Have you voted yet for your favorite Battle of the Bands 2011 contestants??? The deadline is March 5th, and everyone is welcome to check out all 20 of our talented teen bands and performers before casting a vote. The top 5 bands with the most votes will be invited to play at an exciting concert finale at Almaden Branch Library & Community Center on March 19th. You're all invited to attend. I've had the pleasure of attending our past three Battle of the Bands finales, and they have all featured amazing young musicians. Don't miss out on this year's concert as we rock the library once again!

When I was a teen, I played in an all-girl punk band with my friends called Lily Liver. We weren't very good, but it was such a blast to practice out in the garage or play at our friends' parties. Check out these young adult books about other teens that rock, or learn how you can rock, too. Just be sure to give the library a shout-out on your album's liner notes. :)

Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning

Molly Montgomery discovers the high price of fame when her band, The Hormones, is joined by dangerous Dean and his friend T, and they become famous.

Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes

A group of high school students thrown together in detention form a band to play at a school talent show and end up competing against a wildly popular local rock band.

Punk Rock Etiquette: The Ultimate How-to Guide for Punk, Underground, DIY, and Indie Bands by Travis Nichols

Don't let the name fool you...This is an awesome how-to guide for any type of band just starting out! Learn how to find bandmates, make your own shirts, find places to play, etc.

Rock Star Superstar by Blake Nelson

When Pete, a talented bass player, moves from playing in the high school jazz band to playing in a popular rock group, he finds the experience exhilarating even as his new fame jeopardizes his relationship with girlfriend Margaret.

The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop by Peter Shapiro

The definitive guide to hip-hop, from Grandmaster Flash to Outkast and beyond. Learn from the masters before you hit the mic.

6X : The Uncensored Confessions by Nina Malkin

Four teens on the fast track to pop-rock superstardom reveal the unfiltered truth about the glamorous, backstabbing world of sudden celebrity.

The 2009 debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, is a sensitive look back at Seattle during WWII, the trauma of being considered different, and the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent. The sweet coming-of-age story of Henry and Keiko is told with great historic detail.
 

Something Missing by Matthew Dicks, is also a 2009 debut novel that is quirky, charming, humorous and suspenseful. In it an obsessive-compulsive Barista burgles the houses of people he calls his "clients," and begins trying to improve their lives.
 

The Little Stranger by veteran author Sarah Waters, is almost more of a suspenseful English country house/family story than a ghost story. Yet its creepy moments are so realistic they will continue to haunt the reader long after finishing the story. In fact, I was left with the nagging feeling that the story was not really over, that somehow the shattered lives of the characters would be re-visited.

In the beautifully-written 2010 debut, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, the characters of the Major and his late-in-life lady love appear full-blown, as if they could be our neighbors. The poignant cross-cultural family and community complications add heft to the emotional core of the Major's story.

I was recently browsing the list of new fiction on the San José Public Library web site, and a book caught my eye. It was Mad, Bad and Blonde by Cathie Linz. Here’s a brief description of the plot: “After being jilted at the altar, librarian Faith West goes on her Italian honeymoon solo, but doesn't stay that way too long. And though her sexy rebound man has ulterior motives, feelings surface that neither of them are prepared for.”

As I stared at the picture of the book cover and read the plot summary, I thought about how far the portrayal of female librarians has come since I started my career more than 30 years ago. How refreshing that the librarian depicted does not have the stereotypical  bun, glasses, and sensible shoes. Mad, Bad and Blonde is currently in processing and will soon make its way to the branches. There are already some holds on it. I’m pleased to know that people do want to read about librarians.

I searched our catalog under “Librarians--Fiction” to see if there are other books about modern librarians, and I came up with 63 items. I'd expect lots of books about doctors, lawyers, and business tycoons, but who would have thought there’d be so many books about librarians? Some of the titles I found were The Camel Bookmobile, Here Lies the Librarian, Good Girls Do, and Lord of the Libraries.

You never know what you’ll find when scanning the list of new books at the San José Public Library. Something is sure to catch your eye.

By the way, who’s your favorite librarian character in a book?

When the madness of holiday shopping, cooking, and travelling has burned you out, turn to some reading by NPR-regular and humorist, David Sedaris!  His recent title Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modern Beastiary features short stories (with illustrations) with animals as the main characters dealing with human-esque situations. 

For those who are more interested in holiday readings during this time of year, Holidays on Ice, is another compilation of Sedaris essays where he discusses the life of a Christmas elf working at Macy's, and offers his version of those annual family update letters you receive in holiday cards. 

Another way to enjoy the hilarity of Sedaris is to listen to the audio book versions; he reads all of his works and it just brings another element of laughter.   

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  This is a book of rhyme, repetition, primary colors, and animals.  Children can participate and they love the book.  They want to hear it over and over.

It is a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle, and the book is designed to help toddlers associate colors and meanings to objects.  It features a Brown Bear, Red Bird,…….

The book is short with only 22 pages, has a lot colorful pictures, targeted for preschool and younger children and is fiction.

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Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, Que Ves Ahi?

Este es un libro de rimas, de repetición, de colores primarios, y de animales. Los niños participan y les encanta el libro. Ellos quieren oírlo una y otra vez.
 

Es un libro para niños de que empiezan a leer fue escrito por por Bill Martin Jr. y Eric Carle produjo la ilustracion.  El libro está diseñado para ayudar a los niños a asociar los colores y significados de los objetos.  Entre ellos aprarece un un oso pardo, un pájaro rojo, ... ....
 

El libro es corto, con sólo 22 páginas, tiene muchas fotos de colores, dirigidos a los niños en edad preescolar o menores y es ficción.

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Bhūre bhālū, bhūre bhālū, tuma kyā dekha rahe? = Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? / by Bill Martin, Jr. ; pictures by Eric Carle ; Hindi translation by Awadhesh Misra.

I remember singing a version of “Knick Knack Paddy Whack” way back in elementary school.   I recently discovered a book called Knick Knack Paddy Whack that has colorful collage illustrations by Christiane Engel.  An older gentleman plays a drum and several children play a variety of musical instruments.  A cute dog with a bone follows the man and the children as they parade through the neighborhood and stop for a bite to eat.  A CD with vocals by Mr. Steve accompanies this delightful book, so that readers can listen and sing while turning the pages. 

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? is another fun book with a CD.   The 1864 song, composed by Septimus (Sep) Winner is accompanied by illustrations by Erica Pelton Villnave.    

Happy reading, listening and singing!