Friday, May 28, 2010

Eclipse midnight movie release fun

Attention Twilight fans! If you're looking forward to seeing Eclipse when it comes out June 30, why not make a marathon of it? AMC Theatres are planning  The Twilight Saga Experience. At this event you'll watch all three movies in the series: Twilight (2008), New Moon (2009), and Eclipse (2010). The cost is $30 and you'll also receive a limited-edition event lanyard and a $10 AMC gift card. The fun starts at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, June 29. Local theaters participating in the Twilight marathon include South Barrington 30, Streets of Woodfield 20, and Randhurst 16 in Mount Prospect.

In November I attended back-to-back showings of Twilight and New Moon for the New Moon midnight release and it was fun to watch the movies with a large audience of crazy, but well-behaved, fans. Just remember to buy your tickets soon before they sell out! You can pick up the tickets at the theater in advance of the marathon, so on June 29 all you have to do is show up and present your tickets!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Lizard King:the True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers


The Lizard King, a true story of a crafty reptile smuggler and the federal agent who tries to catch him, explores the vast criminal enterprise that supplies reptiles to pet shops, collectoers, and zoo's worldwide. It takes us into the middle of an unusaul family business, the global conservation movement, and one man's noble and monomaniacal quest for justice.






May 14, 2010 in Milwaukee police report.
Huge anacondas, alligators among reptiles found in Milwaukee home, building
Associated Press | Posted: Friday, May 14, 2010 8:57 am
Milwaukee police were called to investigate an alleged sexual assault and stepped into a crime scene crawling -- in some cases literally -- with hundreds of reptiles and other animals.
The incident happened Wednesday at a home and nearby building housing alligators, turtles, rodents and snakes.
Police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said dozens of reptiles were in the house, and hundreds more were inside a building used as a storage facility and residence. Police remained at the scene Thursday.
Lt. Paul Felician told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee that there were also at least five anaconda snakes, ranging in size from 20 to 30 feet in length and probably several hundred pounds. He said there also were spiders and a chicken.
The animals were being kept in an assortment of storage containers, and some were roaming and not confined.
Schwartz said police were assisted by officials from two nearby zoos, Milwaukee Domestic Animal Control, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services.
Officers arrested a 50-year-old Milwaukee woman on tentative charges related to the animals, including intentionally mistreating animals.
Police still are investigating the alleged sexual assault, too.


And is it still going on -- maybe in your own neighborhood.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Eclipse soundtrack song listing released

Yesterday the tracks for the soundtrack to this summer's Eclipse were released every half hour at myspace music. Way to be dramatic and work the Twi-hards into a frenzy! Here is the confirmed track list:

1. Metric – “Eclipse (All Yours)”
2. Muse – “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)”
3. The Bravery – “Ours”
4. Florence + The Machine – “Heavy In Your Arms”
5. Sia – “My Love”
6. Fanfarlo – “Atlas”
7. The Black Keys – “Chop And Change”
8. The Dead Weather – “Rolling In On A Burning Tire”
9. Beck and Bat For Lashes – “Let’s Get Lost”
10. Vampire Weekend – “Jonathan Low”
11. UNKLE – “With You In My Head (featuring The Black Angels)”
12. Eastern Conference Champions – “A Million Miles An Hour”
13. Band Of Horses – “Life On Earth”
14. Cee-Lo Green – “What Part Of Forever”
15. Howard Shore – “Jacob’s Theme”

The soundtrack comes out June 8! Stay tuned for details about our upcoming Eclipse Movie Release Party, which we'll have at the library Friday June 25.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters: Book Trailer

You're acting like an animal














Animal Farm by George Orwell
Old Major a thoughtful boar describes his dream for farm life that allows all animals to determined there destiny free from the farmer who oppresses them. The animals overthrow the farmer and create their own society. Old Major’s dream becomes distorted.


Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaugh
From one of America's most acclaimed comics writers a startlingly original look at life on the streets of Baghdad during the Iraq War inspired by true events. In the spring of 2003, a pride of lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during an American bombing raid. Lost and confused, hungry but finally free, the four lions roamed the decimated streets of Baghdad in a desperate struggle for their lives. In documenting the plight of the lions, Pride of Baghdad raises questions about the true meaning of liberation - can it be given, or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? And in the end, is it truly better to die free than to live life in captivity? Based on a true story, Vaughan and Henrichon have created a unique and heartbreaking window into the nature of life during wartime, illuminating this struggle as only the graphic novel can.

 
Watership Down by Richard Adams
First published in 1972, Richard Adam's extraordinary bestseller Watership Down takes us to a world we have never truly seen: to the remarkable life that teems in the fields, forests, and riverbanks, far beyond our cities and towns. It is a powerful saga of courage, leadership, and survival; and epic tale of a hardy band of Berkshire rabbits forced to flee the destruction of their fragile community and their trials and triumphs in the face of extraordinary adversity as they pursue a glorious dream called "home"

Shakespeare : Rebel with Applause

Where there's a Will there's a Play

Monday, May 10, 2010

Novels written in verse



Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Brimstone Journels by Ronald Koertge
Crank
by Ellen Hopkins
Glass by Ellen Hopkins
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
Keesha's House by Helen Frost
Love  That Dog  by Sharon Creech
Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff
Out of the Dust by Karen Hess
This Full House by Virginia Wolff
Witness by Karen Hess
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Who Killed Mr Chippendale? by Mel Glenn


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Riddle me this Batman

Where does he get those wonderful toys?
Batmobile
Batcycle
Batcopter
Bat Utility Belt
Batarang

Monday, May 3, 2010

What to read while waiting for the last book in the Hunger Games Trilogy





Feed by M.T. Anderson
For Titus and his friends, it started out like any trip to the moon-a chance to party during spring break. But that was before the hacker caused their feeds to malfunction. And it was before Titus met Violet, who has decided to fight the feed.
Find it in the catalog!




Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
When brilliant Andrew "Ender" Wiggins is drafted to Battle School to learn to fight against the aliens threatening humanity, what he think are just battle games carry some very real consequences.
Find it in the catalog!





Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Who is Jenna Fox? She has just awaken from a coma, they tell her, and she is till recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?
Find it in the catalog! 

Friday, April 30, 2010

Abraham Lincoln Book Award Winners 2005-2010

Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award Winners
2010 City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Thei
r hidden world is about to be revealed....When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.... Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.


2009 Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But o
n a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina - she's fearless. Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul - her life. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc. 




2008
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an
exq
uisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human.




2007
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not f
or her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

2006 My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and sh
ots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

2005 A Child Called "It" : One Child's Courage to Survive by David J Pelzer.
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Judging a book by its cover


Oh yes, this cover sent me running to the Children's Department to find the book.

My Rotten Life by David Lubar
Ten-year-old Nathan Abercrombie is having a really bad day. First, Shawna Lanchester,the prettiest girl in his class, doesn't invite him to her party. Then he gets picked last in gym class. Things couldn't get any worse..until he gets doused with an experimental serum that turns him into a half-dead zombie! Nathan soon discovers that being half dead isn't all bad. He doesn't need any sleep, so he can stay up all night and play games online.He doesn't feel any pain, so there's no need to worry about Rodney the bully anymore. Still, Nathan would rather be human. Will he find a cure? Or will Nathan be half-dead forever?






People bucket is a physics-based adventure and a great time waster

Enjoy People Bucket



www.pplbucket.com/

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Flavia du Luce is a worthy successor to Miss Marple


Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Brady

Eleven-year-old Flavvia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, must exonerate her father of murder. Armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together and examine new suspects, she begins a search that will lead her all to the King of England himself. 
Find it in the catalog!







Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag

Flavia de Luce , a dangerously brilliant evelen-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders, sets out to solve the murder of a beloved puppeteer. All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local constables can't solve-without Flavia's help.
Find it in the catalog!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Celebrate Shakespeare's birth and death with some Shakespearean insults

"Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold."
- Macbeth
Happy 446th birthday, William Shakespeare! Or... happy 394th anniversary of your death, William Shakespeare! We'd like to celebrate this day by using creative Shakespearean English insults. When modern-day half-hearted insults just won't do, check out the Shakespearan Insulter. Unfurl one of these descriptive quotes and your clueless adversary will be paralyzed and unable to come up with a quality comeback. All you have to do on the website is click the "Insult me again" button to reveal a new insult.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Book release dates for readers of vampire fiction

March 16, 2010
The Return: Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith
book 6 in the Vampire Diaries series

April 27, 2010
Burned by P.C. Cast
book 7 in House of Night series

May 4, 2010
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
book 11 in the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series

May 18, 2010
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
book 5 in the Vampire Academy series

June 5, 2010
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Companion novella to the Twilight series

June 29, 2010
Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz
Companion novel to the Blue Bloods series

September 21, 2010
Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer
book 5 in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series

October 5, 2010
Misguided Angel by Melissa De La Cruz
book 5 in the Blue Bloods series

December 14, 2010
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
book 6 in the Vampire Academy series

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Submit a (nearly) haiku review!

Hey, teens! We are looking for readers to write about recent books they have read. Just one thing: you have to write your review using stanzas in the form of a haiku. A haiku review! A nearly-haiku review works, too. We won't be strict about adhering to the syllable counts. To refresh your memory, a haiku consists of 17 syllables:
line 1: 5 syllables
line 2: 7 syllables
line 3: 5 syllables

Here is my haiku review of Twilight:

Studious Bella
moves to Forks to be with dad.
So rainy, but wait!

Brooding veg. vamp in
bio class is quite dreamy:
Edward (cold and pale).

He can't read her mind.
Where does he go on sunny
days? Well, he sparkles.

The Cullens play ball...
Bella, watch out for that James!
Vamp fight ensues and

Edward must save Bells.
Vamps are so dangerous, no?
Become smitten with

them and you'll ignore
everything else in your life.
Cute vampires make the

plot go quickly, but
I wish Bella had a life
outside sir Edward.

I know you will do better than my offering! Submit your haiku review to dundeeteens@dundeelibrary.info and we will post the haiku reviews on the blog!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Reception for the 2010 Dundee Crown Student Art Show

This Saturday the Dundee Library will host a reception for the student artists participating in this year's Dundee Crown Student Art Show. At 1 PM awards for Best of Show, Teacher’s Choice and First, Second and Honorable Mention will be presented. The awards are decided by a panel of three judges with an art background. Refreshments will be served.

If you can't make the reception, you can still stop by the library to look at the artwork, which will be on display through April 13.