The Book Stacks

I know that you’re asking yourself: King Elvis and the Alien Space Ducks?!? What do they have to do with books? Well, let me tell you a wee story, and all will become clear. Well, mostly.

Once upon a time, I was a Young Adult Librarian in Vacaville, California. During my five and a half year tenure, I designed, helped with, and ran many different kinds of library programs. One of these programs was the Teen Book Club. We read our way through many different books over the years (mostly Fantasy, though, because frankly we liked Fantasy.) Now, after the Teen Book Club had been going on for a while we realized that we had a little problem. Our members were incredibly busy folks. Sometimes they couldn’t quite make it all of the way through the book before it was time for the Book Club meeting to begin. And sometimes those folks didn’t want the ending spoiled for them. I mean, they still wanted to come to Book Club to talk about the parts of the book that they had read, eat cookies, and socialize. What were we to do?

Well, one night we began to invent crazy endings for the books that they had obviously missed by not finishing in time. I believe that it was Mike who originally suggested that Elvis appeared just in time to save the day. Well, over time Elvis became King Elvis. (Because Elvis is King, you know?) Not long afterwards, Elvis acquired some helper ducks. Wouldn’t you know it? Those ducks turned out to be aliens! That’s right, Alien Space Ducks! Before long we started discussing where Elvis and his friends could be located in each book we were reading. How did Over Sea, Under Stone end? King Elvis and The Alien Space Ducks swooped in with their space ship and defeated the bad guys, of course! I’m sure that you realize King Elvis and The Alien Space Ducks defeat Voldemort at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book isn’t even out yet, and I know that.

Last Christmas I gave my folks each one “Alien Space Duck” (Devil Duckies from Archie McPhee were the closest I could get). A couple of months later I left to take a job closer to home, but I will never forget my Teen Book Club folks (I miss you guys!!)…or King Elvis and The Alien Space Ducks.

Now, I hear that our intrepid heroes did not make an appearance at the last Book Club meeting (yes, my spies are everywhere), so I have decided to make sure that they are not forgotten by using them for my book club on The Book Stacks: Cover to Cover. Henceforth, when I do not wish to spoil the ending of a book, or really, just for fun, expect the appearance of King Elvis and his feathered friends during Cover to Cover discussions. Be sure to join us tomorrow for a conversation about The Eyre Affair. See you there!

Vacaville, California, Teen Book Club, Devil Duckies, Archie McPhee, King Elvis, The Alien Space Ducks, The Book Stacks, Cover to Cover, The Eyre Affair