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Conversations with Kate DiCamillo

Written on: November 16th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

Lucy and I went to Borders today to see children’s author Kate DiCamillo, who was signing copies of her new book, The Magician’s Elephant. DiCamillo spoke to a spellbound crowd of more than a hundred (at least) kids and parents, talking at length about her creative process and the craft of writing, fielding smart questions from young and old alike, and giving serious and thoughtful answers before signing books for what probably ended being a couple of hours, because the author took time with every visitor, and was charming and chatty- all in all a wonderful event and a great afternoon.

Here are some selections from the conversation between the author and her readers:

• The inspiration for Edward Tulane? The gift from a friend of a large, elegantly dressed, and “kind of creepy looking” toy rabbit: “Every time I walked into the living room I kind of shrieked, because he scared me…I had a dream of him underwater…your standard issue naked rabbit dream and I thought that there was a story there.”
• DiCamillo doesn’t script her books in advance, and doesn’t know how they are going to end- preferring to create or discover a character and follow them through the story. In the Magician’s Elephant she was “waiting to meet someone in a hotel in New York, and almost literally saw this magician before me…I knew that he was a washed up magician, that he wanted to do real magic. I had my notebook with me, I got it out- I knew right away that he would conjure an elephant and by the time I met this friend I was fairly electric with the story and I knew it was something that I wanted to do.”
• On naming characters: “Names kind of pop into my head. Naming is easy, partly because I grew up in the South, and there are a lot of strange names down there.” The name Decalloo came at five a.m. because when she is writing “you do anything you can to make yourself laugh, and Decalloo made me laugh.”
• What was the inspiration for the Tale of Desperaux? “I find the world inspiring… my best friend’s son asked for a story of an unlikely hero with exceptionally large ears.
• Favorite part of writing? “when I’m done…Every morning when I wake up I think that I can’t do this, so it’s the first thing that I go and do- and then for the rest of the day I think ‘Wow! I got that done.'” When she finishes, she doesn’t feel that she has written a masterpiece, but “I do feel that, wow, I didn’t think that I would get to this point but I did…you’re never going to make a perfect book, and if you hold onto it you’ll never be able to put it out into the world…you do the best job you can do, kind of like raising kids.”
• Favorite Author and book? Difficult to answer, but right now E.B. White and Charlotte’s Web “the most perfect book ever written…You don’t say ‘that’s a great children’s book’, you say ‘that’s a great book.'” she’s currently reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery- a book that she was initially resistant to reading and “went into with a great deal of resentment” because all of her friends told her that she was going to love it. She also recently finished, and loved, Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge
• DiCamillo is very happy with the film adaptations of her books, and of the idea of making films of children’s books generally: “Lots of people who would never find their way to your books find their way there, and by virtue of finding their way to your book they find their way to other books. I’m very fond of Hollywood for that reason alone.”
• Finally, talking about all of the “sad parts” in her books: “I was always annoyed as a kid when I read a book that had nothing to do with the way I saw the world, which is the world is a beautiful place but also really a hard place, and so when tell stories I want something that for me as a reader deepens my understanding of the world. I think that it’s a lie to not put sad things in books.”

All of DiCamillo’s books are available from the Delaware Library Catalog- click here for a list, and to read reviews or place a hold. Booklist gave the following review to the Magician’s Elephant:

Although the novel explores many of the same weighty issues as DiCamillo’s previous works, characters here face even more difficult hurdles, including the loss of loved ones, physical disabilities, and the cost of choices made out of desperation and fear. The profound and deeply affecting emotions at work in the story are buoyed up by the tale’s succinct, lyrical text; gentle touches of humor; and uplifting message of redemption, hope, and the interminable power of asking, What if?

To learn more about Kate DiCamillo and her work, you can visit the author’s blog.

Books in the Times

Written on: November 16th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

There were a number of powerful memoirs and non-fiction choices in this week’s Sunday New York Times Book Review. The selections below are available from the Delaware Library Catalog:

• The new Malcolm Gladwell book is a selection of his essays from the New Yorker magazine, on the hazards of statistical reasoning, portraits of outlier geniuses, and other topics- will What the Dog Saw be the new Blink?
• The next vivid memoir by Mary Karr, Lit, in which she chronicles her fight with alcoholism and early brushes with fame. Reviewer Susan Cheever thinks that it is “the best book about being a woman in America I have read in years.”
• Another follow up memoir from a woman of accomplishment, Nothing Was the Same by Kay Redfield Jamieson, is the story of the death from cancer of Jamieson’s husband and the impact of his death on the author’s continuing struggle with manic depression.
• James McManus’ Cowboys Full: the Story of Poker is an “entertaining, informing, and genial” account of the history of the card game and its place in American culture.
• Ground Truth: the Untold Truth of America Under Attack on 9/11 examines newly released government documents to document grim truths about the government’s response to Al Qaeda’s attack on the Twin Towers.

The Library Rules

Written on: November 15th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

I came across this library rule this weekend, and it’s too good not to share. This is an item from the library rules and regulations at the American University of Afghanistan, in Kabul.

AUAF is a new, private not-for-profit university whose mission is to provide a liberal arts based education and be open to all qualified students in Afghanistan regardless of gender, sect or demographic allegiance, and attempt to help create a “bright national future”.

Keeping in mind that the Library is a place of study and research, users should maintain dignity and peacefulness within the premises. The act of learning is a virtue that must be honored with silence

I think that the last line is particularly beautiful, and the rule itself along with the emerging story of this school and others like it in all the troubled places in our world reminds that learning, practiced and protected by the library, home, church, or school, nourishes the emerging future.

Russell Peterson Urban Wildlife Center

Written on: November 13th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

Last weekend, we took advantage of what is hopefully not going to be the last beautiful day of the year to visit the new Peterson Urban Wildlife Center in Wilmington.
In spite of its surroundings and history, this small park is an absolute jewel, with an incredible education and display center- the building is a marvelous piece of architecture with beautiful landscaping reminiscent of Andy Goldsworthy.

The park was created by a partnership between DuPont and the Delaware Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, you can read a summary of the history of the area and the redevelopment plan, from DuPont, here (.pdf document), or you can visit the center’s website

Governor Peterson served as the 71st Governor of the State, 1969-1973 and is best known for transforming the organization of state government and for ending the National Guard occupation of Wilmington. After completing his term, Peterson led a number of governmental and non-profit environmental organizations, speaking nationally on environmental and technology issues (click here for a sample speech- link requires library login) and eventually landing his “dream job” as leader of the National Audubon Society. Peterson’s papers are held at the Library of Congress, and there are a number of books by Gov. Peterson in the Delaware Library Catalog

This week’s new arrivals

Written on: November 11th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

Click on the links below to get lists of new items available from the Delaware Library Catalog in various formats (lists will open in a new window):

• All New Items
• New Audio Books
• New Books
• New DVDs



Native American Heritage Month

Written on: November 10th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts



On October 30th, President Obama officially declared November to be Native American Heritage Month. This year’s theme for the month’s observations is “Pride in our heritage. Honor to our ancestors”. You can read the official proclamation below, or click on the link to download a copy

There’s an official heritage month website, with an abundance of information about the history of Native Americans and their contributions to their country, along with online exhibits and resources for educators.

Of course, there are a tremendous number of great books available from the Delaware Library Catalog on Native American history and culture. You could do a lot worse than Dee Brown’s magisterial and controversial “Indian history of the American West” Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I vividly recall being shocked and enlightened by this account of history from the side that “lost”- it sparked a continuing interest in the purpose of writing about history and the importance of the survival of unofficial narratives.

The President’s announcement keenly noted the participation and sacrifice of Native People’s in the U.S. Armed Forces, which throughout this nation’s history has been enduring & significant. While many books have focused on the “Code Talkers” who contributed to the success of the U.S. war effort in the Pacific Theater, historian Alison Bernstein argues in her book American Indians and World War Two that enlistment and service in combat by Indian troops was instrumental in the Native American political awakening of the later 20th Century. You can check this book out from a Delaware Library Catalog library or review it at the Google Books website in a limited preview:



Blue Hen Book Award Winners!

Written on: November 9th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts



Sponsored by the Children’s Services Division of the Delaware Library Association, the winning books are voted on by young readers from a list of nominees prepared by Delaware youth services librarians. This year’s winners were announced on Saturday November 7th:
A couple of boys have the best week ever, by Marla Frazee
Nightmare at the Bookfair, by Dan Gutman
Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins



Faeries are the new Vampire!

Written on: November 9th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts



In a change of pace for this week’s summary of reviews from the New York Times- this week’s edition included a special on children’s books that contained some must-read titles for all ages. And in my case, some titles that I have read recently and enjoyed a great deal.

I was most moved by Nick Kristoff’s review of 14 Cows for America, the story of a Masai community’s response to the 9-11 attacks. Masai culture teaches that “to heal a sorrowing heart, you must give something dear to your own” and so the tribe gives the great gift of 14 cows to the U.S. people. The most moving thing about this tale is that it is a true story.

Dinotrux? There should be a law against writing a children’s book that combines dinosaurs and heavy construction equipment! But the reviewer liked this obvious boy-bait.

Scott Westerfield (author of Uglies, amongst other very popular titles) most recently wrote Leviathan, and I most recently finished reading this very gripping ‘steampunk’ novel for young adults.

In this first of (at least) a trilogy, British “Darwinists” battle with the industrial-warfare obsessed Prussian “Clankers” for the loyalty of the true heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War One era Europe. It’s a fast paced adventure yarn with tremendous inventiveness- the description of the hulking kerosene-powered war machines of the Clankers versus the genetically reimagined monsters of the British Empire (including the Leviathan of the title, an airship constructed from crossing helium-excreting microorganisms with a blue whale). The moral dualism is fairly trite for an adult reader, I suppose, but it doesn’t get in the way of cross-dressing imposters in his Majesty’s Navy, treacherous Bosnian assassins, and aerial artillery in the form of metallic bat excrement. It’s a good choice for younger advanced readers as well- a challenging, long read but without the more sophisticated themes of a lot of young adult books.

There was also a special feature on Young Adult titles- it looks like the vampiric domination of the best-seller lists in this demographic may be about to be ended- by fairies, no less. It’s not suprising that books with themes centered on transformation, alienation, and forbidden love are clicking with these readers (sounds familiarly like a certain Edward Cullen et. al.) Melissa Marr’s Fragile Eternity and Aprilynne Pike’s Wings amongst several others, receive very positive reviews.



Libraries in the media

Written on: November 6th, 2009 by: in Blog Posts

Too funny to ignore- this week’s edition of Parks and Recreation points out why we are a force to be feared:

“[The library is] the most diabolical, ruthless, bunch of bureaucrats I’ve ever seen…They’re like a biker gang, but instead of shotguns and crystal meth they use political savvy…and shushing.”

“The library is the worst group of people ever assembled in history…They’re mean, conniving, and rude…and extremely well read, which makes them very dangerous.”

[Caution: the clip below contains ever-so-slightly salty language at about the 0:30 second mark. And do not drink milk while viewing the clip- you may laugh so hard that it comes out of your nose.]



Q: Can I read Consumer Reports online? Full-text?

Written on: November 5th, 2009 by: in Q & A's



A: Yes!  All you need is a Delaware Library Card and PIN to read complete issues of Consumer Reports online.  It’s even searchable!

Click here and enter your library card number and PIN.  Select the date you want from the right to read that month’s issue.

Below are directions on how to search for other magazines and journals:

• Go to the Delaware Library Catalog
• Enter your library card number in the upper right where it says User ID
• Enter your PIN in the box below User ID
• Click Login for more features
• Select Online Magazines and Journals from the green bar
• Type in the title of the magazine or journal you are looking for and click search (in this case Consumer Reports)
• Consumer Reports comes up as the first hit.  Select MasterFILE Premier (the first tab under the title).  The date displayed shows that we have issues going back to 1991

Now, you are in the EBSCO database.  From here, you can read specific issues by clicking the dates to the right.  Or, you can select “search within this publication” and then when a new screen appears click search again and advanced search to search for articles and reviews within all issues of the magazine.

Although lots of our magazines and journals are full-text, not all of them are.

Thanks for using Ask a Librarian Delaware.  Have a question?  Ask us!







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