Noe Valley Voice June 2006
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More Books to Read

An in-depth look at the Wal-Mart corporation and the story of brothers Edwin and John Wilkes Booth are among the San Francisco Public Library books highlighted this month by children's librarian Pam Ow and Noe Valley Voice bookworm Karol Barske. If you'd like to see if a book is available, call your favorite branch or visit the Library's web site, www.sfpl.org. You may also flag down the city's bookmobile, which is parked in front of St. Philip's School at Elizabeth and Diamond streets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Note: The Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library, 451 Jersey Street, is closed for seismic repairs until late 2007. For more information, call 557-4353.

PICKS of the MONTH

Adult Fiction

- In her apocalyptic fable Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, PEN/USA Award­winner Lydia Millett imagines the three geniuses whose work led to the invention of the atomic bomb--J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Leo Szilard--displaced in time to July 16, 1945, when the first mushroom cloud rose over New Mexico.

- Civilization is nearly destroyed when "The Pulse" is transmitted through cell phones, in Stephen King's latest thriller, Cell.

- A young girl's wild overnight odyssey ends with a tattoo, in Michelle Tea's Rose of No Man's Land.

Adult Nonfiction

- Joan Didion's memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, examines her grief after the death of her husband, which occurred during a time when the couple's daughter was extremely ill, lying in the hospital in a coma.

- Charles Fishman looks at the history and future impact of Sam Walton's megastore, in The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--And How It's Transforming the American Economy.

- Stephen Singular analyzes how Dennis Rader eluded capture for 31 years, in Unholy Messenger: The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer.

--Karol Barske

Noe Valley Voice staff

Children's Fiction

- Simon James' Baby Brains Superstar finds the electric guitar-playing, rock-'n'-rolling baby genius performing on stage at the biggest music concert ever. Ages 3 to 7.

- Cool cats Chato and Novio Boy win a cruise vacation, but it's a ship filled with dogs, in the colorful and humorous Chato Goes Cruising by Gary Soto, illustrated by Susan Guevara. Ages 6 to 8.

- Third-grader Owen is determined to win the school science fair prize, but he must overcome some setbacks and personal issues when working with his best friend, Joseph, in Owen Foote, Mighty Scientist by Stephanie Greene. Ages 7 to 9.

Children's Nonfiction

- Meet two color-changing panther chameleons from Madagascar, as well as geckos and other creatures, in Joy Cowley's Chameleon, Chameleon, vividly photographed by Nic Bishop. Ages 5 to 7.

- Rosa by Nikki Giovanni introduces young readers to Rosa Parks' personal act of civil disobedience, as a spark for change during the civil rights movement. Bryan Collier's watercolor and collage illustrations earned the Caldecott Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Medal. Ages 8 to 10.

- James Cross Giblin's Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth is a highly readable and thorough dual biography of Edwin, a renowned actor, and John, an actor infamous for his assassination of President Lincoln. Ages 11 and up.

--Children's Librarian Pam Ow
Eureka Valley­Harvey Milk Branch Library

LIBRARY EVENTS

Stories & Lapsits

Bethany United Methodist Church, at the corner of Sanchez and Clipper streets, is now offering space for the Noe Valley Library's weekly programs for children. This month's lapsits, for newborns to 3-year-olds, will be held Tuesdays, June 6, 13, and 27, at 10:30 a.m. Preschool story time, for kids ages 3 to 5, takes place a half-hour later, at 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Eureka Valley and other local libraries, along with the Main Branch, host a variety of lapsits, lectures, and special events, for both children and adults. Go to www.sfpl.org for complete listings and branch hours.