The Michigan Library Association's Children's Services Division has announced the winner of the 2004 Mitten Award. This award is for the best children's book published during a calendar year as decided by a committee of youth services librarians from all over the state.

The 2004 winner is Ida B:--And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan. Two Honor Books were also chosen: The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems.

After 15 years, pre-production is finally under way for a Hollywood version of Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's classic Where the Wild Things Are. Sendak, now 77, will serve as producer on the film, with Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) directing a screenplay he's co-written with Dave Eggers (A Heart-breaking Work of Staggering Genius). "I don't know what to make of it, exactly," Sendak is quoted as saying in The New York Times, (10/23/05) "but I am so for it. I am in love with it. If Spike and Dave do not do this movie, now, I would just as soon not see any version of it ever get made."

Graphic Novel fans, mark your calendars for November 6th, to hear Kurt Hassler talk about GRAPHIC NOVELS. Who is Kurt Hassler? He the major selector of graphic novels for Borders bookstores across the country. Kurt will share his new top pics and also classic authors, artists, and titles that shouldn't be missed. Come ready to talk about your faves! Sunday, November 6th, 2:00-3:30 pm @MC, Grades 6-12.

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Sunday October 29, 2005. It is time to fall back and take shelter with a good book.

At #1 is Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan: the many fans of the Wheel of Time series were just waiting to snap up Book 11 in the series.

At #4 is Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn: another entry in the field of spies, terrorists and international conspiracies.

At #5 is A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve: her fans will rejoice in this bittersweet tale of seven former schoolmates.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall is a great trip back to the past of children’s literature, and a perfect family read-aloud. It is the story of four sisters and their dog Hound, who have funny, innocent adventures on their summer vacation. The book is also a nominee for the National Book Award in Young People’s and it definitely has my vote!

Other wonderful kid adventures would include the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome, and Carol Brink’s Caddie Woodlawn and Baby Island.

Today (10-28-05) Caryl Phillips appeared as a guest today 10-28-05 on the Diane Rehm show to discuss her new book "Dancing in the Dark"
Bert Williams became one of America's first black superstars during the vaudville era. Ms Phillips fictionalized account of the life of Bert Williams explores the contradictions between the man he was and the character he played on stage. W. C. Fields, star of the silent screen, called Bert Williams "the funniest man I ever saw and the saddest."

It’s coming up fast! How time flies! Yes, Thursday, November 3 is National Men Make Dinner Day. If you’ve missed it in the past, here’s an opportunity for “non-cooking men only” to give their wives or partners a break, a chance to “whip up a culinary delight with no help from family members.” Be sure to follow the 'official' rules.

If the recipes on the web site don’t excite you, the library’s the place for cookbooks for every taste and level of sophistication. Real novices can try books listed in our catalog under Quick and Easy Cookery. And remember, if you’re really ambitious, most of the great chefs (e.g.,Jacques Pepin, Emeril, James Beard, Paul Prudhomme, Pierre Franey, Craig Claiborne, etc.) are men. Try it, you might like it, and have 365 days to bask in the afterglow.

A Maasai father tells his son how much he loves him in a style similar to the classic tale The Runaway Bunny. Babara Joosse, author of the bestselling book Mama Do You Love Me?, sets this tender tale in Africa.

Stella, Blanche, Stanley. All Tennessee Williams' character names that we know so well. Add to list the Gentleman Caller of THE GLASS MENAGERIE, nameless but also memorable. Menagerie tells the story of the southern Wingfield family: Amanda, abandoned by her husband, son Tom, a factory worker who longs to be a poet and daughter Laura, who is painfully shy. The Purple Rose Theatre Company is staging this familiar and complex American classic through December 17.

Join Oprah and her book club tomorrow when they discuss James Frey’s explosive raunchy memoir, A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey.
Frey, now in his 30s, began his downward slide into the hellhole of multiple addictions when he was 10 and stayed there until friends and family put his bloodied filthy body on a plane to Minnesota where he cleaned up at the renowed Hazelden Clinic.
Frey’s quirky disregard for conventional writing details (punctuation, capitalization, paragraph breaks) and his blisteringly honest self-examination of his messy scramble to sobriety, has earned him comparisons to Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. His rejection of the time-tested 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous has caused deep concern among those institutions and professionals trained to help addicts.
Frey’s unapologetic tale of survival offers plenty of provocative talking points.