Words.

I’m surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. … But only in my head.
I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.

Melody was born with cerebral palsy. Her doctors diagnosed her as profoundly retarded. Refusing to accept this diagnosis, Melody’s parents work with her and find a caregiver who believes in the person trapped inside. In fact, Melody is highly intelligent with a photographic memory — but no way to communicate.

The reader is privileged to hear Melody’s strong, sassy, fiercely independent "voice" as she makes her way from the restricted special needs classrooms, slowly mainstreaming, is assigned an aide to communicate for her, and finally…

Melody is assigned a biography project, chooses Stephen Hawking, and realizes she can give herself an outer voice to match her inner one. Sadly, she finds many of the people around her prefer their conviction that her physical disability is matched by mental disability. Claire, a classmate, says "I’m not trying to be mean — honest — but it just never occurred to me that Melody had thoughts in her head."  Soon Melody is a member of the fifth grade Whiz Kids team, but then disaster strikes.

Did I say this book is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny? Multiple Coretta Scott King award winning author Sharon Draper gives us a character that we can laugh with, cry with, cheer for, and carry with us long after we have closed Out of My Mind.

Shirley ONeill – Administration Offices

A Note to Readers from Author Sharon Draper from Amazon.com:

People often ask me, "What was your inspiration for Out of my Mind?" I reply, "All great stories emerge from deep truths that rest within us." But the real truth of a story often can be found in places that not even the author has dared to explore. I suppose the character of Melody came from my experiences in raising a child with developmental difficulties. But Melody is not my daughter. Melody is pure fiction — a unique little girl who has come into being from a mixture of love and understanding. Out of my Mind is the story of a ten-year-old-girl who cannot walk or talk. She has spirit, determination, intelligence and wit, and no one knows it. But from buildings that are not wheelchair-accessible to classmates who make fun of her she finds a strength within herself she never knew existed.

I was fiercely adamant that nobody feel sorry for Melody. I wanted her to be accepted as a character and as a person, not as a representative for people with disabilities. Melody is a tribute to all the parents of disabled kids who struggle, to all those children who are misunderstood, to all those caregivers who help every step of the way. It’s also written for people who look away, who pretend they don’t see, or who don’t know what to say when they encounter someone who faces life with obvious differences. Just smile and say hello! 

Sharon M. Draper

Adult/child bedtime reading can be a comforting, entertaining, and memory-making experience. While the child still appreciates a good “nighty-night” picture book, the options are many and varied. When the child is beyond the easy reader stage, selecting mutually-acceptable books can be challenging. If you and your reading companion (remember, sometimes the child prefers to be the reader) have read all of the Little House books (if you haven’t yet read them, be sure to start with Little House in the Big Woods and not Little House on the Prairie, and it’s fine to skip Farmer Boy or save it for later), and if Harry Potter is not yet, or ever, for you, I recommend Kathryn Lasky’s Guardians of Ga’Hoole series.

Beginning with The Capture, Ga’Hoole features a variety of vividly described owls (get it – Ga’Hoole?!) engaging in thrilling adventures. There are some scary bits and deaths; I recommend for children age 8 and older. Some of the owls are evil and wish to dominate and abuse their fellow creatures, while others are good guys whooo (sorry, couldn’t help myself) promote freedom, independence, and kindness. Perhaps these exciting tales will inspire you to take a trip to the Maryland Zoo at Baltimore to see living examples of these fictional characters. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, a movie based on this series, is scheduled for release in September 2010. Recently, I’ve had teen customers request Ga’Hoole books because they enjoyed the books as children and “can’t wait” for the movie.

Beth Haynes – Central Library

I’m always on the look out for next year’s Newbery or Black Eyed Susan and right now, Rita Garcia-Williams has my vote.

Set in the summer of 1968, Delphine and her little sisters Vonetta and Fern travel from Brooklyn, where they live with their father and grandmother, to Oakland, California, the home of their estranged mother. They find their mother, Cecile, has renamed herself "Nzila," that she’s a poet printing on her own kitchen press, and that she has no interest in her kids. "No one told y’all to come out here, Cecile says. No one wants you out here making a mess, stopping my work."

It’s the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in berets shouting "Black Power" on the news. 

Nzila bars the children from her kitchen, sending them to a summer camp and soup kitchen run by the Black Panthers so that they do not interfere with her work. Plain-faced, plain-spoken, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates the events of this fateful summer, as each sister emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won connections with their mother build to a glorious and hard-won conclusion. This novel sings as a story of family, as a story of place and period, and of a vibrant, turbulent time in our country’s history. Appropriate for readers from fourth grade up, readers of all ages will enjoy sharing One Crazy Summer.

For a good basic understanding of America in this period, I recommend Joy Hakim’s All the People or Michael Kronenwetter’s America in the 1960s.

Shirley ONeill – Administration Office

The world is a scary, scary place. There are such things as germs, sharks, killer bees, and poison ivy out there, trying to bring us down and terrify us into never leaving our homes. How do we cope? How do we work up the courage to face another day, to step outside, when green Martians could possibly kidnap us? I myself look to Scaredy Squirrel for inspiration. Here is a squirrel who insists that people wash their hands before reading his book. Scaredy has a set schedule of when to wake up, eat, enjoy the view, and go back to sleep. He is also prepared for "the unexpected!" But is he really? 

Mélanie Watt is the author of a number of children’s books, including several more about Scaredy Squirrel. I adore Scaredy Squirrel, and think he’s great for kids, especially ones trying to cope with how terrifying the world can be. In later books he goes to the beach (but not without the proper equipment!), makes a friend (goldfish make great friends), and plans to avoid bad dreams (can’t dream if you stay awake all the time). Mélanie Watt’s drawings are fantastic, and she always includes cute details in all of her books. Scaredy Squirrel also won a number of awards, including ALA’s Notable Children’s Books award. The Scaredy Squirrel books are fantastic, and can be enjoyed by all ages, but will be most appreciated by young children (and their parents).

Jennifer Smith – Miller Branch

Something is not quite right in the city of Ember. Daylight is only available during the twelve prescribed hours that the lights are on. The citizens are not allowed to leave the city limits to investigate the "Unknown Regions." And the majority of the food comes from cans, with a precious few items grown in the greenhouse. However, the citizens are comfortable — this is the way of life that has always worked for them. Until now that is, with electrical outages increasing in their frequency and length, food becoming more scarce, and everyday objects like colored pencils being bartered fiercely.

Things begin to change when teens Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow receive their job assignments on graduation day. Lina is a messenger, while Doon is sent to the dreaded Pipeworks to keep the underground pipes in good repair. The two seem to be among the few people who are interested in uncovering and solving the source of the town’s problems. The intrigue builds as Lina discovers "Instructions for Egress" and the mayor seems determined to stop them at all costs. Can the two friends save the city before it is too late? Read The City of Ember or listen to the excellent audiobook to find out.

My family listened to the audiobook, ready by Wendy Dillon, who was adept at building suspense and creating the characters — we particularly enjoyed her as the mayor. After we finished the audiobook, we watched City of Ember (PG) on DVD, with a cast including Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, and Martin Landau. If you enjoy The City of Ember, keep reading — there are three more books in this series by Jeanne DuPrau.

Andrea Misner – Administration Office

Some of my earliest memories are of trying to fall asleep while ominous shadows of bare tree branches swept across the wall by moonlight. I’m older now, and that kind of stuff doesn’t phase me anymore. In fact, sometimes all I want when my head hits the pillow is some hard rain and a nice, loud thunderstorm.

Nevertheless, sometimes the little ones need a good lullaby to settle their nerves. Try this one: The House in the Night, written by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes. Admittedly, I don’t read many picture books nowadays, but after one sitting with this book, I bought a copy to read to my future children during those trying nights.

Swanson weaves a very simple yet enduring story of a key, a house, a light, a bed. Paired with Krommes‘ breathtaking and luminous black-and-white illustrations, the scene is set. What is so significant about these otherwise ordinary elements is that they are there before you close your eyes, and when you open them again in the morning. They are easily-accessible symbols of safety and order in a big, scary world. By the end of the story, you are brought back to where you started — with everything (including you) tucked away safely where it belongs.

Dan Curry – Savage Branch

One of my favorite parts of summer is being able to read uninterrupted — preferably with my toes in warm sand or cool water. Which is appropriate since this year’s summer reading theme is water!

Howard County Library makes summer reading fun for kids of all ages. This Saturday, June 5 at East Columbia Branch from 9am – 2pm, we’ll be kicking off summer reading in grand style.

Kids can participate in crafts and have fun with Marc’s Groovy Science: World of Water show. Teens can visit the Wii Resort and meet local author Wayne Batson, whose new book Isle of Swords has just been published.

Here’s the full schedule of events.

While you’re visiting the Library, you can register for a summer reading club!
Wee Splash for infant – age 2
Make A Splash for ages 3-10
Make Waves for entering grade 6+
Water Your Mind for high school students & adults

If you’re looking for a great way to start your day, bring your family, friends, and neighbors to a 5K and Family Fun Run benefiting the Library. Starting at 8am, the course begins and ends at East Columbia Branch. Register at charmcityrun.com.

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

Sometimes you just fall in love with a book. Instructions by Neil Gaiman found a home in my heart. Although not strictly "self-help," you could do worse than to follow this blueprint of how to thrive as you travel through life. After all, it’s "everything you’ll need to know on your journey."

Charles Vess provides amazingly perfect — and perfectly amazing — illustrations that bring Gaiman’s simple, but not always easy, instructions to life. Vess is an award-winning illustrator and the publisher of the Green Man Press.

So, when you enter into a story through a magical gate, Gaiman reminds you of important lessons, such as:

Take nothing. Eat nothing.

Do not trust the youngest princess.

If an eagle gives you a feather, keep it safe.

Remember your name.

Every page makes me smile and hum thoughtfully, recalling favorite stories. This delightful little book comes thoroughly steeped in fairy tales, mythology, and folklore. Even though this treasure is shelved in the children’s area, it belongs to everyone who believes that life holds more than the eye can see.

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling charts the journey of a model canoe from south-central Canada to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Great Lakes, Niagara, and the St. Lawrence. Paddle was carved by a young boy in the Nipigon country of Canada and launched towards the ocean from a melting snow bank in the spring. The message on the copper plate under the canoe says "My name is Paddle to the Sea. Please put me back in the water," and the ambitious scope of Paddle’s intended journey motivates the people who encounter the model to honor his creator’s wishes. Full pages document each stage of Paddle’s journey to the sea, and provide details of the ecology and environments through which Paddle is carried.

Directed by William Mason and produced by Janus Films, Paddle to the Sea was released as a short film in 1966. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Short Subject in 1967. Paddle follows a slightly different course to the ocean in the movie, but the adventures are equally moving, and his story illustrates the natural and human activity in the Great Lakes as effectively as does the book.

During the course of his journey, Paddle is witness to a firework display in Detroit, overwinters in pack ice on the lake, and goes over Niagara Falls. He also encounters animals and people as he is borne by the currents, and contends with their hunger, greed, and curiosity as they interrupt and potentially terminate his journey. As a reader or viewer, you’ll find yourself hoping that this small model wooden canoe can make it all the way to the ocean.

Holling’s book was a Caldecott Honor book in 1942, the year that Robert McCloskey was awarded the medal for Make Way for Ducklings. Whether in print or on film, Paddle’s ambitious journey and contest with the elements has endured, and remains captivating for readers and viewers of all ages.

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

I confess that I kept Barney a secret from my children because I only wanted to watch shows that I liked too. And yes, sadly, I am also that selfish with the music – I can only listen to "The Wheels on the Bus" so many times.

So when I heard that the 80’s coolest egghead band, They Might Be Giants, was producing children’s music, I ran right out to get No!, which has smart, funny songs that both children and adults will love. The lyrics to the title song "No!" (about the denial of children’s requests) is something that gets repeated frequently at my house: "No is no; No is always no; If they say no, it means a thousand times no." Another favorite is "The Edison Museum," which is not only catchy but has inspired our family to plan a trip to the Thomas Edison National Historic Park because we looked it up after hearing the song.

The band’s most recent effort, Here Comes Science, is this generation’s Schoolhouse Rock, and will have your children singing science facts all day long. "Roy G. Biv," "Electric Car," and "Shooting Star" are personal favorites. And when I heard the song, "Computer Assisted Design," I finally realized the meaning behind the acronym CAD. Included with the CD is a bonus DVD with videos, The John & John Show, and bonus material.

If are heading on a spring break family roadtrip, make sure to bring They Might Be Giants along for the ride.

Andrea Misner – Administration Office