If you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the most popular children's book series around today. I've seen a lot of kids who have read the entire series five or six times, and they have no intention of stopping. For those of you who haven't read it, it is a series of journals chronicling the life of Greg Heffley, a seventh grade nobody trying to navigate the choppy waters of adolescence. This is a great series that identifies with kids in that awkward tween stage of life with humor and compassion without talking down to them or belittling their difficulties. The new movie is only fueling the fires of interest as more kids (and adults, too) become interested in Greg's world. But, those of you that have already exhausted the series; DO NOT FEAR! I have some great suggestions for you!

Click here if you'd like to place a hold on this book.

Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton is a series that is very similar. There are nine books in the series so far and more coming out all the time. This is also in diary format. Unlike Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it's following the life of a twelve year old girl named Jamie, so readers get to see middle school through the eyes of a girl for a change. In the first installation called Pretend This Never Happened, Jamie tries to deal with her troll-like baby cousin, avoid socially devastating nicknames, and ruminate over ways to overthrow Angeline, the most popular girl in school. A feature that Wimpy Kid fans are sure to love is Jamie's drawings which add a great deal of humor to already amusing situations. These books might be more appealing to girls who are more likely to understand the importance of lip gloss and cute hair, but boys are still sure to appreciate the clumsy, clever, and downright ludicrous antics of Jamie as she tries to reach 10 on the popularity scale.

Click here if you would like to place a hold on this book.

Another series that I recommend is How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. So far there are eight books in this series. Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this series has also been adapted for the silver screen. It reads like a Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but for Vikings. Also written in diary format from the point of view of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III the "Hope and Heir to the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans" Hiccup is the son of Stoick the Vast, the leader of the Viking tribe. Unfortunately, Hiccup is having trouble following in his father's heroic footsteps as he and his peers struggle to capture, train, and control dragons for the first time. In this world a wimpy kid like Hiccup is exiled into the wilderness forever if he fails to fit in. Apparently stakes are a little bit higher for Viking kids. The first book of the series is about Hiccup and his self-centered, disobedient, and minuscule dragon, Toothless. The pair manages to save the day by using their wits rather than muscles when a gargantuan dragon threatens to devour the tribe. This series also has really amusing illustrations that add a lot of humor to the text.

Click here if you would like to place a hold on this book.

Miss Mollie

Holes by Louis Sachar

Overweight and unlucky Stanley Yelnats IV is on his way to a juvenile detention camp for a crime he didn't even commit! As always, Stanley blames his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather" who placed a curse on the family generations ago in their homeland of Latvia. Mr. Sir, a cantankerous camp counselor, promises life at Camp Green Lake is no Girl Scout camp and he is true to his word. Despite the name, Camp Green Lake is situated in a dry and inhospitable desert with no moisture for miles around. The campers are forced to do only one activity from morning to night: dig holes. Supposedly the task is set to build character. The reader may find that hard to believe as the book delves into the tale of Kissin' Kate Barlow, an outlaw from the 1800s who's buried treasure has yet to be discovered. None of this matters to Stanley when he arrives, he simply wants to make it through his sixteen month sentence. It matters much more when Stanley secretly uncovers the mystery of the treasure while he and his friend, Zero, fight for survival in the desert.

Holes ingeniously intertwines three stories. In addition to the story of Stanley and Kissin' Kate Barlow readers learn the secret of the Yelnats family curse from the story of Elya Yelnats, the"no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather". This book provides a splendid mixture of irony, humor, adventure, and wisdom that is sure to appeal to readers of varied ages and interests. I would recommend this book for readers 10 and over. It will especially appeal to people who enjoyed The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, or Freak the Mighty by Rodman R. Philbrick. I would also heartily recommend seeing the movie after reading the book. Very few movies stay true to the content and mood of the books they're based on, but Holes is definitely an exception. With summer camp just around the corner, kids are sure to enjoy Holes. Stanley's adventures at Camp Green Lake are sure to make readers truly appreciate their own camp experiences!

Click here if you would like to place a hold on this book.

Click here if you would like to place a hold on the movie.

Miss Mollie

13 Days of Halloween Horror -- Day Nine

30 DAYS OF NIGHT

If you liked Twilight, and pretty vampires, then you probably won't care for today's selection. These vampires are messy eaters, to say the least, and decidedly inhuman. But the special effects that make them so are subtle and disturbing. And Ben Foster's performance as The Stranger, his reactions to the vampires' pending arrival, adds another layer of uneasiness to the creatures.

Barrow, Alaska, where a winter night lasts 30 days, serves as the 'haunted house' our heroes are trapped in. While the vampires stalk them like any iconic boogey man and provide the adrenaline startled jumps.

30 Days of Night is based on a graphic novel by the same name by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith.

And remember, you can find all your favorite horror movies at the library. Check back here every day for staff recommendations of their favorite horror movies.

Recommended by B.F. and S.S. in Computer Services.
Reserve your copy here.

13 Days of Halloween Horror -- Day Three

THE EXORCIST

No list of horror movies would be complete without this disturbing film. When it was first released, it was a true original, and nothing like it had been seen before. It scared some people right out of the theater and off of horror movies entirely. And even today, the movie still scares! Besides the physical horror of what happens to young Regan, played by Linda Blair, the audience is treated to a host of dark psychological and spiritual terrors. Or as one viewer said, "It's just freaky!"

The Exorcist was the first Oscar winning horror movie (for the screenplay), and also won the Golden Globes for Best Picture as well as acting awards. And it had a great cast and crew with Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, Linda Blair and director William Friedkin. And who could ever forget Mike Oldfield's creepy Tubular Bells playing when the supernatural reared it's head?

And remember, you can find all your favorite horror movies at the library. Check back here every day for staff recommendations of their favorite horror movies.

Recommended by M.H. and D.G. in Circulation.
Reserve your copy here or here or here.

13 Days of Halloween Horror -- Day Two

THE SHINING

Apparently, there's alot of love for classic horror movies here at HPL. And why not? With creative talent like Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Stanley Kubrick, and based on a book by horror master Stephen King, there's lots to love! And while not as closely connected to the holiday, as yesterday's recommendation, The Shining is also set at the end of the year, when the nights are long ... and the chills aren't all caused by the cold weather!

So grab a blanky and some hot cocoa, and cuddle up on the couch with your dog and revisit the Torrance family as they spend the winter in a haunted hotel. Just make sure you know where your hubby is. Especially if his name is Jack!

And remember, you can find all your favorite scary movies at the library. Check back here every day for staff recommendations of their favorite horror movies.

Recommended by O.N. in Administration and K.B. in Computer Services.
Reserve your copy here.

THE SOLOIST DVD Review

I'll admit up front, that I picked up this movie for Robert Downey Jr. Yes, I'm one of those old school movie watchers who will follow actors into some really bad movies, because I enjoy watching them work. Fortunately, this was not a really bad movie -- far from it. The Soloist was different from what I expected, more of a message movie, but it still engaged me and held my interest for 117 minutes. Of course, this was mainly due to the two leads, Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Fox.

Robert Downey Jr. was a bit restrained here, playing a real person (LA Times reporter Steve Lopez) in a real situation (dealing with loneliness and his own fears), but with his usual mesmerizing energy. Jamie Fox continues to be a revelation, as he exercised his chameleon abilities to sink entirely and believably into the role of homeless musician Nathaniel Ayers. And both actors play beautifully off each other in this story of a reporter looking for a story and finding a person, damaged, but demanding to be seen as a human being. It's a story where most of the action is interior, within the characters -- as they both work toward regaining contact with the people around them and each other. The movie isn't escapist fare. There's nothing entertaining about a schizophrenic gifted musician surviving among the 60,000 homeless in Los Angeles. Nor does it have the usual neatly tied up happy ending. In the movie, friendship and compassion do not conquer all, but instead are celebrated for their existence in such an enervating environment. And yet it is not a depressing movie, just one that makes you think, feel and appreciate a bit more.

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DEFIANCE DVD Review

Defiance is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asael (Jamie Bell), and Aron (George Mackay). The Jewish brothers supposedly led a shady life before WWII and those skills come in handy in 1941, when the Nazis and their local collaborators start rounding up Jews in Belarussia. The Bielskis lose most of their family, but these four brothers escape into the forest, only to find other Jewish refugees there also. Tuvia and Zus end up defacto leaders of this ragged group, trying to find food and shelter and keep everyone safe from Nazi patrols, but the brothers don't always agree on how that should be done. Eventually they part, Zus joining a Russian partisan group and Tuvia staying with the ever growing refugee camp, but each in their own way, resisting the Nazis and the trying to keep their humanity amidst horrendous times.

I especially liked how the refugees were portrayed as humans, not saints, with understandable flaws and social baggage. They espouse the idea of community, but they have to struggle, just as hard as they do against the Nazis, to attain that lofty goal. And they do not always succeed. But they also have moments of wonderful humanity, sharing and love -- and overall, an amazing will to live, not just survive. And that's what makes Defiance an inspirational movie, rather than a depressing one.

Liev Schreiber, as usual, does a fantastic job playing Zus. If you are a fan of Daniel Craig's sharp dressed, coolly competent James Bond, then you might not like his turn as Tuvia Bielski, a Jewish resistance fighter in WWII. He spends most of the movie in the woods, unkempt, unshaven, and uncertain about his role as leader of the hidden Jewish refugee camp. And yet, I think this is one of his most moving roles yet and definitely worth checking out.

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We've Got Children's "Books Made Into Movies"

These are some books that we also have on DVD or are about to be released as movies in the theatre. Check our website for more suggestions.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett - In the town of Chewandswallow, they do not have any grocery stores. Their weather is different from our own, and the sky provides all of their food! The townspeople are used to rain made of juice, snow made of mashed potatoes, and hotdogs falling from above. This was all great until one day when the weather shifted, only bringing food that was too gross or too big to eat. The people of Chewandswallow knew they needed to do something, but what? ~Ms. Dona

Matilda by Roald Dahl - Matilda Wormwood loves to read, but her parents care more about television than books. She goes to the library anyway and reads all of the books there! The headmistress at Matilda's school, Miss Trunchbull, is a tyrant. She believes that intimidation is the best policy. Meanwhile, Matilda has discovered that she has a very special talent, which she confides to a kind teacher named Miss Honey. ~Ms. Sara

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien - Mrs. Frisby is a little mouse with a big problem. She needs to help her sick son get away from the farmer's spring plow. She asks the rats that live under the rosebush for help only to discover strange truths about these rats. The rats knew her husband because they were all animals in a lab, subject to tests that made them much smarter than normal animals. Then the farmer calls exterminators to cure the rat problem, and it is up to Mrs. Frisby to help them as best as she can. ~Ms. Laurie

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt - Winnie Foster flees her stuffy, privileged life by running into the woods. There she meets the kind but peculiar Tuck family. By drinking water from a magic spring, they all have gained the power to live forever. This immortality comes with a price though. The Tuck family is forced to live in hiding. They offer Winnie water from the spring. She is forced to choose either an everlasting life in isolation or a normal life back home. ~Ms. Becky