Staff Picks: You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy

You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy

I found this book fascinating. I always considered myself a good listener, but I discovered that I had a lot to learn. I was especially interested in the information about how the brain works when we're engaged in listening and the overall impact on relationships based on our effort or lack of engaging fully as a listener. From individual to societal importance, the benefits of listening by both the speaker and the hearer are enlightening.

This book is also available as an eBook and eAudiobook.

Julie Boyd
Youth Services Supervisor
Cumming Library
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Literary Road Trips – The OZ Museum in Wamego, Kansas

The Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas is a fun stop for fans of The Wizard of Oz film and Frank L. Baum’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Because I'm a fan of the film, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West novel, as well as the musical Wicked, I was excited to visit the OZ Museum and inspired to read the original book for the first time.   

Written in 1900, Baum's story of Dorothy and Toto being transported to the magical land of Oz by a tornado has some key differences from the film version and offers subtle undertones about the power of illusion, perseverance, and loyalty.  

A visit to the Oz Museum revealed several interesting facts about the film. 

Those iconic ruby red slippers were silver in the novel and changed to ruby slippers to show off the Technicolor on film.

Studio execs wanted to cut  Judy Garland’s opening ballad, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, from the film because they felt it dragged the film down. Fans of the song can thank Oz's musical director who threatened to quit if Somewhere Over the Rainbow wasn't included in the film.   

Judy Garland tried to adopt her co-star Terry, the female terrier who played Toto, but Terry’s owner already had more roles lined up for the adorable scene-stealer. 

If you’re interested in learning more about The Wizard of Oz and aren't planning a trip to Wamego, Kansas, check out 100 Years of Oz by John Frick. Or revisit the story with The Wizard of Oz on DVD or L. Frank Baum's original novel. 

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks

Staff Picks - The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (Juvenile Fiction)

The Scout Motto is “Be Prepared.” 

After 15 years of outings, meetings, and service projects as a Scout mom and leader, it has become my personal motto too. 

This applies to more than just camping gear. I didn’t need to check the weather to know I should pack my rain jacket for our troop campout last weekend. But I also wanted to be prepared for the four hour round trip drive transporting five 12-year-old boys to and from our campground in Blairsville, Georgia. 

As you can probably guess, it didn’t take long for my carload of boys to devolve from making frenzied chit-chat to raucously belting the jingle for every chain store we passed. (“Oh-oh-oh-O’Reilly’s! O’Reilly’s Auto Parts. Ow!”) Thirty minutes in they started playing “Who Can Be the Quietest?” but with a special twist: bodily noises allowed. Needless to say, all five of them began outdoing one another with a competition for the loudest, juiciest, most creative flatulence sound they could make using their mouths, hands, and/or armpits. 

(This is a reenactment of my face during the “Who Can Be the Quietest?” game.

No scouts were endangered during this selfie.) 

It was actually pretty funny—for about the first 30 seconds—but that’s when I reached my limit and decided to distract them...

...with an audiobook. 

In keeping with the “Be Prepared” theme, I had borrowed the CD book version of The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. One of our Youth Services Supervisors recently gushed about this series, saying she was purposely reading it slowly because she didn’t want it to end. Aaaaand straight to the top of my TBR (To Be Read) pile it went.    

Granted, I am a youth librarian with a passion for children’s literature, but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that this carload of boisterous pre-teen boys was immediately captivated by this book. If music soothes the savage beast, a great story totally tames the tooting tween.   

The ethereal intro music instantly grabbed everyone’s attention. Then the author began reading the prologue and we were all completely hooked. The setting: a rat-infested dungeon. The imprisoned villain: Snow White’s wicked stepmother. The protagonist: adult queen Snow White. 

There’s a reason why so many adaptations of classic fairy tales exist: readers immediately connect with characters they already know. Add two quirky 12-year-old fraternal twins, laugh-out-loud humor, and a thrilling quest filled with adventure, intrigue, and magic, and the result is absolutely enthralling across generations and genders.    

Author Chris Colfer gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the hit television musical series, Glee. Chris also narrates his audiobook series and his voiceover talents are noteworthy. He has one of those voice ranges that can convincingly sound like a boy, a girl, an evil witch, and a ferocious troll.  

I cannot wait to continue with this series and find out what happens next. Whether you have a carload of kids to captivate, need a can’t-miss bedtime read-aloud, or are looking for a new series for your 4th-8th grader to devour, The Land of Stories will not disappoint. 

Forsyth County Public Library has the entire series in print, eBook, eAudiobook, and CD book formats. Stop by your local branch or log in to your account online to put the first book in this series (The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell) on hold today.   

Leslie
Youth Specialist

Post Road Library
#WeKnowBooks