We Celebrate New Year

We Celebrate New Year

by Bobbie Kalman 

 

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas

by Eric Litwin

Twas the day before Christmas and Santa was ill.

In the cold winter wind he had caught a bad chill.

Will Christmas be canceled? Will it come to that?

"Never!" cried Santa.

"Let's call Pete the Cat!"

Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont

Extraordinary Canadians: 

Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont

by Joseph Boyden

Abraham Lincoln literature

Literature about Abe Lincoln

Dreams from my father

 Dreams from My Father

by Barack Obama

Chasing Freedom

 Chasing Freedom

by Gloria Ann Wesley

Professional Development

The website is officially up!!! http://vitacollections.ca/ckl- digitalcollection/search 

Digitization project advertisement in the local paper!

Pride for Obama

Celebs about being gay and supporting President Obama... Well done. I am a strong supporter of Obama, but no matter who is in power, equality is equality.

Official Book Club Selection

Official Book Club Selection

by Kathy Griffin

 There's something about putting things in print as opposed to saying them on stage: it seems they carry more weight. Even the jokes, people take more seriously. 

- Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin

Anti-bullying

I found this clip on youtube, a message from funny comedienne Kathy Griffin to teens about bullying and homophobia. It also includes a link to a teen-help line. It is well worded and very inspirational.

It will get better!

The Uglies

The Uglies  

by Scott Westerfeld 

Would you give up your ability to think independently in exchange for being happy, beautiful, healthy, and rich? This is the question that 15 year-old Tally Youngblood has to consider as she must choose between following societal expectations of forced conformity and rebelling against the Government and the Special Circumstances (the malevolent government officials).

Any Known Blood

Any Known Blood
by Lawrence Hill  

Langston Cane V is a thirty-eight year old divorced man who sets on a journey of self-discovery by tracing his roots back for five generations. After losing his job for sabotaging a government official’s speech, Cane embarks on a quest to uncover his family’s history. What he finds in his past not only brings him pride to carry on the tradition of the family name, but it helps him to develop his own sense of self.

The Lady Elizabeth

The Lady Elizabeth
by Alison Weir

Weir, Alison. The Lady Elizabeth. New York: Ballantine Books, 2008.

The story of the Tudor family is one of the first true soap operas. Filled with love, lust and loyalty, the reign of the Tudors shaped the history of England. The Tudor dynasty was founded in 1485 under King Henry VII, marking the end of the War of the Roses. Henry VII, his son Henry VIII, and his three children Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth, ruled for 118 dynamic years.

How I Live Now

 How I Live Now

by Meg Rosoff 

 

How I Live Now is a story about 15 year-old Elizabeth’s struggle to survive during a fictional World War III outbreak sometime in the beginning of the 21^st century. After constant conflicts with her new step-mother, Elizabeth (who goes by Daisy) is sent away from her Manhattan home to live with her maternal aunt in England. She finds that she instantly bonds with her cousins, and together they fight to survive while her aunt is stranded in Oslo after an attack. Meanwhile, Daisy finds herself entangled in forbidden love, and a new desire to protect her new family from any harm.  Her protective instinct is put to use when the boys (Osbert, Edmond and Isaac) and girls (Daisy and Piper) are separated, leaving Daisy solely responsible for protecting her youngest cousin. Will Daisy and Piper make it home safely? Will Daisy reunite with her love? Read Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now to find out!

Witch & Wizard

 Witch & Wizard

James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonet.

 New York City: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.

Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence

This young lady shows amazing strength that teaches as all a lesson about intelligence and over-coming obstacles.   

It gets better project - Stephen Colbert

Love this. It gets better.

Thanks Stephen Colbert.

Official Song for the Hunger Games

I LOVE this song by Taylor Swift (Safe and Sound) as the sound track for the Hunger Games movie. The eerie feeling suits the book perfectly!

"The state has no business in the hard-drives of Canadians" - Rick Mercer (2012)

Another well-put, intelligent "rant" by Rick Mercer about online privacy.

Libraries have fought long and hard for open access to online information, and for the privacy to access it. This also helps to lower the digital divide between the economic classes. Now the federal government wants to take that right away from Canadians through laws that go against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I still believe that the government should have to have a warrant to access private or confidential information. This ensures an (hopefully) unbiased third-party to ensure that there is adequate justification to gain access, and then the Conservatives can't just go fishing. Just because we want privacy DOES NOT mean we are criminals. Well said Mr. Mercer, well said.

Mockingbird

Mockingbird

by Kathryn Erskine

Winner of the 2010 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But the battle for her life is far from over. The Capitol is angry and wants revenge – and President Snow will do anything to defeat Katniss. The worst part is that he torments Katniss by hurting the people that she loves the most. The rest of Panem is also in a state of unrest, and the Capitol blames Katniss and wants revenge. President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss''s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

In the second book, Katniss must deal with the consequences of her actions and behaviours during the Hunger Games – both the intentional betrayal of the Capitol and the unpredicted. She travels around the districts in ‘celebration’ of her victory, and begins to settle down into a new lifestyle as a victor when things begin to change in District 12. Not only does the daily routine of life change significantly, but there is a surprising twist in the 75^th annual Hunger Games that will change Katniss’ life forever.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

In a future North America, the rulers of Panem keep control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people ages 12 through 18 from each of the twelve remaining districts against one another. In this story, sixteen-year-old Katniss' skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. Suzanne Collins' books tend to examine the impact of war on childhood, and does so with great skill.

Is it Just Me? Or is it nuts out there?

Is it Just Me? Or is it nuts out there?

by Whoopi Goldberg (2011)

“Thoughtlessness is the new manners, and I’ve got to say I don’t like it… Somehow, so many little pieces of courtesy have gone by the wayside. People in your face, in your business, not caring if they are being disrespectfully loud…

An ex-Kobo fan OR Why I hate Kobo

As many of you know, I loved my Kobo reader. Yes, that is past tense. You see, my Kobo reader stopped working. Yes, that happens to technology - it is expected. What is not expected is the poor service that I have received during the process of trying to get it replaced so that I can go back to my cherished books that are teasing me. I called to get some assistance after trying everything I could think of (including resetting it) with no avail. I had to take a picture of it (?) and send it to them. I figured that they would see that it was broken and that would be it.