April 2, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS
Fifteen years ago, the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was released. Today, this novel is a classic that still speaks to the heart of teens everywhere. I have teens regularly come in and ask for this book. Speak is the story of Melinda, who has stopped speaking. As a survivor of a sexual assault, Melinda […]
February 19, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS
As part of the #SVYALit project, we reached out to author Eric Devine and asked him to write. We wanted to make sure that male voices are heard in the discussion. And he is an awesome writer and teacher. Today he shares with us his experiences of teaching Speak in the classroom. Please note, we […]
January 2, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS
I am sincerely afraid my review will not do justice to this book. Scratch that. I am completely certain that my review will not do justice to this book. Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have quit their life on the road to return home for her senior year of high school. Their past years […]
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December 19, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS
So yes, to be honest, this is a somewhat odd list. These are the top 10 books I enjoyed in 2013. A couple of them are children’s books, a couple of them were published before 2013, a couple haven’t come out yet (and one I haven’t finished.) What can I say? Being a librarian is […]
December 3, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS
Oh, January. New year, snow, hot chocolate, and NEW BOOKS!!!!!! Haley and her father Andy have been on the road for the past five years, always moving, avoiding the demons from her dad’s PTSD. They’ve finally returned to Hayley’s hometown, but will that make things better or worse, and will Hayley finally be able […]
October 27, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS
I have to admit, I’ve been really discouraged lately. All of the recent events in Washington DC, with the roll out of the Affordable Care Act website and the government shutdown, with it’s corresponding misinformation and lack of information, bringing our country up to the very brink of default for no particular reason, etc., has […]
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August 29, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS
When I lost my baby, I went into a deep, dark hole. The only thing that helped me claw my way out of the darkness was to read books about other women having a miscarriage. It helped me know that I wasn’t alone, that what I was feeling was perfectly normal, and that I could […]
May 7, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS
April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And we had a lot to say about it. The bottom line, no means no (and silence doesn’t mean yes). That should be the message – always. It’s what we need to be teaching all people, both boys and girls, at all ages. Respecting others is at the heart […]
October 9, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” I first read The Perks of Being a Wallflower soon after it was published and was completely taken. I passed it to my younger brother, still in high school, who said something like, “If they gave us stuff like that to read in school, I might still […]
September 25, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS
“Bring out your dead.” – Monty Python and the Holy Grail When I was in the 8th grade, my history teacher was oh so kind as to send a note home to my parents letting them know I was failing history. As you can imagine, that did not go over well. And thus began my […]
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A Fuse #8 Production
by Betsy Bird
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