BOOM!

Can you knock down all the points bloxes without letting the sheep fall?
I can’t. Keeping those sheep up there is difficult. Any suggestions?
Yes. The Mentor Public Library added a few more games to their ever growing (though slowly growing) collection. Boom Blox Party is for the Nintendo Wii and you get to throw, snap, fire, and other fun actions to knock down blox, beams, and yes, you can fling the characters around. (I know. I checked!)
The nice thing is you can start with the group game right off the bat. Just one little training session and you are set to go. There is a co-op mode and a versus mode for multi player games. I highly recommend Boom Blox party for any party. Rated for Cartoon violence anyone who can hold a Wii remote can manage to have fun with this game.

Put yourself on the holds list for Boom Blox here!

Adventure: the pursuit of life -- Daniel Roy

Now that summer is here, bring on the adventures. Explore the Lagoons, learn how to canoe, play tennis, volleyball, digital art, or Scuba! Yes, all of these adventures and more can be found at the City of Mentor Parks and Recreation. So go and get your adventure on. But if you think it’s just too hot outside to do anything other than sweat perhaps you would like to cool down with one of these adventurous books?

Novels:
Artemis Fowl
Percy Jackson
Alex Rider Series
Graveyard Book
39 clues series
Princess Ben
Hunger Games

How about some books to cause some adventure? Here two great how to books.

The Dangerous Book for Boys
The Daring Book for Girls

Dust off the History Books

Why does it have to be so dull? I mean I sat through all those history class in grade school and high school. Yet, I can’t remember most of it. It’s just so Dusty. So when my sister told me she needed to brush up on her US History (because she just passed the Jeopardy audition.) I was at a loss of where she could go without falling asleep. Then suddenly I had the Answer.

She could Shmoop!

Do you shmoop?

You don’t!!! You haven’t even heard of it!!! My oh my.

Shmoop is US history without the dust. It covers other topics too but the history part…
My favorite section of the history review is the “why should I care?” part. It tells me exactly how those past events shape my life today. The timeline part is great too. Oh, and a test review section! I kinda feel like shmoop said “How can we get Amy to learn her history” and then stuck it up on the net.

Huzzah for Shmoop!


You should shmoop. Try it!

It’s a Classic!

What makes a Classic? A book that is totally unforgettable. Some that has enough substance to be more than the latest great book.

Something like these titles:

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieiler By E.L. Konigsburg
The Bridge to Terabthia by Katherine Paterson
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black


You know one more thing these books have in common?

All made into Movies.

To build Bridges, Cannonballs, and Tongues.

Addictive
Physics
Gravity
Collapse
Build
Gooey

A short list of words to describe the World of Goo.

You build towers and bridges with balls of Goo. Millions of Goo balls. But not all at once. And they come in various colors. And they each have their own laws of physics, personality and hey they might even be sleeping. And you have to take into account gravity and weight and the wind. And it’s a challenge. It reminds me of Portal. And that is a good thing. It was short, sweet, and had more to do with puzzle solving than button mashing. (not that there’s anything wrong with a good button masher.)

Oh, and I watched the whole credits for the world of Goo. No, not because my husband has finally convinced me all good little gamers sit through the entire credits. I sat through the credits because before I realized the game was over, so were the credits.

Yes. The world of Goo is made by the 2D Boy game studio. There are 2 boys making video games. And they rock at it. Three cheers for 2d Boys and their gooey goodness.

Take a look and become a follower of the Goo!

World of Goo Gameplay Trailer
Uploaded by 2dboy

It’s History, only not…..

April brings rain and history. Well, history in story form. It’s Historical fiction month here at MPL and of course we have suggestions for you. Did you really need to ask?


Novels:
Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbel Bartoletti
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Elizabeth Miller
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
In darkness, Death by Dorothy Hoobler
My brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier

Graphic Novels:

Maus : A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman
Peace Maker by Nanae Chrono
Laika by Mick Abadzis
300 by Frank Miller
Ruse by Mark Waid
Samurai Champloo by Masaru Gotsubo

Aliens Attack At Mentor Public Library!

Do I have your attention now? Bad news, my friend. The Aliens aren’t attacking us. We are attacking them. Well, the books they are in. It’s Science Fiction Month at good old MPL.
Have you said hello to an alien lately? Or maybe you are more of a “What if computers were fused with our brains?” kind of Reader. Or maybe “Deadly Virus sweeps through the world!” is your cup of tea. Any Way you like your sci-fi is fine with us.

Here some of our suggestion for you:

Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Saga By Conor Kostick
Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden
Maximum Ride by James Patterson
Dragon and the Thief by Timothy Zahn
Feed by M.T. Anderson
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer


Graphic Novels
Any and Every Super hero novel done by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, etc….
Neon Genesis Evanglion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Dragon Drive by Ken-ichi Sakura
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
Full Metal Panic by Tomohiro Nagai
GetBackers by Yuya Aoki
Serenity by Joss Whedon


For more Info about Sci-fi check out the display in the Teen area and pick up a book mark or two.

Flavor Challenge

Any one else want to take the Flavor Challenge?


Read at least two books that are the flavor of the month.


What is the Flavor of the month?!


Well… MPL is picking a different genre of books each month to highlight in displays in the main lobby and in the Teen area. February’s Flavor is of course Romance. Lucky for us Teen books have quite the variety of flavors with the flavor of the month. So I can read a great funny book like Son of the Mob, or paranormal Vampire Kisses, or even pick up the beautiful art in Nana and still be reading within the Flavor of the Month.

Here are some other suggested titles to try this month:
Fiction:
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Play List by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Graphic Novels:
Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa
Kare Kano by Masami Tsuda
Tail of the Moon by Rinko Ueda

A frog Walked into a library

A frog walked into a library and asked the librarian what she would recommend." How about this sir?" asked the librarian, showing him Toad of Toad Hall. " Reddit, reddit," said the frog.
{{Chuckle}}

So in these dark at noon winter days of hum-drumness, here’s a nice little list of funny books to perk you wallflowers right up.

Books:
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
Hoot By Carl Hiassan
Girl, 15, Charming but insane by Sue Limb
Angus, Thongs, & Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
I am the messenger by Markus Zusak

Manga/comics:
Inubaka by Yukiya Sakuragi
Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova
Case Closed by Gōshō Aoyama
Hayate the Combat Butler by Kenjiro Hata
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Under the Rug

It’s pretty rug but still it’s a rug. And fairly dusty for that matter.
Oh yeah. Let’s get everyone on the same page.
Other vampire series lost in the Twilight shuffle.
Yes, they do exist! Like most books some are good some are bad. Some just are. You can sort through the plot lines and writing styles to find ones that you like. Note: not all of these are romances. But they would all be shelved in the YA room if there wasn’t a waiting list…..

(Vampire Kitty Says "READ")

Book Series
Vampire kisses By Ellen Schreiber
Peeps By Scott Westerfeld
Blue Bloods By Melissa De LA Cruz
Vampire academy By Rachel Mead
Chronicles of Vladimir Todd By Heather Brewer
Morganville Vampire series By Rachel Caine
House of Night By PC Cast
Bloodline by Kate Cary
Atwater-Rhodes series.
Cirque De freak By Darren Shan
Vampirates by Justin Somper

Graphic Novel/ Comic book style
Trinity Blood By Sunao Yoshida
Chibi Vampire By Yuna Kagesaki
Vampire Knight By Matsuri Hino
Vampire kisses By Ellen Schreiber (No, I didn’t make a mistake. It comes in both formats. Each one gets a different sub title though.)