Robert Parker publishes young adult novels

I read Robert Parker's first book for young adults, Edenville Owls, this summer, and I loved it! I've just started his latest, The Boxer and the Spy, and it shows every sign of being as good as the first one. Robert Parker is the author of the bestselling Spenser novels, on which the TV show Spenser for Hire was based. For a long time, I read each Spenser book as soon as it was released and waited eagerly for the next to come out, but after a while, they became pretty formulaic. I didn't have very high expectations when I started Edenville Owls, but changing his target audience has rejuvenated Parker's writing: the characters are believeable and likeable, the plot is intriguing and involves sports, one or more mysteries, and complicated relationships between the characters. In Edenville Owls, the sport is basketball, and in the new book, obviously, boxing. The dialog is still a bit choppy for my taste, but the books are definitely worth reading. Review by Stacy

Read Mad!

That's right --we have Mad Magazine! This was my favorite when I was a kid, and my neighbor had every issue because his dad brought them home (along with comic books) from his job at the grocery store. We thought he had the best job in the world! Here's what Mondo Times has to say about it: "America's foremost magazine of social parody, biting political satire and just plain silliness, Mad Magazine continues to attract legions of young readers, while remaining a favorite of adults with low standards. It's the best thing that's happened to libraries since the Dewey Decimal System." Some of the regular features include Spy vs Spy, The Lighter Side of..., and of course, the inevitable cover art of Alfred E. Neuman defaced in some relevant way.

Email us your anime suggestions!

We are purchasing some anime DVD's for our collection, and would like your suggestions about what we should buy! If you've seen a great anime film and think we should add it to our collection, email us at westwoodyoungadult@yahoo.com and let us know.

Gaming Fiction

Love to play video games? Try some of these books:
Epic by Kostick
Saga by Kostick
Ender's Game by Card
Head Games by Fredericks
Eagle Strike by Horowitz
Warcraft: vol.1 Dragon Hunt by Knaak and Jae-Hwan
Virtual War by Skurzynski
The Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis and Hickman
Heir Apparent by Vande Velde
User Unfriendly by Vande Velde
Interstellar Pig by Sleator
Parasite Pig by Sleator

Review of A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

This is a wonderful retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, which I'm sure most of you are familiar with (you know, the weird little man promises to spin a roomful of straw into gold in exchange for something which will be named at a later time, and the poor deluded girl agrees, never dreaming that what she will have to give up is her child. Or... she could guess the little man's name and be released from her bargain). So when I started reading this book, I didn't think there would be much suspense, what with knowing how the story ends and all. But the way the author tells the story is so intricate and the characters so engaging, that you never really see what's coming (although there were times when I wanted to shout at her, "No, he's going to take your baby!") The story reads like historical fiction --Charlotte Miller's father has passed away unexpectedly, and now she is in charge of the family's woolen mill, on which the entire town depends for their income, and which has been plagued by bad luck as long as anyone can remember. She has her younger sister to help, and a previously unknown uncle shows up to "help" them, although it turns out he has nefarious plans of his own. A banker that her father had secretly taken out a loan from turns out to be an unlikely ally, and in fact, he and Charlotte fall in love. But as things spin out of control at the mill, Charlotte refuses his help. Did I mention that her sister became so desperate that she followed some ancient instructions to summon fairy help and conjured up a strange little man (remember that from the fairy tale?) who agrees to spin a roomful of straw into gold in exchange for a cheap ring that Charlotte received from her mother. The money from the gold thread saves the mill, temporarily, but of course their involvement with the little man, Jack Spinner, almost ruins them. Instead of guessing his name, Charlotte has to figure out what Jack Spinner's history is in order to remove the curse from the mill. I can't say enough about what a great book this is. It's a very accurate portrayal of the industrial revolution and the magical part of the story is really pretty minor (although the plot hinges on it), so even if you don't usually like fantasy, it's a great read. Review by Stacy

New DVD

The Breakfast Club: John Hughes' film of American high school life in the 1980's, starring Emilio Estevez and Molly Ringwald

New Video Games Available

XBox 360
Nascar 09: Racing Your Way

Playstation 3
Rock Band: Start a Band, Rock the World
NCAA Football 09: Big Play Saturday

Wii
Metroid Prime 3 Corruption: You Are the Bounty Hunter
Opoona: Join Opoona on a Journey across the Distant Cosmos
Trauma Center Second Opinion: Turns Your Living Room into an O.R.

Books with Bite @Your Library October 12 - 18

Celebrate Teen Read Week at the Westwood Public Library. Visit us for ideas of great books to read: Vampire Bites, Tasty Bites, Humorous Bites, Mysterious Bites, and Sound Bites.