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The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & the Bogus Identity

by Mike Carey
art by Peter Gross
covers by Yukio Shimizu

If you like reading the classics, you'll love this intriguing graphic novel of fantasy and literary mysteries that will have you digging out that copy of Shelley's Frankenstein and Kipling's Jungle Tales. Mike Carey explores the power of story, and what some people will do to gain control of it. The protagonist of this tale is Tommy Taylor, the son of bestselling fantasy author who gone missing before finishing his beloved series. A series whose main character was inspired by Tommy Taylor himself, when he was a boy. As characters from the book and literature come alive and seek out Tommy, his very existence comes into question. Pursued by sinister characters, Tommy is helped by the mysterious Lizzie Hexam, as he follows clues his father left him that lead him to Villa Diodati and ... murder!

The last issue collected in this book appears to have nothing to do with Tommy Taylor and the events surrounding him, as it deals with a young, unpublished Rudyard Kipling accepting a Faustian deal with a gentleman named Mr. Locke who wants him to write a particular type of story. But it becomes clear that the group Mr. Locke represents is the same group that is causing trouble for Tommy over a century later. Carey takes advantage of the graphic novel's visual medium to expand the main plotline and move it along via pages that look like blogs, and forums, chat rooms and 'newscasts,' as well as maps and diaries and scenes from his father's book, Tommy Taylor and Golden Trumpet. All of which makes the Unwritten is an engaging treat for the eye and the mind.

The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & the Bogus Identity reprints The Unwritten 1-5. Extras include unused cover sketches, the script and thumbnails for the book within a book, and an introduction by Bill Willingham, author of Fables.

Reserve your copy of The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor & the Bogus Identity here.

Alabama Book Festival Saturday, April 16!

The sixth annual Alabama Book Festival will be held in historic downtown Montgomery at Old Alabama Town on April 16, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The free public event is the state’s premier book festival—with more than 4,000 people from around the state converging in the capital to meet with and hear from their favorite authors and scholars.

Visit the Alabama Book Festival website!
Like them on Facebook!

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." ~Walt Disney

Featured Authors!

• Alex Beard, Monkey See, Monkey Draw (children's)
• Daniel Black, Perfect Peace (fiction)
  www.danielblack.org
• Melissa Blackburn, Cameo (poetry)
  www.newplainspress.com/New_Featured_Authors.html
• Jane Bradley, You Believers (fiction)
  www.janebradley.net
• Rick Bragg, The Most They Ever Had (memoir)
• Natalie Chanin, Alabama Stitch Book (nonfiction)
  alabamachanin.com
• Mark Childress, Georgia Bottoms (fiction)
  www.crazyinalabama.com
• Bill Cobb, The Last Queen of the Gypsies (fiction)
• Hunter Cole, The Legs Murder Scandal (nonfiction)
• Tony Crunk, New Covenant Bound (poetry)
  www.tonycrunk.com
• Ted Dunagan, Secret of the Satilfa (young adult fiction)
  www.teddunagan.com
• Ron Ellis, In That Sweet Country: Uncollected Writings of Harry Middleton (essays)
  www.ron-ellis.com
• Dan Farmer, Black Crow (singer/songwriter)
  www.danfarmersongs.com
• Linda Fisher, Runaway Will (young adult)
• Richard Goodman, A New York Memoir (memoir)
  www.richardgoodman.org
• Wayne Greenhaw, Fighting the Devil in Dixie (nonfiction)
  www.waynegreenhaw.com
• Daniel Haulman, An Illustrated History of the Tuskegee Airmen (nonfiction)
• David Haynes, Motorcycling Alabama: Fifty Ride Loops Through the Heart of Dixie (nonfiction)
• Roy Hoffman, Alabama Afternoons: Profiles and Conversations (essays)
• Richard Horan, Seeds (non fiction)
• Randall Horton, The Definition of Place (poetry)
  www.randallhorton.com
• Richie Jean Jackson, The House by the Side of the Road: The Selma Civil Rights Movement (memoir)
• Christy Jordan, Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family (cookbook)
  
• Eric Litwin, Pete the Cat (children’s)
  www.ericlitwin.com
• Michael Knight, The Typist (fiction)
  www.michaelknightfiction.com
• Roger Reid, Time (young adult fiction)
  rogerreidbooks.com
• Art Roach, Art for Kids: Cartooning (children's)
• Sonia Sanchez, Morning Haiku (poetry)
  soniasanchez.net
• Janet Simpson, We Are Not Lovers (with Delicate Cutters) (musician)
• Marc Smirnoff, The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing (nonfiction)
• Erica Spindler, Blood Vines (fiction)
  www.ericaspindler.com
• Chandra Sparks Taylor, The Promise (young adult fiction)
  chandrasparkstaylor.com
• Keith Thomson, Twice a Spy (fiction)
  keiththomsonbooks.com
• Dean Wells, Every Day by the Sun: A Memoir of the Faulkners of Mississippi (nonfiction)
• Baynard Woods, Coffin Point: The Strange Cases of Ed McTeer, Witchdoctor Sheriff (nonfiction)
  www.baynardwoods.com
• Jake Adam York, Persons Unknown (poetry)
  www.jakeadamyork.com

New Shel Silverstein poetry book released in the Fall

This Fall be on the lookout for a new book from Shel Silverstein. Though it has been over a decade since the beloved author’s death, this is his second book to be published posthumously. The new book, entitled Everything On It, will include over 130 new poems and drawings that the author’s family personally chose to be released.


Silverstein’s books, including Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree, have been delighting children for decades. Everything On It is slated to be released in September, just in time for the new school year. Be sure to check out other books by Shel Silverstein in our collection.

Vintage Children's Series is Back!

The Homewood Public Library Children’s Department is proud to add to our collection the republished This is series by M. Sasek. The This is series focuses on different famous cities and countries with beautiful vintage illustrations created by Sasek. 

Originally born in Czechoslovakia, Sasek studied to become an architect before following his dream of becoming a painter. The destinations in the This is series depict the major locations, but also the quaint streets and people that modern day books forget. Originally printed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the timeless illustrations still hold up beautifully and help capture the essence of every city and county.

Be sure to check out these new additions! This series is definitely one that the whole family will fall in love with.

This is London

This is Paris

This is Edinburgh

This is Hong Kong

This is Australia

This is Ireland

2nd Book of Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles series, The Throne of Fire, to be released in May 2011

Last May Rick Riordan introduced a new series with the first installment of The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles Book 1). Riordan, whose fame skyrocketed with the success of the Percy Jackson series, introduces children to the history of Egyptian Mythology in this new and exciting series. Told from the point of view of Sadie and Carter Kane, children of two famous Egyptologists, this series is slammed packed with adventure and intrigue. The second installment, The Throne of Fire, is set to be released in May. Check out this teaser for The Throne of Fire:


Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians. And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family. To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished. First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?
Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride. ~Goodreads.

There is now a record up for The Throne of Fire so you can go ahead and put a hold on it. If you haven’t started the Kane Chronicles series you can check out Red Pyramid today!

Is Social Media a Fad?

[It is not a fad, but a fundamental difference in the way we communicate.]

Children! Great Reads for Spring Break

Planning a car trip during spring break? Don’t forget check out our books on CD, Playaways or to download one of our growing collection of titles for young people to your IPod, e-reader, tablet or laptop. This will entertain the family on the drive.

Not planning to travel during spring break? You can still visit some exciting places if you check out one of these honor titles from the 2011 United States Board of Books for Young People’s international books list.

Pre-K through 5th Grade

* Australian author Bob Graham’s book, April and Esma, Tooth Fairies, is the story of two tiny modern-day tooth fairy sisters. Children can travel between the enchanted tooth fairy world and the big world of the children they visit.

* If a trip from rural Canada to the metropolitan city of Toronto appeals to you, read I Know Here by Laurel Croza. Preparing to leave a tiny Saskachewan community for the largest city in Canada, a young girl looks at her world and how life will soon be different.

* Try traveling to medieval England in The Shadow Hunt by Katherine Langrish. Wolf has lived at the Abby since he was six. The adventure begins when he runs away and stops to rescue a child, who in reality is an elf.

* Oops by Jean-Lue Fromental is the story of a slippery bar of soap and a family’s transportation disaster. The illustrations define the frenetic energy of a mad rush to a Paris airport.

* The UK publication, The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett , tells the story of a lonely rabbit, an invitation, and math. This book’s humorous illustration set in a calendar format transports the reader to a magical place.

~Ms. Dona~

New! Simple Overdrive eBook & audiobook help on Homewood Public Library's website!

Need simple eBook and audiobook help? Trying to download items from Overdrive and don't know where to start? Confused about which devices work?

We've created a series of Overdrive eBook and audiobook helps specific to the devices being used. Also included are some of the problems and solutions we've encountered in our library, and hopefully all of this information is presented in a simple manner. We would appreciate your comments on what you think. Did this help you? If so, how? If not, what changes can we make to help you better?

To access these new resources, click the Downloadables link at HomewoodPublicLibrary.org. There you will see:

1. a direct link to the JCLC Downloadable Collection
2. some info about "My Help!", a fantastic new feature launched by Overdrive, and 
3. Some Common Problems and Solutions: Get eBook Help with a Nook, Get eBook Help with an iPad, and Get Audiobook Help

Now, all you have to do is click and go to our website for immediate and simple help! And don't forget, these eBook and audiobooks are FREE with a library card!