Inspiring Poems

We recently invited some students to create poems about someone or something that inspired them. Here are some of the results:

Her neigh is welcoming me to frolic
Ocean blue is her eye and I could lose myself in it
Running free in a field of green she looks like a gold blur
Suddenly she rears, majestic and beautiful
Every ride is a new adventure in a far off place in a wonderful new world
by Lisa

Forever they say for
Real they say
Inseparable they say
Enough is enough I say
Never listen to
Dumb rules people
Set. Listen to yourself. Ask.
For forgiveness
Open your heart
Reach inside yourself you’ve had
Enough of hearing their laughter their
Victory cries, you're
Envious, you want your friend back
Really, don’t wait, just ask!

The Weird Watson family

This month's pick for middle school students is The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. This very funny story of an African American family is told from the point of view of Kenneth, the ten-year-old "good" son in the Watson family. Thirteen-year-old Byron is Kenny's brother, the juvenile delinquent whose constant rebellions make his parents decide to take him to live with his strict maternal grandmother in Alabama for the summer, and possibly longer. Kindergarten age Joetta rounds out the family with their prankster father Daniel and loving but stern mother Wilona.

The book is not all comedy. The real-life bombing at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church forms a central plot element, but what I loved about the book is its honest, hilarious portrayal of family dynamics. Pick it up today and I bet you'll be able to hear some echo of your own sibling spats. Along with the fighting and the teasing, though, the author reveals the depth of this family's ties and that's what I found inspiring.

Try it--you'll like it!

If you're looking for a well-written, thought-provoking, fast-paced book with characters you really care about, look no further than this month's pick for high school students: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The Book Thief is one of my daughter's favorite books, but it's one of my hardest sells when I try to get others to read it. Maybe it's the cover, maybe it's the subject matter. At any rate, Death narrates this award-winning story set in Nazi Germany. A young girl named Liesel stays with a foster family in working class Molching, Germany, where she learns a lot--how to read, how to survive, how to be part of a new family. You won't regret giving this book a try.

The Hero and the Crown

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley is one of our teen picks this month. Aerin is the daughter of the king, and one would think that puts her in a pretty sweet spot. But Aerin's mother was a witch, hated by the people in the kingdom, and she died while giving birth to Aerin, leaving the realm without a male heir. Aerin grows up wild, ignored, and when noticed, regarded with suspicion. This book tells the story of how Aerin finds her purpose and a place in the heart of the common folks when she becomes skilled at a task no one else wants--killing small but deadly dragon pests.

Astronaut Joe Tanner Inspires a Library Crowd

I'm sorry if you missed Joe Tanner at the library last Sunday, March 30. He spoke to a crowd of 165 at the library, and he was wonderful. Armed with fantastic photos of his 2006 mission to the International Space Station, Tanner shared inside stories of space flight and answered all kinds of questions. I thought it was interesting when asked if he was ever afraid during any of his four trips to space, Tanner replied "Only of failure."

NASA has a wonderful website, and it includes a short biography of Joe Tanner if you'd like to read more.

Helping Those in Need is the Rule, Not the Exception

Because of the library's "Get Inspired! Meet a Hero @ the Library" programs, I read the News-Gazette article by Greg Kline titled "Study: Heroism more prevalent than inaction" with great interest. A study by University of Illinois professor David Hyman found that for every ordinary person who ignores helping someone else, there are 740 others who do try to help--impressive odds. In a world where we are bombarded with news about the horrible things humans do to each other and the environment, I find this story extremely reassuring. The study is to be published in the Texas Law Review.

What are three heroic characteristics you'd most like to see in yourself?

Students in the library's reading program have shared some of the heroic qualities they'd most like to have:

Rachel would like to be amazingly witty, strong, and not shy.

Abi would like to be brave, fearless, kind, and a friend.

Vishal would like to have super powers, fly, and be strong.

Taylor would like to be braver, more helpful, and have a better self-image.

What about you?