Book of the Week: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

I love Neil Gaiman's cheeky British humor, and this book doesn't disappoint. Though this isn't a YA book, I think older teenagers would like this supernatural book. Anansi Boys is the story of Fat Charlie, a man who actually isn't overweight, but is given that nickname by his overbearing, embarrassing father. When Fat Charlie finds out that his father has died, he goes from England to Florida to attend the funeral ( Both the way his father died and what happens to Fat Charlie at the funeral are so hilarious. Only Neil Gaiman could make something as sad as death so funny.)

After the funeral, Fat Charlie learns one shocking thing after another. He learns from one of his father's friends that his father was a spider god. ( The title of the book comes from Anansi spider stories from West Africa). Fat Charlie's also told that if he wants something, he should ask a spider for it. Fat Charlie thinks it's all crazy and dismisses it, then has a dream where he talks to a spider. The next day, he finds a man on his doorstep that says his name is Spider and that he's Fat Charlie's long-lost brother. For an average middle-management man like Charlie, that's too much for him to believe, but he goes along with Spider. Spider is handsome, charming, and fun- everything Fat Charlie isn't. Spider takes Fat Charlie on an adventure to honor their father and claim their rightful place as heirs to the Spider God's throne.

This book is hilarious, supernatural and just what I'd expect from a Neil Gaiman novel. I can't wait to finish this novel and read more from him. After I finish reading it, you can find this book in FIC Gaiman in the library.

Book of the Week: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I love this disturbing best-selling book by Suzanne Collins. Hunger Games is the story of a teenage girl, Katniss, growing up in a futuristic version of America after a terrible war. The winners of the war have divided America up into districts and the winners of the war live in the luxurious Capitol, while Katniss lives in poverty in District 12. To remind everyone of their victory, the members of the Capitol stage the Hunger Games, where teenagers from all over the country have to fight to the death until the last one survives-on a reality TV-like show.

Though the story is so heartwrenching, it also has many touching moments. Katniss's friendship with her best friend Peeta and her closeness to her family is heartwarming. There are also some oddly funny moments, too. Katniss makes fun of the cheerful hosts and stylists of such a gruesome show. They're there to make the ''tributes'' seem more likable so they'll be sponsored by rich people and hopefully survive, but Katniss knows that by just using her intelligence and knowledge of hunting, she stands a chance of surviving the Games. Collins makes great subtle points throughout the book about the gap between rich and poor and the "reality'' of reality shows where's people's misery is entertainment. To me, though, the story is ultimately about a girl trying to maintain her humanity in such a cruel world. We just ordered Hunger Games so it should be on the YA Fiction shelves soon or we can order it for you anytime from another library.

Book of the Week: Watchmen by Alan Moore

I know this was a Book of the Week before, but with the movie coming out this week, I may reread it and try to make sense of it. Read about Rorshach, the Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan, and the rest for the first time or read it again.

Book of the Week: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I loved this weird, short, great book since I read it a couple of years ago. It's the story of a girl, Coraline Jones, that moves into a new house and explores an abandoned hallway. After walking down the hallway, she finds a house identical to hers and finds her ''other mother''. The mother is attentive and cooks, unlike her "real mother'', and Coraline wants to stay with her except the "other mother'' isn't quite what she seems.

In this other world with the other mother, the mother has black button eyes, has built everything in the other world, and won't let Coraline leave. Trapped, Coraline finds other children that the other mother has kidnapped . Coraline realizes she has to escape the other mother, fight to get home to her parents , and save the other children with her.

Coraline was a best-seller when it first came out and should be again when the movie version comes out February 6. I chose this book as a discussion book for February 19 for teens, but both tweens and teens should enjoy the book. It's creepy without being too scary and gives great lessons in what makes a family and what it mans to be brave. Coraline is a book that packs a lot of meaning into a few pages.

Yanda's Book of the Week: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Vol 1 The Pox Party

I heard about this book for a while and it's on the New York Times best-sellers list, but I just got around to reading this really fascinating historical novel set right before the Revolutionary War by M.T. Anderson. Octavian is an African-American boy who's living as the slave of Boston academic Mr. Gitney, along with his mother. Though he and his mother are owned by Mr. Gitney, there isn't a clear master-slave relationship. Mr. Gitney teaches Octavian the violin, dresses him in fine clothes, and he teaches him to read classic literature. It's only when Octavian discovers papers in Mr. Gitney's room that changes that relationship forever.


The papers Octavian discovers show that Mr. Gitney was treating Octavian to violin and reading lessons not as part of his education, but as part of an experiment to show African-Americans are inferior to Whites. Octavian is insulted, especially when a sponsor of Gitney's attributes Octavian's violin playing to a deal with the devil, but he tolerates the experiments for the sake of research. Mr. Gitney takes the experiments too far, though, when he gives a " pox party'' to give guests and Octavian's mother smallpox to see if African-Americans and Whites react differently to the disease. The discovery and results of this experiment drive Octavian over the edge and make him question every part of his life as a slave, especially against the backdrop of the start of the fight for American independence.This book was a little hard to read at first because of the language, but it's not ''Shakespeare hard''. Rereading the sentences helped me a lot and this book is so well-written and thought-provoking, I want to reread the whole book. I'm sure you've never read a book about the Revolutionary War or slavery like this, and it should be required reading for high school students learning about that war, slavery, or American history in general. Octavian Nothing is a refreshing young adult novel that really makes history come alive.