Her name is Mercy, she's a Volkswagon mechanic and a Native American shapeshifter. The latest book Bonecrossed in the Mercedes Thompson series is on the NY Time best seller list.
RVC will be getting the series soon.

.

Slumdog Millionaire! - a.k.a.Q & A by Vikas Swarup. In case you missed this terrific film and winner of the 2009 Best Picture of the Year Academy Award, check out the book on which the movie was based. Or, if you did see the film, read the novel to see how truthful the movie was to the plot of the book.

Another great suggestion is The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. Kate Winslet won the Best Actress Oscar for portraying a Nazi prison guard (sorry, but I will always remember her as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility).

They are having open auditions for the role of Greg Heffley. 20th Century Fox describes what they are looking for as this: "think a younger version of Michael Cera, or imagine Larry David in middle school." Watch audition tapes, get tips on making your own and send it in (check with your parents first!) at iamthewimpykid.com! Awesome!

If you need a good laugh, check out this video that the Seneca Library put together in '07. It's just one of the great library promo videos that can be found on www.infotubey.com

Check back for more info about the RVC Library's upcoming promo videos!

In honor of Valentine's Day (last Saturday, hope you had a nice one), I wanted to alert you to a new book from one of our favorite authors, Adriana Trigiani. Her newest novel, Very Valentine, is the first of a planned triology and promises to be just as popular as her Big Stone Gap series and another big favorite around here, Lucia, Lucia.

Check out the Book Club Girl blog for an in-depth description/review of the book and watch Adriana give a walking tour of her beloved Greenwich village.

Ciao for now.

This movie is based on the the graphic novel. Did I mention before that it is the only graphic novel to be included in the All-TIME 100 Novels list? Nuff said!

Nickelodeon debuted a new series on Jan. 26 based on the Olivia books by Ian Falconer. The half-hour animated series follows the adventures of a spunky 6-and-3/4-year-old pig.

Next Tuesday (February 17) starts Community Service Week here at the Library. If you are in grade 7 or 8, you probably need community service hours for school or other activities. We've been swamped with sign-ups, but we do still a few openings for some of the programs. So come see Mrs. Ain or Miss Erin to sign up and get your community service done early!

The latest installment of the Lila Black series. A great blend of science fiction and fantasy. In this novel the cyborg Lila Black is trying to resurrect her lover Zal the rock star elf and she now has a magic sword that is taking on the form of a pen.

Come to the library on or around February 12th to celebrate the 200th anniversary of our 16th president's birth! Abraham Lincoln remains one of this country's most beloved president's and the library holds a treasure trove of materials about his life and times. In addition to the very popular Team of Rivals (due to Barack Obama's influence), we have many books on the great man including a new biography written by George McGovern (yes, that McGovern), Abraham Lincoln by Pulitizer Prize winning author James M. McPherson and much, much more. Be sure to check out the special display set up in the main area of the library honoring this extraordinary man.

Take the Honest Abe Quiz to test your knowledge!

The stars must have really been in alignment on February 12, 1809 as another of the world's most famous people, Charles Darwin, was born only minutes apart from Lincoln. We are honoring the anniversary of Mr. Darwin's birth with a display of works on his life at the rear of the library.

This fantasy/horror film was a delight! You have to see it to believe it! Normally I wouldn't recommend this film because its for the kiddies but the witch and the cool black cat made me fall in love with this film. See it in 3-D because it is soo much better. The film is based on the horror/fantasy book Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

Along with about a million (no exaggeration) other people I went to Washington D.C. to watch Barack Obama become president. It was moving and crowded and my toes froze, but ultimately it was worth it because now I can say, "I was there." I thought I'd share a few pictures with you all, including ones of our newest mascot Ike LaRue. Enjoy!

Black History Month has added meaning this year with the election of our country's first African-American President, Barack Obama. We are very proud of the two display cases at the library (thank you Alene and Rob, great job!) dedicated to honoring Black scientists and inventors (did you know that the first traffic signal was invented by an African-American? ~~ I didn't).

We also have a great display at the front of the library full of wonderful novels written by African American authors ranging from the Harlem Renaissance up to the present day.

For further reading, try Booklist's Spotlight on Black History reading lists.

P.S. February is also the month that one of our favorite Children's Librarians, Jen Marino, is displaying her photography on the lower concourse. Next time you are in the library, make it a point to go downstairs to see her beautiful photos. Your talents never cease to amaze us Jennifer.

Not only is it time for the Grammys and the Oscars, but it is also award season for children's books. Last Monday the winners of several big awards were announced, and they are:

Newbery Medal: (author award)
Winner: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Honor Books: The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
Savvy by Ingrid Law
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal: (illustrator award)
Winner: The House in the Night - ill. by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson
Honor Books: A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever written & illustrated by Marla Frazee
How I Learned Geography written & illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, ill. by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award: (for beginning readers)
Winner: Are You Ready to Play Outside by Mo Willems
Honor Books: Chicken said, "Cluck!" by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell
One Boy written & illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (RVC's own!)
Stinky written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis
Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal: (nonfiction)
Winner: We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Honor Books: Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and Rediscovery of the Past by James M. Deem
What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!" written by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham