Banned Books Week is here!

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

This book was banned and challenged many times bases on the themes which are anti-God, anti-Catholic, and anti-religion.

This book has sparked much controversy because of its statuses as an award winner and as a commonly banned and challenged book.  The book won the Carnegie metal in 1996 and in 1997 it was one of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults, an ALA Notable Children's Book, on theTexas Lonestar Reading List, and won the Maine Student Book Award.

Interested yet, or are you bored from my describing why you should read it?

Well, it's a pretty interesting book, and you should check it out.  It follows Lyra in a world where part of each person's soul can take the shape of an animal.  Until puberty the daemon can change shape, but around that time they become permanent.  Lyra searching for her friend, Roger, and father, Lord Asriel and meets up with Mrs. Coulter.  When she finds out that Mrs. Coulter is one of the ones responsible for the recent trend of missing children, she runs away and eventually finds Roger.  Now she has a new goal: she must get the alethiometer (which looks like a compass with a gold back!) to Lord Asriel.

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen!

Arr, September 19th be Talk Like a Pirate Day.  Arr ye interested in readin' about some Seadogs and Buccaneers?  Try out some of these great books at the Goldstein Library, where ye don't hafta Hornswaggle - books check out fer free at libraries!



The Ballad of the Pirate Queens by Jane Yolen
--Two women who sailed with Calico Jack Rackham and his pirates in the early 1700s do their best to defend their ship while the men on board are busy drinking.

Captain Butcher's Body by Scott Corbett
--Two boys confront the ghost of a long-dead pirate on an island off the coast of New England.

Pirates! The True and remarkable adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates. by Celia Rees
--In 1722, after arriving with her brother at the family's Jamaican plantation where she is to be married off, sixteen-year-old Nancy Kington escapes with her slave friend, Minerva Sharpe, and together they become pirates traveling the world in search of treasure.


Pirate Royal by John and Patricia Beatty
--After being unjustly accused of theft, imprisoned, and sold as a bondservant, a seventeenth-century English youth joins a band of pirates.  Several years later he gains both pardon and praise from the King of England for his service to Henry Morgan, the famous buccaneer.

Enjoy Talk Like a Pirate Day, and enjoy a good read!

Hungry for more?

The Favorite Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris

My mom used to read me Uncle Remus folk tales as a kid. I don’t remember much about them, except that I liked that she read them to me.  Luckily, the Goldstein Library has classic Uncle Remus written in its original language.  We’re not big on censoring books to change your opinions here.  Come check out this collection of classic American Folktales and let us know if you love them, hate them, or prefer another recommendation. 

A book to Tweet about

The Cuckoo’s Haiku and Other Birding Poems by Michael J. Rosen, illustrated by Stan Fellows

The Goldstein Library has a lot of illustrated books - I mean it does have the juvenile collection - but the illustrations in one of these books are pretty amazing.  The Cuckoo’s Haiku is filled with watercolor paintings of birds and bird-themed scenes.  Even if you’re really not into birds, the paintings are pretty spectacular, and the poems are short.  Come check it out and see if there’s something you like about it.  If you end up hating it, let us know that too.  We’ll comp you a free cup of coffee on any Friday you show up!

Dolphins: The serial killers of the water

The Saga of Pelorus Jack by Ross E. Hutchins

If you’ve ever been interested in learning about dolphins but thought that reading a non-fiction book was too boring, then The Saga of Pelorus Jack is the book for you!  The author basically tells you a ton of somewhat interesting facts about dolphins, but he does it by telling a story.  It’s child friendly so when he writes about how big of jerks dolphins can be he does it by saying they were defending themselves against a shark.  Whatever, we all know dolphins like to kill for sport.

“Dolphins have been observed engaging in the seemingly gratuitous killing of porpoises—going so far as to use sonar to locate the victim's vital organs and increase the lethality of the strike—but experts haven't quite worked out their motivation. Some speculate that the dolphins use the porpoises for target practice, preparing for possible clashes with fellow dolphins who infringe on their territory.”
excerpt from http://www.slate.com/id/2234729/

1980's and 90's throwback

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is like one of the best books ever.  It was originally published in 1989 so you may have read before, or had it read to you, but it’s totally worth another look.  I mean, just read it out loud - it is pretty fun.
(Hey now, that guy over there may look at you but it will definitely be in admiration and jealousy.  He wishes that he had a sweet quote to read aloud.)  Seriously, try it now.

“Skit skat skoodle doot.
Flip flop flee.
Everybody running to the coconut tree.
Mamas and papas
and uncles and aunts
hug their little dears,
then dust their pants.”

Pretty awesome, right? Yeah, I knew it.

"The sheep were still enjoying the high life..."

The Quest of the Warrior Sheep by Christine & Christopher Russell

"A crazy caper about five sheep, one cell phone, and the greatest quest of the woolly lives."

And so, new to the amazing Alcove collection, The Quest of the Warrior Sheep is available to be checked out! A cell phone lands on Sal the sheep's head which gets him and his posse to head out on an adventure.  But this cellphone telephone belongs to a couple criminals - oh noes! - who are trying to get it back.  Find out what happens when the two meet.

The American Library Association recently had their annual conference in New Orleans, and while some of the Graduate Assistants had fun going, you're wondering why we're telling you.  No, we're not rubbing it in.  Why you should care is because there were lots of awesome books being sold and given away throughout the weekend, and that is where this great find came from!