Googlewhack

I’m always searching for something.  We all are, but it happens to be my job.  With a world of information out there, finding what you want can be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.   (Use a strong magnet, be prepared to find many, tiny bits of bailing wire.)  It’s a life skill.  You have to know what subject headings to use, when to narrow your search, and when to broaden your search.  That’s why I was intrigued when my searching came across the word “Googlewhack”. 

A Googlewhack is a search consisting of two ordinary words without quotation marks, that returns exactly one hit.  I have never had a Googlewhack on Google, but when I looked at some of the subject headings in our Staff Picks books for kids and teens (Wood lice (Crustaceans) -- Juvenile fiction), I thought it could be a fun exercise to try in our catalog.  Go ahead, give it a shot.  Here are some word pairs to get you started.  Each will return one title in our catalog.

• movable papa
• snakebites orphans
• tundras blessings
• ex-convicts authorship
• rootless degradation

Mary Kretsch
Information Specialist

Bookmarks Book Club

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech is a wonderful, poetic, and heartwarming story for teens about a 13-year-old girl named Salamanca who is coming to terms with the loss of her mother with the help of her wonderful family and quirky friends.  Even though “birds of sadness” are interspersed throughout the story, there is ample wholesome humor that brings a smile to one’s face and lightens the mood.  The story is told over a period of a few weeks during late summer when Sal drives from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents. 

Born and raised in Kentucky, Sal’s father decides to rent out his farm and move to Ohio for a change, after his wife leaves him.  After a year in Ohio, Sal’s paternal grandparents (from Kentucky), come to take Sal on this trip to Idaho to see her mother.  As they drive from city to city through state to state, Sal tells her grandparents a mysterious and humorous story about her friend Phoebe.  Sal shares her feelings as well as her experiences in moving to a new town, making new friends, and going to a new school.  The descriptions of the characters are full and rich and likable. Grams and Gramps provide ample humor as well while the three make the journey across the country. 

This book is the October selection for the homeschool Bookmarks book club for grades 7 and up.

Julie Boyd
Information Specialist - Youth Services

Reading Rules Book Club

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong

Imagine that you are shipwrecked in the Antarctic Ocean; your ship is slowly being crushed by tons of ice.  The temperature is well below freezing, the wind is continually howling, often with hurricane force, and there is nothing in sight for miles except ice.  It’s the early 20th century and technology is limited; no one knows exactly where you are.  Rescue is hopeless; you must find a way to civilization on your own...or freeze to death. 

Cold, dirty, and with limited resources, the men of the ship Endurance led by Sir Earnest Shackleton face this grim situation.  Their story of survival as they travel in stages over seemingly endless months is remarkable.  Enhanced by vintage photos taken by one of the ship’s crew, Armstrong’s book accurately portrays the courageous tale of survival. 

This book is the October selection for the homeschool Reading Rules book club for grades 3 – 6. 

Julie Boyd
Information Specialist - Youth Services