Biography Project Complete!

I went back to YMS yesterday afternoon. It was a little strange to be back in the building, but I was really glad to make the trip. I had to return a library book that I had for four months (yikes- how embarrassing!) and there were a couple odds and ends I left behind. I received warm welcomes and hugs from the teachers and administrators and students. I miss some parts of that job, mostly the people, but I know I am doing some good work at my new school.

I recently accomplished one of my goals; I rearranged the biographies. Instead of just one big shelf that says 920 Biography, I organized them into smaller sections and gave them all their own space on some shorter shelves. I hope this will make them more accessible, and also look more appealing. Here are a few of the labels I made for the different categories:

As for other projects, I continue to weed the collection, and the other day, the Tech. Recycling Company came to take away all the old TV's and overhead projectors that were taking up space. 

Sometimes I wish I had taken the steps for Alt 4 certification sooner, rather than waiting five years to start, but I don't know if I would have been ready before then. I learned alot at YMS about what libraries should be, and how they should adapt to best serve the school community. I also learned what my own preconceptions about libraries and literacy were, and how I can be more flexible.

Divine Providence

We hit the road early today so we could spend the day in Providence, Rhode Island. Every year, the Lincoln School holds a Children's Book Festival, and they always have wonderful authors and illustrators there. This year we went specifically for David Weisner and Kevin Henkes. The school had a little photo booth set up, so I got this picture of me and John:

I have always loved Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, so I brought that along for him to sign. I also brought two books from the school library that are now extra-special.I also brought along a couple of his books from the school library, and I told him that I use his books when I teach about Visual Literacy, and he said it sounded like a good project. Proud librarian moment!

David Wiesner had the longest line while we were there. We brought a couple books we already had, and I also got the school library's copy of Flotsam signed, but I bought the graphic novel Fish Girl as a treat for myself. Fish Girl is kind of like a modern version of The Little Mermaid, and I have that mermaid obsession, which I am seeking treatment for (not really though).

After we got all our books signed, we walked around a little, but the morning was pretty rainy and chilly. We did find a little playground, and had fun walking on wobbly rope bridges together:

Then we grabbed some lunch a Luxe Burger Bar in downtown Providence. I had the most amazing burger: it had the regular lettuce and tomatoes but it also had creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions, bacon jam, onion rings, and wasabi mayonnaise. I don't know if I'll ever have a burger as good as that one. I also had a Roadsmary's Baby pumpkin ale with a cinnamon-sugar rim.

On our drive home, we took a little detour to Danvers, MA to see the old Danvers Lunatic Asylum. The asylum opened in 1878, and was in operation until 1992. The property was sold in 2005, and much of the original building was demolished in 2007. However, since it is on the Register of Historic Places, it has been revamped and is now an apartment building.

  

The Gothic style "castle on the hill" inspired HP Lovecraft's horror stories as well as Arkham Asylum in the Batman Universe. (Arkham Asylum is where the Joker ends up, and meets Harley Quinn.)

This facility, which once utilized straitjackets and lobotomy surgeries, is now the centerpiece of upscale apartment living, and it has cheerful flowers planted out front; however, visitors should take a little walk.  .  .

Just two minutes down the road is the old cemetery, in which the remains of many patients who were 'treated' at the hospital now rest. It seems to be pretty well maintained, and some of the graves are marked with simple name plaques. However, the names of all those who died during their stay are listed on three monuments.

So, a day of children's books, playgrounds, pumpkin ale and asylums.  .  .sounds like a pretty good day.

Focusing on the Positive

I've been awake for 16 hours now. I had a terrible night's sleep, fueled by weird anxiety dreams and a mind that would not turn off.

When I got up this morning I watched an episode of Supernatural, a show on Netflix an 8th grader told me about. I am really enjoying it, because it focuses on urban legends and well-known horror tropes. This morning's episode focused on the Hook Handed Killer that preys on teenagers in cars, which coincidentally is the urban legend I speak about in the Scary Stories documentary.

I know that the first year of a job is the hardest. I am still getting used to a new school with new staff members and new students. I am adjusting to a fixed schedule with much longer days than my previous position. And all this comes with added responsibilities. Sometimes it's overwhelming.

I am using all my spare time in school to weed the collection. It's very exhausting and time consuming, but any librarian knows the sense of triumph and relief we feel when we dispose of unwanted books or technology that take up valuable space. So far I've withdrawn three book trucks, one media cart, and three big boxes full of books and VHS tapes.

So for now, I comfort myself with the knowledge that I am working really hard and I try to think about the good things:

I got hugs this morning as students walked down the halls to their classrooms.

My 8th grade class started doing their presentations on Visual Literacy, using the Whole Book Approach to facilitate discussions about picture books. One group did Where the Wild Things Are, and I had never noticed before how the moon changes shape throughout the story. It is full at the beginning and end, but when Max is in the land of the Wild Things, it is a crescent moon with pointed ends, mirroring the claws and teeth of the beasts.

One student decided to present by himself, and he chose The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He pointed out that the caterpillar eats his way through all the food, crossing over the gutter, and simultaneously passes into a new phase of life.

I do not often give full credit on assignments, but all the presenters today got 10/10 because I was genuinely impressed with their insights.

So tomorrow I'm off to the Rhode Island Children's Book Festival- hopefully it will be a good day for a road trip.

Scary Stories Documentary

On Saturday, Eric and I ventured into Salem, MA to see the documentary film I am in. We had no idea how crazy the traffic would be! I know that Salem gets busy in October, but it was only the 6th. I had hoped to visit a few of the filming locations for Hocus Pocus, but the streets were mobbed. We did drive by the historic Ropes Mansion, which was used as Allison's home. There were tons of people out front, taking selfies.

A few years ago, we drove into Salem during the summer so that my interview (as a children's literature scholar and librarian) could be filmed. I never knew how complicated making a film was until that point. When I arrived, I had to be wired with a microphone (but of course the wires couldn't be showing) and they had to get the lighting just right (which wasn't easy because too much light made my face look very white, but not enough light made my dark hair blend in with the wooden wall behind me). 

Here's my blog post from 2015, the day after my interview, including the topics I discussed.

In the first trailer for the documentary, I was shown discussing folktales and myths, and the banning of the Scary Stories books. I figured in the years since then, maybe the filmmaker would have so much more material that my measly interview wouldn't be necessary. I told myself that even if I was cut out, that I wouldn't mind because it was still a unique experience.

Yesterday as we sat in the movie screening room at the Peabody Essex Museum, I was surprised to see my face on screen not once, but twice! The first little snippet was me talking about the haunting illustrations by Stephen Gammell, particularly this one:

The second clip from my interview is my analysis of the urban legend about the teenage boy and girl in the car, and they hear a radio bulletin about an escaped murderer with a hook for a hand. The girl becomes frightened, and begs the boy to take her home. He does reluctantly, and when he steps out to open the door for her, he finds a hook on the car door handle. 

An alternate version of this story is featured in one of my favorite movies Adventures in Babysitting (and it's worth noting that babysitters also have a prominent place in urban legends)

Stories such as this function as a warning to young people about societal expectations and monitoring their behavior (two teens, alone in a car could lead to sex); the other popular urban legend about a teenager in a car is the one in which a girl is driving and a car follows her, flashing its lights at her, leading her to pull into a gas station and scream for help. The gas station attendant calls the police, and a murderer is discovered to be hiding in her backseat.

I really enjoyed the documentary itself, not just because I happen to be in it. It brought up some really interesting interpretations of the tales that I had never considered. I was extra excited because I ordered these books for my new library, and they had just arrived on Friday afternoon, so now when I go to promote them to the kids, I will have some fresh ideas in my head.

After the film, we got a drink at Notch, a micro brewery. It was pretty good, but we wish they'd had more food to offer because we were really hungry by that point. 

I don't think the doc is available for purchase yet, but I will be keeping tabs on it as it continues to be shown at more screenings.

Beetlejuice dollhouse update

I've blogged about my Beetlejuice dollhouse before. In fact, there are more than a few posts dedicated it, beginning from when I found the dollhouse at Goodwill and paid $1 for it, and the evolution of it from generic 'haunted house' to what it has become.

I love to make my dollhouses and miniature scenes based on books/stories/movies that are important to me, and Beetlejuice has been my favorite 'horror' movie since I was little.

Since I bought the dollhouse at Goodwill for a buck, it was basically just a structure. It didn't have any of the building components like window frames or doors. I was able to make the windows by using upcycled clear plastic from containers (like take-out ones that I kept and washed) and some popsicle sticks.

Finding doors the right size for the openings was a challenge because I didn't have the ones that were meant to be with the dollhouse kit, and the nice quality ones that are stocked at places like Hobby Lobby were not the right size. (I really don't have the tools or expertise to resize the opening in a kit that's already assembled and on it's way to being completed.) The upstairs door from Adam's office was attached to the exterior rather than sitting flush in the opening. It's not ideal, but it doesn't look awful.

Trying to get a front door has been more difficult. The dollhouse is meant to have double doors, but I couldn't find any double doors the right size. I had some cardboard ones installed for a bit, but they looked terrible.

Then yesterday, the Goddess of Free Stuff smiled on me again!

I picked up a huge stash of Barbie stuff from the side of the road, including a nice Barbie house and a whole bag of dolls, accessories and other assorted plastic do-dads.

In the bag, was this random pink and white plastic door:

It's the perfect height for the house! I just need to add some trim around the sides to hide the gap.

Apparently, it's supposed to be part of a fairy door kit:

It looks even better painted red, like the house in the movie:

I wish it was a double door, like the house in the movie, but I can't complain about the price.

I also bought some mini purple lights and a tiny Beetlejuice Living Doll box (Ebay impulse buy) because I can never resist a little dose of metafiction.

There is also a tiny Coke can in Lydia room because:

The Beetlejuice house is looking pretty good!