This week in a nutshell: MJ's mom! Sharon Draper! Rick Riordan! Hunger Games (as usual). Reading YA! Interesting things in nature! First glimpses of movies! Trade poo for wifi!

Reminders and New Information

*  Michael Jordan’s mom will be here on Saturday, May 5! Register online.

*  Sharon Draper will speak the following Saturday, May 12! Register online.

*  Junior Page volunteers - registration begins May 1.

* In May, we will have two spotlight books in the art area: Kiss, Kiss and Hush, Hush by Margaret Wild. The art project will be hippo flower picture frames. You’ll have to come in to find out what those look like (they’re really cute).

* This week’s flannel board book is Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood.

* More Summer Reading 2012 information will be coming soon...

* Look behind the YS desk this week for a new analog Pinterest board!

Around the Web

Books and Book Stuff

* Rick Riordan fans! On May 1 at noon, Riordan will be doing a free webcast from the Rosicrucian Museum & Planetarium in California. He’ll be touring the museum, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, he’ll be reading from the new Kane Chronicles book, The Serpent’s Shadow AND answering questions from viewers.  The webcast is free, but you do need to register in advance to participate. The book comes out that same day – reserve your copy now!
*  The website companion to Tony DiTerlizzi’s WondLa series has relaunched, with tons of interesting resources, including an alternate reality game!
*  Venezuela’s four-legged mobile libraries (via BBC News). The library has a few great books about biblioburros. What do you think about bibliojerbos (gerbils)? Yes, they’d have to be tiny books. And we’d probably nibble them before we got to our destinations… Maybe we’ll let the mules and donkeys take this one.
*  It’s okay to read YA.
*  What makes a good dystopia?
*  Why The Hunger Games is the new Little House on the Prairie.
*  You'll probably never get to meet Suzanne Collins. Why?
*  The most highlighted passage on Kindle is one from Catching Fire: “Because sometimes things happen to people and they’re not equipped to deal with them.” (Actually, the list is dominated by Hunger Games trilogy quotes!)
*  Did you love the analog app picture book Press Here? Now it really is an app!
*  Frances Hardinge, author of the Fly By Night series, has released chapter one of her new book – A Face Like Glass.
*  Everything you need to know about the Hugo Award, in handy infographic form!

Cool Stuff
*  Check out this awesome off-roading border collie!
*  White killer whale spotted in the wild – way cool.
*  The first four million digits of pi in one single image. Baffling.
*  Nature’s most adorable acrobat is a gerbil relative. (Obviously!)
*  Archery is now an extremely popular hobby. Who would have guessed?
*  Exchange your dog’s poop for free wi-fi, a very green initiative.
*  Ridiculously imaginative playgrounds.
*  Interested in prairie dog language?
*  TV for dogs. What do you think?
*  Buildings made out of books.

Lists / Polls

*  Which book that refers to another book is your favorite book?
*  A list of YA authors on Pinterest.

Movies & Movies of Books

*  Pixar has released another trailer for their June 22 movie, Brave, and what’s next?
*  First glimpse of The Hobbit movie – what do you think?
*  Charlie Kaufman is penning the screenplay for The Knife of Never Letting Go movie. Perfect match.

Highland Park and Local News

* Elm Place students presented Project Citizen websites at the April 23 city council meeting. This year’s theme was bullying.
*  The theatrical adaptation of Mo Willems’ Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed is in Chicago for one more week - until May 6!
*  Estee Lauder Philanthropist Donates Rare Postcards to Lake County Museum.

Gerbil Updates
*  Attention all fans of us (aka everyone): Want to live like us? Stay in the Hamster Villa in Western France.