Review: The Green Book by Jill Paton Walsh

The Green Book by Jill Paton Walsh is a slim sci-fi novel that looks like it might be a good beginning chapter book.  I read it as a child and the outline of the plot still stands out in my memory: a father and his three children choose the bare minimum of possessions to take with them to a new planet, but when they get there, nothing will grow, and there is no way to leave or get help.

Rant: Should Libraries be Quiet?

Does the answer seem obvious?  Are other librarians asking themselves this question?  Do you shush people?  Do you feel guilty when you do?  Or when you don't?

My mother recently directed my attention to this article from Salon.com which interprets a recent Pew study differently from the way Pew does. 

Cover Style: Old Fashioned Borders

I'm reading Chickadee by Louise Erdrich, and I can't get over how girly the cover is.  I know that's an irritating adjective--girly--but seriously, this book is being marketed to girls.  Which I think is a real missed opportunity, since it's a fierce kidnapping adventure story that would appeal to boys, too.  Especially boys who like Avi's The Fighting Ground or Cynthia DeFelice's Weasel.  But how many of those boys will pick up a book with a flowery border?