New on the Shelf – “A Mango-Shaped Space” by Wendy Mass November 28, 2008

A Mango-shaped Space by Wendy Mass
 
Meet Mia. She’s 13 years old. Compared to her newly New-Agey older sister and a little brother who obsessively keeps track of every McDonald’s hamburger he’s ever eaten, she seems pretty normal. That’s on the outside. What no one knows – and Mia isn’t about to tell anyone – is that Mia sees colors in sounds and letters and numbers.  This makes it hard for her to read and especially to do algebra.
 

When things start getting out of control, Mia does finally tell her parents and after some tests and a trip to a few different doctors, she find out that there is a word for her condition – synesthesia* – and though it’s rare, she’s definitely not the only synesthete around.  As Mia starts to explore her colors more intensely, she gets swept up in her own little world and doesn’t notice how this is affecting everyone around her until it’s almost too late.

A Mango-Shaped Space

 

One of the really cool things about this book – besides it being a great read – is that synesthesia is a real condition and “Mango” helps you get a taste of what it must be like to live in a world where sounds have shapes and colors and a certain word can taste of peanut butter.   You can find “Mango” in the new fiction section of the YA area.   If you don’t see it, ask!

Happy reading.

~Liz
 

* As always, Wikipedia is a great place to start, but don’t believe EVERYTHING you read there without question.  If you’re really interested in the subject, you might want to check out some of the official links at the bottom of a Wiki article or ask a librarian to help find you some articles or books!

Website of the week: Young Naturalists Awards 2009 November 26, 2008

Hey there!

Here’s a quick heads up about something I got in the mail this week.
 

Each year, the American Museum of Natural History runs a program where teens can participate in independent scientific research projects about the natural world. Entrants submit an essay about the project they’ve completed and then are entered into a nationwide contest to win “cash awards, publication of their essays on the Museum’s website, and expense-paid trips to attend an award ceremony” at the Museum in New York. You can either enter independently, or you can ask your science teacher if s/he is participating in the program this year.
 

If you’re interested in science, check out their website and get more information. There is also a poster up in the Young Adult section of the library with the web address and the deadline info. Entries are due by March 2, 2009.
 

Seriously. Science rocks. It was always one of my favorite subjects in school. :)

ANIMÉ CLUB – November and onwards! November 14, 2008

Hi there!

Just a quick note to remind you all that we have an Animé Club meeting coming up this month on Tuesday, November 18th, at the usual time of 3:30 to 5:30. It will be in the Sohier Room downstairs, we’ll be watching the first volume of Fruits Basket, and there will be snacks to keep you well-fed while the DVD spins.

For future reference, it looks like we’ll be keeping the Club meetings on the third Tuesday of each month all the way through March at least. After that, we may have to tweak the schedule, but I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on that. Come on down and watch an episode or two or four. It should be a great time!

Man. I can’t believe it’s November already! November 13, 2008

Hi, everybody!

Wow, but this fall has just FLOWN. I hope you all had a fun Halloween – I know I did! I wore my pjs to work. The main problem with that was I was TOO comfortable and felt like curling up and going to sleep. Not very conducive to working hard, but still kind of fun.

Anyway, I’m here to say ‘hello’ to everyone and let you know that there are some cool programs coming up in the next few weeks. These include: anime club, a wreath decorating workshop and a card-making workshop. I’ll have some other posts up for those very soon with all the details. Stay tuned!

I also wanted to make sure that you all got a look at the new pics I posted at the library’s Flickr page from Teen Read Week. We got some great shots of the animals from the Reptiles! program and of people getting creative at the altered books workshop. Check them out!  You can also look at pictures of the building and of other programs that have taken place at the library.

More info to come soon,

Liz