New This Week
October 19, 2009
Column: At the Library
From: Cranbrook Public Library
By Mike Selby
Oracle Bones are small bits of animal bone or turtle shell in which the Shang Dynasty of China (1766 BC) inscribed prophecies about China’s future. Peter Hessler examines today’s China with that of her past in his latest book ORACLE BONES. The country has transformed itself from a closed-off unchanging empire into one of the most vibrant countries of the 21st century. This is a captivating and often humorous look at the modern Chinese; the majority of which want nothing to do with politics.
Younger readers (of all ages) should enjoy John van de Ruit’s SPUD : THE MADNESS CONTINUES. The diary of 13-year-old Spud Milton is filled with laughter as he attempts to chronicle his life amongst his dysfunctional family. This is the sequel to van de Ruit’s first book SPUD; the fastest selling book in South African history.
Preschool Story Time this Wednesday at 11:00 am, 1:15 pm, & 6:30 pm, and Toddler Story this Friday at 10:30 am will be all about Feelings!
Wow! Another successful Annual Fall Book Sale. Over $12, 500 was raised and this will be split between the Friends of the Library and the Sunrise Rotary Club. The Friends portion will be used to purchase new books for the library. A huge thank you to the public for all the support at the sale and for all the books you\'ve donated. And thank you to Selkirk Signs, Action Rental, the Baker Street Mall, and the media for their support of this event.
The Friends of the Cranbrook Public Library and the College of the Rockies will be showing their latest Travelogue on Monday, November 16, 2009 in the Lecture Theatre (Room 250) at the College. Sylvia Reed will be presenting “Trekking across South America " from Quito to Brazil\". Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. Doors open 6:30 p.m. Admission is by donation, and please remember seating is limited. For more information, please call April at 489-2038.
Any and all kids ages 9 to 11 (grades 4 to 7) are invited to attend BOOK BITES, a new book club meeting every third Thursday from September to May, beginning at 4 pm. Come out and talk about books, do fun activities, and enjoy some snacks.
And any and all teens are invited to CHATTERZ, their own book club which meets every second Thursday from September to May, beginning at 4 pm. For more information on either of these book clubs, please contact Deanne at 426-4063.
The TUESDAY NIGHT READING GROUP is the most recent book club here at the Library. Their next meeting is Tuesday, October 20th, at 7 pm, where they will be discussing Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. For more information in joining this group, please call Deanne at 426-4063.
For the month of October we will be displaying Antarctica inspired artwork by Lucy Sanderson, including lapidary, paintings, and photographs.
ADULT NEWLY AQUIRED SHELF:
The Guilt of Nations " Elazar Barkan (341.66)
Who’s Got Your Back " Keith Ferrazzi (650.1)
Oracle Bones " Peter Hessler (951)
Ultimate Flexibility " Sang H. Kim (798.8)
Altered Books Workshop " Bev Brazelton (745.5)
Pathways to Health and Healing : Provincial Health Annual Report (614.427)
Critical Issues in Restorative Justice " Howard Zehr (364.68)
Lost Boy " Brent W. Jeffs (bio)
Living in the Shadow of Fisher Peak " Keith G. Powell (fic)
Half Broke Horses " Jeannette Walls (fic)
The Golden Mean " Annabel Lyon (fic)
Juliet, Naked " Nick Hornby (fic)
The Perfect Christmas " Debbie Macomber (fic)
Rough Country " John Sandford (mys)
The Professional " Robert B. Parker (mys)
Necessary As Blood " Deborah Crombie (mys)
Snow Job " William Deverell (mys)
Evidence " Jonathan Kellerman (mys)
The Tuloriad " John Ringo (sci fic)
The Ghost King " R. A. Salvatore (sci fic)
Wedding Crashers (DVD)
Aurora Borealis (DVD)
YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN’S NEWLY ACQUIRED ITEMS:
Ruined " Paula Morris (ya fic)
Wicked 2 " Nancy Holder (ya fic)
Wicked : Resurrection " Nancy Holder (ya fic)
Spud : The Madness Continues " John van de Ruit (ya fic)
Defiance " Valerie Hobbs (ya pb)
Found " Margaret Peterson Haddix (ya pb)
The Rescue " Nicholas Edwards (ya pb)
Robot Rampage " Annie Auerbach (j easy)
MIKE’S BOOKNOTES:
In 1942, Canadian journalist Leslie McFarlane was approached by his 10-year old son Brian, who"noticing some Hardy Boys books on a dusty shelf"asked his father if he had ever read these books when he was a boy. \"Read them? I wrote them,\" McFarlane casually replied. Noticing the astonished look on his son’s face, he asked him if he had read them. “Dad...everyone reads them!”
In 1927, MacFarlane took a job ghostwriting a series of books for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Using the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon, MacFarlane wrote the first 16 Hardy Boys books. He received a flat fee of 125 dollars per book, and was not entitled to any royalties. This was typical of Stratemeyer, who also published Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins. By using pseudonyms, they could employ a variety of authors for minimal pay. Just as there is no real Franklin W. Dixon, there is also no Laura Lee Hope nor a Carolyn Keen.
MacFarlane never felt swindled by Stratemeyer for two reasons. One, he agreed to the terms offered. Secondly, Leslie McFarlane became one of Canada’s cultural icons. He went on to write 4 novels, 100 novelettes, 200 short stories, 75 TV plays, countless articles, and directed 50 films for the Canadian Film Board. He has a school named after him, and there is a prominent Leslie MacFarlane collection at McMaster University.
Currently there are 190 Hardy Boys books, which continue to sell in the millions every year. Why this is mystifies many critics. Frank and Joe Hardy continue to be two white well-scrubbed boy scouts, living in their parent’s basement, somehow solving crimes which have baffled law-enforcement. They are not restrained by petty chores, curfews, meager allowances, homework, or sibling rivalry. With no money or parental supervision, they continue to fly across the U.S. or even Europe on a whim. There are no romances, no teenage angst, and neither of them has ever gotten drunk.
Whatever the reason, their popularity continues to grow. And fortunately, so does MacFarlane’s. Fans, critics, and educators alike all agree that the best Hardy Boys novels were the first 16, the ones written by Leslie MacFarlane (or Franklin W. Dixon).
