James Patterson supports school libraries

Read all about it here!

James Patterson addressed a meeting of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) November 6th in Charlotte NC. My favorite quote: "If we raise a generation of non-readers, we will be raising a generation of narrow-minded nincompoops." and "School libraries are not a luxury, they are a necessity."

Check out his website by clicking on the title above.

Children's Classics

So I'm a rebel. I like to read all sorts of books. I have gone through one of many tracts that people follow when reading through their lives. I followed the Nancy Drew-Laura Ingalls-Star Trek-Terry Brooks-JRR Tolkien-Classics path. I did not read Trixie Belden, much to my mother's dismay. I did read The Five Little Peppers which doesn't seem all that well known for some reason...

I find that when I mention a book from my childhood, it evokes certain responses. I just completed an assignment revolving around Little House on the Prairie (it's a banned book, ya know!). In mentioning it in my FB, I got a very typical response. The reader recalled the sheer delight of specific scenes (like maple syrup candy at Christmas time) and was looking forward to reading the books with her little girl. I like to go back in time and relive those memories. I had forgotten that Jack (the brindle bulldog) had to swim the river and was swept downstream. The Ingalls feared he was lost, yet he showed up two days later. Having pets it's horrifying to think what I would do if one of them was lost.

I've found new books in the last couple of years. Not just newly published, but older ones I missed. My parents never guided my reading, but they certainly didn't discourage it! I just never moved through the library in that manner or at that speed. Redwall is a great little book about a group of mice that need to defend their home and very lives against rats and other invaders. I don't care for books with animals (that fear and tranferrence to my animals again), but I did like this book. The animals do die--so parents beware! However, they die natural animal-like deaths. One is bitten by a snake. One falls from a tree. One is scooped up by an owl. One is crushed by a small rock fall. All normal. What is abnormal is they live in buildings (an abbey and barn) and act like humans (making tools and weapons).

Why do these books come back to us time and again? It brings back a sense of security and happiness. We were doing something acceptable and safe--reading. We were immersed in worlds similar and disimilar to our own. We had adventures and travels. I, for one, traveled the west and was a great pioneer. We came back home just in time for mom's supper and dad tucking us in at night. Like comfort food, these books fill us up and teach us new things again and again.

Jamie Larue, master Librarian

Jamie Larue is a library director in Douglas County, CO. He has written many, many articles and several books about librarianship. One of his many strengths is writing responses to material challenges.

Check out his blog by clicking on the title above. Specifically, check out the articles he references on Oct. 7th. As many know, libraries are once again under attack by the budget monsters. I have colleagues and classmates whose libraries have either frozen salaries or $.00 budgets in schools in MN.

Here is something to think about: are the budget monsters' hearts made like the Grinch's? After reading about an attorney castigating an 11 year library patron and knocking highly educated professionals in the librarian arena, I have to wonder just why another educated person would make such accusations and bold, yet false, statements. Perhaps Shakespeare was right; first kill all the lawyers.

I aspire to be as thoughtful as the librarians I have met. I hope to be as intelligent, well rounded and needed as the ones described in the articles. I hope I'm indispensable to the budget monsters when my time comes around. It's too bad that librarians need to not only do their job, but the jobs of the lawyers--advocacy.

Historical Fiction by Jean Plaidy

Jean Plaidy is a psuedonym for E.A. Hibbert. She wrote piles of books about the British monarchy and not so royal. Her other pen names include Phillipa Carr, Victoria Holt and Eleanor Burford. She passed in 1993--she was just 52.

She tells the stories from the point of view of the central character. Her stories are true to history and pull in many sources. She also pulls in rumors and not so true stories, many times having the character debunk the falsity. Her books bring to life the lives of courtiers, ladies in waiting, the Tower of London, the Thames, hunting parties and grand parties. Her descriptions bring to life the day to day activities, including the not so romantic, such as unbathed persons and old rushes on the floors.

I just finished Queen of This Realm, about Queen Elizabeth I. She ruled 45 years as a virgin Queen, taking no man to lord over her. She desired nothing more than to earn the love of her people and make England prosperous. A man would only get in the way, as would children, and cause her to lose sight of the end. She courted many men, most notably Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Theirs was an life long love affair, unconsummated and unrequited. Ever vain, she was heavily dependant on cosmetic help, especially after small pox marred her beauty. She sent few to death, only when pressed by her council and only when she felt there was no other way to keep her crown.

Although I have truly found myself attracted to these books, they are long reads and do require a great deal of attention due to the immense amount of detail. The character lists also require a key in some cases, especially this one as there are so many Roberts in the mix. The Tudors liked to use the same names over the years. However, for Anglophiles, these are the ultimate story books for a great deal of entertainment and history.

Check out Rose Without a Thorn, The Sixth Wife and Murder Most Royal for other Queens' stories.