Max by James Patterson (or so he says)

Ok I read the new Max book by James Patterson and I must say I was not disappointed. I just knew it would be terrible and I was right! The first 2 or 3 books in this series are OK, but not great literature. I keep reading them for the same reason that people stare at car accidents--you just have to see what's going on. Patterson has again attached his name to a formulaic, badly written book. For shame--but then again we readers keep encouraging him by reading this kind of stuff. I would try to write this stuff too if I knew I'd make a mountain of money!

Shelfari rhymes with Doktari!

If you remember old TV shows, then you'll get the Doktari reference above. Anyway, I have almost 800 books listed on my Shelfari shelf. If it's bizarre, twisted, and some would say even boring, then I've probably put it on my shelf! I did look at LibraryThing also and it looks good too. The question is, how can I choose just one!

"Hunting" for a new series

Are you or someone you know a fan of the Warrior series by Erin Hunter. It's a great fantasy series in JF that features cats as the main characters. Warriors has several off-shoot series sequels but kids read through all of them quickly. Now Erin Hunter has a new series called Seekers. This series features bears as the main characters. It's just as exciting and looks to be just as intricate as the cat series. Give it a try!

Feed (me!)

I have to say that this is the first time I've really used blogging except for Shelfari.com. It's just not something that I do, but it was a lot easier than I thought. I like having current reviews sent to me and not having to check Amazon all the time. As far as using it in the library, it would be great for students who are working on current events or popular culture projects. I would also recommend it to busy moms--it's a quick way to stay current.

Great children's books, but little appreciated!

There are a lot of great kids chapter books in our collection that get overlooked. Most of the time, it's because they aren't AR or maybe they are not written by well known authors. One of my favorites is "My Mother the Cheerleader" by Robert Sharenow. The story is about a young white girl growing up during school integration and the civil rights movement. She doesn't understand why there is such a big deal about having african-american kids in her class and she really cannot comprehend why her mother becomes one of the protesters against integration. Her mother's group is mockingly called the "cheerleaders." Unlike some other children's books about this time period, there is no happy ending. The story is told in unflinching, realistic detail. A good choice for older readers studying this time period.