Library Idea of the Week
November 1, 2004
Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School

Last week an entire class descended upon me unexpected when a classmate projectile vomited all over his teacher and the entire front row.  Days before that, I had to go for help when three boys were stuck on the elevator. Then just yesterday, I had a boy ask if I’d forgive his overdue fee because he’d been absent due to a lost kidney.  It got me thinking about the Henry David Thoreau quote, "Shams and delusions are esteemed for the soundest truth, while reality is fabulous” and the suggestion from an old writing text about collecting “fabulous realities” to use in writing.  This got me thinking about the “fabulous realities” we experience in the library—and about keeping a journal in which to write about the quirky things that happen here (like the other day, when someone mailed me a book they’d had checked out since 1977). We all have these moments, and they’re part of what makes being a library media specialist one of the most interesting jobs in the world. Think about starting a Library Log of your own—write a few notes each week about weird and wonderful things that happen on the job. Who knows? Someday you might just have a book!

Book of the Week

Jodi Picoult’s books have long been favorites among my students. They frequently feature teenage characters, are suspenseful, and revolve around controversial or mysterious situations. Her newest book, My Sister’s Keeper, won’t fail to satisfy, either. In My Sister’s Keeper, a fifteen-year-old girl makes a dramatic decision about her life and her sister’s. Conceived in order to provide bone marrow for her leukemia-stricken older sister, Anna has spent her life donating blood and marrow to Kate. Now her parents are asking her to donate a kidney so that her sister can live. Anna refuses, and hires a lawyer to help her prevent doctors from taking her organ. This decision sets in motion an enormous conflict in her family, and a gut-wrenching courtroom drama. An extremely compelling read that offers excellent food for thought. This would be a terrific choice for a teen (or adult) book group.