Who: Gene Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Animal Crackers
Where: San Francisco Public Library, main branch
When: Saturday, November 5th 1:00 - 2:30 pm
What: (from the description) 
"How do graphic novels get made?  Graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, author of the Printz Award-winning graphic novel American Born Chinese and recently Level Up, will demystify the inner workings behind this increasingly popular narrative art form."  
More information: http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1007673901

Who: Chris Van Allsburg, author of Jumanji and The Polar Express & Lemony Snicket, author of the A Series of Unfortunate Events novelsand The Composer is Dead
Where: San Francisco Public Library, main branch
When: Saturday, November 12th 2:00 - 4:30pm
What: (from the description) 
"Two of the biggest names in children’s books, Chris Van Allsburg, author of the classic holiday tale, The Polar Express, and Lemony Snicket, aka Daniel Handler, author of the popular A Series of Unfortunate Events novels, will be interviewed by local children’s author Mac Barnett on the new release of The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales!."
More information: http://www.sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1007096201

Who: Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy + Bean series
Where: Mrs. Dalloway's 2904 College Avenue Berkeley, CA
When: Sunday, November 13th at 3:00pm
What: (from the description) 
"Annie Barrows will read from No News Is Good News (Chronicle, $14.99),answer questions, and lead her readers in the exploration of the wonders of cheese with red wax coating.  According to Annie, there's never a dull moment as long as you have cheese! And we will have cheese!"
More information: http://www.mrsdalloways.com/events/annie-barrows

Who: Chris Van Allsburg, author of Jumanji and The Polar Express
Where: Book Passages 51 Tamal Vista Blvd Corte Madera, CA
When: Sunday, November 13th 1:00pm
What: (from the description)
"Special for kids! Chris Van Allsburg reads from The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales ($24.99). These short stories by an all-star cast are based on the illustrations in Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Contributors include Sherman Alexie, Kate DiCamillo, and Stephen King."
More information: http://bookpassage.com/event/chris-van-allsburg-chronicles-harris-burdick-14-amazing-authors-tell-tales

Last year author Neil Gaiman proposed a new Halloween tradition that caught on quickly and has continued to grow.  It is called All Hallows Read and the concept is charming and simple:  give out scary books for Halloween.  The movement has its own website where you can find more information and extras: http://www.allhallowsread.com/  You can also hear about it straight from the horse's mouth in the video by Neil Gaiman below.

So what's your favorite scary book, and who else might like it?  Leave your book suggestions and All Hallow's Read stories in the comments!

With Halloween around the corner I find myself drawn to books on witches.  Here are a few new books on the subject that I've read and enjoyed recently:

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (YA F Okorafor)
"Akata Witch!" Sunny was used to the taunt, but that didn't make it sting any less. As an albino who spent the first nine years of her life in America, Sunny was used to not fitting in with her Nigerian classmates, but she had no idea how different she was until she saw the end of the world in a candle's flame and discovered  that she really did have magical powers.  In Nigeria, those with magical abilities are called Leopard People and at first Sunny doesn't know what to make of their world.  Among Leopard People what sets you apart is what gives you strength and because Sunny is so different she is also very powerful.  At first her abilities and the new world they show her are thrilling, but before long she realizes that with her powers come a price and for every benefit the Leopard People have to offer there is a hidden danger.

I loved the world of magic that Okorafor creates in this novel where money is earned through knowledge and the librarian is one of the most powerful witches in town.  Imaginative touches such as a wasp artist that stings you if you do not praise its work enough surprised and delighted me. 

Reckless by Cornelia Funke (YA F Funke)
Of the two Reckless brothers, Jacob was always the one who lived up to the family name.  Ever since he discovered the world behind the mirror he's made Reckless into his job description as he travels the fairy-tale world hunting for treasures.  A comb that turns you into a crow will fetch a high price, if you can escape the witch that  it belongs to and live to collect your reward.  Will never knew about the world his brother disappeared to, until one day when Will discovers his secret and follows him in, only to fall victim to a fairy's curse that is slowly turning him to stone.  Now the clock is ticking and Jacob will have to use everything he's learned in his travels if he wants to save Will.  He never imagined that his own brother's life would end up being the most dangerous treasure he's ever sought.

I have always been a fan of new twists on classic fairy tales and this dark fairy tale world is a perfect setting to loose yourself in on Halloween. 

Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer (133.4 SC)
In the winter of 1692 two girls began to twitch and choke and twist their bodies into odd configurations on the floor as snow piled high outside their home.  Their parents tried every remedy, but the symptoms prevailed.  When a doctor was finally called to examine them his diagnosis was that the girls were bewitched.  The original cause of the girls’ symptoms remains unknown to this day.  What is known is that the girls’ strange behavior set off a case of witch-hunt fever that would turn neighbors against each other and result in the loss of innocent lives and ruin many others.    The Salem Witch Trials are an iconic chapter of American history and its name has been evoked in modern times to point out our folly when suspicions cause us to turn against each other.  But what really happened in Salem in 1692?  Will we ever be able to learn the lessons this dark period of history has to teach us, or will we be forever doomed to repeat it?

This serves as a sobering reminder of what happened to some of the men and women who were accused of being witches. Shanzer takes the facts and presents them clearly and concisely.  The woodcut illustrations in black, white, and red are superb and depict the grizzly, imaginative scenes described well.

Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee (E MCG)
A girl comes home from trick-or-treating on Halloween and decides, she will fly.  After a couple of failed attempts she finally takes off into the sky. 

This picture book, written in the form of a sestina, address the reader directly to involve them in this charming flight of the imagination.  The linoleum block illustrations and limited color palate add a distinctive look to the story and complement the sparse text perfectly.

It looks like the kindergarten classes are excited about picking their own materials to check out: all three kindergarten classes are in the top five homerooms with the most check outs.  They seem to be checking out a lot of picture books, making it the most popular section, with the 700's as a runner-up.  I can see why.  The 700's are the arts and recreation section with books on comics, crafts, movies, sports, dance, and art.  We've just started this new blog, but I hope that for October's infographic we increase our communication numbers and add some more twitter birds and rss feed icons.  We were pretty busy last month though with 2,719 items checked out!

Let us know if there's any other stats you'd like to see in next month's infographic in the comments!

Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.
John Dewey

“Written by a master storyteller, World Without Fish (by Mark Kurlansky) connects all the dots—biology, economics, evolution, politics, climate, history, culture, food, and nutrition—in a way that kids can really understand. It describes how the fish we most commonly eat, including tuna, salmon, cod, and swordfish, could disappear within 50 years, and the domino effect it would have—oceans teeming with jellyfish and turning pinkish orange from algal blooms; seabirds disappearing, then reptiles, then mammals. It describes the back-and-forth dynamic of fishermen and scientists. It covers the effects of industrialized fishing, and how bottom-dragging nets are turning the ocean floor into a desert.
 The answer? Support sustainable fishing. World Without Fish tells kids exactly what they can do: Find out where those fish sticks come from. Tell your parents what’s good to buy, and what’s not. Ask the waiter if the fish on the menu is line-caught And follow simple rules: Use less plastic, and never eat endangered fish like bluefin tuna.
Interwoven with the book is a full-color graphic novel. Each beautifully illustrated chapter opener links to form a larger fictional story that complements the text. Hand in hand, they create a Silent Spring for a new generation.”
From the product description

What if there Were No Bees? A Book about the Grassland Ecosystem by Suzanne Slade
Find out what the difference the loss of one animal species could make as you follow  the food chain reaction.

The Curse of Akkad/ Climate Upheavals that Rocked Human History by Peter Christie “Grade 6 Up—In a refreshing look at climate change, Christie discusses the ways in which environmental conditions have shaped human history. The chapters, each discussing a different aspect of climate change, are arranged in loose chronological order. Every section opens with a fictionalized account featuring either an imagined or a real historical figure. The author then explains how climate change caused the events to occur.” From School Library Journal

All the water in the world is all the water in the world by George Ella Lyon
“We are all connected by water, and this message is beautifully, lyrically delivered from poet-musician-author George Ella Lyon. Where does water come from? Where does water go? Find out in this exploration of oceans and waterways that highlights an important reality: Our water supply is limited, and it is up to us to protect it.”
From the product description

Children will never view rain in the same way after reading this book. -- The Green Teacher

“A Full Moon Is Rising [by Marilyn Singer] has an unusual concept: it celebrates the full moon with children all around the world. This gives the poet an opportunity to write about the full moon and also about different cultures. Be sure to look at the endpapers, which show a map of the world with the countries spotlighted in the book indicated by different bright colors. The countries are Australia, Canada, China/Hong Kong, Colombia, Curaçao (or rather, the ocean next to it), India, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Turkey, and the U.S. Plus a spot in space!”  Review by Amazon reviewer K. Coombs