Yo

As promised, I am back now that I finished reading the Animorphs series.  Well, technically I still have the Ellimist Chronicles... but that isn't part of the series proper and therefore doesn't count.  

All I have to say is what. the. hell!  As you are aware of the weekly publication in days past of Pottertastic Tidbits I am a diehard Potter fan.  That should alert you to how monumental it is that I think I cried more at the ending of the Animorphs series than I did for Potter.  True story.  Both children's books series use a war as the focal point and feature substantial losses on both sides.  However, Harry Potter ends with the final statement, "All was well," and even though there were more casualties than in Animorphs, it still ties together nicely in a little bow named King's Cross train station.  Animorphs, on the other hand, ends on a bitter note portraying the aftermath of the war and it's impact on all of the characters.  All but one are left miserable, and the one that isn't miserable is pretty much the reason the others are depressed.  I was initially upset by this ending, but this bitch slap from K.A. Applegate has led me to finally cope and accept the ending of this series (Please note: if you actually care about Animorphs spoilers, don't go to the Applegate letter).  

Yet again, I would like to state that I refuse to believe that fictional characters are not real.  I don't know when (or if) I can recover from my favorite Animorph dying, but I will find a way.  I somehow managed to survive Sirius Black going deadside, so I guess I can handle this.  Right?

Animorph drama

I probably won't post for a while, as I am in the final stretch of the Animorphs series. That's right kids, I am about to start book 45 which begins the final story arc!! One thing that I really hope to happen is that Rachel figures out she also secretly likes Marco, in addition to Tobias. Then, there will be middle school drama abound as they fight off the Yeerks in full force! Middle school drama is the most entertaining by far, so fingers crossed that after their expedition into Marco's body and listening to his heart, Rachel gets tinglies and Tobias gets surly. Surlier.

This is not a review

And to prove that, I am going to compose a list of three very important things you should know about this book, which clearly, is not a review by any means:

1. This book is great for parents that have difficulties explaining why they need a babysitter to their children. Especially children of the, "Well, why can't I just go with you?" variety.
   
2. The protagonist has a stuffed vampire. The vamp only makes a brief appearance, but still, stuffed vampire all the same.
3. Lastly, lists of three are used throughout the book and I like me some lists. This helps with my theory that the earlier children are exposed to list-making, the more likely they will use lists. It's not a long-standing theory, just a thought-of-it-as-I-type-this theory, which is still a theory when all is said and done.

As my list shows, I did not actually review Don't Forget to Come Back by Robbie H. Harris, so you should probably check it out for yourself! ::wink wink nudge nudge::

More reasons why seventh graders are the funniest people ever

Different seventh grader, same library:

"I used poison ivy as an excuse to scratch my butt. Even after it went away, I kept scratching. I would say it was because of the poison ivy, but people would tell me they knew it was long gone.

Why is this ever good information to share with the public? Especially your local librarian? Oh, that's right. Because entertaining gems like this make my life. Thank you middle schoolers for being a constant source of entertainment.

Great finds!

Now that I'm back from the NJASL conference I can ignore my homework with proper tasks such as blogging, instead of silly, frivolous things like networking and learning about libraries. While being productive seems like a bad idea right now, I can report some of the finds I made at the conference and it will seem like I am accomplishing something. Right?

No, I am not here to detail all the ins and outs of librarianship heretofore unknown to me. I will most likely provide a recap on the Rutgers Association of School Librarians blog where all that professional business belongs. Instead, I will tell you about these two awesome authors I chatted with in the author's alley. The first is Scott Mebus, author of Gods of Manhattan. Sad to say, I have yet to read his book and it is currently not in our collection, but after chatting with him and finding out what an awesome guy he is you betcha his book is going to find its way onto our stacks. Oh, and for the record, I am aware I do not review books that are less than ten years old, but I will post a review when I finish his book. It is on the top of my to-read-after-finishing-Animorphs list (46 books down, only 15.5 left to go!!).

The other author, Christine C. Kaputa, was sitting at the same table as Mebus. She is also pretty remarkable. I didn't get a chance to talk with her for as long as I was able to chat with Mebus, but she also seemed to have a palpable awesome aura about her. Her book, Bad Kitty!, makes two for two not in our collection, but again, I am going to push it to the person responsible for collection development in the children's room (a.k.a. one of my best friends). Christine also offers workshops for young writers and her pamphlet is on top of the pile for summer reading discussion as I type this.

P.s. I have to be honest here, I have a bit of a professional crush on Mebus. I wish I was supremely cool and had a series book deal for middle grade readers. Our little talk inspired me to try and write again during winter break. Fingers crossed I get at least a paragraph!

P.p.s. Christine gets bonus points because her MBA is from Fordham, which is where the boyfriend currently spends all his money in pursuit of his law degree.

To which I said, "Pooey!"

"Scary books are for before Halloween, not after," said a ficticious person that inhabits my head. To which, I said, "Pooey! You are a silly voice in my head that doesn't exist and you don't make up rules because you are not the boss of me." Then I was given medication.

Actually, none of this happened. BUT IF IT DID, I would still say, "Pooey!" You know why? Because scary books are great all year long, especially right after Halloween. Have you ever tried quitting scary stories cold turkey? It's not good for the complexion. And you know what? Daniel Handler (of Lemony Snicket fame) concurs, a word which here means that he too thinks people should continue reading scary stories after Halloween. How do I know this? Because this review he published for the New York Times' special children's literature section came out seven whole days after Halloween. With a name like Fright Club it's hard not to be chockful of horrific tales to whet your appetite.

Sims meets Buffy

This is weirder than when people make lego videos for audio clips.  At least with the legos, presumably they are lying around.  This johnson here has computer animation designed specifically to replace the visuals for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Buffy v. Dracula.  ::Cough too much time on your hands cough::  Amusing, however.  Very, very amusing.