July 27-31 for Kids at the Library

It's the next to last week!  Please don't forget to check in with your reading log :)  Also, if you want to be part of the Final Party Talent Show on August 7, please talk to me!  474-2044, reply to this email, come to the library...

Monday, 12:00pm--Sandwiches and Stories.  Bring your lunch to the library for a picnic with stories, followed by a game/activity/craft!  This is an all ages drop in story time.

Tuesday, 12:00pm--Bookmobile.  North Route.

Wednesday, 6:00pm--Superhero Academy.  Sidekicks!  We all need them.  Choose carefully, build some trust, then fight evil together!

Thursday, 12:00pm--Bookmobile.  South Route.
          4:00-6ishpm--Hero Stories! Comics Workshop with Marek Bennett (Ages 8-11, MUST SIGN UP!)  An awesome opportunity to learn to draw your own comics.  This workshop will also include a pizza supper break--please mention any dietary concerns when you sign up!  See http://www.marekbennett.com for more information and to check out his fantastic work :)

Friday, 3:30pm--Super Movie Time!  Come see the brand new movie based on Adam Rex's brilliant book "The True Meaning of Smekday"!  AC and free popcorn too :)

new graphic novels, comics & manga

new graphic novels, comics and manga

This volume follows two stories: one written by Snyder and one written by King. Snyder's story is set in 1920's LA, we follow Pearl, a young woman who is turned into a vampire and sets out on a path of righteous revenge against the European Vampires who tortured and abused her. This story is paired with King's story, a western about Skinner Sweet, the original American Vampire-- a stronger, faster creature than any vampire ever seen before with rattlesnake fangs and powered by the sun.

new graphic novels, comic & manga

New graphic novels and comics

BHot-tempered 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, the hero of the popular fantasy-adventure Bleach, has the unsettling ability to see spirits who are unable to rest in peace. His sixth sense leads him to Rukia, a Soul Reaper who destroys Hollows (soul-devouring monsters) and ensures the deceased find repose with the Soul Society. When she's injured in battle, Rukia transfers her sword and much of her power to Ichigo, whose spiritual energy makes him a formidable substitute Soul Reaper. But the orange-haired teenager isn't sure he wants the job: too many risks and moral dilemmas.leach - volumes 1-24

In 2001, audiences first met and fell in love with a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind named Artemis Fowl. Since then, the series has sold over seven million copies in the United States alone. Now, this phenomenally successful series is being translated into a graphic novel format. Eoin Colfer has teamed up with established comic writer Andrew Donkin to adapt the text. For the first time, rabid fans will be able to see what Foaly's tin hat looks like; discover just how "Beet" Root got his name; and of course, follow their favorite criminal mastermind as he plots and connives in action-packed, full-color panels.

He's a chicken! He's a hare! He's Chickenhare! And he's your new favorite comic-book character, whether you know it or not! Night is falling on the frozen landscape as Chickenhare and his turtle friend Abe find themselves on their way to be sold to Kaus - an insane taxidermist with a penchant for unique animals and enough emotional baggage to go on a very long vacation. With the help of two mysterious new companions, our fuzzy, feathered and amphibious heroes endeavor to escape their dire fate. But they soon discover that might not be so easy when they get caught up in an adventure that could bring Klaus's villiany to an end for good... or they all might die. Whatever happens, Chickenhare is sure to charm, scare and delight readers young and old alike!

Volume one contains material originally published in single magazine form as World of warcraft 1-7, 2008, and World of warcraft preview, 2007

new graphic novels and comics, 5.19.08

Squee's wonderful big, giant book of unspeakable horror, Jhonen Vasquez
Features familiar faces from Johnny the Homicidal maniac but focuses on poor little Squee--Johnny's wee trauma magnet neighbor. Squee's travails remind us all of what childhood was all about--witnessing vicious dog attacks, being abducted by aliens, discovering your schoolmates are all zombies, and having dinner at Satan's house. Ahh, youth.

For more information about these and other new graphic novels and comics, search the library's catalog >


Rex Libris, "I, Librarian", James Turner
The astonishing story of the incomparable Rex Libris, Head Librarian at Middleton Public Library, and his unending struggle against the forces of ignorance and darkness. Rex travels to the farthest reaches of the galaxy in search of overdue books. Wearing his super thick bottle glasses, and armed with an arsenal of high technology weapons, he strikes fear into recalcitrant borrowers, and can take on virtually any foe from zombies to renegade literary characters. In this first collection of Librarian adventures, Rex must confront the powerful Space Warlord Vaglox and retrieve the overdue Principia Mathematica while an energy manifestation of blood thirsty Vandals attempt to burn down Middleton Library, and all within, to the ground.

Jellaby, Kean Soo
Quiet, brilliant Portia has just moved to a new neighborhood with her mom. Adjusting to life without a father is hard enough, but school is boring and her classmates are standoffish — and even Portia's mom is strangely distant. But things start looking up when Portia mounts a late-night excursion into the woods behind her house and discovers a shy, sweet-natured purple monster. Life with Jellaby is a lot more exciting, but Portia's purple friend has secrets of his own; secrets that may even lead to the mystery of Portia's father's disappearance!


The Arrival, Shaun Tan
In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He's embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life — he's leaving home to build a better future for his family. Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can't communicate in words, the book forgoes them too. But while the reader experiences the main character's isolation, he also shares his ultimate joy.

Wonder Woman: Love and Murder, Jodi Picoult, Terry Dodson, and Drew Johnson
The action begins when Wonder Woman, in her disguise as Special Agent Diana Prince of the Department of Metahuman affairs, is assigned to capture Wonder Woman. How can she accomplish this impossible job without revealing her secret identity? This is just the start of the Amazon Warrior's problems as Diana must relearn how to exist as a human being while a deadly foe begins to close a net on her, leading to a catastrophic outcome!

new manga, 5.15.08

With the Light: raising an autistic child, Keiko Tobe v. 1 + v. 2
Born during the sunrisean auspicious beginning the Azumas newborn son is named Hikaru, which means light. But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In this alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her childs autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together. This is a story that resonates not only for those whose families have been affected by autism, but also for all past, present, and future parents.


To Terra, v. 2 + v. 3, Keiko Takemiya
Jomy Marcus Shin has led the telepathic Mu race into hiding on Naska, a planet abandoned long before by human colonists. Naska provides a temporary home, but it is no substitute for Terra. The first Mu children in hundreds of years to be conceived naturally are born there, giving the Mu the promise of a bright future. Their fragile peace, however, may soon be shattered...



Death Note v. 13: How to Read
An encyclopedic guide to the Death Note manga series, including character bios, storyline summaries, interviews with creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, production notes and commentaries, and bonus manga pages.


for more information about these and other manga titles, search the library's catalog >




Azumanga Daioh #01: Azumanga the Manga Daioh Omnibus, Kiyohiko Azuma
High school: a time of friends, memories... and biting cats? Leering teachers? And is that penguin carrying a tray?! Welcome to Azumanga Daioh, the acclaimed story from writer/illustrator Kiyohiko Azuma (Yotsubaand!) about the humor and wonder of teenage life. Join the brainy Chiyo-chan, spaced-out Osaka, over-the-top Tomo, soft-spoken Sakaki, hair-trigger Yomi and brash Kagura as they fumble their way toward graduation and the future, collected here for the first time in a single volume.

Pet Shop of Horrors, #6
Count D and Detective Orcot find themselves bound, gagged, and held at gunpoint deep in the jungles of South America after they are abducted by Peruvian terrorists. With one chance at survival, Leon must put his faith in Count D and his exotic pets.

Pet Shop of Horrors #10




Manga Pro Superstar Workshop: How to Create and Sell Comics and Graphic Novels, Colleen Doran
Manga Studio starts off by giving readers a brief intro to what Original English Language (OEL) manga is, then covers how to develop stories in the Japanese manga style versus a traditional US style of comics while using tools manga artists use for professional results. Readers will also benefit from such insider tips as how top manga artists really work in collaboration to produce 100+ pages of finished art a month; how to create a cover for their manga; how to develop their own authentic style that suits the tastes of other manga readers; and how to submit a book package to a publisher. Adapted to the needs of beginners with step-by-step instructions, these topics are not covered in any other manga how-to books.

Naruto, #26 + #28
#26: The battle between Sasuke and Naruto continues as the former best friends find themselves to be the fiercest foes either have ever faced. Can both survive now that the stakes are so high? The answer will surprise everyone!

#28: Naruto returns! It's been two years since Naruto left to train with Jiraiya. Now he reunites with his old friends to find out he's still not the most accomplished of his former teammates. But when one of them is kidnapped, it's up to Naruto to prove he's got the stuff to save him!


Fruits Basket #19
As the Fruits Basket saga continues, the relationship between Tohru and Kyo becomes increasingly complicated. Tohru realizes that she'll have to create some sort of trigger to break Kyo's curse to save him. But what can cure Kyo? The answer is right inside this next volume of the super-popular Fruits Basket!

for more information about these and other manga titles, search the library's catalog >


Ranma 1/2 #36
The Final Volume!
After sixteen years the longest running manga series in America has finally come to an incredible ending! That's right, this is the conclusion to one of the most outrageous, entertaining, and endearing manga stories the world has ever known. This volume will answer all your questions (no peeking at the end)! Does Ranma break his gender-flipping curse? For that matter, does anybody find a way to reverse the effects of the legendary cursed spring? Does Mousse get Shampoo? Does Kuno finally get his little red-headed pig-tailed girl? Does the panty-grabbin' Happosai pilfer enough undergarments to be satisfied? And yes, the ultimate question will be answered: do Ranma and Akane get married? Find out inside!


Nana, v.9
Takumi and Hachi are getting married, but it's far from a joyous announcement. Nobu and Nana are devastated, and even Takumi's bandmates take the news hard. With paparazzi skulking around for a new scandal to exploit and tensions between Trapnest and Blast on high alert, will Hachi ever get her happily ever after?

new comics + graphic novels, 4.22.08

American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
All Jin Wang wants is to fit in... When his family moves to a new neighborhood, he suddenly finds that he's the only Chinese-American student at his school. Jocks and bullies pick on him constantly, and he has hardly any friends. Then, to make matters worse, he falls in love with an all-American girl... Born to rule over all the monkeys in the world, the story of the Monkey King is one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables. Adored by his subjects, master of the arts of kung-fu, he is the most powerful monkey on earth. But the Monkey King doesn't want to be a monkey. He wants to be hailed as a god... Chin-Kee is the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, and he's ruining his cousin Danny's life. Danny's a basketball player, a popular kid at school, but every year Chin-Kee comes to visit, and every year Danny has to transfer to a new school to escape the shame. This year, though, things quickly go from bad to worse...

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, James Sturm & Rich Tommaso
Baseball Hall of Famer Leroy Satchel Paige (1905–1982) changed the face of the game in a career that spanned five decades. Much has been written about this larger-than-life pitcher, but when it comes to Paige, fact does not easily separate from fiction. He made a point of writing his own history — and then re-writing it. A tall, lanky fireballer, he was arguably the Negro League's hardest thrower, most entertaining storyteller and greatest gate attraction. Now the Center for Cartoon Studies turns a graphic novelist's eye to Paige's story. Told from the point of view of a sharecropper, this compelling narrative follows Paige from game to game as he travels throughout the segregated South. In stark prose and powerful graphics, author and artist share the story of a sports hero, role model, consummate showman, and era-defining American.

Bone Reissue #07: Ghost Circles, Jeff Smith
The valley is ravaged by war while the Bone cousins, Granma Ben, and a baby rat creature are on a dangerous trek to Atheia, the old city of the royal family, to bring Princess Thorn to safety. Meanwhile, Lucius Downs lies severely wounded and trapped with the villagers in the camp at Old Mans Cave.

for more information about these and other graphic novels, search the library's catalog >



Amulet #01: The Stonekeeper, Kazu Kibuishi
After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals. Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.


Wonder Woman: love and murder, Jodi Picoult
Best-selling author Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes, The Tenth Circle, My Sister's Keeper), takes Wonder Woman on a collision course with the Amazons in this hardcover volume collecting Wonder Woman #6-10! The action begins when Wonder Woman, in her disguise as Special Agent Diana Prince of the Department of Metahuman affairs, is assigned to capture Wonder Woman. How can she accomplish this impossible job without revealing her secret identity? This is just the start of the Amazon Warrior's problems as Diana must relearn how to exist as a human being while a deadly foe begins to close a net on her, leading to a catastrophic outcome!

new graphic novels, 3.5.08

Re-Gifters, Mike Carey, Sonny Liew + Marc Hempel
Meet Jen Dik Seong — or "Dixie" as she's known to her friends. Korean American, dirt poor, and living on the ragged edge of LA's Koreatown, Dixie's only outlet is the ancient martial art of hapkido. In fact, she's on the verge of winning a championship — until she falls for fellow hapkido fan/California surfer boy Adam and gets thrown spectacularly off her game.As she struggles to win the tournament — not to mention Adam's affections — Dixie learns that in love and in gift-giving, what goes around comes around.




The Bad Book, Aranzi Aronzo
In the world of kawaii (Japanese cute), little kitties, pandas, bunnies and the like are standard fare, but who ever heard of The Bad Buy, The Liar, or The Thief? Aranzi Aranzo takes the notorious cuteness of Japanese crafts and takes them to the next level with The Bad Book, full of mischief and fun! Each comics vignette acts as a companion guide to creatures they will teach you to make in easy steps that require little more than thread, needle and fabric!



The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Stephen King
Stephen King's Roland is an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic. Now, in a comic book personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed!






Alice in Sunderland, Bryan Talbot
Sunderland! Thirteen hundred years ago it was the greatest center of learning in the whole of Christendom and the very cradle of English consciousness. In the time of Lewis Carroll it was the greatest shipbuilding port in the world. To this city that gave the world the electric light bulb, the stars and stripes, the millennium, the Liberty Ships and the greatest British dragon legend came Carroll in the years preceding his most famous book, Alice in Wonderland, and here are buried the roots of his surreal masterpiece. Enter the famous Edwardian palace of varieties, The Sunderland Empire, for a unique experience: an entertaining and epic meditation on myth, history and storytelling then decide for yourself — does Sunderland really exist?

new manga, 3.4.08

To Terra, Keiko Takemiya
The future. Having driven Terra to the brink of environmental collapse, humanity decides to reform itself by ushering in the age of Superior Domination (S.D.), a system of social control in which children are no longer the offspring of parents but progeny of a universal computer. The new social order, however, results in an unexpected byproduct: the Mu, a mutant race with extrasensory powers who are forced in exile by The System. The saga begins on educational planet Ataraxia, where Jomy Marcus Shin, a brash and unpredictable teenager, is nervously preparing to enter adult society. When his Maturity Check goes wrong, the Mu intervene in the great hope that Jomy, who possesses Mu telepathy and human physical strength, can lead them back home, to Terra...



Negima, volume 16
Wizard Negi Springfield has confronted some tough challenges. After all, hes an English teacher at an all-girls school. But even though hes faced one of his students in battle without using his magic, its getting harder and harder to keep his powers secret.





Whistle!, volume 18
Sho and the Tokyo Select Team travel to Korea to go head-to-head with the Seoul Select Team. The Japanese team quickly realizes that they're facing the toughest challenger they've ever met. The Seoul team is strong, aggressive and determined to win, with complicated tactics and superb teamwork. When Seoul takes a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game, the Tokyo team realizes they need to dig deep into their hearts to find the passion and love that motivated them to play in the first place.

New Comics + Manga, 1.25.08

check the catalog for more info about these books >

Nana, volumes 6, 7, & 8
Nana K. was happy to be Blast's biggest cheerleader, but now that the band is taking off, she's discovering that there are hordes of fans eager to take her place. At the same time, her involvement with Trapnest hottie Takumi is turning into a romantic entanglement she hadn't expected. When a chance for another kind of happiness presents itself, will Nana K. be strong enough to face the difficult choices that result?



The Sandwalk Adventures: An Adventure in Evolution Told in Five Chapters, Jay Hosler
Try to imagine a conversation between Charles Darwin of and a follicle mite named Mara living in his left eyebrow. Having trouble? Well, don't worry, because Jay Hosler has imagined it for you. Not surprisingly, there are a few strange aspects of this relationship, but perhaps none stranger than Mara's belief that Mr. Darwin is a diety! Can Mr.Darwin convince Mara that he didn't create life and all the species of the world? He sure hopes so. Fortunately, he has an elegant explantion for how species are formed. It's called Natural Selection and Mr. Darwin is somewhat of an expert on the topic. Join this unlikely duo as they go around and around Mr. Darwin's thinking path, the Sandwalk, looking for understanding and adventure.


Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo (volumes 2, 4, + 5)
This post-apocalyptic saga charts the coming of the creature known only as "Akira", a power both feared and prized for its potential to shake the recovering world. The Great Tokyo Empire rises, but with technology's most advanced weaponry to hand, the planet is not taking the threat lying down.







Naruto volumes 20 - 27!








52 (4 volumes)After the Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe spent a year without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman — a year in which those heroes were needed more than ever as the fate of the world hung in the balance. This is 52, a four volume collection of the unprecedented, critically acclaimed weekly series of death, danger, romance, terror and the never-ending search for heroism in the DC Universe's most eventful year ever. The series features the best and brightest writers from the comic-book field: Geoff Johns (Infinite Crisis), Grant Morrison (All Star Superman), Greg Rucka (Wonder Woman) and Mark Waid (Kingdom Come), working together to tell the tale of a world awakening from a nightmare to face a new day. With their leaders gone, which heroes will stand tall? Who will fail at the most critical moment? Who will live — and who will die?

Palestine, Joe Sacco:
Based on years of research and extended visits to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s (Sacco conducted over 100 interviews with Palestinians and Jews), Palestine is the first major comics work of political nonfiction by Sacco, who has often been called the first comic book journalist and single-handedly pioneered the medium to universal acclaim. This new edition of Palestine also features a lengthy introduction by the outspoken political essayist and historian Edward Said (Peace and Its Discontents and The Question of Palestine), one of the world's most respected authorities on the Middle Eastern Conflict.


Scurvy Dogs: Rags to Riches, Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount:

Pirates of the past...today! The Scurvy Dogs search for jobs, love, and adventure - with disastrous results! This volume collects all five issues of the critically-acclaimed, independent humor, comic book sensation. But that's not all! It's chock-full of bonuses - including rare, behind-the-scenes materials, a character sketchbook, creator interviews, pin-up gallery, and an original commentary on all five issues written exlusively for this volume by creators Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount. A must-have for the deranged; or for collectors of oddball comedy.

check the catalog for more info about these books >