Plymouth Staff Choices

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
Picture Book Shelves – Lower Level - KEA

One snowy day, little Peter’s imagination runs wild as he finds unique wonders within the freshly fallen snow. He can make snow angels, snowmen, and fun tracks in the white fluffy snow. He even pretends to be a mountain climber and slides down the big snow banks. At the end of the day his new friend, a snowball, melts. However, magic awaits him the very next day because it has snowed again!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a classic picture book that captures the innocence of youth and the universal childhood joy of playing in the snow. The winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, The Snowy Day has stood the test of time and with the Michigan weather of late, there doesn’t seem to be a more appropriate story to read aloud with your little ones!

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Picture Book Shelves – Lower Level – KIM
Holiday Books – Lower Level – K
Youth Nonfiction – Lower Level – J398.2924 K

I’m not anywhere close to Jewish, and I know that Hanukkah is a pretty minor Jewish holiday as such things goes. Still, I’ve always loved both the holiday and this cracking good story, which I first read when it was published in Cricket magazine in the early 80s, with small black-and-white illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. Her full-color, full-size illustrations here are a delight (as well as winning a Caldecott Honor). Though I brought my son all sorts of holiday books home, this is the one that he wanted to read every day.

Oh, wait, you wanted to hear about the story? Ok, then. Hershel – the traditional Jewish trickster – is wandering out alone on the first day Hanukkah, hoping to find a warm house and some potato latkes. Imagine his surprise when he comes to the village and find neither candles nor latkes. The rabbi tells him that the village is plagued by goblins. They’ve taken over the synagogue and refuse to let anyone celebrate Hanukkah. The only way to stop them is to trick them into keeping the candles lit for the first seven nights on Hanukkah. On the eighth night, the Goblin King must light them himself. Hershel volunteers, and faces goblins each more comically grotesque than the last until the final, truly scary, King of the Goblins arrives. It’s a little wordy for the very young – I tried and failed to read it to a three-year-old once – but from four or five up, the combination of great storytelling, humor, drama and fabulous pictures are unbeatable.

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist Adult Paperbacks - Main Level - Lindqvist

Just as “Twilight” fever seems to be sweeping the nation like some nasty blood infection turning its teen readers into gooey piles of Edward obsessed vampoholics, another book turned film has quietly slid by. While it might seem that “Let the Right One In” has elements similar to the aforementioned book (vampires, young love) the two stories couldn’t be any more different. “Let the Right One In,” tells the tale of Oskar a young boy living in Blackeberg, Sweden who must contend with constant bullying, his impending adolescence, and the rage that is welling up inside him. One night he encounters Eli, a mysterious girl who has just moved in next door. As Oskar’s fascination with Eli grows so does his interest in a series of brutal murders that might just be related to his new friend. While “Let the Right One In” goes to many horrific places, the most compelling aspect of the book is how innocent the relationship between Oskar and Eli is in light of their situation. It’s the solace the two gain from each other, even in the face of their figurative and quite literal demons, that gives the story its center.

It is a shame then that the equally impressive film adaptation, which received near unanimous critical acclaim, didn’t even get a full release. To add insult to injury there is already plans of an American remake that will most likely squeeze out all the subtly and artistry of the original. Then there is "Twilight." How does one softly convey that the book is rife with cliches, has a tenuous need for vampires at all, and is ultimately an insulting and simplistic perspective of a teenage girl's concept of love. I guess it can't be conveyed softly. Of course there isn’t anything wrong with books and film that have mass appeal, it's just unfortunate that mediocrity sells so well while a genre classic such as “Let the Right One In” goes ignored.

Look for the DVD release of “Let the Right One In” on March 10th.

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas Adult Fiction - Main Level - Dallas

During WW II as Japanese Americans were sent to “internment camps” throughout the west. In the book Tallgrass, 13 year-old Rennie Stroud examines the impact of the internment camp built on a deserted ranch named Tallgrass, on the farmers and townspeople of Ellis, Colorado. After a girl in Rennie’s class is killed, most of the town rush to judgment against the Japanese, but Rennie’s parents are wise and do not fall into the prevailing xenophobia that sweeps across the town. Rennie’s father hires a couple of young people from the camp to help on the farm and in the house, putting the family in the line of fire from town bullies. Tallgrass is part historical fiction, part mystery and part coming of age story as Rennie relates the events of that year from the vantage point of 40 years later. Dallas (The Persian Pickle Club) has an innate sense of life in small towns in the west, of living where everyone knows, or thinks they do, everything about everyone else and how women bond together and negotiate differences with grace to help each other.

For an extra treat, listen to the audio book of Tallgrass produced by BBC Audiobooks. It won Audiofile Magazine’s 2008 Audie Award for Best Fiction. Lorelei King reads it with great skill, capturing the cadence and manner of speech of the many different characters in a way reminiscent of that era.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows Adult Fiction - Main Level - Dallas and CD Bookshelves - Main Level - Shaffer

In January, 1946, writer Juliet Ashton is looking for a new subject to write about, having throghly tired of her light hearted Izzy Bickerstaff goes to war series which she wrote during the war. Then she receives a letter from a Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams who found her name and former address in a used book that he had purchased. Her building had been bombed in the blitz, and she'd moved, but somehow the letter had found her. This starts up a correspondence, the whole book is told in letters between Juliet and others, between them and he tells her of the German occupation of Guernsey and of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which was formed as an alibi when several islanders were caught on the road late at night having had a dinner of roasted pig (forbidden to islanders) to keep them from arrest. Of course once founded, they had to start buying books and reading and discussing them to avoid suspicion. While at first I though this was going to be a British Ya Ya Sisterhood, it turned out to have depth as well as humor. Juliet goes to Guernsey at the request of several islanders who've been corresponding with her and learns to not only love the island and it's people, but learns about Nazi atrocities on the islands and in the camps.

Here is another book that is excellent as an audio book. All five readers are fantastic from the upper class voice of the publisher and one snooty Guernsey Islander who can't believe that pig farmers and women of "uncertain parentage" are capable of anything literary, the more regional accents of the islanders, the broad American accent of a wealthy American suitor (perfectly done) to the French accents of a woman who survived Ravensbrook.

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
Adult New Book Display Main Level – MYSTERY EVANOVICH

For all you Stephanie Plum fans, Plum Spooky is the latest Between-the-Numbers novel by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum has Martin Munch on her "most wanted" list for failure to appear in court. Martin has a degree in quantum physics and worked as a researcher. He is on the run because he has stolen a valuable piece of equipment from his lab. His partner in crime is Wulf Grimoire, a wanderer that can disappear like smoke, literally.

Diesel pops back into Stephanie’s life because he is after Wulf. Together they try to capture Martin and deter Wulf from world domination. Be prepared for Lula, the 300 pound ex-prostitute that teeters around in 4 inch heels wearing size small spandex, Bernie the ex- Easter Bunny, Elmer the Fire Farter and oh yeah, a lot of monkeys. This quirky story will leave you laughing and wanting more of Stephanie Plum. Her new book, Finger Lickin’ Fifteen is scheduled to be released June 16th, 2009.

An American Plague by Jim Murphy
Teen Zone Nonfiction – Main Level – 614.514 M

This is, as the subtitle says, the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. Over the course of a few short months, the population of Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States, was laid waste by a disease with no cure. Everyone who could afford to fled the city, leaving masses of sick and poor and only a few officials with no authority to do anything. The book describes the panic, the reactions of authorities, the arguing among doctors as to cause or cure, the heroic efforts of black nurses sent by the Free African Society, and the eventual waning of the disease. The United States government was unable to do anything during this time, as no one dared to enter the city, but the Constitution forbade convening Congress anywhere else. We hear about the lasting changes to emergency systems and the medical disaster that could still happen today: while we now know the cause of yellow fever, there is still no cure. Every chapter begins with a reproduction of a document from the time, so you can read, for example, the letter that mayor wrote to the newspaper, different ideas for cures, and the names and occupations of the dead. The text is lively, and frequent quotes from diaries, letters and newspapers bring us close to this long-ago event. This is an exciting book that would go well with Laurie Halse Anderson’s Fever, 1793.

Joseph Epstein’s fun little book “Fred Astaire” takes a close look at one of the most unique stars in Hollywood history. While it touches the basic biographical bases, the best parts of the book analyze the career of a man who revolutionized the movie musical in the 1930's and set the precedents for generations of television shows like “American Bandstand”, “Dance Fever”, and “Dancing with the Stars”. Epstein examines Astaire’s highly successful pairing with Ginger Rogers, and why he never equaled it with partners such as Cyd Charisse, Audrey Hepburn, or Rita Hayworth. He also discusses Astaire’s singing style, and why songwriters loved him despite a mediocre singing voice. Epstein concludes that Astaire was not a particularly good-looking man, and a limited actor, but an exceptional dancer with great charm and style to spare.

Readers borrowing this book should also check out a couple of Astaire’s movies to watch him in action. We have 21, including all eleven with Ginger Rogers. I recommend “Top Hat”, “Swing Time”, and “Irving Berlin’s Easter Parade”.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level - CASHORE

Katsa, the king’s niece, is Graced, and the world knows it, because her eyes are different colored, one green and one blue. In her kingdom, children with Graces are given to the King, in case the Grace turns out to be useful. Katsa, at eight, killed a man who was trying to molest her with one blow, and has since then been trained as used as the king’s assassin and public torturer. She might not have much in the way of ordinary social graces, but Katsa has a keen sense of justice and started, secretly, a Council to help subvert the often cruel and capricious whims of kings, both her own and those of neighboring realms. As the book opens, she’s on her way to rescue the grandfather of one of the few peaceful kingdoms, who’s been kidnapped for no reason. Though I paused for back story here, the book starts bang in the middle of a cracking good infiltration and fight scene. Near the end of this, she runs into a handsome young prince with one gold and one silver eye, the only person she’s ever met who’s even close to as good at fighting as she is.

The Reader, of course, will have no difficulty ascertaining that this man, Po, will be our Love Interest, and the Reader will be correct. But Katsa coming to admit that she could be attracted to someone is only a small part of the story, though her struggle to find a way to love and retain her independence is rare for teen portrayals of romance. The romance itself takes place in the shadow of Katsa and Po trying to discover what massive and tangled political forces were behind the kidnapping of Po’s grandfather and trying to find out if Po’s aunt and cousin, wife and daughter to yet another king, are safe. Katsa also begins to wonder about her Grace for the first time – both how she has always used it and if it really is killing. That’s of personal growth combined with an impressive and fast-moving adventure and a plot that moves in quite unexpected directions. Written to capture teens with a lot for adults as well.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Stephen King, Robin Furth, Peter David and Artwork by Jae Lee
Adult Graphic Novels - Main Level - DAR

The Dark Tower series shouldn’t be anything new to those familiar with Stephen King's work. King's magnum opus, spanning seven novels and over thirty years, not only brought in various elements of King’s other books, but also ultimately brought in King himself as a character. The story tells the tale of Roland Deschain, a gunslinger on the path to the Dark Tower, a nexus between all worlds. One would think that after devoting so much time and paper to this world there would be nothing more to tell. While "The Gunslinger Born" might not completely disprove this point it does shed a new light on the events that transpired in arguably the best chapter in the series “Wizard and Glass.”

"The Gunslinger Born" recalls Roland's early days and the events that set him on the path that would ultimately lead him to the Dark Tower. What makes this interpretation of the story worth reading is Jae Lee’s striking depictions of Roland and his world. While the novels themselves have illustrations sprinkled throughout the text, seeing a fully realized visual representation of the story makes one yearn for an entire retelling of the series in graphic novel form. In addition to Lee’s impressive artwork Robin Furth and Peter David are able to take the mammoth 600-page book and condense it into a 240-page graphic novel that still holds true to its source material.

However, this collection does have one major drawback. When the separate comics were released they contained back-stories and lore from the Dark Tower mythology. For whatever reason they have been cut from the collection which is a shame. Nevertheless “The Gunslinger Born” is worth looking into if you are a fan of the series.

Other books in the Dark Tower Series:

The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home

The Gunslinger

The Drawing of the Three

The Waste Lands

Wizard and Glass

Wolves of the Calla

Song of Susannah

The Dark Tower