by Brian Selznick

Hugo’s father used to work in a museum. That’s where he found the automaton – a clockwork human sitting at a desk, ready to write a letter. Sadly, the automaton was broken, and Hugo’s father never figured out how to repair it. When he died, Hugo inherited the mechanical man and his father’s notebooks.

Hugo also inherited his uncle’s job, sort of. His uncle used to keep all the clocks in a Paris train station wound and running okay. In exchange, he and Hugo were allowed to live in a little apartment in the station. His uncle disappeared one day, so now Hugo secretly winds all the clocks on his own. As long as nobody notices that his uncle is gone, Hugo can keep living in the station and trying to fix the automaton.

Hugo needs parts to fix the automaton, so he steals toys from a toy store in the train station. He’s not that good of a thief, though, so the shopkeeper catches him, confiscates the notes his father gave him, and makes him work to pay for everything he stole. Then things get complicated.

The story is told through a mix of pictures and words. This isn’t quite the same as most graphic novels, where pictures contain words. Instead, some pages have words and others have pictures, but the two don’t really mix. You might find thirty or forty pictures in a row with no words, so you really have to pay attention to the art if you want to understand what is going on in the story.

You can watch a slide show of the opening pictures at the author’s website.

by Aimee Major Steinberger

This is kind of a travel sketchbook, by a professional artist (she works on Futurama and other things you’ve seen) who’s really into Japanese stuff–costumes, anime, manga, kimono, dolls–and decides to go to Japan with two of her friends. She’s six feet tall and white, so she really stands out! Fortunately for her, and for the reader, she has a really good sense of humor. You can follow along with her as she and her friends experience Japanese trains, food, and hot springs; dress up like geisha; get lost; generally have a lot of fun. She uses her own style of drawing, which is heavily influenced by manga but still unique. The drawings are supplemented with lots of handwritten explanations about what’s happening, and you’ll learn a lot of interesting stuff about modern Japanese pop culture, because she generally knows what she’s talking about. This is really a one-of-a-kind book, giving you the feel of a trip to Japan with three fun, kind of geeky (in a good way!) girls the way a travel guide never could.

Go here for a preview, or click on “OMAKE” for 60 pages of bonus sketches and photos that weren’t included in the published book! (One page has a tiny amount of back nudity of a seated person.)

By the way, if you decide to look for this in a bookstore, it might be in the manga section, even though it’s not manga. It was published by Go!Comi, a manga publisher, so Borders puts it in manga, but a used bookstore might not. You may have to ask.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
San Ramon	Young Adult	YA 915.2 STEINBERGER	In library

This list was last updated May 18, 2012 at 5:03 am UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Jamal Joseph

This book was written by Jamal Joseph, a friend of the Shakur family. It includes family photographs, reproductions of handwritten lyrics, poetry, and lots of other things.

You can look it up on Wikipedia.

Where to Find It

Tupac Shakur Legacy is not available in Contra Costa public libraries. You can request it through Link+. You get the book through your local library, so you will need to have a library card.

1. Read all the directions.
2. Click here to go to the Link+ search.
3. Click "Request this item."
4. Pick your local library. This will probably be "Contra Costa Public."
5. Give them your library card number and whatever else they need.
6. When the book comes in, your library will call you.

You might want to read the rules for borrowing books before you request anything.

If you want to check on the book or cancel your order, go here.
This list was last updated December 31, 2009.

by Lauren Greenfield

Lauren Greenfield is a photojournalist who focuses on social problems in the United States. In Thin, she introduces us to residents of the Renfrew Center, a treatment facility for women with eating disorders. In addition to photographs, Thin includes personal narratives, journals entries, and essays by medical and sociological experts on eating disorders.

You can read some of it online through Google Books.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Antioch	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Clayton	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Concord	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Danville	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Dougherty Station (San Ramon)	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Lafayette	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Pittsburg	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library
Pleasant Hill	.	616.85262 GREENFIELD	In library

This list was last updated May 19, 2012 at 8:28 am UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Frank Warren

Frank Warren handed out postcards to strangers and left them in public places. The postcards say

You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything — as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative.

People responded, and they continue to respond. Warren’s original plan was for an art exhibit, but it turned into a website (http://postsecret.com) and eventually several books.

You can look up the PostSecret project on Wikipedia.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Antioch	.	615.851 WARREN	In library
Brentwood	.	615.851 WARREN	In library
Hercules	.	615.851 WARREN	In library
Martinez	.	615.851 WARREN	In library
Pleasant Hill	.	615.851 WARREN	In library
Ygnacio Valley (Walnut Creek)	.	615.851 WARREN	In library

This list was last updated May 15, 2012 at 12:43 pm UTC. Click here to see newer information.

by Jim Benton

It’s Happy Bunny is a series of cartoons featuring (you guessed it) a happy bunny. The interesting thing here is that the happy bunny is a huge jerk who says cute things like “You suck and that’s sad.” You’ve probably seen the bunny on shirts or keychains, but now you can overdose on images of a cute cartoon animal saying mean things. There are several books in this series.

Where to Find It

You can get it from the public library.

Library	Location	Call Number	Status
Concord	Young Adult	818.602 BENTON	In library
Hercules	Young Adult	818.602 BENTON	In library
Kensington	.	818.602 BENTON	In library
Lafayette	.	818.602 BENTON	In library
Lafayette	.	818.602 BENTON	In library
Oakley	.	818.602 BENTON	In library
Orinda	.	818.602 BENTON	In library
Pinole	Young Adult	818.602 BENTON	In library
Pittsburg	.	818.602 BENTON	In library
Walnut Creek Park Place	.	818.602 BENTON	In library

This list was last updated May 17, 2012 at 4:51 am UTC. Click here to see newer information.