The Girl in the Castle

I LOVE these illustrations by Nicoletta Ceccoli, and I just had to share. Plus, they make this space so much more charming.

Whimsy, fantasy, and fairy-tales…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literary Mixtape: Katniss Everdeen

Have you ever wondered what sort of music your favorite literary character would have listened to while falling in love or saving the world or contemplating the meaning of life…or just, contemplating? I know that when I’m reading a really good book, I sometimes picture that book as a movie with an ongoing soundtrack. My imagination runs wild as I incorporate close-ups, transitions, background music, and of course, the all-powerful, totally awesome slow-motion entrance into my visualization process. I love creating these little scenes, and I always find myself thinking about perfect songs to best capture a chapter or even a sentence I’ve just read. It turns out, I’m not the only one! In fact, Emily Temple wrote a whole piece for Flavorwire.com all about “mixtapes” based on our favorite literary characters. She used Hamlet as her muse, creating a hypothetical playlist of songs totally encapsulating the despondent, crazed, and paranoid protagonist. Hamlet’s songs include everything from angry (Nine Inch Nails – “Starf***ers, Inc.) to unhinged (Man Man – “Against the Peruvian Monster) to somber (The Tallest Man on Earth – “Where do my Bluebird Fly”). Sounds about right. If you’re interested in reading the article on Flavorwire.com and checking out the rest of Hamlet’s playlist, click HERE!

I loved this idea SO much that I decided to make my own “literary mixtape” for one of my current favorite characters, YA style: Miss Katniss Everdeen, the courageous and kick-ass leading lady of The Hunger Games Trilogy. When creating my list I tried to think about songs that epitomize Katniss, songs that she might have listened to while wreaking havoc in the games or strolling around The Seam, and songs that I think would be awesome in a movie adaptation (just saying..). Here’s what I came up with!

(in no particular or chronological order..)

The Rolling Stones – “Play with Fire“

Ok, so who knows if Katniss is really The Rolling Stones “type”, but come on, this song is kind of a must. “Don’t play with me cause you’re playing with fire”….hello?! I could totally see Katniss listening to this song while solemnly realizing that she is, must be, “The Girl on Fire”.

The Mars Volta – “Inertiatic ESP“

Katniss definitely has a little bit of crazy in her and while she often times kept it together externally for all those watchful eyes from the Capitol, she had to have been just flipping out inside. This could be her “flip-out” song, but I think it would also work as the soundtrack to almost getting devoured by mutant dog-people at the end of book one.

U.N.P.O.C. – “Here on my Own“

For the better part of The Hunger Games, Katniss was left to fend for herself…and she was kind of ok with that. Besides Rue, she didn’t trust anyone else and she was certainly not going to let anyone but Katniss Everdeen save Katniss Everdeen. I envision her listening to this song while sitting high atop a tree somewhere thinking, “I don’t need any of you a-holes!”

Bob Dylan – “It Ain’t Me Babe“

Here’s how I picture this one. Peeta is passed out and Katniss has to take care of him AND pretend to have more-than-just-partner-in-crime/kill feelings for him. All the while, she can’t get this song out of her head. Staring at poor, sweet, unconscious Peeta, thinking, “No, no, no, it’s ain’t me babe, it ain’t me you’re lookin’ for babe”.

Modest Mouse – “Shit Luck“

Ok, my girl needs some sort of adrenaline filled “I’m freaking out, get any closer and I will hurt you” type song. I think this fits the bill perfectly. It’s got a sort of hopelessness, anything goes feel to it (totally appropriate for the games) with tons of energy to keep her feeling electrified. I picture Katniss sprinting through the woods, bow and arrow in tow, seeing pure red..and if she had an ipod, she would be rocking out to this tune.

The Tallest Man on Earth – “The Wild Hunt“

“I left my heart to the wild hunt a-comin” – I have to admit that there is a little bit of bias here because I am currently obsessed with this musician, but I still think it works! Katniss might have listened to this one before the whole games debacle, after a long hunting excursion with Gale, sitting alone together and forgetting about anything/everything else..it definitely works.

Portugal the Man – “Colors“

I think “I’m not afraid to die” sums up this choice. I mean, it’s pretty much the perfect song to go along with Katniss’ realization that she’s gotta stand up and fight…to be the face of the revolution and look death right in the ugly, rose and blood scented face.

Chris Garneau – “We Don’t Try” (also HERE, cause I love this)

We all know that Katniss went through a heck of a lot..times a million. It’s kind of amazing that she didn’t end up in a deeper hole than the one she propelled herself into throughout most of Mockingjay. Ugh btw, but nonetheless I wanted to honor Katniss’ depression by including the saddest song I know, a real heart-wrencher. I have to say, “We Don’t Try” gets me every time, and while it’s insanely beautiful, it also makes me want to curl up into a tiny, invisible ball of tears. Here’s to the misery!

Wolf Parade  - “Modern World“

“I’m not in love with the modern world/It was a torch driving the savages back to the trees”. This song would fit perfectly into a fighting/fleeing/sticking it to the Capitol montage. The version of the song I took and posted from youtube is not the one I would add to the official Katniss playlist – “Modern World (Original)” is way more techno-ey and post-apocolyptic sounding – but I couldn’t find that one, and you get the idea.

Death Cab for Cutie – “I Will Follow You into the Dark“

A melancholy love song. I actually thought of this song right away when I read the end of Mockingjay, and find it fitting for one contemplating a life  of uncertainty, filled with pain, suffering, and haunting questions, but desperately trying to move on. Katniss might have listened to this song while watching Peeta and her children in the meadow during Mockingjay’s epilogue.

Well, that’s all I’ve got folks! …Katniss’ playlist sure does resemble my itunes library

Suggestions, additions, laments!?!?!

“Books! And That’s Where I Get ‘Em!”

Found this fantastic old ad for public libraries and had to share…take a look to see why Ed is driving Dick “batty”..and to find out what in the world is in that briefcase!

 

www.boingboing.net

Love Is (Still) In the Air

Happy day after Valentine’s Day!

My friend posted this status update on her facebook page today. Needless to say, it made me smile (along with a lot of other fbookers…19 “likes”, what?!)

 

I am right there with you, sister. Maybe Valentine’s Day is over-commercialized, but one thing I can’t complain about is the abundance of chocolate and sweets. Toblerone and cupcakes baby!! YUM and YUM.

The big day has definitely come to an end…candy and fluffy white bears holding heart-shaped, cheesy pun pillows have all gone on sale…but wonderfully enough everything we celebrated 24 hours ago remains…so here’s to giving and feeling the love the other (and equally as important) 364!

 

Here’s a lovely little poem to help keep those warm and fuzzies in full force…

The Quiet World

BY JEFFREY MCDANIEL

In an effort to get people to look

into each other’s eyes more,

and also to appease the mutes,

the government has decided

to allot each person exactly one hundred

and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear

without saying hello. In the restaurant

I point at chicken noodle soup.

I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,

proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.

I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn’t respond,

I know she’s used up all her words,

so I slowly whisper I love you

thirty-two and a third times.

After that, we just sit on the line

and listen to each other breathe.

I Swear We Were Infinite…

“Maybe it’s good to put things in perspective. Sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there”  (p. 212)

 

I am so ecstatic that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is being adapted into a film, and to add to my excitement…Emma Watson just signed on to play Sam! While all of this, in my opinion, is wonderful, I do wonder how well the book will translate into a movie. This is probably one of my favorite books (hit me hard as a teen, I’m sure a lot of people can relate) and it was written so beautifully, I just have a hard time picturing the transformation. The good news (other than Ms. Watson) is that author Stephen Chbosky will also be directing the movie and writing its screenplay, so at least we know that not as much will be lost in translation.

The book takes place in Pittsburgh, so of course, where else would the filming take place than right here in the Steel City! I mean, there is no way the Fort Pitt Tunnel scene could not be included. Just adding to the list of awesomeness! Now all I need to do is figure out when filming starts and how to get on set as an extra.

 

“There’s something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It’s glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it’s dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of the radio fades because the waves just can’t reach. Then, you’re in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can’t get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you’ll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance.”  (p. 191-192)

 

Pittsburgh Skyline

Blabber Blabber

Sticking with my recent theme of Web 2.0 technologies, Blabberize is another unique tool to use with students. While I was student teaching (as I mentioned before) I worked with 5th graders on country research projects and I used a variety of technologies/tools with different classes. One of those tools I already discussed (Glogster) and another was Blabberize.

Blabberize is a website that allows users to basically create a talking picture. You can upload an image to the website and record something to go along with the image. There is even a way to make a mouth on the image so that it moves along with the recording. I learned about Blabberize during my library program and first got acquainted with it while on a school library observation visit. I was visiting a middle school library and the librarian there talked about a project that she did with her students involving the use of Blabberize. It seemed like a really fantastic idea and I knew that one day I had to try it out myself.

Working with the website had a lot of positives and negatives. The students were SO excited about using Blabberize, which was so great to see. I had students work with partners, research a country, and write scripts focusing on different aspects of their country. They also got to choose a picture of an animal from their country that they would eventually upload and turn into their Blabber. I loved how enthusiastic everyone was about researching, writing creative scripts, and working together, however there were definitely some drawbacks as well. The website sometimes took a really long time to load and we were often left playing a waiting game. I had to use a laptop with a built-in mic to conduct all of the recordings, so with only one computer and a slow website, we quickly fell behind schedule. To finish all of the recordings, I was forced to ask students to find extra time in their day to come into the library, which is a lot to ask of 5th graders. Luckily, because the students were so psyched about the project, they did find time to come in and record and were so flexible. If I would have asked them to come in to do extra research or to finish typing a paper, the response would have been much different.

In the end, everything worked out and all of the Blabbers were finished on time. We were able to spend a whole class period presenting the different blabbers and allowing students a chance to discuss their countries and answer any questions. While stressful at times, it ended up being a really fun and rewarding project and the kids did an awesome job!

Here are some student Blabbers:

 

 

 

Book Talking It Up

Getting teens interested in reading can be tough. I remember what it was like in middle and high school. It was a lot of things but mainly, it was busy. Besides school, I played sports year round and I loved being involved in anything extra-curricular. As a certified teacher and librarian I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but here it is…back then, I really wasn’t the avid reader that I am today (shocking, I know). It’s not because I didn’t want to be or because I didn’t like to read. I loved it and sincerely wished I could do more of it. Unfortunately though, I simply struggled to find the time. I remember nights in high school during soccer pre-season when right after school I would  head straight to practice until between 6-7, come home, eat dinner, shower, homework it up, then fall asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow. Because of my hard-pressed schedule, when it came to reading I read what I was supposed to for school and unfortunately didn’t leave much room for myself. Remembering how busy I was years ago in school, I can’t imagine how students today must be feeling. Education has changed so much and thanks to some less than perfect education policies, students are under a lot of pressure and are busier than ever. So…if that is the case, how do we get students into the library? How do we get students interested in reading for pleasure, for themselves?? It’s not an easy feat, I can say that much. But, the good news is, it can be done.

One great method is booktalking. To booktalk is to basically describe the  most intriguing parts of a book to someone to try and get them interested. Booktalks can be short and sweet, or a little more animated and detailed. Any librarian can tell you that they give booktalks every single day. Kid comes up to librarian and says, Mrs. So and So, I’m looking for a really good scary book…can you help me?? Bam, librarian has to give a booktalk right there on the spot…and a really good one at that because kids are a tough crowd. It’s not enough to simply give your own opinion, as in, it’s really good, it’s my favorite, trust me…because honestly, kids don’t care about your personal musings and they don’t really trust your opinion anyway. The trick is to use the book, the best parts of the book, to pull the reader in. Funny, disgusting, scary (you get the point..we’re dealing with kids and teens here..) always work.

I took a Young Adult Resources class last year and one of our assignments was to create and present booktalks on at least three different titles. There had to be a theme or connecting factor, but the rest was pretty much up to us. The booktalks that we created would best be used in a more formal setting. Rather than on the spot, they would be practiced and presented to students in a classroom setting or scheduled “booktalk” event.

The theme that I chose was “relationships”..but with a fun twist. Non-human relationships. I booktalked 3 titles including Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by S.G. Browne, Peeps by Scott Westerfeld, and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Below is an example of what I came up with for these titles to give you an idea on how to approach booktalking.

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Everyone knows that relationships are tough.  And I’m just talking about human relationships here.  How does love work if your crush, your soul mate, or you yourself just happen to be something, well, a little less human?  Take zombies for example…

(Breathers) The life of a zombie is so un-fabulous.  A few zombie rules to live by: you will not disturb the living, you will not be out past curfew, and you will not covet your neighbor’s flesh.  Not much of a life for those unlucky enough to spontaneously resurrect from the dead, like Andy Warner.  Therapy, Undead Anonymous meetings, name calling, and forever (literally) bathing in formaldehyde to lessen the chances of detached or disintegrated body parts – nope, not much of a life at all.  Andy wants to be normal, he wants to have a love life, especially with fellow zombie Rita, but come on – he just murdered his parents, shoving the evidence in the refrigerator…and as of late, he’s taken a strong liking for human flesh.  Do you really think he’s got a chance?

 

(Peeps) …Oh and don’t get me started on vampires.  You think vampires are all romance and fairy-tales? Think again.  “Vampire” is just an ancient name for those ill-fated individuals whose bodies have been infected by a dangerous parasite causing…anti-social behavior.  And in this infected world, breaking up is hard to do.  For Cal, well, it’s inevitable when all of his girlfriends keep turning into cannibalistic, psycho freaks – yeah, the parasite thing.  And he’s not much of a gem himself – he’s the one who infected all of those innocent girls, being the careless parasite carrier that he is.  But hey, at least he’s just a carrier and won’t turn into a bloodthirty, rat-loving monster like all of his exes.  But you know what, breaking up isn’t even the hardest thing for Cal, neither are rat-loving monsters.  Not with such a massive, horrifying beast on the loose, lurking underground just waiting for an opportune moment to destroy…

 

(Shiver) …But I guess in Cal’s favor, at least he’s not in love with a horrifying beast.  Grace is.  Her soul-mate Sam came to her when she was just a little girl.  Beautiful, I know.  Except for the minor detail that the reason he come to her was because his buddies were seconds from ripping her to shreds. They are wolves after all. But…Sam saved Grace and all is right with the world. That is, until Grace finds out that these wolves are different – Sam is different.  Sam is mostly beast, sometimes human.  A werewolf.  As a human, Sam is handsome, poetic, and wonderful…but as a wolf, he’s unpredictable and deadly.  Grace and Sam were drawn to each other from the beginning – like magnets – but is it really worth it?  Grace almost got gnawed and gnashed before – couldn’t that happen again???

 

So yeah, lovin ain’t easy – for humans.  For anything else, it’s next to impossible. But, if you want to delve into the entirely messed-up, totally hopeless love lives of a zombie, a werewolf, and a parasite carrying half vamp., check out Breathers by S.G. Browne, Peeps by Scott Westerfield, and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.