God Named Him Larry

Setting: The story corner of the school library

Characters: Librarian, Atianna, Olivia, Daniel (not Dennis)

The librarian is discussing the book she is about to read to a group of kindergarten students. It is their fourth visit to the library this school year. 

Atianna: Do you have a mom?

Librarian: Yes, I have a mom. 

Atianna: What's her name?

Librarian: Her name is Rhonda.

Olivia: Do you have a dad?

Librarian: Yes, I have a dad too.

Atianna: What's his name?

Librarian: His name is Larry.

Olivia: Why isn't his name Michael? 

Daniel: Because God gave him the name Larry!

Olivia: Well God shoulda named him Michael! 

My Name Isn't Dennis!

Setting: The story corner of the school library 

Characters: Librarian, Boy, Girl 

A very lively and large group of kindergarten students has just entered the library and is getting settled in the reading corner. It is their second visit to the library this school year. 

Librarian: Dennis can you please sit down with your legs crossed? That is our first story corner rule.

Boy: (In a very raspy voice) My name isn't Dennis, it's Daniel. Dennis is the guy my dad goes and drinks beer with.

Librarian: Oh, your dad has a friend named Dennis?

Daniel: Yes. He has no money to buy his own beer so he goes over to his friend Dennis' house and drinks his.

A girl is eagerly raising her hand on the opposite side of the group. 

Girl: I went to the dentist!

My "Icy" Personality

I love coffee.

No, I mean I really love coffee.

It is my personality.

It fuels me with the ability to be the wonderfully witty and creative librarian that I am.

I have never understood those people who, after the age of about nineteen or so, can begin their day without a steaming cup of java at the ready.

I would keep a Keurig in my bedroom if I had the outlet space.

That being said, I just cannot bring myself to drink my beloved hot coffee during these humid-sticky-you-sweat-just-from-walking-to-the-car summer days. Even with all options of air conditioning on at full blast, it becomes an impossibility.

What's a girl to do?

Remember, I need this stuff.

Enter iced coffee.

Of course, right? It seems like a complete no-brainer. I'm sure that answer popped into your head about five sentences ago.

But it's really not that easy.

You see, not all iced coffees are created equal. If you try to make it from hot coffee, you end up with a weak and watery mixture from all the ice needed to cool it down. You can try putting a hot cup in the freezer, but where's the instant gratification in that? Dunkin Doughnuts' is too weak (plus they always get the amount of Splenda's wrong). Starbucks' is by far the most superior, but it's expensive and there isn't one on my morning route.

Do you see the problem?

Again, what's an addict--I mean girl--to do?

Thank goodness for The Pioneer Woman. She has created the perfect cold brew iced coffee recipe. Not only has it literally put the fast forward back in my morning, but it has saved me from purchasing a horribly weak coffee concoction and taken a good ten minutes off my morning commute.

Now I get the good parking spaces.

"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver

"They say that just before you die your whole life flashes 
before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me."

Mean girls, bullying, partying, drinking, hooking up...and dying. 

Not necessarily in that order. 

Before I Fall is told through the eyes of high school senior Samantha (Sam) Kingston--pretty, popular, and along with her three best friends, Lindsay, Elody, and Ally, one of the resident mean girls. They drive to school in a Range Rover, drink Dunkin Doughnuts coffee (large hazelnut, no sugar, extra cream), gossip about everyone from boyfriends to teachers, and cut class to smoke cigarettes & indulge in The Country's Best Yogurt.

Sound like a racier version of the Sweet Valley Twins?

Don't worry, it's not.

About a quarter into the book, our main character Sam dies in a car accident. She then is mysteriously given the chance to relive her final day over and over again.

Shocking right? Again don't worry, that piece of information won't ruin it for you...it's written on the book jacket.

The concept of this novel is not a new one...it cleverly reflects the movie Groundhog Day for a target audience who probably knows nothing of that phrase beyond a little rodent seeing it's shadow. The parallels between the movie and the novel are evident...the main characters are not very nice people who find redemption in reliving one holiday over and over again, and through their journey they become better people. But while the theme of the movie ends there, the novel delves much deeper. Author Lauren Oliver's ability to perfectly articulate Sam's thoughts about what it means to really live life--what's important, what's frivolous, who really matters--allows the reader to interact with her successes, failures, and gestures of boldness on an extremely intrinsic level. The book's ending also doesn't insult a young reader's ability to infer what happened.

"You mean I actually have to think about the ending to get it?" whined the student.
"Yes," replied the librarian, "Isn't that great?" 

This is Lauren Oliver's debut novel. It, along with her newly published second novel, Delirium, have both been optioned for film rights.

My second piece of unpopular advice, always read the books first.

Summer in Seven

Summer school ended this past Thursday and, like I mentioned before, I have a whole...wait for it...week off before the new school year starts up again!

Why so soon you ask?

My school operates on a "balanced" scheduling system. A shorter summer break means more frequent breaks throughout the year--two weeks in October, three weeks in December, and two weeks in the spring. It's meant to help eliminate the dreaded "summer gap" in students' learning.

Technically, I have eight week days and two weekends, but since that only encompasses one full Monday through Friday rotation, it's a week to me.

What will I do with all of my leisure time you ask? Well, I have a few (make that seven) things I would like to accomplish. They are, in no particular order:

1. Finish reading The Help. One of the few "adult" books I have attempted to read in a long time. It is excellent. I love it. While it's probably not one for my school library, it's so good that it might have to be my second Book Spotlight feature. After the first one is complete, of course (see #2).

2. Finish writing my first Book Spotlight review. I read the book. I liked the book. But I am having a hard time writing about why I liked the book. It's been forever, I know, and I'll get right on it.

3. Clean the mascara gunk off of my eyelash curler. Something so simple, yet I never seem to actually get around to doing.

4. Spend some quality time with my own children. Yes, I am also a mommy. I have two young and very adorable boys. I'm thinking a couple of days playing hooky from daycare and going to the zoo and/or kiddie amusement park is long overdue.

Yes, I noticed cleaning mascara gunk received top billing over spending time with my kids. I did say these were in no particular order didn't I?

5. Bake something ridiculously sweet, chocolaty, and over-the-top delicious that I shouldn't be eating.

6. Go running at least four times this Monday-Friday week. I usually try and shoot for at least twice during the weeks that I'm working. But I figure I should up the ante (see #5).

7. Do some online browsing free of access filters and heavy on shopping and celebrity gossip.

Simple?

Yes.

But isn't life all about the little victories?

At least for me, for this one summer week, it is.

An Interesting Encounter

As I was leaving my school a couple of days ago (yes, I'm still here...thank you, summer school) I was stopped on the sidewalk.

"Honey...honey...sweetie, can you help me?" a disheveled woman in her early-to-mid fifties (wearing what appeared to be her pajamas) pleaded in an out-of-breath voice.

I'm no dummy.

I live in Chicago. I work in one of it's poorest neighborhoods. I'm used to people holding up signs on expressway exits and placing old Styrofoam coffee cups on the pavement in an effort to collect money from compassionate strangers. But to be approached by an actual speaking person (with no sign or cup to be seen), was a new experience.

I resisted the urge to keep walking, and (protectively clutching my bag with both hands) I stopped.

"Oh thanks honey...thanks honey. What does it say right there?" she asked me holding up a small gas station receipt and pointing to the words CUSTOMER COPY written at the bottom.

After answering the woman's simple question, (and silently thinking an accomplice is going to jump out and attack me any second) the woman then asks, "What does that mean?"

With a death grip on my bag and my eyes scanning every perimeter, I quickly explain, "It means that it's your copy, you get to keep it."

"Oh, okay...and what are those circle things right there?" the woman says pointing to the zeros that are part of a long credit-card-type of number.

This time she must have gotten notice of the slightly irritated tone in my voice, because she apologized and completely surprised me with an admission:

"I can't read honey."

I had never heard those words from anyone that far beyond their school-aged years before.

It turned out that she didn't have any money left on her Link (Illinois' welfare system) account card. The receipt was the result of her trying to buy something at the gas station and her card getting rejected. She had no idea why she didn't have any money to buy food, and because she couldn't read, she didn't understand the proof either.

She never did ask me for money. All she wanted was my help. I felt horrible for all of those visions I had about this harmless and confused woman trying to hurt me in some way.

She was the one who was truly hurting.

How is it that this woman (who didn't appear to speak any other language than English) in her fifties did not know how to read even the simplest text? What had happened in her life that left her void of the ability to do the very thing that I advocate, promote, and teach on a daily basis?

Those of us fortunate enough to read this might want to judge her. That's why she's on welfare, wearing pajamas at 4:00 in the afternoon, and wandering around asking strangers for help.

But don't.

Just remember her and be reminded of the power that reading can provide.

And maybe pick up a book and celebrate the gift you've been given.

Book Spotlight

Due to my "accidental" career, I am exposed to an exasperating amount of juvenile and young adult fiction and nonfiction books.

Obviously, right? That probably was assumed without mentioning.

I thought it would be a nice idea to share this knowledge with a (hopefully) larger audience. Because, let's face it, this information doesn't really do me any good beyond the walls of my school library. It's comparable to my savant-like intellect of all things celebrity.

So occasionally--no less than once a month but hopefully more often than that--I will post my review/stamp of approval/support for a particular work of fiction or nonfiction.

Reading these books to your children, to yourself, purchasing them for your school library, giving them as gifts, or checking them out from your public library would be just dandy!

Do I sound like LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow?
"Take a look, it's in a book..."

I apologize for putting that theme song into your brain.

Don't hold it against the books. They need your support.

Stay tuned for the first spotlight...