The Haunting of Derek Stone by Tony Abbott

I know I talked about this book before but now that all four in the series are available I had to bring it up again. And it's just the perfectly scary book to read in preparation for Halloween! And then later this week I'll add some nice and sweet (non-scary) books for the little kids to enjoy Halloween.

[File this in the category of too much information.] Let me say that I'm not a big fan of Halloween. And I'm not really a fan of horror books. I don't usually like to be scared. The monthly bills that arrive in my mail box are fright enough for me! Even as a child I didn't care for Halloween. I know there are many who revel in this holiday but I just as soon go out to dinner than put on a costume and ring strangers' doorbell.

I'd rather spend my Halloween reading a good book. Wait! That's how I like to spend most of my evenings. There's nothing like reading a book that holds my interest and gets my brain working. The Haunting of Derek Stone is not my typical fare but I have to say I was quite impressed by the writing. And I will confess again, that I found it to be a very scary book. I read the first book late into the night, past midnight, and I was thoroughly creeped out. And the rest of the story kept me on the edge of my seat. The pace is quick, the tension is palpable. It's the kind of book most people (kids) would not put down but just press through to get to the end. And believe me, when I got to the end of book one I was frustrated that I didn't have the second book to dive into. Now you can have all four to complete the story.

The series will meet all your fear needs: ghosts, the undead (not zombies) and a raging battle that grows with every chapter. What I love most about the book is the protagonist, Derek. He's overweight, frequently out of breath, and a reluctant hero. This is not what he signed up for, but he's dragged kicking and screaming and puking through the tale. I found myself holding my breath as I wondered how he was going to get out of his various predicaments.

So, be forewarned, it's a scary, VERY SCARY series. The age recommendation is 9-13. But don't give it to kids who are easily scared. I wouldn't have read this when I was nine. It didn't leave me as terrified as I was when I read The Exorcist, but it gave me goosebumps. Know your reader before you recommend this. Read it for yourself first and see how the horror feels.

	City of the Dead by Tony Abbott 2009-01 - Mass Market Paperbound Scholastic Paperbacks 9780545034296 $4.99
	Bayou Dogs by Tony Abbott 2009-03 - Paperback Scholastic Paperbacks 9780545034302 $4.99
	The Red House by Tony Abbott 2009-06 - Mass Market Paperbound Scholastic Paperbacks 9780545034319 $4.99
	The Ghost Road by Tony Abbott 2009-09 - Mass Market Paperbound Scholastic Paperbacks 9780545034326 $4.99

One Shoe Blues by Sandra Boynton

One Shoe Blues by Sandra Boynton
2009-10 - Hardcover
Workman Publishing
9780761151388
$10.95

The staff loves Sandra Boynton. Have you ever bought her books? You probably have, but have you listened to her books set to music? Oh my, now we're talking pure joy! We listen to Boynton's songs in the store just about every day. I have all her music on the old ipod and it shuffles in with the classics: from Bach to Boynton. That's what you hear at the store. "Dinosaur Blues" is always one of those songs that gets stuck in my head.

Now we have a new musical masterpiece! She just makes me smile. And this one has B.B. King!!! Really! It just keeps getting better and better! You can click on THIS LINK to watch a video of the making of One Sock Blues. Enjoy!

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
By Benedictus, David
Illustrator Burgess, Mark
2009-10 - Hardcover
Dutton Books
9780525421603
See Other Formats
$19.99


Does anyone ever get tired of Winnie the Pooh? The stories are a delight over and over again. But now we have a new companion volume with more stories that have been authorized by the Trustees of of Pooh Properties. And a welcome companion it is. It has the complete feel and sense of Milne's beloved characters. This is not a rush job to jump on any bandwagon, it's a tribute to a children's classic.

What parents don't know about kids books

I want to thank Maureen for her comment about The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Some parents and grandparents try to force their literary tastes on their children. Wimpy Kid is one of those examples where the parents don't get it. I've heard parents discouraging kids from reading it. Sure, sometimes children need guidance but if you are active in the reading life of the child then you have to let them choose books that appeal to them. Encouragement goes a lot further than discouragement. Isn't that
part of the challenge of raising children? Knowing when to say yes and knowing when to say no?
--Stanley

Not such a wimpy kid after all!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4 by Jeff Kinney
2009-10 - Hardcover
Amulet Books
9780810983915
$13.95

Looks like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid #4: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney stole the show this week. It's our top seller! And we're not the least surprised. The books have done well and it really gets kids reading. Ya gotta love a book that turns kids into readers. I sure do!
--Stanley

And at the end of the rainbow....?

Contrary to all those stories and legends we grew up with there is NOT a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Kurtis and I have proof!

Yesterday (Tuesday) at 4:30PM we both noticed a brilliant rainbow on the ceiling of the bookstore. Since we are booklovers (and thereby curious) we began our investigation.

Conditions of the day:

1. It had been grey and dark all day long.
2. In the store the sources of light come from compact fluorescent bulbs.
3. By 4:30 PM the sun never reaches our building at this time of the year.

(We scratched our own heads respectively.)

Possibilities:
A. The Klutz spinner with all kinds of trinkets and sparkles (don't forget that Tiara Kit!) But no, not the source.
B. A car parked nearby that had a crystal hanging from it's rearview mirror. No such car.
C. Some crystal mounted on the glass somewhere. We don't have such gems in our shop.
D. That's when I realized what it must be.

And Michael Kindness is the most clever of our readers (it helps to have young children)!!

A small beam of light was bouncing off a building across the street from us, high enough to catch the last light of the day and reflecting that light onto the cover the Guinness World Records 2010. The covers usually have some kind of 3D cover that makes me dizzy to look at. And now we know that Guinness (don't they have some connection to leprechauns, after all?!) is what you'll find at the end of a rainbow.

I'll take a pint, please! Uh, Mr. Leprechaun! Over here! Where's my prize? And one for my friend Michael over there! Thanks.

Guinness World Records 2010 by Guinness World Records
2009-09 - Hardcover
Guinness Media
9781904994503
$28.95

--Stanley

Rainbow Magic

Can you guess what might have caused this phenomenon?

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

Lost and Found
By Oliver Jeffers
2006-01 - Hardcover
Philomel Books
9780399245039
$16.99

How can you NOT become a fan of children's books? I want to hand their artwork all over the place. And here's one that I'm truly fond of. Oliver Jeffers is a remarkable illustrator and author. I'm sure you've seen his books. But this little book just captures my heart as seen by this illustration from the book Lost and Found . A boy meets a lost penguin and tries to help him find his way home. But the book is also about friendship and compassion. Kids will love this book. Just give it to them. Read it to them. See how they react. You'll see. This is perfectly lovely.

-Stanley

And if you need more incentive to check out Oliver Jeffer's other titles, then take a look!

	The Way Back Home 2008-04 9780399250743 Hardcover $16.99
	The Incredible Book Eating Boy 2007-05 9780399247491 Hardcover $16.99
	The Great Paper Caper 2009-02 9780399250972 Hardcover $17.99

New This Week! (Kids Fiction)

The third in the "Mysterious Benedict Society" came out today, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma. What a great set of books for kids! (And adults!) Mystery, adventure and teamwork (kinda, sorta) where our four detectives use their own unique skills to deal with situations that are normally beyond their abilities. But when they work together they come up with some great ideas. No, it's not written that obviously, it's really quite a joy to read. Pick up the first if you are not familiar with these books. Kids love them!
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
2009-10 - Hardcover
Little, Brown Young Readers
9780316045520
$16.99

--Stanley

Ten Little Elvi

Ten Little Elvi
By Laura Henson and Duffy Grooms, Illustrator Dean Gorissen
2004-10 - Hardcover
Tricycle Press
9781582461243
$12.95


This is a delightful counting book for everyone, but especially Elvis fans. We had a seven year old boy come in who was an Elvis impersonator! He LOVES Elvis. Elvis: he's not just for adults! (Flashback: my sisters would listen to Elvis all the time. Obsessed they were! The result, I know just about every lyric to every Elvis song.) This is a cute little tribute to The King with references to his life and movies. You'll get a chuckle on this redux of 10 Little Monkeys! Love it!
--Stanley

100% Wolf by Jayne Lyons

100% Wolf By Lyons, Jayne 2009-08 - Hardcover Atheneum Books 9781416974741 $16.99

It's time to put those Hallowe'en books out on display today. And it's been feeling like Hallowe'en for more than a year with all the vampire books flying around the store. (Hmmm, maybe THAT'S why I've been having a pain in the neck all year!) And we are not short on werewolf books, either! (See an earlier posting on the new book Shiver!) But here's a completely different kind of werewolf story. One that features a long, proud line of werewolves. Only this one, Freddy Lupin, has an unusually twist. He's a fluffy, pink poodle. How can anyone take him seriously? Uh, well, they don't.
[Stanley]

When is a bookstore not a bookstore?

This is just a mild rambling but one that always catches me by surprise. Since we opened our doors almost five years ago we have had a number of people refer to our shop as the library. Now, I can understand it when a small child comes into the store and is confused, but not adults. I'm a bit disappointed when a ten year old thinks we're a library, but not totally surprised. But it's the adults who come in ask refer to us as the library.

What do you think is going on? Careless use of language? Lack of exposure to a real library? Just not paying attention? We had a representative from an organization come in to pick up a gift certificate (hint, spending money) when her cell phone rang and she said, "I can't talk, I'm at the library."

We had a few customers come in and ask if we loaned books out. And I pointed out that they were looking for the library down the street. Or how about the customers who came in and asked if they could return books their books in exchange for others. I stood with my mouth open, trying not to laugh. "Uh, no, but have you been to the library?"

You tell me, what's going on here. I've never seen this before in any bookstore except this one.

And tell me we don't NEED public libraries.
-Stanley wonders

William S. and the Great Escape by Zilpha Keatly Snyder

The last time I read a Zilpha Keatly Snyder book was 1966! So, I was more than excited to be reading this one. I'm halfway through it and confess to being a bit underwhelmed. But I'll give you the full report when I'm done.
--Stanley

Back in the saddle

Without duplicating my posting on the staff blog, I just wanted to say that I've been away for a week and had created a series of posts to show up in my absence. But now that I'm back it seems that it's harder to sit down and get something posted here. But I'm settling back in after a week of silence and no computers (or phones!) and I'll be putting things up here quite soon.

You might want to know there are a few events coming up next week:

September 24, 4:30 PM Sarah Evans will be signing her book The Sour LIttle Lemon Tree. This is the book that might be of interest to some of you. Sarah is a young girl who wrote this children's book:

"In an ancient orchard, one little lemon tree has been waiting forever for his lemons to grow. When they finally do, he discovers how different he is from the other trees. A memorable tale for children of all ages, The Sour LIttle Lemon Tree illustrates the important life lesson that everyone is unique and capable of doing great things."


September 25, 5:00 PM Mark Changizi (RPI professor) will be signing his book The Vision Revolution.

September 25, 6:00 PM Douglas Blackmon will be at The Daily Grind in Troy to talk and sign his book Slavery By Another Name.

September 25, 7:00 PM Ellen Graf will be signing her new book The Natural Laws of Good Luck.

September 25 is the kick off for artist Ken Ragsdale, who is our featured artist in the Walk-Up Gallery

September 26, 12:00 PM Brittany Johnson will be signing her book Color 4 Kids.

I'll post more details in the ensuing days but you can see the information on our WEB PAGE right now.