Harry Potter and the Half -Blood Prince!

I was very excited when the movie “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” came out. Of course I have read all the books. I took my grandson and daughter in law who have not read the books and only seen the movies. The ones who read all the books first really enjoyed the movie. The new director was true to the way the books were written.

Those who have not read the books thought the storyline was predictable, yet good I was told. Yes you do lose some of the suspense of whether or not Professor Snape is good or evil. Of course my favorite parts in the book were totally missing from the movie. Spoiler alert! They did not show the funeral.

I do recommend it to all Harry Potter fans. I do want to say to Parents beware, the last two Harry Potter books and the movie of course was written for a much older crowd and even though it is rated PG take note where it says “some scary images and violence” is exactly what it means. Reading it in print and actually watching it sometimes has a greater impact. See movie trailer. Two young girls who were sitting behind me seemed to be totally unaffected. During one of the most dramatic parts they were more interested in loudly getting their parents attention to get them more popcorn and drinks. Of course later during the next dramatic part they had to go to the bathroom which they let the entire theater know about. Ah the joys of parenthood!

Of course I highly recommend reading the books first then seeing the movie because you miss so much of the action. Certain characters are just hinted at in the movie and play a much larger role in the books. Two characters for example Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom have extremely small parts in the movies and yet they play very important parts in the books.

Yes, I will be rereading the books. It has been awhile since I read them. I also read them so fast because I had to know what was going to happen next. This time I will slow down and absorb it more. Besides they are a fun read.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is going to be done in two separate movies. The first one will be out in 2010 and part II will be out in 2011.

For those of you who can't get enough Harry Potter I highly recommend the website "Leaky Cauldron".

What was your favorite Book as a child?

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Recently we had a patron come in wanting to know what the most popular children’s books were. I was surprised at the mix of various authors and types that were checked out.

There are more choices out there for parents to read to their children now than ever. I am personally a big fan of rhyme books for reading out loud. Books that are short and to the point seem to hold their attention. If it is too wordy or slow paced you are in trouble before you even begin.

When choosing books for our collection I tend to steer more to that direction. Books that can help parents start conversations with the young ones. Example: potty training books, going to the dentist or doctor and counting books are great.

Two new additions to our library, which are my personal favorites are “rhyming dust bunnies” by Jan Thomas and “Our Abe Lincoln” adapted by Jim Aylesworth.

“Rhyming dust bunnies” is not only a fun read but it can get your young one involved with the story. It has very few words on a page which helps those of us with short attention spans. Check it out.

“Our Abe Lincoln” has excellent illustrations by Barbara McClintock. Jim Aylesworth took a Lincoln-era presidential campaign song and turned it into a book for young people. During this 200^th birthday of Lincoln it presents history for young people in a capsule. They will be singing history to the tune of “The Old Grey Mare.”

What was your favorite book as a child? Do you have a new one you would share with us? I am always looking for recommendations.