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Today’s guest blogger is Leslie Anido, a special needs teacher in California. She first connected with First Book as a member of long-time partner Pi Beta Phi Fraternity. She now receives books and resources for the children she serves through First Book.
Leslie Anido and her students with one of the many books that have helped encourage understanding within their school.
“Books have helped our students look beyond their differences and discover their similarities, regardless of appearance or skills,” explains Leslie.
Leslie’s students’ physical, medical and communication abilities mean many use assistive technologies to aid their learning. Though they learn differently than their peers, they have the same interests, dreams and love of books.
Books from First Book have helped start a dialogue about disabilities at Leslie’s school. Most recently, the students read “Out of My Mind,” by Sharon Draper, featuring a main character who uses an augmentative communication device, which three of Leslie’s students also use.
Her students have been able to relate to these characters on a very personal level. Their peers have also gained a greater understanding of what life is like for kids who rely on learning tools and assistance. They are now initiating and engaging in conversations with Leslie’s students more frequently. These books have served as more than just an educational resource. They’ve become tools for developing an understanding of community and inclusivity within the school.
“The lives of our students have been truly enriched by the availability of these books,” says Leslie.
Today’s guest blog post is from Ann Shaw, Director of Philanthropy for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity. Ann has held this volunteer role for the past six years. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas and her Master’s in Education from the University of New Orleans. Ann taught for over 25 years as an early childhood teacher and is passionate about literacy.
Ann Shaw, Director of Philanthropy for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity
In 1987, the U.S. Congress designated March as Women’s History Month to ensure that the history of American women would be recognized and celebrated in schools, work places and communities throughout the country.
Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women was founded in 1867 by 12 students at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois who were the pioneers of the women’s fraternal movement. While our country was rebuilding after the Civil War, few women attended college. The women of Pi Beta Phi were visionaries of their time not only because they founded the Fraternity and patterned it after the men’s fraternal organizations of that time, but also because they were philanthropically minded and wished to better society.
Pi Beta Phi members continued their philanthropic interests by creating a school in 1912 in the remote Appalachian Mountain hamlet of Gatlinburg, Tennessee to provide formal education. In November 2012, Pi Beta Phi members celebrated 100 years of literacy service in Gatlinburg. From their original mission to the continuing legacy of Pi Beta Phi Elementary School and the Arrowmont® School of Arts and Crafts, Pi Beta Phis are proud of their commitment to literacy not only in Gatlinburg but across the United States and Canada.
Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book, reads to girls at a local DC program
In the next 100 years, Pi Phi’s Read. Lead. Achieve.® literacy platform will continue to provide direction for Pi Phi’s mission “to lead the way to a more literate society” through its partnership with First Book, Champions are Readers program, Arrow in the Arctic, Fraternity Day of Service and local initiatives.
Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book, is a visionary too, as she had the dream to put books into the hands of undeserved children through the inception of First Book. Both organizations work to end illiteracy and realize the importance of reading and how it is a predictor of success in school and life.
Both organizations work to end illiteracy and realize the importance of reading and how it is a predictor of success in school and life.
Pi Phi strives to lead the way to a more literate society and has supported First Book’s mission financially and through the volunteer efforts of our members. First Book and Pi Beta Phi are making a difference in the lives of children through their philanthropic efforts to create rich literacy environments, improve interest in reading and encourage children to be readers.
While we celebrate the accomplishments of women during National Women’s History Month, let us remember not only the women who have made significant accomplishments to better society but those women who read to their children, surround their children with books and encourage their children to love reading.
Our friends at First Book Canada just wrapped up the largest book distribution in their three-year history, distributing 30,000 books to children from low-income homes in the city of Calgary and across the province of Alberta.
Like First Book in the U.S., First Book Canada relies on the generosity of partners and neighbors to get books to kids in need. NeighbourLink Calgary hosted the distribution in their warehouse, and volunteers from Pi Beta Phi, Calgary Youth Corps and the local community came out to help ship and load boxes of books bound for classrooms, libraries and homes across the province of Alberta.
You can learn more about First Book Canada at their website, or keep up with their latest news on Twitter.
“Please accept my personal thanks to you and First Book Canada for its generous donation of books, in support of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary. It is people like you that enable us to continue building upon our shared ideals for growth in our communities through advocacy, leadership and engagement of over 42,000 children, youth and families.”
– Cheryl Doherty, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary
“On behalf of Further Education Society’s learners, board members and staff, we would like to thank you and First Book Canada for your support. With your support we can strengthen communities, families and individuals through literacy and learning. Thank you for your community spirit.”
– Sue Phillips, Co-Executive Director, Further Education Society
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the amazing donation of books from First Book Canada to Catholic Family Service of Calgary. The developmentally appropriate books for boys and girls ages 9–12 will support children and families in a number of our programs. Thank you once again for caring and wanting to make a difference in childhood literacy.”
– Greg Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Family Service of Calgary
Pi Beta Phi is one of First Book’s strongest partners; they have worked with us since 2007, and their generosity and dedication have helped us get new books into the hands of thousands of kids from low-income communities.
Recently, Pi Beta Phi issued a challenge that was as easy as 3-4-5: If they could reach 3,000 followers on Twitter and we could get 4,000 followers on Twitter, they would donate funds to provide 5,000 brand-new books to kids in need. (At the time, we had about 3,400 followers, so it seemed like an easy enough goal to reach.)
We threw the challenge out to our tweeps, and they really delivered! People don’t always have the time or resources to help in big ways, so they sometimes respond enthusiastically when given the chance to help in smaller ways. Many of our followers re-tweeted the request, but many more went above and beyond the call of duty, sending it individually to popular or influential friends of theirs on Twitter.
* Whoa, you lost me, First Book. For those of you not on Twitter, you can think of it as a network of overlapping circles. If we “tweet” something (post it to the First Book account on Twitter), all of our “followers” (the people who sign up to receive our comments) can see it on their own Twitter page. They can then “re-tweet” it, and share it with their own circle of friends and followers, sometimes adding a comment of their own. So the more a message is shared, the more people see it.
We even picked up a couple celebrity followers – Alyssa Milano and Kirstie Alley. Both of whom – in addition to being lovely, talented and strong supporters of community service organizations – have huge followings on Twitter. Like, hundreds-of-thousands-of-people huge, all of whom were able to see the re-tweeted challenge.
Thanks to the efforts of our many dedicated online supporters, we hit 4,000 followers quickly, and kept going. At present, we’re up to 5,800, and Pi Beta Phi will be donating the funds to purchase 5,000 brand-new books for kids in need.
A library card is a passport. It permits its owner to travel to other places and times through the pages of a book. Membership in the community of the public library places thousands of resources at your fingertips. Celebrate National Library Card Month with a trip to the library to explore all the many resources available!
Star alongside Oliver Jeffers in the Exclusive Up and Down video! To celebrate the release of this new amazing book we are looking for parents, children and fans of Oliver’s work, to take part in an exclusive Up and Down video reading. Entries must be received by October 10th!
Where’s Peter from The Snowy Dayis traveling the world before he joins Jumpstart’s Read for the Record on October 7th when millions of adults and children will read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Don’t forget to pledge to read, or check out the First Book Marketplace to order your programs copies of The Snowy Day
The Literacy Site is a website where all you need to do is click to give books to kids in need! From now until September 29th, thanks to Pi Beta Phi, the value of your click is doubled! Help us reach out goal of 24,000 books by clicking daily!
Guest blogger Tamara Dunham is a member of the Iowa Gamma chapter of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women at Iowa State University. While interning with the Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C., Tamara has continued her support of First Book by volunteering at First Book events and introducing her coworkers to the mission of First Book. Together First Book and Pi Beta Phi have distributed over 1 million books across the United States and Canada. This would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support and volunteering spirit exhibited by Pi Phis like Tamara.
As a current member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, each year I participate in several philanthropic events on and around campus, including charity-sponsoring events. One organization that Pi Phi supports is First Book. The Fraternity’s commitment to literacy dates back almost 100 years, and because of this commitment we continually raise funds for First Book to provide books to children in need.
While interning in Washington DC, I volunteered for First Book’s “Shameless Promotion” event held during the American Library Association (ALA) Conference. First Book invited authors to help make a video to promote the “First Book Story.” There were lots of willing authors and illustrators who shared something about themselves as well as put their touch on the reading of the “First Book Story.” The ALA Conference was a very rewarding opportunity to take part in because the authors and illustrators are so passionate about getting kids to read and reaching out to those who do not have access to books. I really look forward to seeing the final product and hope to share the enthusiasm of First Book on my campus.
In addition to participating in the ALA conference, I also had the chance to visit the First Book National Office to meet with the co-founder and the staff of First Book. After this visit, I discussed my experiences volunteering with First Book with my co-workers, and they too were very interested in being able to take part in such a worthy cause. Being involved with such a wonderful organization was very gratifying and I know that my continued support will help First Book reach out to children in need. First Book does wonderful things for children and I couldn’t ask for a better organization to be involved with.
First Book/Le Premier Livre recently attended the National Family Literacy Conference in Edmonton, Alberta July 15th – 17th. The conference had over 300 delegates in attendance and efforts were placed on registering new book recipient groups from across Canada with the support of Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Colleen Murray and Pi Beta Phi University of Alberta Edmonton Chapter President Dianna Campre.
Many attending delegates were surprised to learn about the resources available to them once registered with First Book/Le Premier Livre and have now registered their programs with us. To learn more about First Book/Le Premier Livre visit www.firstbookcanada.org.
Colleen Murray; Pi Beta Phi Alumnae, Wayne Cochrane; Director of Operations FB/LPL and Dianna Campre; Pi Beta Phi Chapter President University of Alberta Edmonton
I spend a lot of time here at First Book in Washington D.C. talking with our Recipient Groups about how to receive books, but last week I was able to experience the thrill of providing books to the children that need them most first-hand! Early Sunday morning, I packed up my laptop and left the humid heat of Washington, D.C. for the humid heat of Oklahoma City to distribute 330,000books as part of National Summer Learning Day with the help of our fantastic partners at Disney Publishing Worldwide and Feed the Children!
Upon landing in Oklahoma, Erin Carlstrom from Feed the Children met, Larry, Mitali, Rachael and myself and whisked us off to local Oklahoma City schools to help prepare for reading events which took place on June 21st, National Summer Learning Day.
The next day we had a busy schedule driving throughout Oklahoma City hosting events at three local schools. These events went off without a hitch thanks to help from the Oklahoma City Fire Department, Sheriff’s office, staff from the Lieutenant Governor’s office, Feed the Children, and local Reach out and Read employees. We spent the day discussing the importance of summer reading, our favorite places to read in the hot summer, our favorite books to read over and over by the pool – and then surprised the kids with books for them to take home and read all summer long! We even got to host a very special reading event featuring Oklahoma 2010 Book Award winner Tammi Sauer, who read, danced, and sang her book Chicken Dance to a group of elementary school children – all of whom then received a signed copy!
The next few days were spent in the warehouse, where we labeled, sorted, and shipped the rest of the 330,000 books that our partners donated to us. Groups that picked up books were ecstatic and some had driven as far as Colorado and Texas! The days were long, and hot, with temperatures reaching as high as 110 degrees in the warehouse, but we had high spirits, great help from our volunteers at Pi Beta Phi and the Junior League of Oklahoma, and a great mission – providing books to the kids who need them most to enjoy all summer, and for many summers to come. The experience went by quickly, and while it was nice to get back into the air conditioned office, the impact we felt we had made in Oklahoma and beyond made the heat worthwhile.
The Portland and Lake Oswego-Dunthorpe Alumnae Clubs held an exciting Speed Read event just before the Portland Trail Blazers game in Portland, Oregon February 9, 2010. Competing in the Speed Read event were a celebrity participant, former Trail Blazers player Jerome Kersey, a Pi Phi alumna, and two Oregon Gamma collegians. Cat In the Hat, played by Missy Gerber the Co-President of the Lake Oswego-Dunthorpe Alumnae Club, led the cheerleading effort for the crowd. Approximately 150 Pi Phis and their families and friends were in attendance to promote literacy and catch a Trail Blazers game in the same evening. The crowd was energized by the Pi Phis’ enthusiasm for their important cause and attendees at the game were certainly able to see many local Pi Beta members making a difference in their community.
Oregon Alpha Ashley O’Hollaren is the Account Sales Manager for the Portland Trailblazers and was instrumental in the success of this event for the local alumnae clubs and collegians. Pi Beta Phi would like to thank the Portland Trail Blazers for its generous donation of $5 per ticket sold at the February 9th game to our partner, First Book. A total donation of $750 will be given to First Book by the Portland Trail Blazers on behalf of the Portland Alumnae Club and Lake-Oswego Dunthorpe Alumnae Club. Individuals in this community are also continuing to make donations at www.firstbook.org/trailblazers.
Every year on or around March 2nd, thousands of Pi Beta Phi members take time to advance literacy in their communities through the annual Fraternity Day of Service. And this year is no exception! This week, Pi Beta Phi chapters and clubs across North America use their creativity and passion for literacy to raise funds and organize service projects to provide new books to children in need in their communities.
Working together with First Book, Pi Beta Phi has embarked on their third annual “Make Your Mark for Literacy” Fraternity Day of Service campaign. Pi Phi members have been hard at work decorating individual bookplates that will be placed in thousands of new books. For every bookplate decorated, one child will receive a brand-new book from First Book, toward the goal of donating 50,000 books.
Click on the bookplate image to view a slideshow of the unique bookplates Pi Phi members have created.
Want to pitch in and help celebrate this day of service? Visit The Literacy Site and participate in the “Make Your Mark for Literacy” Click Challenge. Thanks to Pi Beta Phi, the value of your click is doubled through March 15, bringing even more books to kids in need!
Last week, Pi Beta Phi and First Book were honored for their philanthropic efforts to promote reading and eliminate the barrier of illiteracy at the PR News’ Nonprofit PR Awards luncheon in Washington, D.C. Pi Beta Phi and First Book received an honorable mention as Nonprofit Partners of the Year in the Social Responsibility Campaign category.
Together, First Book and Pi Beta Phi’s extensive member network have helped connect programs serving children in need offering them permanent access to new books and resources, creating systemic change in the educational levels for children in need.
This year alone, Pi Beta Phi has sponsored the distribution of more than 500,000 new books to children in need through the partnership, more than doubling their commitment to provide 250,000 books. Pi Beta Phi’s seamless integration of First Book in the culture of their organization has delivered more than 1.2 million books to children in need in the last two years.
Our thanks and congratulations go out to Pi Phi, their members and volunteers across the country whose efforts helped make this award possible!
Carol Anne Ruscica recently joined First Book/Le Premier Livre as Executive Director. Before joining First Book, she spent more than a decade working in marketing and fundraising for organizations in social service, healthcare and education across Ontario. An avid reader herself, Carol Anne is excited by the challenge of building the First Book National Book Bank and the First Book Marketplace for Canadian programs to reach children who need access to books the most.
With the help of community partners, volunteers, Pi Beta Phi, and the continued financial support of TD Bank Financial Group, FB/LPL aims to distribute 100,000 books over the next year to children across Canada. FB/LPL offices will continue to be based in Toronto, where you can meet Carol Anne at The Word on the Street Festival on Sunday, September 27 at Queens Park. Look for the Toronto Blue Jays – Jays on the Road community vehicle right next to our booth. The first 250 visitors to FB/LPL will receive copies of the Jays’ Freddy and the Blue Jays children’s book. And, stop by to learn how to register your program to receive books.
Earlier this summer First Book joined Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women at their 67th Biennial Convention, a weekend-long celebration in Dallas, Texas that brought Pi Phi collegiate students and alumnae together from across the country.
The Convention’s Literacy Session shined the spotlight on Pi Beta Phi’s longstanding commitment to literacy and crowned a new champion in the first-ever Pi Beta Phi/First Book Speed Read tournament! Congratulations to the University of Southern California, Pi Phi CA Gamma chapter!
Cheering on the Speed Readers
To further honor Pi Phi’s literacy vision, First Book distributed 10,000 brand-new books to programs serving children in need in the Dallas area.
First Book is proud to partner with Pi Beta Phi and salutes the efforts of Pi Phi members and alumnae everywhere for their uncompromising commitment to literacy in their communities.
Recently, members of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) hosted their sixth annual Surf Classic at Pacific Beach in San Diego, California.
Over 100 Pi Phis attended the Classic, watching on while dozens of surfers took to the waves in an effort to raise money for First Book to provide new books to kids in need.
The surf contest included both men’s and women’s brackets as well as a team competition. The all day classic also included a volleyball tournament, raffle, and barbecue in its fun-filled festivities. When the day was done, the event raised more than $8,500, which will support Pi Beta Phi’s literacy efforts and provide thousands of new books for kids in need across the country!
View the video below to see highlights from this great event.
First Book is proud to celebrate the joy of reading with the incredible women of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity. Today marks the Fraternity’s 141st year and another milestone in the Fraternity’s long history of supporting literacy.
On April 28, 1867, 12 women joined together to form a secret college society for women at Monmouth College in Monmouth, IL, not knowing what the future would hold. More than 140 years later, those 12 women have touched the lives of over 236,000 members across North America. Pi Beta Phi was the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after the Greek-letter fraternities of men. At a time when few women were admitted to colleges and universities, Pi Beta Phi created a feeling of unity among pioneering women.
To honor this anniversary, First Book and Pi Beta Phi distributed 250,000 brand-new books to children in need across the country.
In addition, Pi Beta Phi and First Book hosted two reading party events in celebration of Founders’ Day in Dallas and Champaign, Illinois. Dallas area Pi Beta Phi alumnae and collegians and members of the University of Illinois chapter of Pi Beta Phi celebrated the donation of brand-new books by decorating bookplates and reading with local children. Each child participating received two new books to take home.
Pi Phi has a long legacy of supporting literacy and we applaud their renewed commitment to literacy for children across the country. Happy Birthday Pi Beta Phi!
ncsulilwolf said, on 4/29/2008 1:33:00 PM
Wow! So exciting! And thank you for the birthday wishes from a NC Pi Phi!
Ok, so I spent the first part of New Year's Eve (in that lull between when you're throwing a party and the house is clean and the food is out and you're all gussied up but no one has showed up yet) and New Year's Day reading the rest of the Death Note series.
Near knows. He knows L is Light and Light is Kira. Mello's closing in on both of them. Near does everything he can to so doubt among the task force. And he's succeeding... meanwhile, Sakura TV is the new spokesman for Kira... and doing a disgusting job of it.
Also, can I just say, yes Light's a jerk, but Mello and Near are creepy. Even creepier than the original L was. They give me the willies.
Light has passed the notebook on and his successor loves deleting those who are evil. Delete delete delete. In order to stay in contact, Light decides it's time to pay an old school friend a visit, and maybe give Misa Misa a rest from the romance for awhile...
I just like the delete delete delete has Teru writes down new names.
The investigation moves back to Japan. Near knows Light's the guy, but wants to expose him and rub his face in the evidence. Everyone has a complicated plan set into motion, and the opening shots are being fired. Who will be the first to blink?
All done. A satisfying end to a satisfying series, but I could have done with a little less of the "is Kira good or bad, what is evil" philosophical discussions...
Read the rest of this post
0 Comments on Death by Notebook as of 1/1/1900
Susan said, on 1/4/2008 6:35:00 AM
In Kira's name we pray, Amen. eheh. All hail Death Note!! :)
So, we have a battle of the wills between Light, Near, and Mello. I can't say much because we're really deep into the series. So, a few things 1. Light's a jerk. 2. Mello looks like a girl, and it would be cooler if he was because all the other girls in this series suck. 3. I hope light kills Misa, because then I won't have to deal with her anymore. He'll probably do it soon, because, well, see point 1.
The library has volumes 9,10,11, and 12 on order. I'm getting antsy.
ahhh. you know how i feel about death note. love it. it gets a tad bit slow in the middle of the series, but starts to pick up again around v 10, if i remember correctly? it is all a blur. volume 12 (final) was great. i love it. i hear that v 13 is coming out next year, which will be an explanation of v 12.
i've been reading Cantarella again lately, now that my library picked up 7 and 8. now waiting for 9 and 10. love the artwork, such pretty boys. and who doesn't love good Italian Renaissance values like demon possession, incest, murder, and boy crushes. ha.
if you are looking for more manga, you have to read Nana - it's about two girls named Nana who are roommates - one is in a punk band and the other a groupie that seems to need a boyfriend at all times to have an identity.
Jennie said, on 12/3/2007 11:01:00 AM
I'm waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for volumes 9-12. Luckily, manga reads pretty quickly so I don't mind wading through the tedious volumes so I can get back to the "good" ones!
I'll have to check out those other ones too. Have you read "Emma"? I've heard good things about it and the sample pages I've read look cool, but we don't have it.
I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Are you? Today's song is very important in my story (about the inherit drama of high school choir.) You Are the New Day. I'm trying something new wand this one goes to Amazon, not Napster...
Anyway, here are some more graphic novels for you to look at.
So, earlier this year, I was quite taken with Mark Crilley's Miki Falls: Spring.
I was less taken with Summer. Miki and Hiro are doing the brand-new couple thing, which has it's own issues. Then Miki learns that Hiro is about to take the love out of a relationship involving her best friend, so of course, she tries to stop it and makes a HUG MESS out of things. And then there's Reika, Hiro's ghost from the past who is making it very clear to Miki that Hiro is hers.
I was disappointed, but it turns out it was the perfect bridge novel to...
Autumn (which is the best so far). Reika is going to tell the elders about Miki and Hiro. Once the elders know, they will do everything to keep them apart--forever. So, they run away. Once they're hiding out in the mountains, Miki discovers the awful truth that Hiro's hold spirit, Anra, sees Miki as a Neverfind-- someone who will never be able to hold on to true love. Should she go back to her safe life at home? Or should she stay and enjoy love while she has it?
Crilley has an interesting frame style. He uses a lot of trapezoids that often make the action look like it's taking place in a shattered mirror. He also will sometimes put several actions into one frame. I first really noticed this with Autumn, where it really ties in well with the tenseness of the situation and Miki's emotional state at the time. I love it.
So, it's just a few more months until Winter. I can't wait.
Also, I just read Death Note 7: Zero by Tsugumi Ohba.
Nothing startling or crazy about this one. If you liked the other previous 6, you'll like this.
We get a lot of the back story about what Light was thinking when he gave up his death note and volunteered for custody. Then, using Misa's eye power, he does what he always meant to do.
With that done, things don't get easier for Light--they get harder as new people come onto the scene. New people, who are taking hostages in exchange for information he's unwilling to give. Still looking forward to Book 8!
3 Comments on a whole new way of showing, not telling, last added: 11/5/2007
I'm doing NaNoWriMo too! At the readergirlz forum - groups.myspace.com/readergirlz there's going to be weekly NaNoWriMo participant live chats! Here's the deets: Nov 9, 16, 23 and 30th at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern. I hope to see you there! Feel free to let others know as well. :)
avenuez said, on 11/5/2007 2:27:00 PM
I sincerely admire your writing ambition. How in the world do you have time to blog?
Jennie said, on 11/5/2007 4:00:00 PM
Ack! Erin! I'm either at work or in class those days and times! :( Good luck to you guys though!
Avenuez-- I'm not sure I really have the time to blog, I just have excellent procrastination skills. ;)
Hmmmm... my 48 Hour Challenge training weekend did not exactly go down as planned. I blame the Oxygen network for showing What a Girl Wants (horrible movie that I love) followed immediately by Bend It Like Beckham. If I didn't have that party to go to, I don't think I ever would have gotten off the couch.
Cass is the horrible, awful, perfect, resume-packer "it" girl of her high school. David Kirby (loser) asked her out. Cass wrote a bitchy note to her best friend. David Kirby read it and hung himself.
David's brother Kyle wants Cass to suffer for what she did. He wants Cass to pay for all the pain she caused David and others. Kyle wants Cass to pay. So he drugs her, kidnaps her, and buries her alive.
Told in multiple perspectives-- Cass, Kyle, and a third person narrative of the lead detective trying to find her, Giles has written an engrossing psychological study--both of Kyle and of Cass. It's suspense and will keep you turning the pages. Make sure you finish it well before bedtime.
Now, lots of manga. (This is a series-- later reviews will have minor spoilers for earlier titles. You've been warned)
Shinigami (death gods) have notebooks in which they write down people's names. Once in the book, the person dies. Ryuk (a Shinigami) is bored and drops his notebook. Once a human picks it up, it belongs to the human. Light Yagami picks it up and starts killing off criminals, one by one, making a safer and better world.
L is an unseen super-detective brought in to solve the case. What L doesn't know is that Light's father is in charge of the case. Knowing the moves of the police allows Light to always stay one move ahead, but for how long?
A really fun read. I checked out the rest that my library had right away.
Light knows Ray's name. But how to get the names of the other FBI agents? Meanwhile, L is working much more closely with the police. In person, in fact.
L suspects Light and Light knows it. It's a battle of wits and will. Who will come out ahead?
I love the way L and Light second guess each other's intentions. A great look into to genius minds.
So, L has placed 64 microphones and cameras in Light's room. They're tricky to work around, but nothing Light can't handle is Ryuk can lay off the apples for awhile.
Meanwhile, L has approached Light at school and started to forge a friendship. Light knows L suspects him and is constantly aware of being watched and scrutinized.
Then, Light's father has a heart attack. Light knows it's not Kira, but it also seems there's a new Kira in town-- one that threatens to blow everything out of the water.
The new Kira has tracked Light down and fallen madly in love with him, much to Light's chagrin. But, the new Kira has Shinigami eyes, so she may be helpful after all.
Meanwhile, L has asked Light to join the taskforce, but still highly suspects him, which Light knows.
Things are getting good here, but I have to say, Misa Misa annoys me. She's so annoyingly girly. The only good thing is I think she annoys Light as well.
Misa Misa and Light have both given up their Deathnotes. They no longer have any memories of anything, or of being Kira.
Too bad that as soon as Light went into lockup, all the killings stopped so L suspects him more than ever. To compensate, L has handcuffed himself to Light at all times.
But a new crime wave has hit. Not only are criminals dying, but so are strategic businessmen. It all leads to a group of 8 young men at the Yotsuba corporation.
Misa and Light have no idea how Kira's working, but the investigation is heating up.
Light's given up the deathnote, which means no more Ryuk, which is too bad. I liked him. I hope we get more in the future.
L has Misa infiltrate the Yotsuba group to see which one of them is Kira. The new Kira has Rem's notebook. Rem respected what Misa did with the book but is sick at how the new guy is treating it. Rem touches her with the notebook, so she (Rem's a she!) can talk to Misa again.
Rem tells Misa everything. Rem wants Light to succeed, and tells Misa to follow Light's plans exactly. But Misa doesn't listen.
Light still doesn't know he's Kira, but L suspects him more than ever.
Our friends at First Book Canada just wrapped up the largest book distribution in their three-year history, distributing 30,000 books to children from low-income homes in the city of Calgary and across the province of Alberta.
Welcome to Carole Anne from the RIF Family!