Age Group:
Children

Genre:
Humour, Graphic, Children’s Literature

Summary:
Join super confident Nate Wright as he explores the complicated world of middle school. When a fortune cookie perdicts that Nate will “surpass all others,” he’s determined to find out how. But just as he’s getting started, Nate gets slipped a pink detention slip. Soon enough he acquires slip after slip and starts to wonder if his fortune will come true after all!

My Thoughts:
Fun, quirky and precocious, Nate is just your average, silly sixth grader. Peirce’s comic style echoes Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in this spin off series that’s already getting a lot of attention from young readers.

Add yourself to the waiting list before it gets too long! Borrow Big Nate in a Class by Himself today!

Full Title:
We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess

Age Group:
Adult

Genre:
Non-Fiction, Adult, Social Commentary, Psychology, Historical

Summary:
In this unique, exploratory text, author Daniel Akst addresses the issue of self control in a modern world obessed with immediate gratification. Not only are we inept at protecting ourselves from these ‘enemies,’ speculates Akst, but we are also tempted by them more and more frequently. Ours is a society rich not only in capital, but also in self indulgence.

My Thoughts:
Self-control, or lack thereof, is a profound issue that we all endure on a day-to-day basis. In fact, it has the been the topic of many conversations with my father. We have both become increasingly aware of the environmental cues that shape our decisions – from what to eat to finding balance between work and leisure.

Akst’s book is a provocative one, though at times he tends to dither a bit too much and repeat his ideas. The text could have been accomplished in much fewer pages than its current 275. And there are times that Akst is much too wordy and lost me at some points. But that said, this is worth a read for those interested in the topic- even just a skim. It’s an important topic and one that deserves even further deconstruction.

Borrow We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess from your local Vaughan Library today!

Age Group:
Young Adult

Genre:
Classic, American, Coming-of-age, Realistic Fiction

Summary:
This 1971 controversial novel chronicles the harrowing experiences of a troubled teenage girl who inadvertantly tries LSD and becomes entangled in a powerful drug addiction. Through her naive, adolescent mind we witness an all too easy spiral toward depravity and her subsequent attempts at recovery.

My Thoughts:
Labelled as somewhat of a classic, I had higher expectations of Go Ask Alice then it delivered. It’s basically a diary purporting to be a real life account of a young girl’s experiences. While the true author remains anonymous, critics speculate that editor Beatrice Sparks did indeed write the novel based on the diary of one of her patients.

While I managed to finish the novel in one day, but I was not particularly immersed in it. In fact, I found it quite depressing! But those are just my thoughts. Give it a try yourself. At 40 years since its first publication, Go Ask Alice has definitely stood the test of time. If anything it’s a strong warning to teens to avoid the perils of substance abuse.

Borrow Go Ask Alice from your local Vaughan library today!