ALA in NOLA

Like many of you, I will be soon taking to the sky and landing in New Orleans for ALA.  I am quite excited, not only to see all of your smiling faces, but because one of my best friends in the world lives there and I will finally get a chance to hang out with him and his adorable family.

I will be co-presenting a session on Embedded Librarianship along with the rest of the superb team of librarians from LREI and superstar Buffy Hamilton.  If you get a chance, you should swing on by!

I'm also on the outgoing side of the ALSC Library Service to Special Needs Children and their Caregivers Committee.  The program being put together by committee members (and guest speakers) is Sensory Storytime: Preschool Programming that Makes Sense for Kids with Autism.  This is a presentation that is bound to help libraries and patrons alike!

I will be out and about, so if you see me on the street or on the floor, please say hi!

Blast from the Past - Maya Running, by Anjali Banerjee

Things around My Tweendom have been insanely busy lately, hence the blog pause that lasted much longer than anticipated.  Our tweens have left the building, our inventory is complete and we are furiously planning for the upcoming ALA in NOLA, summer grants and next year's curriculum.

To keep your thirst for all things books quenched, here is a book blurb from 2005 and my first blog, Booktopia. 

Be careful what you wish for!

How many times has that statement turned out to be true? For Maya Mukherjee, they should have been words to live by.

It's the mid 1970s in Manitoba, and Maya is not a happy girl. Her friends call her lunchtime dal "barf", her parents are making her hang out with the Ghose boys, she has a huge crush on Jamie, and Brian just called her the "N" word. The only bright spot is that Maya has convinced her parents to let her beautiful cousin Pinky come over from India for 3 weeks.

Pinky is beautiful and actually seems exotic to Maya, with her saris, kohl lined eyes and her Kathak dancing. Pinky has also brought along a golden statue of Ganesh. When Jamie's affections turn from Maya to Pinky, Maya turns to Ganesh for help. Little does she know that this sweet loving trickster god will turn her life upside down.

Even though Maya starts to live the life she thought she wanted, she is not feeling very good about it. Her parents are shadows of their former selves, and her friends just aren't themselves. And Jamie ... his adoration is becoming downright scary.

This is a  tween read that would be great for anyone who feels like the odd one out. The story obviously relies heavily on the author Anjali Banerjee's own life, and though it is dated in the 1970s, the journey for self discovery is a timeless one.