What's Coming Up In Comics!

As summer approaches, so does our 2nd annual CHPL Comic Con! Last year's inaugural event was a big hit, and this year will be bigger and better. We've got awesome vendors, tons of activities for all ages, art on display, and tons more. In order to get you in the Comic Con mood, we're bringing you lots of exciting news!

The movie world is EXPLODING with superhero movie releases. You've got Man of Steel coming out June 14th, and The Wolverine coming out July 26th! All in all, it's a cinema summer that will be wrought with action, intense stares, and eye candy. While those are just the releases that will be in theaters this summer, there are also plenty more exciting movies coming out as well. The Avengers 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, just to name a FEW. Which raises the question, what interesting characters will we see in the future?

There's been quite a stir surrounding this wily duo. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are Magneto's powerful twin children. Quicksilver has the power of super speed while Scarlet Witch has the power of probability manipulation, which is just as cool as it sounds. They've got an origin story of epic proportions, a crazy family, and to top it all off, are hormone-crazy teenagers. So I'm hoping to see something very interesting from these characters when their movies come out. If you're like me and can't wait, come to the library and check out some X-Men graphic novels to get started!

This summer is gonna be super, pardon the pun. So all you have to do is kick back relax, and come to the Comic Con. Bonus points if you suit up.

Tween Read Thursday: How Mirka Met a Meteorite

It's high time we started reviewing more middle grade reads on this blog, don't you think? Welcome to our first Tween Read Thursday! Up first is a graphic novel that two of our librarians read and loved:

Hereville #2: How Mirka Met a Meteorite

An eleven-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl makes an unusual hero, but Mirka Herschberg is anything but usual. Committed to her family and her faith, Mirka also dreams of being a sword wielding dragon slayer. In this second installment of Mirka’s adventures, Mirka find herself facing off against a meteorite who has been transformed into her identical twin. At first, Mirka thinks having a meteorite doppelganger is pretty awesome and agrees to splitting her life in half. But doppelganger Mirka is not content with half a life and soon Mirka finds herself fighting to reclaim her place in Hereville. Check out this and the first book, Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword today!

Reviewed by: Alia

Comic-Con 2013 is June 29!

Stay tuned for more news about events, appearances, and vendors!

Around the Library 4.15.13

The gnome army is ready for summer O__O

You can't run a tabletop game series without Catan! Come play with us at our next Table Top Trials next Thursday, 4/25 at 6:00pm.

Crunching numbers and making plans for Summer Reading 2013!
This is Michelle's "EVERYTHING IS FINE" face :P

Staff Pick: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

From goodreads:

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

Pick it: for the true-to-life narrative voice. I had trouble remembering that the book was not a memoir!

Skip it: if you're looking for a cry-fest. In fact, expect the opposite.This book had me in stitches. Seriously! I know a book about a girl dying of cancer doesn't sound like it would be hilarious, but it is. Trust me.

Pair with: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, another hybrid funny/sad book with a narrator so real you'll feel like he could walk through the door at any moment.

Reviewed by: Melissa

Books on the Big Screen: Wishlist Edition

2013 is the year of YA Books on the silver screen! Beautiful Creatures, Ender's Game, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and more are all due to be released this year, and whole slew of others are on their way -- The Maze Runner, The Fault in Our Stars, Maximum Ride... we can't keep up with them!

We decided to play movie producer and pick out the YA books that we think should have movie deals, but don't. Enjoy -- and chime in with your picks (and any casting decisions for our picks!)

 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
We're picturing something directed by Judd Apatow, screenplay by Kristin Wiig and
a cameo appearance by Tina Fey as Ladybird Hope. You'd totally see it!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Action, romance, murderous plots, vast conspiracies -- this book has it all! It's basically The Bourne Identity... with a female lead... set in a seaside kingdom... in a fantasy world.

 Looking for Alaska by John Green
We know The Fault in Our Stars is already Hollywood-bound, but this script has been stuck in some movie studio's vault for so long and we just NEED TO KNOW what it'd be like.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
This probably seems like a really weird pick, we know. But just envision a quirky-indie 1970's period piece with yellow-orange cinematography directed by Wes Anderson or something. It totally works. Trust us.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
We are so sick of paranormal romances being turned into movies... we want a
YA fantasy epic! This one about an expert thief who is ordered to steal something that may or may not exist (like Lord of the Rings, but reversed) would certainly suffice.

 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
We pick Chloe Moretz to star in this tragic and surreal story about a popular girl who dies in a car crash and must relive her last day over and over again. Think Mean Girls meets Virgin Suicides meets Groundhog's Day.

 Across the Universe by Beth Revis
We don't think it'll be long before Hollywood jumps all over this sci-fi thriller set in
deep space, but at least we'll be able to say you saw it here first :P

 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
We're not the firsts (by a long shot) to intensely wish for a movie version of
this funny and deeply romantic book, and we want to know: who's your dream cast?

Around the Library: 3.7.2013

This is a giant display for our 4th Annual Teen Peep-o-Rama event. And boy, is it eye-catching. We're taking votes on what the giant yellow chick's name should be.

Rachel Moani ain't got nothin' on Ms. Michelle! (We'll keep telling ourselves that...)

Inspired by the Washington Post's annual Peep Show, our Peep-o-rama is a diorama building contest where the only limit is your imagination and the only requirement is that you use Peeps! This year it will be on Saturday, March 23rd from 3:00pm - 4:30pm. Register now!