. Laskin, offers a captivating retelling of Romeo & Juliet, set amid the modern day conflict between Israel and Palestine. Ronit, an Israeli girl, lives on one side of the fence. Jamil, a Palestinian boy, lives on the other side. The miles between them are nothing compared to the generations of strife that separate their families. Sparks fly when Ronit and Jamil are brought together through a mistrustful business arrangement between their fathers, igniting a teenage romance that is both timeless and timely.

You don’t have to know anything about computer coding to enjoy Andrea Gonzales’ and Sophie Houser’s account of their success in the world of computer gaming, Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done. As teenagers, Andrea and Sophie decided to fight the taboo surrounding women’s periods by creating a video game called Tampon Run. The game went viral overnight, thrusting the girls into the spotlight and giving them exclusive access to the tech industry. Now Andrea and Sophie have decided to share their empowering, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, experiences as successful female coders in a male-dominated industry.

In her debut novel, American Street, Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this exploration of America with magical realism and voodou culture. Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find a good life on the corner of American Street and Joy Road. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola on her own to navigate her new school and new life on the gritty west side of Detroit. Fabiola’s poignant story offers a window to the dreams and dangers of the modern day immigrant experience.
Susan Cain’s Quiet Power: the Secret Strengths of Introverts is eye-opening for both introverts and extroverts alike. Drawing on her own experience as an empowered introvert, Cain offers insights and advice for teens on school, friendship, family life, and extracurricular activities. Her opening manifesto declares that “a quiet temperament is a hidden superpower” and “most great ideas spring from solitude.” Then to reassure extroverts, Cain tells us “Introverts and extroverts are yin and yang – we love and need each other.” Vive la difference!

--Mary Schneeberger, Teen Services Coordinator

Monday, April 10, 2017

Re-imagining Space



Peter White Public Library is in the process of re-imagining the library building’s spaces nearly twenty years after the previous expansion and renovation project which began in 1998. The growth in public usage, need for updated technology, and the shortage of meeting room space has created an opportunity to imagine the possibilities for Marquette’s library of tomorrow. Input from the recent public focus groups and the online patron survey help to sharpen our sites on the exciting changes in store.
Just as the library is working with Kim Bollan & Associates to assist us with the space-planning process, some of the newest nonfiction books at the library will inspire and guide you to re-imagine your own personal space, no matter what the size. Find these items on the ‘New Books’ shelves on the main floor of the library under the call numbers indicated.
Prefabulous Small Houses by Sheri Koones is the minimalists’ dream idea book. Published by Taunton press in 2016 with a foreword by Robert Redford, the book’s 200+ pages are filled with stylish examples of quality tiny homes that have low environmental impact and are stunningly simple. From boat houses to beach houses, woodsy cabins to urban chic, these small spaces are huge on appeal. 728KO
On the other extreme of the housing spectrum, All the President’s Gardens by garden historian Marta McDowell, delves into the changes in the eighteen acres of the nation’s White House gardens and the influence on their design by our nation’s presidents from George Washington and his passion for trees through the Obama kitchen garden to promote healthy eating. All these changes were designed and cared for by the foremen who oversaw the White House grounds. Published in 2016, this book is a fascinating look into American history and garden trends since 1800. 635.0975MC
No money for adding on a room or total reconstruction? Take a look at your interiors through the eyes of Vern Yip, television home design expert and author of Vern Yip’s Design Wise, published in 2016. Yip approaches interior design through the lens of comfortable human dimensions, offering hard numbers on how to rearrange your seating, tables, appliances, utilities, etc. for comfort and practicality. The book is full of stunning photographs of stylish spaces with an Asian esthetic that are designed for everyday family living inside and outside. 747 YI
Making your new space happen requires some elbow grease. Readers handy with tools will enjoy Good Clean Fun by actor, comedian and writer Nick Offerman. A hobby woodworker, Offerman provides a tongue in cheek look at how his projects have worked, his views on the world of fine craftsmanship as well as to introduce readers to some of his quirky woodworking buddies. A fun read that will also teach you a thing or two. 648.08 OF
For those feeling suffering from cabin fever, Dream Treehouses by will help you release your inner adventurer. Written by four French designers, this book is a showcase of imaginative outdoor getaways around the world set well above ground with gorgeous vistas. Beautifully crafted, these treehouses become unique and beautifully crafted spaces to get away from it all. 728.9 LA
Now that spring has sprung, Botanical Style by Selina Lake will inspire you to bring a bit of the outdoors into your personal spaces. Well illustrated from cover to cover, this book features decorating tips using botanical art prints and fabrics, naturalistic floral arrangements and creative ideas on using indoor plants to help you transform your space into an indoor paradise. 747.98 LA
Happy spring!   
--Margaret Boyle, Circulation Services

Monday, April 3, 2017

Historical non-fiction



No matter what the content area, reading nonfiction can bring history to life thru great narration and descriptive writing. These titles are a great historical read. 

How the Post Office Created America, a History by Winifred Gallaher 
How the post Office Created America tells the story of the surprising role of the post office in the nation’s political, social, economic and physical development. For the longest time it  the post office was the U.S. government’s largest and most important endeavor and was established in 1775 before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  The authors takes you on a journey, as the post office was the catalyst of the industrial economy (transportation grid, customer service cultured and the political party system. Gallagher argues that Americans should understand what the post office has accomplished since 1775 and what it can contribute to a 21st century.

Rites of Conquest: The History and Culture of Michigan’s Native Americans by Charles E. Cleland  
Rites of Conquest narrates the struggle of Michigan Native Peoples; Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. For many thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, Michigan’s native peoples, the Anishnabeg thrived in the forests and along the shores of the Great Lakes, their cultures in delicate social balance and in economic harmony with the natural order.  The French quest for furs, the colonial aggression of the British, and the invasion of native homelands by American settlers is the backdrop for its fascinating saga of their resistance and accommodation to the new social order.  Michigan Native American’s look to their values and traditions that set them apart as the most enduring peoples of the Great Lakes region. 

Wicked Takes the Witness Stand: A tale of murder and twisted deceit in Northern Michigan by Mardi Link
The author of When Evil Came to Good Hart and Isadore’s Secret, has written a third book of Michigan true crime. Wicked Takes the Witness stand provides a narrative on an unsolved mysterious case that sucked the state police and local officials into a morass of perjury and cover-up, which led to the separate condition and imprisonment of five innocent men.

--Stanley Peterson, Maintenance Services Coordinator