Resurrecting Norby

As evidenced on the left, the title and cover picture of this book leave much to be desired.  It's surprising that Isaac Asimov, one of the founding fathers of modern science fiction, would miscalculate the impact of a name and cover of a book on its intended audience.  But he did author or edit over 500 books in his lifetime, and by the time he got to co-authoring this one with his wife Janet, he might have been a little tired.  It was the last in this series published before his death in 1992.

Once we get past the cover, however, we find a light, funny, and yet complex story that bridges science fiction and detective stories.  The super-intelligent robot Norby, along with his young friend Jeff and Admiral Yobo, are planning a vacation to the planet Izz. But upon their arrival, they discover that all is not sweetness and light on Izz, which was established as a self-sustaining colony by a group of beings called "the Others" in the distant past.  Jeff and Norby attempt to discover why people are suddenly unhappy on Izz, and who might hope to cash in on this unhappiness. 

Along the way, the Asimovs treat the reader to some great questions about science and robots.  I say, give Norby a chance, despite the unfortunate cover.  You will be pleasantly surprised!

Quick Picks

• Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter

In this third Gallagher Girl spy novel, Cammie's life gets even more complicated. While visiting her friend Macey on the campaign trail (Macey's dad is the vice-presidential candidate on one of the party tickets), Cammie, Macey, and Preston (son of the potential next president) are the victims of a well coordinated kidnapping attempt. Luckily, the hours and hours of training kicks in, and she and her friends manage to escape. But questions about the attack keep surfacing, and Cammie can't fit the pieces together. She needs to, for Macey's safety and maybe for her own as well.

• Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle

Katie-Rose sees life as a movie screenplay, and from the start of 5th grade, it looks like a disaster movie! Milla isn't sure who she wants to be with, or even who she wants to be. Violet will never shrink from a challenge, but starting at a new school without her mom at home just too big. And Yasaman -- who knew that she could design whole websites, complete with chat rooms? Well, nobody knew, because Yasaman doesn't talk to anyone. See how these four navigate the choppy waters of 5th grade.

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games

With just one week to go before the Winter Olympics, this is a perfect time to brush up on your Olympic knowledge. Check out the official site of the Vancouver games for

• information on the sports of the olympiad;
• profiles of the athletes;
• which countries have been winter powerhouses in the past;
• schedules of what's happening when;
• and similar profiles of the paralympics, complete with podcasts.

Books and Imagination

"After all, what was one book to me? Really, it didn't matter. One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home."
--The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelley

Despite the fact that this wonderful story is set in 1899, I couldn't read this without thinking of the changing nature of books and reading in the current age. How much different would the feeling of this quote be if we substituted the idea of ebooks and a Kindle for the actual paper and board of books themselves? How would it change the architecture of the room, the feeling of being surrounded by stories, comfort that they can bring?

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the CHMS Library