The Quotable Slayer

Bibliographic Info

Title: The Quotable Slayer

Author: Compiled by Micol Ostow and Steven Brezenoff

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: 2003

ISBN: 978-0743495486

Plot Summary

This book takes quotes from the scripts of Buffy the Vampire Slayer television shows and sorts them by character and later by topics such as “Slaying,” “Religion,” and “Love.”  The book highlights some of the best moments in the quirky banter of the Scooby Gang, compiled for fans on a reminisce.

Critical Evaluation

Clearly this book isn’t for everyone.  If Buffy the Vampire Slayer was and is a monument in your life, then it’s a great read.  The quotes are occasionally taken from the more somber parts of the shows, but generally the bright, silly conversation will keep a fan chuckling, and thinking, “oh, I remember that.”

Reader’s Annotation

For die-hard Buffy fans, The Quotable Slayer is a must-read.  It will stock your coffers with an appropriate Buffy-speak response for every situation (particularly on those crazy nights where you’re taking out a Chaos demon in 4-inch heals).

Author Info

Micol Ostow has written more than 40 books for people of all ages.  In 2009, she graduated from Vermont College with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults.  She lives in New York City with her husband, Noah Harlan.

Steven Brezenoff, age 35, lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his wife and son.  His debut novel, The Absolute Value of -1, is set to be released in September 2010.  Brezenoff claims to have recently disabled his World of Warcraft account, which may lead to a second published novel.

Brezenoff, S. (n.d.). Profile of Steven Brezenoff. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.blogger.com/profile/17974929351763422930

Ostow, M. (2010). The official website of author Micol Ostow. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.micolostow.com/bio.php

Genre

Non-fiction, Film, Television

Curriculum Ties

I've heard there are Buffy studies classes out there.  I want to go to that school.

Book Talking Ideas

In a world where creatures of the dark walk the streets of her hometown, Buffy’s super strength and speed have nothing on her powerful puns.

Reading Level

13+

Challenge Issues

Vampires, demons, magic, sex… so much to despise, or relish.

Challenge Responses

Active Listening

Refer to library’s collection policy

Provide complaint form

Refer to book reviews

Selection

Stumbled across during a search of local library website.

Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

Bibliographic Info

Title: Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown Colonial Maryland

Author: Sally M. Walker

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 987-0-8225-7135

Plot Summary

This non-fiction book illustrates how much information can be found in the skeletal remains of Jamestown colonists from the early 1600s.  The body of a 16-year-old boy tells a story of ill health, and ultimately of a violent death at the hands of Powhatan Indians.  An arrowhead lodged just a hair’s width from the boy’s femur and a broken collarbone indicated how the boy met his end.

The body of an indentured servant told a different story.  The boy, approximately 14 years old, showed signs of abuse, such as a fractured wrist.  The body was found under the home of a plantation owner, who used the space as a garbage dump.  Since, at the time, a proper burial was mandated of slaves and indentured servants, anthropologists believed that the body was concealed amongst garbage to hide the boy’s poor treatment during life.

Several other lives, such as the remains of a family of Catholics who had likely fled religious persecution in England, were highlighted.

Critical Evaluation

This book is an excellent example of how non-fiction can be made fascinating.  The author introduces what seems like a puzzle and slowly reveals a picture of a human life through the details of scientific discovery.  The excellent photographs add to the experience of unearthing the stories.

Reader’s Annotation

The hardships, lifestyles, and personal details of the residents of the first U.S. colony are unearthed by forensic anthropologists in this non-fiction work.  The book contains photographs of skeletal remains, excavations, tools, and more to document the findings.

Author Info

Sally M. Walker was often in trouble for daydreaming in elementary school.  She would let her mind wander to the book she was reading.  She wrote stories for her parents and gave them as presents.  Walker’s father would tell her and the children from her neighborhood non-fiction stories about colonists and Indians.

When asked what parents can give their budding writer children, Walker recommends a library card.  She also suggests pens and paper.  She describes the most importan gift, though, to be time to wander and dream.

Walker, S. M. (2009). Author Sally M. Walker. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://sallymwalker.com/biography.html

Genre

Non-fiction

Curriculum Ties

U.S. History

Book Talking Ideas

Did you know that a skeleton’s number of teeth or the shape of a thigh bone can tell a forensics specialist how old a person was at the time of their death?

When you imagine what life was like in the colonies, what do you picture?

Reading Level

10-14

Challenge Issues

Photographs of human remains.

Challenge Responses

Active Listening

Refer to library’s collection policy

Provide complaint form

Refer to book reviews

Selection

2010 Finalist for YALSA’s Excellence in Fiction for Young Adults award.