Peggi @ Answer Line Archive.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is a teen classic from the 70s often credited as the first contemporary young adult novel. I somehow missed reading it until now; and it has passed the test of time; it is still a book to be read since somethings don't seem to change.

They tell you to do your thing but they don't mean it unless it happens to be their thing too. They are the Vigils. They run Trinity High School. Even the teachers and headmaster have little authority over them. No one dares stand against them. No one, that is, until the Chocolate War when one dares to disturb the universe.

That one is Jerry Renault, and he is a survivor. He has survived his mother's death. He is determined to survive football tryouts. But can he survive Trinity's annual fund-raising chocolate sale?  After all, can a box of chocolates be more devastating than not having a mom or more dangerous than taking a football helmet to the groin?

High School is difficult, but attending Trinity is more like being in prison. Number one, it is an all boys' Catholic school; number two, there are two sets of rules:  those spoken and those unspoken. The spoken rules are easy to follow; it's the unspoken ones that can be difficult-- in fact, dangerous.

Brother Leon controls the chocolate sale and will do whatever is necessary to make it work. Archie heads up the Vigils, a clandestine school gang, and will do whatever Brother Leon asks in a teacher's-pet-gone-bad kind of way. Brother Leon asks that every boy sell 50 boxes of chocolates. Of course this is an option; you can't force someone to sell chocolates after all. Can you?  Is refusing to sell chocolates worth losing your friends, endangering your family, and risking your life? Jerry Renault is going to find out.

Jerry Renault dares to disturb the universe.

It's almost a new year again. Every year I have the same resolutions--to eat better and exercise more. I usually start out okay, but somewhere along the way, I return to my old not-so-good ways. I think it is because I never really have a good plan set up in advance. This year I have a great plan thanks to Dr. Alejandro Junger and his book Clean; The Revolutionary Program To Restore The Body's Natural Ability To Heal Itself. This is a popular program endorsed by celebrities including actress Gwyneth Paltrow, fashion designer Donna Karon, and author Robert Thurman.

Dr. Junger is a cardiologist who currently practices in New York City. After getting his MD, he went to India to study eastern medicine and became very interested in Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic means the 'knowledge of life.' It is a holistic and natural approach. It focuses on allowing the body to maintain and heal itself through yoga and good nutrition. The amount of toxins we expose ourselves to in the modern world has put our bodies into crisis. In order to be healthy we need to get rid of toxins and eat clean natural foods. The benefits of this program are clear skin, more energy, happiness, weight loss, and strength and prevention against illnesses.

Dr. Junger has developed a 21 day program to rid the body of toxins and heal the damage caused by them. You can follow the program for one week or up to three weeks if you choose. The diet consists of liquid meals and solid meals your body can easily digest; it includes two liquid and one solid meal per day. Snacks are optional. He also has suggestions for exercise, supplements, and treatments such as saunas. It looks like an easy and tasty plan to follow. It includes recipes for 21 liquid meals and 21 solid meals. They look really easy and actually good; liquid meals include smoothies, soups, juices, while solid meals include fish, chicken, salad, vegetables, and fruit. There is a vegetarian meal plan also.

l  also plan on searching the KCLS catalog to find some good yoga DVDs to workout to. Any suggestions?

Who knew dandelion greens or Douglas Fir needles could taste, well, refreshingly good? Of course they are good for you, but yuck. Thanks to Victoria Boutenko of the famous raw food family they are!

In her book, Green Smoothie Revolution. The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health, Victoria not only explains why green smoothies are good for you but offers 200 recipes from her family and friends for green smoothies that are so good. Greens are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants; but they are hard to digest and not all that tasty all the time. For most people it is pretty hard to get too excited about sitting down to a giant bowl of dinosaur kale for breakfast. And who has time to prep and cook bundles of greens every morning anyhow.

After years of experimenting and interviewing nutritionists, Victoria found the perfect solution. Blend greens with things that taste good and are good for you: like pineapple, blueberries, mango, coconut, apples, etc. The fruit flavor dominates the drink.  In just minutes, you have all your daily veggie and fruit requirements plus the amazing nutritional values that greens have. It is so easy-- just a plain old blender will do the trick--you don't need anything fancy. This morning I had a Peachy Keen Green made from frozen peaches, peeled grapefruit, kale, and water tossed into the blender for a few minutes: it was delicious.

Tis the season of overeating, bad nutrition, colds, and flu. This is an easy way to eat something wonderful that will help you maintain your diet and make you ready to fight all the bugs that come at you. With 200 recipes, you can have months of great smoothies.

Who is the Master of the Horror Genre? Edgar Allan Poe. Nearly 165 years after he wrote his final tale, he is still loved--in fact, he is more popular than when he was alive. Nobody does tales of darkness, mystery, and the macabre like Poe. Nobody.

Edgar Allan Poe's Tales Of Death And Dementia is a graphic novel illustrated by Gris Grimly. It is the second Poe collection Grimly has done: the first, Edgar Allan Poe's Tales Of Mystery And Murder, is also awesome. I am looking forward to his third, and I hope more. His illustrations are just as creepy and understated as Poe's tone which adds a beautiful unique dimension to the tales. The tales have been slightly "nipped and tucked" from their original text, but nothing is lost. The tales are just as wonderfully creepy as they were when written.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" has to be one of the creepiest tales ever written. Written from the perspective of a deranged, cold-blooded killer, it will creep you out. As a child, this tale absolutely terrified me; as an adult, it still gets me, even though I have read it many, many times. The rest of the collection includes the scary yet humorous "The System Of Dr. Tarr And Professor Fether," the tragic "The Oblong Box,", and the weird and disgusting "The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar."

A wonderful set of classic tales to revisit next the fireplace on a cold night or maybe all alone in your room on a windy night. The wonderful illustrations make this collection of Poe's dark tales even darker. A book that anyone young or young at heart will enjoy...tick tock, tick tock....

KCLS is not just about books, databases, magazines, music, and movies.Our collection offers many ways to learn a new skill, perfect an old skill, learn a new language, cook healthy, get in great shape, fix your car, grow your own food, and more. We have tools to help you enrich and improve your life in many ways. We offer classes, programs, and entertainment aplenty. Here's five free and fabulous things at the library that just might surprise you:

1. Computers:

We have state-of-the-art  computers with Microsoft Office software for you to create letters, presentations, resumes, email, or just surf the internet and print it all out at no charge. Need to learn how to use the computer or brush up on skills for your resume? We offer free classes every month to get you started or keep you going. We also have free wireless access.We also have a TechLab bus that will bring free computer classes to you if you are unable to come into the library and it is wheelchair accessible. It is a state of the art bus equipped with eight workstation; there is a minimum requirement of six registrants.