Peter and the Starcatchers

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Youth Fiction – Lower Level – Barry

For anyone looking for a story of magic and adventure, may I suggest Peter and the Starcatchers? This fast-moving adventure with a sense of humor takes us back to a time when Peter Pan was just Peter, an orphan with a dismal and probably short future. Peter, still the leader of a small gang of orphans, is being sent to a barbarian king on a faraway island, onboard a small and dingy ship. Also onboard is young Molly, apprentice Starcatcher. Apparently, when stars fall on earth, the starstuff causes magical mutations, often harmful, so that it must be removed from earth by the Starcatchers before it can cause too much damage. Sure enough, a large and leaky chest of starstuff features prominently in the plot, as does the evil Captain Stache and his pirate crew. The plot will keep you on the edge of your seat and the characters are charming and believable. The book, for me, restored the magic of Peter Pan that was missing when I reread the original, with its old-fashioned mores. It's an origin story well worth reading.

Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty

Boys Will Be Boys By Jeff Pearlman

Adult Nonfiction - Upper Level - 796.322 P


The Dallas Cowboys of the 1990’s, a dynasty by any definition, put together one of the greatest championship runs in the history of professional sports by capturing 3 Super Bowl titles in 4 seasons. What led to their meteoric rise and similarly rapid decline are detailed in this excellent account by Jeff Pearlman. But this story has much more to do about what happened off the field than what actually occurred on it.


Rising from the ashes of a disastrous 1-15 campaign in 1989 was a young, fierce squad ready to conquer the league. Team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson assembled a young and talented roster that flourished on the field, but was fueled by the off the field lifestyle that came with being a Cowboy. Their all night partying, drug use, and womanizing are notorious, but these activities accurately portrayed the attitudes and beliefs of their owner, Jerry Jones. The team went so far as to purchase a large home in suburban Dallas, known as the White House, where teammates could openly engage in the debauchery that made them famous.


Despite all of this, the team thrived on the field. After back-to-back Super Bowl victories, Jimmy Johnson realized the tension between him and the owner was too much to handle, so he resigned. While the team was able to capture another Super Bowl with Barry Switzer at the helm, the Cowboys were never the same. The lifestyle that made them a dynasty also led to their downfall, ending literally in a pool of blood during the team’s training camp in 1998. The inside information gathered by Pearlman allows him to present a fully detailed account of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty. Highly recommended for any football fan.

The Flirt

The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro
Adult Paperbacks – Upper Level – TESSARO

Imagine yourself finding that the spark has gone out of your marriage. You’d like to get things going again, but since part of the problem is that you’re not feeling amorous, either, you’re not sure where to start. If you are a man in London, enter the hired flirt, a “professional massager of the female ego”, who will conduct a chaste yet thrilling flirtation with your wife. She’ll start being excited about herself, and you’ll start being excited about her. On the other hand, if you are a woman in a similar position, you could visit Bordello, and have the proprietress make seductive yet subtle custom lingerie, such that you won’t look like you’re trying at all, but your husband will nevertheless find you irresistible.

These are the two businesses that we are introduced to at the beginning of this book, along with a mélange of characters. There’s Hughie, an out-of-work actor, applying for the job of professional flirt, and his love of the moment, Leticia Vane, proprietress of Bordello. Hughie’s running up a tab at the local café, where Rose, a young single mother, is the waitress. Sam, a regular there and a plumber is called to fix a problem at Bordello. Rose interviews for a household job at the home of Olivia, a rich and sad American, but Olivia takes her for an up-and-coming artist instead. Jonathan works for Olivia’s wife Arnaud, a tennis ball billionaire. Not only is Arnaud an impossible boss, but Jonathan’s wife Amy is pregnant for the fourth time and both of them are wondering what happened to their dream of domestic bliss. The interlocking characters and plot lines rise like beaten egg whites to make a delightful meringue of a book, filled with comic situations and bittersweet chocolate reflections on the messiness of love and the fleeting nature of romance.

The Devil's Paintbox

The Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria McKernan.
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level - MCKERNAN

Adolescent Aiden Lynch and his younger sister Maddy are in dire straits on their Kansas farm in post Civil War America when they meet a charismatic stranger named Jefferson J. Jackson. Jackson is leading a wagon train to the west and offers them a place with the group in exchange for Aiden’s promise to work as a logger in Washington Territory. With their whole family deceased and almost certain death facing them due to starvation, Aiden and Maddy agree to join this adventure.

An adventure it is with interesting new friends, beautiful landscapes, sickness, accidents, harsh weather conditions, Indians, and smallpox also known as “the devil’s paint.” Along the way, Aiden makes friendships with Indians from the Nez Perce tribe and tries to help save them from smallpox. Meanwhile, Maddy finds herself wanting to become a doctor at a time when women were expected to keep their place and get married. Will these two very young Americans be able to achieve their dreams in spite of harsh realities?

The Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria McKernan is a very rich and deep novel. McKernan expertly ties a sad part of White/Native American history, the fact that Native Americans were not allowed to be vaccinated against smallpox during the post Civil War era, into the deep belly of her plot. This novel does not sugar coat how harsh life was for such pioneers as Aiden and Maddy who were basically facing the threat of death every single day of their lives. Still there is a hopefulness to the book in the fact that both teens find inner strength to cope with the demons that surround them. Their humanity is universal and will touch all readers because no matter what the time period is, we all face the same weaknesses of the human spirit. If you are a fan of thought-provoking historical fiction, then this is the novel for you.

The Good Neighbors: Kin

The Good Neighbors. Volume 1: Kin by Holly Black. Illustrated by Ted Naifeh.
Teen Graphic Novels – Main Level - GOO

Rue Silver is sixteen years old. She has a boyfriend and a group of friends who like to break into abandoned buildings and take photographs. Her mother has been quietly missing for three weeks and her father is suddenly involved in a murder case. And she’s starting to see things that she can’t tell anyone about, because they’ll think she’s crazy. They are the faeries of the old tales, the ones called Kindly and Good in hopes of preventing unwanted attentions. Rue learns that her vanished mother was a faery herself. A battle is beginning, and Rue must decide whose side she is on, and how much she can tell her friends. This is the first volume of what’s obviously planned as a much longer series. It’s a very solid start. The story strikes just the right balance between realistic and spooky, and the shaded paintings bring this out perfectly. I got a strong Buffy vibe off of it, not in a copy-cat kind of way, but in the circle of high school friends with a snarky sense of humor and a smart, tough girl going it with some help, but mostly alone. Black is also the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles. This does feel like it’s coming from the same imagination, but more from real older legend, and definitely more sophisticated and for an older audience. I’m really looking forward to the next one.

Bloom Blox

Boom Blox
Video Games Main Level – VG - BOO

Boom Blox for the Wii is a very entertaining game. The object of the game is to throw, push or blow up certain items before continuing to a new level. Before you even are able to play the game you need to go through a series of training exercises. These exercises give you a sampling of the different levels you will need to complete. They start off easy and gradually get harder. The game is much like Jenga, where you have to move items without knocking down the entire structure. In order to unlock new levels you need to get a gold, silver, or bronze medal on the previous level. The medals are based on the amount of points you receive while playing the level. This game can be played for hours at a time trying to beat your previous scores. You can also play with multiple players either cooperatively or against each other. If you want a few hours of mindless fun, check out Boom Blox.

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China Isaac Stern

Adult Nonfiction DVD 782.2S

This DVD, produced by Hopewell Foundation and Thirteen/WNET, documents the first visit of a Western Musician to China following the end of the Cultural Revolution. Isaac Stern was invited by the Chinese government to tour the country, teach students, and otherwise share musical experiences with musicians in China. The original film covers Stern’s 1979 journey, brief tours of the countryside, and the teaching of master classes. Only a few minutes are spent on the impact of the Cultural Revolution on musicianship… western musical education ceased… teachers of western music were imprisoned.
This DVD also includes documentary film of Isaac Stern’s return trip to China 20 years later (2000). He comments that the musicians are playing better now, more able to express themselves individually in music; and he reiterates the importance of music in the development of a civilized society.
I would refer you to one of the extras on this DVD… the film called “The Gentleman from Shanghai”. In this 26 minute retrospective, Professor Tan’s narration of his life in music is interspersed with historical accounts of Japan’s invasion of Shanghai in 1937 and subsequent surrender in 1945, the nationalization of the orchestra in 1948, the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Tan speaks at some length about his imprisonment, and later, about forgiveness.
View this DVD for a look at classical music education and cultural exchange against the backdrop of 20th century Chinese history.

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child.
Picture Book Shelves - Lower Level - CHI

Little Lola hates mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, peas, fish sticks, potatoes, and most of all tomatoes. How will her brother Charlie feed her dinner tonight? He comes up with a clever way of getting Lola to believe that carrots are orange twiglets from Jupiter, and peas are green drops from Greenland. Likewise, fish sticks come from an undersea market, and mashed potatoes are really cloud fluff from Mount Fuji. Soon Lola is happily eating all of her supposedly least favorite foods. The biggest shock is when Lola herself comes up with a way to enjoy the dreaded tomatoes.

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child is a funny and enjoyable picture book for all those fussy eaters out there. The illustrations mix different styles including real photography which makes this book a truly "delicious" treat!

God Grew Tired of Us

God Grew Tired of Us Directed by Christopher Quinn
DVD Collection - Main Level - DOCUMENT GOD

“God Grew Tired of Us” tells the true story of three Sudanese men who after facing genocide, starvation, and dehydration are relocated to the United States. After being split from their families and escaping government troops, thousands of displaced men known as “The Lost Boys of Sudan” were forced to travel on foot for months until they reached Ethiopia. However, they would soon be forced to escape Ethiopia when a civil war broke out there as well. During this journey to a refugee camp in Kenya, the group would suffer from disease, violence, and death. Within the camp the refugees formed a bond that would remain strong even when 3,800 of them are relocated to America.

“God Grew Tired of Us” chronicles the culture shock these men face by highlighting the challenges three of the men have as they attempt to achieve the American dream. Everyday conveniences such as garbage cans, supermarkets, and flushable toilets become strange new experiences. While some of the men cope better than others, one of the most remarkable aspects of the film is the way in which they make the best of their circumstances. It should serve as a lesson to those of us out there that whine about our situation in life and yet do nothing to better it.

One of the men in particular, John Bul Dau who worked 60 hours a week while obtaining an associates degree, is a prime example of taking what you have and making the most out of it. He has founded three non-profit organizations, The Sudanese Lost Boys Foundation of Central New York, The American Care for Sudan, and the John Dau Sudan Foundation which was founded in July 2007 to develop health facilities that currently do not exist for most of the populations of Duk, Twic East and Bor South Counties in the State of Jonglei in Southern Sudan. “God Grew Tired of Us” is not only a great film because of the social awareness it raises, but it also serves as a beacon of hope for those of us who find ourselves struggling to get by in life.

For More information on the Lost Boys of Sudan check out:

The Lost Boys of Sudan by Mark Bixler
Adult Non-fiction - Upper Level - 305.8B

The Lost Boys of Sudan by Megan Mylan & Jon Shenk
Teen Non-fiction DVD - Main Level - 973L

Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island

Summer Dreams: The Story of Bob-Lo Island by Patrick Livingston

Adult Nonfiction 977.43L


In a detailed history of Bob-Lo Island, Patrick Livingston discusses international borders, illegal immigration, race relations, the advent of the auto industry, provocative dance, war economics, and, of course, the boats, dance halls, roller rinks and amusement parks. I had had no idea there was such intrigue associated with the Island, recalling only the mostly boring boat ride required to get to the amusement park.

The ferry company that serviced the island and other river destinations in the early years found itself in competition with the Ambassador Bridge, Windsor Tunnel and the popularity of the automobile. In later years, of course, competition came from Cedar Point. In between, there were management changes, bankruptcies, population shifts, morality shifts, and the like.

Summer Dreams is filled with pictured miscellany, photographs and advertisements from the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and the authors own collection. Read and reminisce.

Bringing Nature Home

Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy
Adult Non-fiction - Upper Level - 639.9 T


Beautiful photographs of native plants and insects, along with the author's very engaging and occasionally humorous style, make this book a treasure. Author Douglas Tallamy explains fully the importance of beneficial insects as pollinators, as sources of food for other wildlife, and as predators of other harmful insects.

The rationale for planting more native plants becomes abundantly clear when we learn that very little in our suburban landscape supports our beneficial native insects.

Celebrate the power of the individual as the author suggests anyone can easily create an attractive corner or border with native plants. Enjoy some interesting buzzing or fluttering insects, and know it is something good for the planet.