PCL Book Space

Battle and Bad Kitty

2011-03-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty has turned into a mini-dynasty. What began with a short and hilarious picture book has turned into a continuing series - two picture books and three, soon to be four, longer books. Bad Kitty is ba-a-a-ad with a capital B and Bruel's illustrations are bright, colorful, clever and chaotic. Check out Bad Kitty's website for more information on the books, Nick Bruel and for games, too

Back to the Battle! This morning's contest was between The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams- Garcia. Newbery award-winning author Karen Hesse was the judge.

Alas, I have read neither of these books. I skimmed through One Crazy Summer because Williams-Garcia is an author I truly admire and her books are well written and heartfelt. And The Odyssey has not been on the shelf since the library bought it. I am a library girl. Don't do book stores so much.

Hesse does a very thorough job of explaining her choice. The Odyssey is the winner!

Next Match-up Round 1

2011-03-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hereville : how Mirka got her sword by Barry Deutsch squared off against Kathi Appelt's Keeper. The judge was Susan Patron.

Hereville is a graphic novel set in the Jewish Orthodox community of Hereville. Although Mirka tangles with fantastic characters - a talking pig, a witch - the time period is today. Mirka wants to be a dragon slayer and she also loves arguing with her step-mother, a woman who loves Mirka very much. The book is about independence, and about learning about one's place in a larger community. It is also about facing obstacles and being a kid, regardless of the social rules that surround you. The artwork is clever, the dialogue is realistic and often funny. And the book introduces the Jewish Orthodox community to a larger audience. What's not to like?

Keeper is her name and she is convinced that her mother is a mermaid. She is so convinced that she sets off in a boat to find this absent mother. Keeper has been raised by a small seaside community, including her mother's best friend. Her search for her mother, her dog's struggle with the ocean and the way her community wraps itself around her and swaddles her with love make a wonderful story. This is almost a fantasy.

The similarities between these two books are clear. Both heroines are being raised by people other than their mothers - people who love them and want to keep them safe and whole. Both girls want desperately to be other than they are. Mirka wants to fight dragons; Keeper hopes to be half-mermaid. And both girls set off on an adventure to make things different in their lives. Nice job of matching books, BOTKB crew!

Patron chose Keeper to go on to the next round. What a difficult choice that had to have been! Both books are winners in my eyes.

Still Round 1

2011-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan went up against The Good, the Bad and the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone. Barry Lyga had to make the decision that sent one book on to round 2.

His decision making process forced him to delve deeply into the skill of the writers and the intent, impact and content of each book. And it's fun to read as well. So read what Barry has to say before you go any further. I'll wait.

Done yet? Well, if you are done, you don't need me to tell you the results. And if you DID read what Barry had to say, you are probably just as baffled as I am about his decision. Did you or did you not think he was going to choose the other book?? I know I did.

Dreamer is the fictionalized account of the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda's childhood and it is written with touches of magic realism as befits the subject. The book was a joy to read; I felt as if I was being carried along on a river surrounded by the sounds and sights that the young Neruda experienced. Neruda's words and Peter Sis' artwork made the whole book even more dreamlike. This book is a masterpiece.

The Good, the Bad and the Barbie is detailed, structured, and informative to the max - a very complete history of the Barbie doll and the way it influenced popular culture and vice versa. Peppered with photos and with quotes from Barbie aficianados and critics alike, the book is cleverly written. And, wait, this book is a masterpiece of an entirely different kind.

It's like comparing a luxury hybrid with a Hummer, or a butterfly with a honey bee, or a glider with a cargo plane or a....Actually, it's not like any of those comparisons. It's like comparing a novel to a work of non-fiction.

So, which book moves on to Round 2? I'm surprised but not entirely baffled by Lyga's choice. The Winnah! is The Good, the Bad and the Barbie! (A slight pause is followed by thunderous applause.)

Day 2: The battle wages on

2011-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today's contenders were A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner and Countdown by Deborah Wiles. Talk about comparing apples and oranges. "A Conspiracy of Kings" take place in an ancient kingdom and is filled with strategy and political wrangling and battles and intrigue, kidnapping, slavery and clever maneuvering AND it kept me on edge the whole way through. If you've read the other books in the series, you will appreciate how the friendships between Eugenides, the king of Attolia, and the Sophos, the young king of Sounis, change after Sophos ascends to the throne. The connection between Sounis, Attolia, the third kingdom of Eddis and the threat of the Mede against all three has as much to do with personalities as it does with borders and battles. I need to read the rest of the series now.

Deborah Wiles wrote an absorbing account of a young girl's loss of a friend against the background of the Cuban Missile crisis in the 1960s. Countdown sandwiches the day to day life of 6th graders and their families with news clips, photos, quotes and biographies of the major players during the 1960s. Civil Defense drills and plans for a bomb shelter indicate how frightening the stand-off between the United States and Cuba was to the people who lived through it.

So which of these very different books will move on to the next round? I would have had a very difficult time choosing. One book is full of long ago intrigue and adventure. The other book hits close to our daily lives and helps put what is happening today in context. Both are written masterfully and the stories are absorbing for very different reasons.

Dana Reinhardt, the judge of this match, chose Countdown. Countdown will go up against The Cardturner when Round 2 begins in a few days.

Tomorrow, Pam Munoz Ryan's lyrical book, Dreamer, goes up against The Good, the Bad, the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone, a complete history of America's favorite doll. I'd hate to be the judge of that match-up. The only things these books have in common is their bookiness!

Battle Has Been Joined!

2011-03-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Battle of the Kids Books began yesterday when Judge Francisco X. Stork had to decide between Lynn Rae Perkins "As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth" and Louis Sachar's "The Cardturner". Stork's books are more complex studies of teen boys in challenging realistic circumstances. Knowing a little something about the judge enabled me to hazard a guess about which book he would pick even before I read either of these titles.

"As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth" drops a teen boy in the middle of nowhere without a cell phone!!! OMG! as the teens might text! He proceeds to meet a series of very kind and quirky people; one in particular helps the lad hunt down his parents who are on their first ever romantic getaway. The parents thought their son was at a month long camp. And they ALL assumed their new home and dogs were in the care of the grandfather. The book is fun and fascinating while evoking a dreamlike feel at the same time. There are boxcars, sailboats, trucks, diners and late night meals and a trip to a tropical island as well.

"The Cardturner" is about bridge - the game - with a capital B. 17-year-old Alton is drafted into driving his blind great-uncle to duplicate bridge matches. His blind great-uncle is very rich and Alton's parents are positively gleeful about Alton's indenture. Alton is surprised at how quickly he gets sucked in by the complicated almost manic game of Bridge. Well, I found this book fascinating. I could NOT put it down. It helps that I am a terrible bridge player myself and find the game frustrating beyond belief. Alton's longer explanations, bracketed by whales to let the reader know they can be skipped, and his shorter summaries - for readers who wanted to skip the explanations but needed basic knowledge - were a stroke of genius. The relationships that developed between Alton and his great-uncle and Alton and the other bridge players, including one younger teen girl-type, are well-drawn. Good book.

My guess about what book would be chosen yesterday was right. Can you guess? Take a minute now.

Give up? Stork chose (wild cheering) "The Cardturner", just as I knew he would.

Today was another decision which I will post in an hour or two. I want to give you time absorb the awesomeness of yesterday's contest.

Wimpy Kid Contest!

2011-03-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.wimpykid.com/contest/

Kids!!!! Win money for yourself and the library of your choice (Parkland Community Library, of course!)

Enter the Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Comics Contest.

Very Short Post

2011-03-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

March 20th is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Day!! Hooray for little green caterpillars that eat a LOT! Check out the Very Hungry Caterpillar page for wallpapers and to download activity sheets. WARNING:! This website is a commercial site and will try to sell you adorable caterpillar related items.

All things Seuss

2011-03-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

This past week has been all about Dr. Seuss, with birthday celebrations (he'd be 107 years old!) and Read Across America Day.

One of the Teen Teller leads her Seuss Trivia experts, including Thing 1, at last Saturday's party.

The Parkland Community Library celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday last weekend with a Dr. Seuss birthday party complete with red and white striped hats, stories and games.

Check out the websites in the Featured sites sidebar for Seussical fun and information. Dr. Seuss's pioneering work with beginning readers has spawned thousands of imitators. And his signature character, the Cat in the Hat, has gone on beyond reading readiness and into the world of science and nature.

Educators and young readers alike owe a lot to Dr. Seuss. We doff our hats, striped, dotted or covered in peace signs, to this wonderful author and artist.

Another Teen Teller in the green hat, consults with her team of Seuss trivia experts in the Facts and Figures Seuss Trivia Game.

Women's History Month

2011-03-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to March, Women's History Month!

There has been a trend in children's books to write short, illustrated biographies for younger readers. In the past year there have been several books written about women in vehicular sports, race car drivers, pilots and even cyclists.

Soar, Elinor! by Tami Lee Brown is the surprising story of young Elinor Smith who got her pilot's license in 1928 at the age of sixteen. She was a daredevil pilot and is famous for being the first pilot - ever - to fly under all four bridges on New York City's East River and she did it in a single flight. The illustrations show just how daring this stunt was.

Fearless : the story of racing legend Louise Smith by Barbara Rosenstock is full of beautiful paintings of the bulbous nosed cars of the 1930s and 1940s. Louise Smith got her first race car driving job as a "stunt" to drum up business for her sponsor. Once she got a taste of the excitement of racing, there was no turning back for Louise. The stories of her racing successes and escapades are fun and fast-paced.

Tillie the terrible Swede : how one woman, a sewing needle, and a bicycle changed history by Sue Stauffacher tells the story of Tillie Anderson, who first revolutionized cycling outfits for women in the 1890s and then proceeded to win bicycle race after bicycle race. Readers will enjoy the clever drawings and reading about the bicycle craze of the end of the 19th century.

Stretching back even further, Charley Parkhurst drove stagecoach her entire life and no one knew she was a woman until she died. In Rough, Tough Charley, Verla Kay writes about Charley's rivoting life in rhymed couplets describing how Charley masqueraded as a stable boy and became a very able stagecoach driver. In simple verse, Kay also explains why Charley's disguise was necessary for a woman who wanted to follow that career. The realistic oil paintings are accurate to the time period of the mid-19th century.

Women, wheels and wings combine to make great reading for Women's History Month.

Good news, Bad news, maybe

2011-02-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

The good news is that we have some great stuff going on during February!

On Monday, Feb. 21st, children and teens, ages 7 and up, can join the Youth Services staff as we play Games on the Rug and other games, too. Checkers, Chinese checkers, (my favorite), mancala, Parchesi AND Rivers Roads and Rails, and Apples to Apples and Dominoes. Younger children can play if their parents stay with them.

On Sat., Feb. 26th, from 2 to 3 pm, the Parkland Community Library will hold its Annual Dr. Seuss birthday party. This program is open to all ages. Tellers Too will do a Reader's Theater presentation of a Dr. Seuss book, Mrs. Karen will tell a Dr. Seuss story and there will be songs and games! Please call 610-398-1361 ext. 19 to reserve a space. This program will occur at the South Whitehall Township building.

The other news, good or bad depending on the day and where you sit, is that I am retiring - right after the Dr. Seuss birthday party. I hope to publish a port or two between now and then. After 22 years at the Parkland Community Library, I will turn my energies to other things. It's not over yet, though, so keep reading.

Battle of the Kids Books

2011-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

The brackets are cast and the sixteen contenders have been chosen. The judges will be revealed on February 22nd, and then.....and then....SLJ's 3rd Annual Battle of the Kids Books will commence.

It is always fun to see what books make this honored cut of 16 out of the thousands of fiction and non-fiction written for middle grade readers and teens. Then the challenge for Mrs. Chaply and myself is to actually read or have read all the books or enough of them to make an educated guess about which book will move on to the next round.

In the first round, for instance, Lynne Rae Perkins' As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth goes up against Louis Sachar's The Cardturner. In one book (Falling), a boy is stranded in the middle of nowhere just because he wants to make a cell phone call. In the other, a boy is recruited to turn cards for his blind uncle as the uncle plays tournament bridge. I haven't read either of them!! But that will change in the next couple of days. I haven't read A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner OR Countdown by Deborah Wiles either. But I will!

Take a look at the brackets. Next week the fun begins. And even if I am retired before the end of the Battle, I will find a way to share my insights and reading triumphs with all of you through the whole exciting contest!

Teddy Bears and Puppy Dogs

2011-02-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Parkland Community Library will be the place to be during February, 2011. On Saturday, Feb. 12th, certified therapy dogs will be here to listen to young readers and to visit with anyone who wants to pet a puppy. These dogs are wonderfully calm and love children. Please register for this event by calling the Youth Services department at 610-398-1361 ext. 19.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, everyone can celebrate Chinese New Year and the Paper Lantern festival by attending the Annual Teddy bear Costume party. Dress up those teddy bears and come out for an hour of fans, fireworks(!!) and fun. Please register for this event in advance. This event will be held in the South Whitehall Township Building.

The fun doesn't end there. On Monday, Feb. 21st, from 1 to 3 pm, there is another Games on the Rug event for children from the ages of 7 and up. (Younger children can attend with a parent.) Play the games printed on the meeting room rug - Checkers, Parcheesi, Chinese checkers, mancala - or play Apples to Apples or Rivers, Roads and Rails. Please let the Youth Services department know if you will attend by calling 610-398-1361 ext. 19.

And we will celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday early this year with a party on Saturday, Feb. 26th from 2 to 3 pm. Join the Teen Tellers and Tellers 2 for stories, songs and games in honor of Dr. Seuss. Please sign up in advance for this event by calling 610-398-1361 ext. 19.

Snow poetry

2011-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

The drive to work was absolutely beautiful this morning. The trees were loaded with snow and the stark white against the very dark gray or black of bare branches was awesome - especially since the sun was shining.

All that winter beauty reminded me of a haiku I once read:

How many million / flakes will it take to make a / snow day tomorrow?

Or how about this one?

Icicles dangle / begging to be broken off / for a short sword fight.

Both of these haiku, sticking to the traditional lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and 5 syllables, were written by Bob Raczka, and can be found in his book, Guyku : a year of haiku for boys. Raczka and his partner in rhyme, illustrator Pete H. Reynolds, have a website for all the guys - and gals - who appreciate short verse. Write your own haiku, guyku or galku, about snow and ice or about school or winter or waiting for spring - or anything at all!! Haiku is fun and simple. Write one today. There's no school.

One of my favorite winter poems is "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service, the story of a prospector who freezes along the shores of a frozen lake. Before he dies Sam McGee begs his buddy to cremate him so that finally, Sam will be warm again. The friend tries to fulfill Sam's dying request. Service's rhyme and rhthmn makes this a clever poem that is haunting as well. You can find the poem in the book Scary stories illustrated by Barry Moser. "The Cremation of Sam McGee" is a poem that begs to be read out loud.

Douglas Florian, Jack Prelutsky, Robert Frost, Jane Yolen, all these authors have written poems about winter, its beauty, its problems, how much fun snow and ice can be. Check the sidebar for some other poetry about the coldest season of the year.

Picture Book Awards

2011-01-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

Last week, the American Library Association announced the winners of the Caldecott Medal, given to the illustrator of a picture book published in America. The winner for 2011 is Erin E Stead for her illustration of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead. The illustrations have a textured, handmade look, almost old-fashioned in feel. The story is delightful. Check the book out today.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein won Caldecott Honor status. This story of a father trying to read bedtime stories to his little one is hilarious. The little chicken interrupts every story to warn the players of upcoming dangers and to change the endings.

Dave the Potter : artist, poet, slave written by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier was the other Caldecott Honor book for 2011. This picture book biography covers the life of an African-American slave who was renowned for his beautiful pottery and his moving poetry. This book is perfect for Black History Month and for anyone who appreciates art.

For a list of past Caldecott winners, click here.

Award winners!

2011-01-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Newbery and Caldecott awards were announced last week to great fanfare at the Annual Winter Meeting of the American Library Association.

Moon over Manifest, a first novel by author Clare Vanderpool, won the Newbery award for 2011, given to the best book published for children in America. In 1936, Abilene Tucker is sent to Manifest, Kansas, to stay with her father's old friends. There she finds keepsakes that lead her and two new friends - and eventually the whole town - on a quest to solve a mystery that is 18 years old. Vanderpool's writing is refreshing and the time period, characters and story will keep readers involved and intrigued.

The Newbery Honor books for 2011 were Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm; Heart of a Samurai by Magi Preus and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.

All four of these books fall into the category of historical fiction but the writing is fresh and current and young readers will enjoy the escapades and adventures that the main characters experience. Heart of a Samurai is particularly interesting since it is based on the true story of the first Japanese citizen to ever visit America, a teen shipwreck survivor named Manjiro. Manjiro's adventures on whaling ships, then in Massachusetts in the 1840s, in the gold fields of California and eventually at home in Japan are fascinating and based in fact.

Those of us old enough the remember the 1960's hate to admit but that time period is now part of history. In One Crazy Summer, three sisters visit their estranged mother over the summer of 1968, and they find a woman dedicated to civil rights, poetry, printing and the Black Panthers.

Jennifer L. Holm's Turtle in Pardise takes place in the Key West of 1935. Turtle is sent to live with her cousins in Key West while her mother works as a housekeeper. The children run their own baby-sitting business, search for treasure and make Turtle part of their wild family.

Next post will talk about the Caldecott winners. There are some surprises and some delights among the winners of the Cadecott awards.

YA titles

2011-01-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

When the library first received David Whitley's The Midnight Charter, I read the first and last chapters. (I sometimes do this, to get a feel for the books. I don't recommend this as a habit.) The last chapter only posed more questions, making the book very appealing. Here's the set up. In the city of Agora, everything has a price; lives, emotions, time, even compliments. Every transaction is sealed with a contract and the contracts are all stored in the Registry Office. Two teens work for Dr. Theophilus and his grandfather, Count Stelli, the Great Astrologer, in Count Stelli's tower. When Count Stelli bans his grandson from the tower, Lily trades places with Mark and goes into the city with Dr. Theophilus. Mark stays behind and is trained to be the next great astrologer of Agora. Neither teen knows that their individual choices are being watched closely by the Director of the Registry. Mark allows himself to led deeper and deeper into the contractual world of Agora. Lily works against those endless contracts and starts a charitable shelter for debtors, the lowest of the low in Agora.

Whitley's descriptions of the different ends of Agoran society are lavish and complete. The ways that people's lives are controlled by the contracts they sign create a labyrinth of deception. Secret societies, murder, theft, chicanery, treachery - it's all in The Midnight Charter. Read this atmospheric - almost nightmarish - fantasy/adventure. The book is suitable for teens through adults.

Orphan Quiz

2010-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

How well do you know your orphans in literature. Click here to print out the Orphans in Literature Quiz.

So many great books are written about orphans. Pip in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations gets a lot of exposure since this novel is often required reading. Dickens stars orphans in some of his books and uses them as supporting characters in many others.

Louisa May Alcott wrote about orphans as well. Rose Campbell, in Eight Cousins, is a solitary orphan who moves in with a large family of cousins.

The title character of Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher is an orphan who reluctantly gets to know the "other" side of her family when the aunts who raised her become desperately ill.

Barbara Brooks Wallace has made writing about orphans her stock in trade with such fun titles as Peppermints in the Parlor and Sparrows in the Scullery.

Just this year (2010), author Maryrose Wood introduced Miss Penelope Lumley, a fifteen-year-old orphan, in the book, The Mysterious Howling. Penelope must play governess to three other orphans, who have all been raised by wolves.

Take the quiz to read snippets about other famous orphans.

Click here for the answers.

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve. Celebrate responsibly!

YA Favorites and orphans

2010-12-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Youth Services Favorite Books for Teens 2010 is now available. Click here to download this list.

There is no way that the YS staff would be able to hit every great book written this year. TeenReads.com counts on teens to keep the website up to date. Teens read and write reviews for TeenReads. Some of the books are superb, some are just fun but they all have found readers who loved them. Nominate your favorite book of 2010 by going to the TeenReads' Best Books Nomination list.

Let the Youth Services staff know about books that you loved.

One of my choices for a Favorite Books is Behemoth by Scott Westerfield. It's the steampunk sequel to Leviathan. The story of an alternate World War I continues as two teens work together to insure the one's safety and possibly stop the war before it begins. The steampunk elements are well done and the illustrations are amazingly detailed.
Both of the main characters, Deryn, who masquerades as a boy named Dylan, and Alek, the heir to the Austrian throne, have lost parents. In the first book, Alek's parents are assassinated. Deryn's father died before the book began. Being an orphan makes plot development a whole lot simpler, since there are no pesky parents to get in the way.

Look at all the famous orphans in literature. Starting with Oliver Twist, probably the most famous literary orphan, the concept of a child or teen set adrift on life's choppy ocean without parents to guide or control them is compelling for both the writer and the reader.

In this list of Favorites, at least four of the books feature the adventures of orphans. Check out the list and see if you can guess which books are "orphan" stories.

I recently read The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry. In that book, the four children are not orphans but they sometimes wish they are. When their less-than-perfect (understatement alert!) parents leave them in the care of a Nanny and sell the house while the children are still living there, the five of them - Nanny and the four children - become "orphans" and are thrown out into the street. This book is a tongue-in-cheek romp through orphan story stereotypes. Lemony Snicket fans will enjoy The Willoughbys.

Next week, I will give you an Orphans in Children's Literature Quiz. For the quiz, the word orphan will be defined as "any child or teen whose parents are dead or absent."

Enjoy your holidays and read, read, read.

Finally FAVORITES

2010-12-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

My absolute favorite book for 2010 was Neil Gaiman's Instructions. This beautiful picture book visits archetypal fairy tale instructions and takes the reader on a journey far away and back again. I want to give it to everyone who is embarking on a new phase of life - births, graduations, weddings, new jobs. The book gives everyday choices a magical quality.

To download a pdf. of my list of Favorite Picture Books, Juvenile Fiction and Juvenile Non-Fiction of 2010, click here. I formatted it as a booklet. So print it out and carry it with you. A list of YA favorites is on the way. I will not venture to mention a date for that since I have not kept to my predictions very well in the past.

Here are highlights of the Favorite Picture books, besides Instructions, of course.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein features a young chick who simply can NOT let her father finish any bedtime story. This book is laugh out loud funny.

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood. You will be surprised at how many different kinds of quiet there are!

Jerry Pinkney has updated a Nursery Rhyme classic with his stunning rendition of Three Little Kittens.

This next one is for Cooking Channel and Food Network fans. Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly by Carolyn Parkhurst follows poor Henry as he attempts to play "cooking show" with his little sister, Ellie.

If your favorite picture book of the year doesn't appear here, or on my list, please let me know. I'll share your suggestions with the other readers of this blog.

More gift ideas

2010-12-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

I love books but I also love libraries. So, when it comes to suggesting books as gifts, I prefer books most people won't find on library shelves. Books that have pages that flip or move, books that invite readers to scribble inside or tear pages out - these make excellent gifts for children and teens.

Other types of books I enjoy to give - and receive - are books that give instructions, like cookbooks or craft books or how-to books.

Here are some activity/recipe/instruction books for children and teens.

Make Art Mistakes : a creativity sketchbook 978-811870764 Chronicle $16.99
This book includes graphic scenes that the reader can add words and drawings to. All ages.

Papertoy Monsters by Brian Castelforte 9780761158820 Workman $16.95 Offers cardboard punch-out models to build and inspiration for more. Ages 9 - up

This book made me do it: cool things to make do and explore by John Woodward 97810756668815 DK $19.99. Instructions for landing a plane, knitting, staging a ghost hunt, treating hypothermia and baking a chocolate cake are just a few of the instructions in this book that I have decided is going to each of my 10 year old nephews! Ages 10 - up.

Do Something : Change the world! a handbook for activists. Workman 13.95 97807661157472 This handbook helps youngsters analyze problems they hope to solve and gives the steps needed to organize, understand and work toward change. Ages 9 - 12

Wind Power : 20 projects to make with paper by Clive Dobson. Firefly, $24.95 9781554076598 Instructions about wind powered models abound with a discussion of the uses and problems of wind power. Pretty technical and a lot of reading is involved. Still the models look fascinating. Ages 10 and up.

My list of favorites of 2010 will be posted on Friday! Keep reading.

Gift ideas and Favorite Books 2010

2010-12-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

The PCL Favorite Books of 2010 survey is up on the Parkland Community Library's homepage. Take the survey and you may even win a prize. Prizes include Wii game accessories and gift cards and more prizes are being selected. The survey runs until December 27th. And in January, 2011, the PCL staff will pull together all of those nominations and post our patrons favorite books of 2010.

In the meantime, here are a few titles to consider for holiday gift giving. The titles below are the type of book not usually found in Library collections - except for the record books of course.

Flip-o-Saurus by Sara Ball and Britta Drehsen is put out by Abbeville Press. This book allows the reader to flip the feet, torso and heads of different dinosaurs to create new prehistoric monsters. The text explains the differences between the different types of dinosaurs.

Harry Potter : a Pop-up Book is based on the wildly popular film versions of these children's blockbusters. Bruce Foster created this book and Andrew Williamson illustrated it. It is published by Insight Editions and lists at $34.95 but is cheaper in online markets.

The Robot Book by Heather Brown will delight little engineers and their moms. The book is about a little robot and how he is put together. Every page has a piece that moves. Bloggers are excited by this title published by Andrew McMeel. It retails at $16.99.

The Guinness World Records 2011. It's already here and it's amazing. This book will delight anyone who is interested in the biggest, smallest, longest, shortest, most or least of anything.

Boxed sets of favorite series are always a hit and there are a lot fo series to choose from:
Fancy Nancy by Jan O'Connor for the pretty fancy girls between the ages of 3 and 8. (and up. We all want to be fancy sometime.)
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows. These friends have wonderful adventures just being girls.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Present a whole set of the escapades of Greg Heffly to a pre-teen, girl or boy.
Dork Diary by Rachel Renee Russell is a series that pre-teen and middle school girls are eating up.
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan for adventure and loves of mythology between the ages of 9 and adult.
The 39 Clues by various authors, follows the adventures of clan members who are trying to win a huge inheritance.
For fantasy lovers, don't forget The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley.

There are so many hot series out for children and teens, it's impossible to keep up with them.

My next post will include suggestions for teens and stand alone titles.

Old favorites for a nostalgic holiday

2010-11-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Enjoy your turkey and your family and remember all the things for which you are grateful. No matter where you are or what is going on in your life, there are small things that give your days light.

Libraries count among those things. (And, no, we are not open on Thanksgiving but we are open on Black Friday!) A trip to the library is better than a trip to the Mall because you come away from the library debt-free.

Right now, I am going through children's fiction to make sure that the books on the shelves at the Parkland Community Library are books that children want to read. I have run across some old favorites - some of them written in and about simpler times. Some of these stories were read by my parents and they make friendly reading today.

The stories of Louisa May Alcott are couched in the language of 19th century America but the characters and their values are timeless and enduring. Check out Little Women or Little Men. Although each book tells a story, the chapters are little tales in themselves and can be shared out loud.

L. Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz and all of its sequels. Once again, the language is charmingly old-fashioned but the books are full of adventure and fantasy and peopled by strange creatures.

The books of Thornton Burgess deal with animals who have human problems - trickery, jealousy, greed and mischievousness. Animal Tales and Mrs. Peter Rabbit are two of Burgess's titles in the collection at the Parkland Community Library.

Elizabeth Enright's Melendy Family series starts with The Saturdays. That story revolves around the adventures that the Melendy children have after they decide to pool their allowances. Their weekly allowances are mind-bogglingly small in today's economy. The adventures are adult-free and creative. Read the rest of the series to find out how the Melendy children grow and change.

Eleanor Estes Moffats are another family to love. Widowed Mrs. Moffat manages quite well with the help of her lively and creative brood. I particularly love the chapter in which Rufus gets his own library card in Rufus M.

The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Lovelace have a club of their own fans. Right now, most of Lovelace's books are in storage. Bring them back by putting a hold on the titles. Get a taste of this series about the friendships among pre-teen and teen girls by checking out Heaven to Betsy which follows Betsy and Tacy during their first year of high school.

The list of beloved authors goes on and on and grows longer and longer. Which of the authors our children crave today will still be on the shelves - or downloadable - when their children are learning to read? Jeff Kinney and his Wimpy Kid? Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games? Mary Pope Osbourne and her Magic Tree House? And what about some of my all-time favorites? I've listed them below. Will they still be around in 40 years? I hope so.

Lloyd Alexander -The Prydain Chronicles form a fantasy series that still entices and delights.
Betsy Byars - With numerous Newbery Awards and Honor books to her credit, Byars' books chronicle the day to day life of American children in sometimes difficult, sometimes hilarious and often suspenseful circumstances.
Susan Cooper -Her Dark Is Rising novels lean heavily on the Arthurian legends to create fabulous fantasies.
Sid Fleischman - Funny, fast-paced, well-researched, Fleischman's novels offer accessible historical fiction and the occasional fantasy.
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables was only one of Montgomery's heroines.
E. Nesbit - Old fashioned, tongue-in-cheek fantasies were Nesbit's stock in trade.

This is just the tip of the iceburg. I will list other favorite authors in further posts. Visit with these old friends; share them with your children. And enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Stories on CD

2010-11-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

The online survey never happened. I apologize. It WILL happen soon. So keep an eye on this space.

Has anyone noticed how busy the highways are? Commuting on Rte. 22 takes longer and longer as the holidays approach. I have found a way to "shorten" the drive. I listen to stories on CD. Books on CD take forever to finish and I find myself sitting in the car waiting for a chapter to finish. BUT stories are finished in 5 or 12 minutes and make the slow traffic on the road bearable.

Look for CDs by Bill Harley, Donald Davis, Willy Claflin, Odds Bodkin, the Lehigh Valley's own Chaz Kiernan and his daughter, Emily. (They each have their own CDs.) Dovie Thomason shares Native American tales in her Cds. Heather Forest is a renowned teller and teacher.

Most of these CDs can be found in the Children's CD collection. Check one out today.

First PCL Youth Book Awards

2010-11-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog Friends,
A lot of wonderful books for children and teens are printed every single year. This year seemed like a banner year, especially for teens and preschoolers. SOOOO let me know which books were your favorites this year. What books caught your attention, made you think, made you want more, more, more?

Next Wednesday, Nov. 10th, check this blog for an online survey. The survey will ask for your favorite book in several categories. No matter when the book was published, if you read it this year, and it made an impression on you, type the title in. When that survey ends, the top five books in each category will be published online and you can vote on your favorites in another online survey.

Paper ballots will be in the library as well. By December 20th the surveys will be complete and winners will be announced.

Please take part in this fun event. Anyone who takes either survey will be entered in a random drawing for prizes!

Start thinking about the best books for children or teens that you read this year. And watch the nomination process begin.

Election time and new non-fiction

2010-10-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

The midterm elections are "too much with us", as the Bard might say. Bombarded by television and radio ads and dinnertime phone calls, most of us will rejoice that the season is over, no matter who wins next Tuesday.

The Youth Services department has just added a couple of series that can answer some of the questions that all of these ads might bring up. What DOES a Senator do? or a Congressional Representative for that matter? A new series called How Our Government Works looks at the jobs of senators, representatives, governors, mayors and even the president and describes what each position requires of the person holding it. The books are written for elementary school students, in grades 3 through 5.

The Constitution is mentioned a lot in political debates and in political ads. In the series Six Questions of American History, (written for grades 4 and up), one of the titles deals with the history of this important American document. Who wrote the U.S. Constitution? and other questions about the Constitutional Conventions of 1787 by Candice Ransom provides a close look at the people who drafted the Constitution of the United States of America. To read the entire Constitution, divided into sections and Amendments, go to this link It is a VERY long document.

Other titles in the Six Questions of American History series deal with the history of canals in America, why the Pilgrims came to the New World, and why the Cherokees moved West.

And parents, don't forget to vote next Tuesday! May the best representative, senator, etc. win.

Requiem for an author

2010-10-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Eva Ibbotson, author of many wonderful books, including The Dragonfly Pool, Journey to the River Sea, and The Star of Kazan, passed away on October 20th at the age of 85. She wrote over 20 novels for children and adults.

It is always sad when a great author dies - and Ibbotson was a great author - but even sadder is the truth that now readers will not find out what happened next to characters they grew to love. I wanted another book about the children in The Dragonfly Pool, a book that takes place at the beginning of World War II and features young people who work together to rescue a prince from the Nazis. I will have to make up my own sequel for this story now.

Ibbotson's novels range from intensely suspenseful to silly and fantastic but her writing is always lively and her endings always hopeful.

Check out one of her books in memory of a long life spent bringing pleasure to readers all over the English speaking world.

Teen Read Week - Books with Beat

2010-10-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Teen Read Week started yesterday. This year's theme is "Books with Beat". So what does THAT mean? Music? Romance? Beatnik hipsters? Hearts beating with fright or excitement? The pounding beat of hammers and jackhammers? All of the above.

There is a colorful display of YA Books with Beat on the counter in front of the YA shelves to celebrate Teen Read Week. Check some of these fun, frightening, fierce titles out this week. Click here for a book list of some of these titles.

On Friday, Oct. 22nd at 7 pm, Andrei Maurer of the Locksmiths Band will share tips on writing music with beat here at the Parkland Community Library. Sign up in advance by calling 610-398-1361 ext. 19 and requesting a space.

Some brand new titles that did not make the list mentioned above are:
Hold me closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Just in time for Halloween! Here's the story of Sam, who discovers that he can raise the dead. The other necromancer in town is not too thrilled about Sam's new powers.

The curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey. Will James tells the story of his apprenticeship with a New England doctor who hunts down real monsters. The Wendigo starves, even as it gorges on human flesh!

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. Here's scary of a different kind. Imagine that you find yourself referred to as the DUFF - "Designated Ugly Fat Friend". So how would you deal with that? Bianca deals by hooking up with the biggest womanizer of all. Suggested for mature audiences. (15 and up.)

The freak observer by Blythe Woolston. A teen suffering post traumatic stress disorder tries to cure herself using physics and problem solving. The human heart on the cover makes me wonder what Lisa's trauma was to begin with.

The cruisers by Walter Dean Myers. Four friends use an alternative newspaper to change the inevitable end of the mock Civil War waging at their school. They learn just how much freedom of speech they really have.

So get the beat or march to your own beat! Either way, find Books with Beat at the Parkland Community Library.

Halloween Spookiness!

2010-10-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Join the Teen Tellers - and me - on Tuesday Oct. 19th for SCARY STORIES! at 7 pm. The teens like to tell frightening stories, just be forewarned. We are suggesting that these stories are best for ages 7 and up. Call the Youth Services Department at 610-398-1361 ext 19, if you'd like to come. Or just show up!

Search for Ghosts and Ghouls (and cats and bats, skeletons and scarecrows) between Oct. 15th and Oct. 30th. Each creepy creature will ask a question. Do the research and write the answer on the answer sheet. Then turn the answers in for a startling surprise!

Halloween books are flying out of here like bats out of a belfry! Here are some new titles to look for - or place on hold.

AlphaOops! H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis. The alphabet puts on a Halloween pageant and chaos ensues.

Broom, zoom by Caron Lee Cohen. A little witch and a monster fight over the broom. Simple text and bright pictures make this book perfect for sharing with little ones.

Dark emperor and other poems of night by Joyce Sidman. Poems and facts about how animals and plants behave at night.

Vampire boy's good night by Lisa Brown. Are children REAL? Bela the vampire and his friend, Morgan the witch, investigate one night and end up at a Halloween party.

Zen ghosts by Jon Muth. Stillwater, the giant panda, shares a zen "ghost" story.

Wimpy Kid in Macy's parade!

2010-10-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Greg Heffley will be larger than life on Thanksgiving as he floats above the streets of Manhattan in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. That's right! The Wimpy Kid has his own helium balloon for Thanksgiving.

Some lucky people will win a chance to see the parade in person in a contest put on by Abrams Publishing. Stop by the Parkland Community Library and pick up an entry form . The contest is open to people between the ages of 6 and 16, and the winner gets 4 tickets for a trip to NYC and seats in the VIP Grandstand. There are only a limited number of entry forms so stop by the Parkland Community Library today.

Fall fun!

2010-09-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today's rain makes the world feel like Fall has finally come. Crunchy Fall leaves, acorns, squirrels, pumpkins on porches, windows full of light because of early evenings, sweaters, and anticipation!!! - Fall brings all of these.
Here are some great books for Fall afternoons and evenings:
Picture Books:
Applesauce season by Eden Ross Lipson. A city family gets together to make applesauce.

Fletcher and the falling leaves by Julia Rawlinson. When a young fox's favorite tree begins to lose its leaves, her worries that the tree is sick.

The little yellow leaf by Carin Berger. A little leaf doesn't want to let go, until it finds a friend to fall with.

Thanking the moon : celebrating the Mid-autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin. Each member of a Chinese family contributes to the celebration. The author includes notes about this Fall festival.

When the frost is on the punkin by James Whitcomb Riley. Celebrate the season with this classic American poem.

Non-fiction:
Autumn across America by Seymour Simon. The book travels across America and describes the signs of autumn, such as bird migrations, falling leaves and changes in the weather.

Autumnblings : poems and paintings by Douglas Florian. Florian's paintings and poems describe the change from summer to fall.

Crinkleroot's guide to knowing the trees by Jim Arnosky. A guide to trees with illustrations of bark and leaves and the ways animals use trees for shelter and food.

Leaves by Ruth Thomson. A very simple introduction to leaves and trees.

Fiction:
The brilliant fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner. Gianna is more interested in running than in completing her homework, which is to collect autumn leaves. Then her failing schoolwork threatens to put an end to her participation in track events.

Coyote autumn by Bill Wallace. After moving to the country, a thirteen year old boy adopts a coyote pup.

Henry and Mudge under the yellow moon by Cynthia Rylant. Henry and his huge dog, Mudge, have adventures in the Fall.

Storytime sign-ups and crickets

2010-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Storytime sign-ups started an hour ago. Wednesday Family Storytime is almost filled so call in soon if that is the storytime of your choice. There is room in Thursday Family Storytime and both Preschool Storytimes. Click here to see the storytime schedule.

With today's busy family schedules, committing to a storytime slot can be difficult. Parents and caregivers can try Drop-in Storytimes on Friday mornings at 10:30 am. No registration is required for Drop-in storytime and there is no upper or lower age limit.

All storytimes at the Parkland Community Library start the week of October 4th.

The celebration continues for The Cricket in Times Square's 50th anniversary. Here are a couple of websites about the book and about crickets in general.

This excellent teacher's site offers comprehension questions, craft ideas and activities. Check out the great clothepin cricket featured on this site.

Nancy Polette put together a literature exploration site with links to Amateur Entomologists' site and activities for class and group discussion.

Random House has a great site for the book as well.

To learn more about these noisy and sometimes hungry insects, check out BioKIDS site on crickets.

Book Discussion Kits

2010-09-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Book discussions are all the rage, not just among grown-ups. Parent/child book groups are springing up all over the place. To help these eager readers along, the Parkland Community Library will offer book discussion kits for readers as young as 8 through middle school. Each kit will hold 10 paperback copies of the featured title, discussion questions and suggestions for further reading and.or activities. These kits will be known as Talk Totes, Jr. The Parkland Community Library offers similar kits for adults called Talk Totes.

The first three Talk Totes, Jr. will be The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, and Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray. Talk Totes, Jr. should be available by October 1st.

The Cricket in Times Square celebrates a milestone this Fall. Chester the Cricket is 50 years old! Celebrate fifty years of making music in the subway underneath Times Square, plotting his return to a land of meadows and trees and helping a family newsstand survive by checking this classic story out of the Parkland Community Library. Hooray for The Cricket in Times Square!

Read with the Cat in the Hat

2010-09-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Civic Theatre of Allentown brings "Read with the Cat in the Hat" to the Parkland Community Library on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. There is still some room so call (610-398-1361 ext. 19) and sign up. Check out Seussville for games and info about Dr. Seuss.

Fun stuff from publishers

2010-08-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

Fans of various series written for children, including The Boxcar Children, will enjoy the activity guides and coloring pages on Albert Whitman and Conpany's website. This is just one of the many publishers who augment their books with online activities.

HarperCollins has a page just for young readers. Right now, you can find several sweepstakes for fans of various series to join. Click on the Games tab to find online games and printables based on HarperCollins' books.

If you like Junie B. Jones, the Berenstain Bears, Thomas the Tank Engine, or books about Sesame Street or based on Nickelodeon, then the site to visit is kids@random. There are individual sites for many of the series that Random House publishes.

Take time to investigate the websites of your favorite books' publishers. Publishers post teacher's guides, art project ideas, online games and more.

Mockingjay

2010-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

www.mockingjay.com

Mockingjay, the final installment of The Hunger Games trilogy is here and it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. The excitement in these books is breathtaking but the violence is, well, pretty awful. So be warned. The horror does not abate in the third book. It is compellingly awful and fascinating to the very end where readers finally get a moment of peace. Collins has a lot to say about society's obsession with "entertainment" (just look at what passes for "reality" on reality TV) and society's equally disturbing insistence on revenge. That said, I stayed up until midnight finishing this book and sighed with relief and appreciation when it was all done.

Before the book came out, teens at the Parkland Community Library took a Mockingjay quiz about what they predicted would happen in the third book. The quiz was multiple choice and contained the YS staff's best guess on what might happen. Take a look, just for fun, and see if you could have done better.

While waiting for your turn to check out Mockingjay, here is a list of books with similar themes of oppressive future societies.

Back to School

2010-08-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

In a matter of days, children and teens will be headed back to school. Stop by the Parkland Community Library and check out the Back-to-School display to get "in the mood". The Parkland Community Library has books to help children re-adjust, or simply prepare, for another great school year.

Sesame Street's Elmo has a great video for little ones experiencing Nursery School for the first time. For parents of all ages, PBS has developed a website of resources.

Here are some new titles all about the joys (and un-joys) of school at all levels.

Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen. Jim worries about his first day of school and then finds a friend.

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon. A girl's vision problems make school so much harder until vision screening shows her how the rest of the world sees.

A Pirate's Guide to First Grade by James Preller. A young pirate survives his first few days of first grade and earns a treasure.

We, the Children by Andrew Clements. Ben Pratt has a lot of changes to deal with, not the least of which is the destruction of his historic school to make way for a seaside amusement park. When the janitor gives Ben a mysterious coin, Ben decides to keep the school from being destroyed.

Griff Carver, Highway Patrol by Jim Krieg. The mystery of just what Griff did "in the line of duty" that made him persona non grata at his old school is never revealed in this hard-boiled story of justice and crime in a middle school. There is a lot of "copspeak" and a law-abiding partner that combine to make this a fun read.

How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart. A boy's best friend ruins the beginning of the school year, so he makes a new friend who leads him to notoriety online.

So gather some books, paper and pencils and off to school you go!

Storytime flier

2010-08-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Parkland Community Library Fall Storytime 2010 flier is now out. Pick one up today. Pick up the last Summer Newsletter, too, to read about other Fall activities.

Just remember, the Storytime flier is TWO-sided. One side is about the storytimes that require advance registration. The other side is about Drop-in Storytime and Family events.

Pirate Name Generator

2010-08-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last night, the Pirate's HO! party was a big success. The Pirate Name generator worked out very well. There are Pirate Name Generators online, like the one at PirateName.net. What my First Mate and I had to do was come up with a way to let young pirates-in-training make their own pirate names that was fast and low tech.

The first step was to come up with likely pirate adjectives and nicknames. Then we had to find a "formula" for creating a new name. After playing with ideas like assigning number values to the letters in each person's name and letting children choose the combined amount of the subset of the.....,(WAY too difficult), we took our clue from the Shakespearean Insult page . We separated the adjectives and nicknames into three piles. Pirates chose a word from each pile and, voila! a piratical name.

Now here is where the First Mate earns her position as irreplaceable. She printed each word on a label and the children had instant pirate nametags.

Some names were excellent like "Seven Ocean Kid". Others were silly, "Silver One-Eye Crow's-Nest".

And what name did I get? Well, ye be reading the scribblings of one Cap'n Hangin' Ugly, ye be! ARRRRGH!

And as our pirates sail off into the sunset, Summer Reading Club comes to a close. Thanks for another great summer. Stop by the Parkland Community Library to pick up some books about getting ready for school. Or, choose books just for fun - my favorite kind!

Party like a PIRATE!!! ARRR

2010-08-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

What is so appealing about pirates? I mean, besides Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow - oh and Orlando Bloom as Will Turner! Is it the lack of washing, schedules and responsibilities? Is it the loud and sometimes naughty songs? The colorful clothing and weaponry or adventures as they search for treasure? When we look carefully into what pirates actually are - thieves, kidnappers and sometimes, even murderers - they do not seem very nice at all.

But, Jack Sparrow and his predecessor, Long John Silver, are pirates with hearts of gold, and a hunger for the cold yellow metal. They are scamps and rascals and not entirely to be trusted. But when the chips are down and it comes to a BIG decision, well, they usually choose the right course of action - away from cowardly villainy, toward kindness and courage. These are the pirates we pretend to be - lawless, free, brave and gallant.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 17th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, it's the golden hearted scamps I want to see at our Pirates HO! party. Join the Parkland Community Library staff and volunteers as we make pirate crafts, walk the plank, get pirate names, and help tell pirate stories. Come dressed as a pirate, if you can, for an hour of fun and piratical hi-jinks.

To get ready, here are some excellent pirate books for all ages.

That's Not My Pirate... written by Fiona Watts. Textured pages let little ones explore scarves, beards, eyepatches and other pirate garb until the right pirate is found.

A Year on a Pirate Ship by Elizabeth Havercroft. Each page pictures activities for a month of the year and a couple of items for young readers to find in the crowded illustrations.

Roger, the Jolly Pirate by Brett Helquist. Roger is too pleasant to be a REAL pirate but when he is stuck in the hold during a battle with the Admiral, his attempt to bake a cake saves the day - AND creates a brand new pirate flag, the Jolly Roger. Helquist's pictures make this clever story even more exciting.

Dirty Joe, the pirate : a true story by Bill Harley. Dirty Joe terrorizes the seas in his quest for dirty socks until he meets his big sister, a worse pirate than Dirty Joe in every way.

Henry & the Buccaneer Bunnies by Carolyn Crimi. Book loving Henry disappoints his father, Captain Barnacle Blackear, until Henry's book learning helps out in a storm.

For readers who want true life adventure, here are books that explain what a pirate's life was really like.

Piracy & Plunder : a murderous business by Milton Meltzer. Meltzer gives readers the history, lifestyles and fates of pirates in this book for older readers.

Piratology : the sea journal of Captain William Lubber, pirate hunter general by Dugald A. Steer. This attractive book includes flaps, small booklets, fold-out pages and maps that purport to explain how pirates behaved. The book is great for middle grade readers and fun for young pirates to look at.

You wouldn't want to be a pirate's prisoner! : horrible things you'd rather not know, written by John Malam. Part of the You wouldn't want to be... series, this book delves into the seamiest sides of pirate life, including shackles and chains, flogging and beating, and disease and death. YUCK! For readers with better stomachs!

And now for a pirate chant! Be prepared to shout this tomorrow night:

Yo Ho Ho! Yo Ho Ho!
I'm a pirate from me head to me toe.
Yo Ho Ho! Yo Ho Hi!
I'll be a pirate 'til the day I die! ARRRRRRRRRRR

Artemis Fowl tour

2010-08-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

Eoin Colfer starts his tour for the new Artemis Fowl book, The Atlantis Complex, in September. Colfer plans to interview Artemis on this tour and include music as well.

Go to Artemis Fowl's website to listen to some of the songs planned for the tour and to see a trailer for the book.

Summer Reading Club

2010-08-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Make a Splash - READ! Summer Reading Club at the Parkland Community Library ends on August 14th. Please log in all of your time spent reading and listening by the end of Saturday, August 14th.

Last minute prizes can be picked up from 1 to 5 on Monday, August 16th, Tuesday, August 17th and Wednesday, August 18th.

Pirates, HO! The Final Party will take place on Tuesday, August 17th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at Jordan Lutheran Church on Snowdrift Road. Come in your best pirate garb to walk the plank, make crafts, play games and be part of a Pirate adventure, created by the Black Rose (arrrr) Teen Tellers of the Parkland Community Library and you!

Pirates, HO! is open to all members of the Maker a Splash- READ! Summer Reading Club.

Summer fun doesn't end with the Summer Reading Club. Stop by on August 31st from 6:30 to 7:30 pm for a visit from Chippy Chipmunk's creator, Kathy Miller. Watch a wonderful slide show and hear Chippy's story as Kathy talks about her award winning book, Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden. This program is open to the public - of all ages.

Chippy Chipmunk at the library

2010-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

Local author, Cathy Miller, will bring her award-winning picture book, Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden, to the Parkland Community Library on Tuesday evening, August 31st, from 6:30 to 7:30. Cathy will have copies of her book on sale and will stay to sign them.

The summer is drawing to a close and s****l will start soon (shhhhhhhh!). PBS has an excellent website that explains what most children learn in different grades. The websites has tips for getting ready for the best school (oops, it just slipped out!) year ever.

"Make a Splash-READ!" has almost two more weeks to run. If you haven't signed up yet, there is still time to earn prizes for the time you spend reading. Click here to sign-up or log on.

No more Artemis!!!

2010-07-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Eoin Colfer has announced that after this summer's addition to the Artemis Fowl series, The Atlantis Complex, the teen master criminal is retiring. The series has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. For those who have never met Artemis, we are introduced to him, in the novel Artemis Fowl, as he conspires to steal enough fairy gold to ransom his kidnapped father. He takes on the Lower Elements Police, a collection of fantastic and mythological beings who operate like a high-tech law enforcement agency. As far as I know, the Artemis Fowl books are the only fairy-cop novels out there for teen readers.

In The Atlantis Complex, Artemis dedicates his considerable fortune to a project designed to save the world's inhabitants, human and fairy, from certain destruction. His sometime nemesis, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon forces, suspects that Fowl's change of heart from criminal to philanthropist is a scam or worse.

When Artemis first appeared on the scene there was a lot of talk about a possible movie version. Now that the series has run its course, perhaps the movie will finally be made. We can only hope.

All good things come to an end. As summer draws to a close, there is still time to get prizes out of Davy Jones' Locker. If you have not signed up for the "Make a Splash - READ" Summer Reading Club, there are two more weeks of fun, prizes and books! Sign up today! For more information, click here.

Stories in the Schools finished up this week as well. But young readers can still participate in Read to the Pups on August 2nd and August 9th from 6:30 pm to 7 pm on the Parkland Community Library lawn. And the Summer Reading Club Final Party, Pirates HO!, scheduled for August 17th in the evening, promises to be a lot of fun for everyone.

Book Title Games

2010-07-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

At the teen program last Saturday, the teens played an improv game using book titles. First, the teens searched the YA Fiction and Fiction shelves for the oddest titles they could find. They wrote the titles down. Here are some examples; "Al Capone Does my Shirts", "Audrey, Wait", "Why I Let my Hair Grow Out".

Then, two teens volunteered to do an improvised scene based on a situation suggested by the other teens. Some of the suggestions were; a boss firing a worker, someone receiving the wrong change after a purchase and a patron arguing that they returned a library book.

Each of the actors were given two of the book titles to work into their improv scene somewhere. The results were pretty darn funny.

Make your own list of odd book titles. And play this game the next time you have a group of teens and pre-teens around.

Twins

2010-07-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

For most of us, twins are fascinating. What fun it must be to have a built in best friend! Most of us imagined the tricks we could play on teachers and parents, if only we had an identical twin.

Books about twins are fun to read, too. This week, two new books about twins arrived in the library.

In The Other Half of My Heart, by Sundee T. Frazier, twins Keira and Minni could not look more different if they tried. Minni looks white, with red hair, freckles and blue eyes, just like her father. Keira is darker with dark tight curls and she resembles her mother. When the twins are invited to spend ten days with their maternal grandmother, and participate in the Miss Preteen Black Pearl of America program, Minni is the one who stands out as different. Readers in grades 5 and up will enjoy this book.

Younger readers might enjoy Ting and Ling : not exactly the same by Grace Lin. The identical twins that I know get a little annoyed that people think they should be alike in everything. Ting and Ling are no different. This book, for readers in grades 1 and up, shows how different Ting and Ling actually are.

Twins have interested authors of older books, too. Katherine Paterson won a Newbery award for Jacob I have loved, a story about fraternal twin sisters. Though these twins are the best of friends, the attention that beautiful and talented Caroline receives makes Sara Louise envious. Caroline seems to get everything that Louise wants. The story follows the girls into adulthood. Older readers, grades 6 and up, will find this book satisfying.

Lost and found by Andrew Clements centers on identical twins, Ray and Jay. They have long resented being treated as if they are just one person. When they move to a new school, they discover a clerical error that lets them take turns being just one person. Readers in grades 4 and up will enjoy the escapades of these clever twins.

Video contest

2010-07-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Reading Rockets is running a writing/video contest for young screenwriters. Click here for the rules and the prompts. The contest is open to writers between the ages of 7 and 18.

Ten middle school students met this morning at Springhouse Middle School library to talk about The Wimpy Kid and how to turn their own stories into comedy and comics. Click here for a list of books that Wimpy Kid fans might enjoy.

Check the Parkland Community Library's Summer Reading Club page for more book lists for young readers.

Calling all artists!

2010-07-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today, I received word of a great contest for artists of all ages. Chronicle Books is running the Oodles of Doodles Contest to announce the launch of Taro Gomi's new line of products, adding coloring and activity books to Gomi's award-winning picture books.

There is a display with postcards, designed just for this contest, in the Picture Book section of the Parkland Community Library. The postcards can be used as entries into the contest or you can click on the link above to download and print out a different entry form. The link leads users to coloring pages designed by Taro Gomi.

Check out one of Gomi's books, My Friends, from the Parkland Community Library.

Read around the Lehigh Valley

2010-07-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Libraries aren't the only organizations that encourage Summer Reading. ABC Channel 6 has sent the Parkland Community Library entry forms for the Summer Sweepstakes. Young readers can write down three book that they read this summer and enter a sweepstakes to win tickets at one of several amusement parks or the Philadelphia Zoo. The entry cards are on display in the Children's area of the Parkland Community Library.

TD Bank is offering $10 to add to an existing TD Bank savings account or to use to open a TD Bank account to any one, ages 18 and under, who reads 10 books this summer. Click here for more information.

Barnes and Noble's Summer Reading Club is open to readers in Grades 1 through 6. The book log offers lists of books for children to read. Here is the link to the B&N Summer Reading Club. Download the Passport to read the rules and print out the booklist.

Borders Books and Music is running a Double Dog Dare Summer Reading Club for readers under the age of 12. Here is the link to Borders Double Dog Dare Summer Reading Club.

Make sure that you read the rules and the dates carefully. Keep reading all summer. It will enrich your life in more ways than one!!

Online Book Clubs and fun

2010-06-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Publishers of books for teens and adults have discovered the Internet as a way to build brand loyalty among young readers. And why not? Sites like HarperCollins' Awesome Adventures introduce readers to a variety of titles and authors and offer games, sweepstakes and more. Check it out.

Scholastic.com has a site for kids and teens called The Stacks. The site offers movie trailers for films based on books published by Scholastic, a Summer Reading Challenge, games, book reviews and and a live book trivia game featuring authors like Jon Scieszka, and Christopher Curtis. It looks like a lot of fun.

You plan to read anyway, so, join the Parkland Community Library's Make a Splash - READ! Summer Reading Club and join these online sweepstakes and reading challenges. You can use the same books for ALL of these clubs OR you can read even more books and split them between the different challenges.

Keep reading all summer and you will go back to sc***l (shhh, it's too early to even think of that word) smarter than ever!

Voyage of the Vikings!

2010-06-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Make a Splash - READ!! Summer Reading Club kick-off event is tonight - at Jordan Lutheran Church on Snowdrift Road - at 7 pm. Kitty Jones, of Kit's Interactive Theatre, will turn herself and the audience into Viking Voyagers. Fun for all!

Click here for a list of great books about Vikings, Norse mythology and culture. All the books on this list are available at the Parkland Community Library.

The Smithsonian Institute has a very informative site about the Viking exhibit. Click here to learn about North Atlantic Voyages, settlements and more.

Here is a YouTube video that demonstrates how to make a Viking ship out of a milk carton. It looks like fun!

The World Almanac for Kids gives an overview of all the Norse gods and goddesses at this site.

See you all tonight as we voyage with the Vikings.

Book reviews and games online

2010-06-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

I just opened my weekly email from Flamingnet.com, the teen review site. There are so many new books on this site that I just HAVE to read. Readers in grades 6 and up can check out what other teens have to say about the newest books. Check the Parkland Community Library catalog to see if we have the books you want to read.

There is information on Flamingnet's website on how teens can become reviewers for this site.

Younger readers might want to play games like Hermie Heckle's Funhouse on Paulysplayhouse.com . Pauly's Playhouse is a site that hopes to sell CDs so, as with anyplace online, pay attention to what you are doing.

Voyage of the Vikings MOVED!

2010-06-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Summer Reading Club kick-off - Voyage of the Vikings with Kit's Interactive Theatre - has moved to Jordan Lutheran Church, 5103 Snowdrift Road, Orefield, PA 18069.

This program is open to ALL members of the Summer Reading Club. Children 5 and up, teens, and adults will especially enjoy Kit's humor and clever script. Younger children should stay with their parents during this program.

To learn more about this program and this performer, check out Kit's Interactive Theatre.

Are you looking for booklists for summer reading? The Parkland School District has Summer Reading Lists available online for students entering grades 6 and up. PSD also offers a list of good books for readers in grades 6 through 8 and a list of Newbery winners.

The Youth Services staff here at the Parkland Community Library is working on booklists, too. A Science of the Sea booklist for grades 1 through 4 is available online on the Summer Reading Club page. Check back for more booklists throughout the summer.

Younger readers can go to Reading Rockets, the National Education Association's Reading Site for kids, parents and educators. Lists for preschoolers through age 9 are listed here.

A lot of schools and school districts have reading lists online. Kincaid School in Houston TX offers lists for readers entering grades 5 through 8.

Check the Parkland Community Library catalog to see if these books are in the library. Place a reserve from home to make sure the title is here when you visit the library.

Summer is a great time to read.

Summer Reading Club Donors

2010-06-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Make a Splash - READ! Summer Reading Club is lucky enough to have wonderful donors.

Crayola has donated craft items to use in programs and to give away as prizes.

Amelia's Grocery Outlet and Giant Food Stores have donated gift cards.

Just Born came through with Mike & Ike's again this year.

Domino's Pizza and Dunkin Donuts have given certificates for FREE FOOD!

TD Bank will hand out goodie bags at the Kick-off program on June 24th - Voyage of the Vikings with Kit's Interactive Theatre. Don't miss this program.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo has donated tickets to ZooBASH! in October. Look for this as a gift basket this summer.

ClubZ! In home tutoring has donated prizes as well.

Swim In Zone will do a program for us this summer.

The DaVinci Center will do 2 programs for the library this summer.

Thanks go out to all these great organizations for supporting the Parkland Community Library's Summer Reading Club.

Summer Reading Club!! FAQ

2010-06-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Make a Splash - READ! Summer Reading Club began today. Register online by clicking here. Or visit the Parkland Community Library's website and find the Make a Splash logo. OR go to the Youth Services page and pick Reading Clubs from the drop down menu.

Here are some of the questions we have heard today.

Q. What IS the Summer Reading Club? Do you read to the children at the library?
A. The Summer Reading Club is a program in which readers read and listen to books and keep track of the time they spend reading and listening to books. Families can keep track of their reading time online at the this link. So it is a Do-it-yourself program.

That said, the Parkland Community Library offers quite a number of different programs for all ages. Please check out the Summer Reading Club page for more info.

Q. My children were in the Summer Reading Club last year. Do I have to sign up all over again, or just use last year's user names?
A. You must sign up each child all over again. The member lists are emptied at the end of the summer.

Q. Can I sign up for the programs online?
A. You must come into the library to sign up for individual programs.

Q. I live in the Allentown School District. May I sign my children up for Parkland's summer programs?
A. Since every public library has similar programs, the District wide policy is that patrons must use their own libraries for summer programs. There is one exception. Residents of the Northwestern Lehigh School District may join the Parkland Community Library's Summer Programs along with residents of the Parkland School District.

Q. My children are scheduled for other activities during the day. Isn't there anything fun they can do at the library?
A. Starting the week of June 22nd, there will be library mysteries posted in the library for Summer Reading Club members to solve anytime they visit the library. Readers can download activities from the Summer Reading Club page, do Oral Book Reports when they visit the library and earn chances to win gift baskets.

This summer is going to be an ocean of fun. Sign up and start reading!

New Books!

2010-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we unloaded two huge boxes of new books for teens and children. They will soon be ready to go on the shelves. Look for these titles about the sea and water adventures:

LadyBug Girl at the Beach by David Soman and Jackie Davis. Lulu wears her ladybug costume during her first visit to the beach. This is a picture book.

Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamand. A fisher-girl in 22nd century England must rescue the Prime Minister's daughter from the piratical Reavers.

The Vampirates are here and will set sail for the YA shelves anon. Prepare to be frightened. The Vampirates books by Justin Somper are for teen readers and those younger readers made of sterner stuff.

Look for a new Fancy Nancy! Fancy Nancy! Every day is Earth Day by Jane O'Connor will soon be ready to be checked out.

Summer is a cumen in

2010-06-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost here! Make a Splash - READ!. That's the theme of the Summer Reading Club this year. It all starts next Monday, June 14th and the YS staff at the Parkland Community Library is very busy racing around making sure as much is ready as can possibly be.

Check out the Reading Club page for information about the Summer Reading Club. It will be updated regularly as new coloring pages and activity ideas are added. Here's how to get to the Reading Club page, (should you not wish to refer to this post continually). Go to the Youth Services button in the left hand column of the website and choose Reading Clubs from the drop-down menu. Simple, n'est ce-pas?

An online registration option will be posted on the homepage of the Parkland Community Library website and on the Reading Clubs page by next weekend.

The Summer Reading Club is for young readers between the ages of 2 and entering 12th grade, with different clubs for three age groups and activities for all. Click here for info.

The library has a paper registration option for people who are not comfortable using computers. So, sign up on June 14th! I will tell you a little more each day as this week goes by.

Book Expo

2010-05-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Book Expo - over 1000 booths of books and book related items finished up yesterday in NYC. It was smaller than last year, taking up only one level of the Jacob K. Javits Center but it was still the biggest collection of the publishing industry in America. Every major publishers was represented in some way and 1000s of Advanced Reader's Copies and book galleys, as well as trade edition books, stationery, and gadgets were handed out to bookstore owners, booksellers, book bloggers, librarians and book lovers of every shape, size, sex, and age.

I love everything Book Expo - the authors, the books, the displays, the stationery, the books, the stickers and the toys, oh and the books. Since I usually go under the auspices of the library, I feel duty bound to see as much and do as much in one day as I can. Some year, I intend to stroll. I will not rush through the aisles with a list of must-dos. I will pause and admire and talk and page. If I can possibly afford it, I will go both days. I will attend more talks and lectures.

The Guys from Guys Read held a panel and were hilarious. I hope they put the trailer for their first collection online. Oh, wait here. I'll go check. Yeah! Here it is. I LOVE book trailers. Watching this trailer while some of the people in it are actually right there in the room with you is even funnier. So order the book. (I know I will.) Oh, and I know that Kate DiCamillo is not a Guy but she and Jon Scieszka collaborated on a story. The way Jon told it the story sounded quite droll.

And I got a copy of Adam Rex's Fat Vampire ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), signed by the author. He wrote The True Meaning of Smekday and wrote and illustrated Tree Ring Circus - among other titles.

Jeff Kinney was on stage with the Guys Read panel and he was signing copies of the movie diary Wimpy Kid book. Alas, I didn't get a ticket. I did get some other great ARCs which lucky Summer Reading Club members will be able to earn as their very own. Rosemary Wells wrote a great time-travel book for middle grade readers, The Blue Comet, that centers on Lionel trains. Ah, Lionel trains! Time Travel! Bank robberies, kidnapping and the Great Depression! I managed to finish THAT ARC in double quick time.

Well, I have some serious, serious reading to do this Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy the three day weekend. I'll be back next week.

I didn't take my camera this year but here's a picture of me and Andrew Clements from an earlier trip to Book Expo.

Last First Line

2010-05-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

The last First Line quiz has been posed - until this summer. Poor Christopher and his wild dreams! If you know my taste in books, you may have guessed the answer.

The first line last cited here came from The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, a book I have read more times than I want to admit. If you guessed The House at Pooh Corner, you picked another of my all-time favorite books.

The coming week is full of a lot of excitement. If you attend either Ironton or Fogelsville schools, watch for my appearance on Morning Announcements.

Book Expo America opens in New York tomorrow and the whole Book World is buzzing with excitement.

Pick up a copy of the Summer Newsletter at the Parkland Community Library, Township buildings and some churches. Or check those backpacks; newsletters are being handed out in the elementary schools this week.

Guys Read!

2010-05-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today I learned about GuysRead.com, a site created by the author, Jon Scieszka, (Stinky Cheese Man, Time Warp Trio) from local author, Josh Berk, (who is a guy who reads, by the way.) GuysRead is a great place for boys and parents of boys who want to find good books to read or listen to. Check it out.

Oh! I forgot. Yesterday's first line! May, 1889
"'It has now been more than eight months since the girl went missing - '"
Well, it came from Nancy Springer's book, The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan. The book stars Sherlock Holmes' much younger sister, Enola, as a runaway and a successful detective in her own right. This book is only one in a wonderful series.

Now, here is the first line for tomorrow. This line comes from one of my favorite books.

"It was years before Christopher told anyone about his dreams."

Here are your choices. Choose well.
A. Nightrise by Anthony Horowitz
B. The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
C. The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones

Summer fun - first lines

2010-05-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's first line was purposely devious. "It was night and some fireflies danced around the moon." is the first line of Eric Carle's The Grouchy Ladybug. Yeah, I know! Tricky! I have another puzzler for you at the end of the post.

The "Make a Splash-READ!" Summer Reading Club starts on June 14th but the kick-off is scheduled for 7 pm on June 24th. "The Voyage of the Vikings" is a wonderful interactive program that re-lives the drama of Viking sea voyages and their everyday lives. Kitty Jones of Kit's Interactive Theatre is the performer who will lead the audience on this adventure. Jones is an actress who has performed in movies, on the New York stage and on TV. She performs over 300 interactive performances in schools, libraries and museums every year. Don't miss this Summer Reading Club kick-off. The program will be held in the South Whitehall Township Building.

Today's First Line puzzle delves into fiction written for teens. To help you out, I have added the chapter heading as well.

May, 1889
"'It has now been more than eight months since the girl went missing - '"

Your choices are:
A. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
B. Once Was Lost : a novel by Sara Zarr
C. Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde

Have fun guessing.

First Lines of Great books

2010-05-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

So did you guess that "It was a dark and stormy night." was the first line of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle? Good for you if you did. Check the end of this post for the next first line.

"Make a Splash - READ!" is the theme for this summer's reading club. The Youth Services staff has already posted the summer calendar on the Children's Area wall. And all the dates are on the Events Calendar on the Parkland Community Library website. Click here for a look at some of the activities planned for this summer.

Check the Parkland Community Library website for updates on the Summer Reading Club as the sign-up date - JUNE 14th - approaches.

Now for today's first line.

"It was night and some fireflies danced around the moon."
Here are three choices:

A. Counting our Way to Maine by Maggie Smith
B. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
C. At the Firefly Gate by Linda Newbery

Good luck!

New Games

2010-05-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

There are new games out there that rely on the players' knowledge of books! One game, called "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" gives the players an opening line or paragraph of a book. All the players know about the book is the genre and the time period it was written in. HARD!!!

Another game, "Lie-brarian", (I think this is a Barnes & Noble exclusive), is like the writing game "First Lines". The players are given the title, author and plot summary of a book and they have to create an opening sentence for the book. The actual opening line is hidden among the players' entries and players get points for choosing the right first line AND for tricking their opponents into choosing their faked first line. This second game can be played without the expensive box of cards. Just gather some cool looking books and take turns being the "Lie-brarian" by telling the other players about the book and scribbling down the first line. The Lie-brarian (I HATE that name), then reads ALL entries as if each one might be the first line. The game is a lot of fun. Try it with older readers (grades 5 and up).

Now, I want to play a form of "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night". I will write out the first line of a book written for children or teens. Then I will give you three choices. Check back tomorrow (or the next day) to see if you have chosen correctly.

First line: (I couldn't resist this one.)
"It was a dark and stormy night."

Choices:
A. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S Lewis
B. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
C. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Good luck!

New books at PCL

2010-05-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some new titles to enjoy during Children's Book Week:
Picture books:
Push Button by Aliki. A little boy loves to push all kinds of buttons until he hurts his finger and finds other kinds of fun. Aliki's clear colorful drawings make this book easy to enjoy.

Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman. The pigs want to help with everything on the farm much to the farm family's dismay. The last page is the funniest page in the book.

Juvenile fiction: (grades 3 through 7)
Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol by Jim Krieg. Griff Carver is the only safety monitor who has ever been expelled from school in the line of duty. This is a seventh-grader who takes his job seriously. (grades 5 and up)

Zebrafish by Sharon Emerson. Actually the whole title is Peter H. Reynolds and Fablevision present Zebrafish. Vita starts a band at her new school even though none of the members can play instruments. The band is called Zebrafish, in this colorful graphic novel about making new friends and making a difference. (grades 3 and up)

Juvenile Non-Fiction
If Stones Could Speak :unlocking the secrets of Stonehenge by Marc Aronson. Wonderful photos, charts and maps tell the story of the ongoing effort to understand the huge stones of Stonehenge. (grades 5 and up)

Authors, Children's Book Week and the Wimpy Kid

2010-05-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Amy Ignatow visited the Parkland Community Library today to talk about her first book, The Popularity Papers. Amy is a wonderful presenter. She drew cartoons for the audience, explained how her books came about and revealed that Lydia and Julie will star in a book about their first year of middle school!! The library has a few signed copies of The Popularity Papers left. So rush over and buy one now.

Children's Book Week begins on Monday, May 10th. The Parkland Community Library is giving away two signed copies of Amy's book, The Popularity Papers, two signed copies of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin and two copies of What a Treasure! by Jane and Will Hillenbrand. There is a catch! Entrants must write a short review of a favorite book for children or teens when they enter this drawing. Pick up an entry form the next time you come into the Parkland Community Library.

Greg Heffy has left the building for awhile. If you can't wait for another Wimpy Kid to come out, try these titles and authors:
No more dead dogs by Gordon Korman. When a sixth grader takes over the school's production of a play based on a "dead dog" book, things quickly get crazy.

The strange case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger is the story of an origami finger puppet that gives advice - or does it? Homework, love and friendship woes are all illustrated with line drawings in this case study of a paper phenomena. Very funny.

Or look at Henry Winkler's Hank Zipfer series. The curtain went up, my pants fell down is just one title in this series.

Jon Scieszka's Time Warp Trio series has a lot of action and weird humor in each book.

Soup and Soup & Me by Robert Newton Peck show that guys repeat the same craziness over and over and over... The books look old-fashioned but the high-jinks are up to date. Read the other books in the seris, too.

Vote!! Vote !!! Vote!!!

2010-04-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Shark vs Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld combines two of most small boys' favorite things. Shark and Train vie for the upper hand at a variety of things. Which one will win?

Vote for your favorite - Shark or Train - at the publisher's website and watch a short video. Then come to the Parkland Community Library and check out the book.

Next, go to the Children's Book Week site and vote for your favorite children's books. Voting for the Childrens Choice Awards ends on May 3rd so hurry up and get your vote in there. This is open to children and teens.

Check out other fun activities on L-B Kids Fun & Games site. The site includes online games and printable mazes, games and coloring sheets. Then come to the library and find the books here.

Keep reading!

Poetry Month Continued

2010-04-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Parkland Community Library purchases new poetry books every year. Check these titles out!

All things bright and beautiful / by Cecil F. Alexander ; illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Bryan's pictures bring this iconic poem to life.

Dinothesaurus : prehistoric poems and paintings / by Douglas Florian. Florian's art and clever poems are fun for all ages, preschool and up.

Sharing the seasons : a book of poems / selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins ; illustrated by David Diaz. Diaz's beautiful illustrations and Hopkins' selections make this a gem of a poetry book.

Mirror mirror : a book of reversible verse / Marilyn Singer ; illustrated by Josée Massee. Singer has written poems that can be read forwards and backwards - intriguing and clever.

Words, wit, and wonder : writing your own poem / by Nancy Loewen ; illustrated by Christopher Lyles. Here is a simple and elegant guide to get young people interested in producing poems.

Please browse through the poetry section in Juvenile Non-fiction (J 811.xxx and J 821.xxx) to find treasures of verse for all ages.

New book alerts

2010-04-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow is hilarious. Lydia and Julie are two fifth-grade friends who are trying to figure out what makes people popular. For readers in grades 4 through 6.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve takes place in a dystopian future London where names like Battersea are spelled B@tersea and keys from computer keyboards are used as floor tiles. Fever is a foundling girl brought up by the all-male Engineers, an order of men dedicated to the pursuit of logic and knowledge who believed that women are too irrational to sturdy science. When Fever is apprenticed to an archaeologist, she is accused of being a member of an alien race and her life is threatened. This book is for teens and adults. This is a prequel to Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet.

My Garden by Kevin Henkes is a beautiful book in which a little girl describes all the beautiful things that will grow in her imaginary garden. Henkes' illustrations are delightful. For preschoolers and Henkes fans.

May 8th- Amy Ignatow

2010-04-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Amy Ignatow will be at the Parkland Community Library to talk about her book The Popularity Papers. (Books will be available for sale and she will sign them, too.) That's on Saturday, May 8th from 1 t o2 pm.

I skimmed through the book a week or so ago and thought, "Cute!" and "Clever!" and then last night I sat down and read it from cover to cover. It is one of the funniest books for middle grade readers that I have read in a long time. (And, just between you and me, I read a LOT of books.)

Two best friends, Lydia and Julie, decide that fifth grade is their last chance to learn what really makes people popular. Their plan is to study what the popular girls do, copy them (Lydia's job because she is more daring) and write down their observations (Julie's job because she has better handwriting). The book looks like a handwritten and illustrated notebook with the girls taking turns making entries, sometimes at the same time. Experiments with hair color, clothes, after school activities, cell phones, whether or not to like boys all add up to a lot of fun. A LOT of fun!!! Read it.

Here's Amy's self-portrait and a short bio (just for fun.)

More Poetry Month

2010-04-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a poem from Schoolyard Rhymes collected by Judy Sierra. The poet is Anonymous! It sounds like a jump rope rhyme. Do you have a favorite jump rope rhyme to share at the Parkland Community Library? Enjoy.

Oh, my, my.

I want a piece of pie.

Pie too sweet.

I want a piece of meat.

Meat too tough.

I want to ride the bus.

Bus too full.

I want to ride a bull.

Bull too black.

I want my money back.

Money too green.

I want a jellybean.

Bean too red.

I want to go to bed.

Bed too soft.

Throw the pillow off.

Close your eyes

And count to ten,

And if you mess up,

Start over again.

Poetry!

2010-04-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some family friendly Poetry Month events in our area this week.

Fly a Poem month at the Parkland Community Library. Submit your favorite poem - original or by another author - and we will post it on a kite shape and display it in the library. Fill the library with kites and poems.

Fancy Nancy fans can visit the Whitehall Borders store this Saturday for a poetry party. Click here for details.

Here's a poem to get the poetic juices flowing. (And to remind you to visit the Parkland Community Library Wednesday, April 14th, at 7 pm for a program by the Lehigh Valley Zoo.)

The Porcupine by Karla Kuskin

A porcupine looks somewhat silly /
He also is extremely quilly. /
And if he shoots a quill at you, /
Run fast /
Or you'll be quilly too. /

I would not want a porcupine /
To be my loving Valentine.

National Library Week

2010-04-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy National Library Week! "Communities Thrive @ Your Library" - that's this year's theme. Visit the Parkland Community Library this week to submit a poem in the Fly a Poem project, to check out the latest books and resources on the environment or to use the computer.

Tuesday, April 13th is Movie Night, sponsored by the Parkland Community Library and held at the South Whitehall Township building. Call the library at 610-398-1361 to find out what movie will be shown. The film starts at 6:30 pm.

On Wednesday, April 14th, at 7 pm, educators from the Lehigh Valley Zoo will be at the Parkland Community Library with some of the animals from the LVZoo. Find out how animals thrive and survive - at the Parkland Community Library.

And the Winner is......

2010-04-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Katherine Paterson made the final choice this morning in The Battle of the (Kids') Books. To recap, the final two books were The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge and Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge. Then to create more interest or suspense or difficulty to the choice, followers voted for one of the 16 original books to come back from the dead in the final round. The Undead book was The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner.

Paterson had a hard choice because as she says in her explanation this morning, this was like comparing "apples, orangutans and orchids."

Her choice? Marching for freedom!!!!!!!! (It has the absolutely finest subtitle I have ever read, "walk together, children, and don't you grow weary".)

Hmmm, what should the YS staff read now? (This member of the YS staff is working her way through the works of the late great Sid Fleischman.) Without the urgency of The Battle of the Kids' Books, the YS staff may need some other suggestions. Just let us know what you are reading.

Battle wages on...

2010-04-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was mistaken about when this battle will end. The final decision will be announced on Monday. Today, the UNDEAD was revealed. That book, the one librarians voted to return from the dead before the start of this whole thrill ride began, was revealed this morning.

So which one was it? Sweethearts of Rhythmn? Claudette Colvin? Charles and Emma? Fire? Sit down, please.

The Undead, the spoiler, the third book thrown into the final judging is....The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner. Jump, frog, jump!

Semi-Finals Complete

2010-04-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

WHOA!! This blogger's predictions for the Finals have been blown out of the water. In an earlier post, I was sure that Charles and Emma would best The Lost Conspiracy in yesterday's judging, and that Tales from Outer Suburbia would overcome its competitor (unknown at that writing) to move to the Final Round. WRONG!!!

Marching for Freedom, that moving account of children and teens who worked for Civil Rights before and during the March on Selma will vie against The Lost Conspiracy tomorrow. Tales from Outer Suburbia will have to watch from the sidelines UNLESS...There is a third unknown title, voted for before this whole contest began, that will come back from the dead. Any of the 14 titles that have been eliminated may return to oust the finalists. Perhaps the final winner will be Charles and Emma or Fire or Tales from Outer Suburbia or, even The Frog Scientist. And the decision lies with the renowned and respected author, Katherine Paterson. The suspense is building.

Check out the entire contest and Walter Dean Myers decision making process for today's judging and check back tomorrow to see who reigns supreme.

BO(K)B!!!!

2010-03-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

The Battle of the (Kids') Books has moved into Round Three with an unexpected turn (at least for this blogger). Charles and Emma will have to stay behind. The Lost Conspiracy moves into the finals.

The Lost Conspiracy kept me thinking long after I read it. Its characters, including the volcanoes, were clever and deep. But I fell in love with Charles and Emma and their children and their struggles and their Victorian life. It saddens me to leave them behind.

Megan Whalen Turner gives her reasoning in today's post. Read it. Read Charles and Emma and The Lost Conspiracy. Read ALL the books in this contest. You will not regret it.

Battle of the Kids' Books

2010-03-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Shannon Hale sent Tales from Outer Suburbia on to the semi-finals!!! And, alas, The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan bit the dust (groan). The Battle draws ever closer to the conclusion. Tomorrow, Round Three begins when Charles and Emma takes on The Lost Conspiracy.

The suspense is becoming almost unbearable. The last four books are all soooooo good and so different from each other. Stay tuned!

Round Two continues

2010-03-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today, Marching for Freedom and A Season for Gifts entered the ring. Although anything Richard Peck writes is clever and well-designed, a fictional family tale of life in the Midwest of the 1950s, even with the fascinating Mrs. Dowdel, is no match for the real life struggle of teens in the 1960s to earn basic rights for their families and themselves.

Christopher Paul Curtis does a great job of comparing these two books. Marching for Freedom is walking on to Round Three.

Charles and Emma

2010-03-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am catching up on the Battle of the Kids' Books and finished Deborah Heiligman's Charles and Emma : the Darwins' leap of faith, last night. What an absolutely riveting story! What likeable, devoted people! The description of the way they managed to reconcile their differences of belief was hopeful and edifying. I kept thinking, "This would make a great movie!" A movie was made last year, Creation, that covered the same ground. However, it's doubtful that that movie had Heiligman's sensitive touch and attention to research.

I have only two more books to read of the original 16 but I have chosen my final bracket. I expect that Tales from Outer Suburbia will go head to head with Charles and Emma. I will be happy if this is the case and I don't care which one wins.

Thanks go to the people at SLJ for coming up with this competition. The past two weeks have led me into books I might have passed over. It has been exciting and fun and although I know which books I want to go to the end of the line, I will be watching closely to see how the judges make the rest of their picks.

Round 2, Match 2

2010-03-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

So, did Percy Jackson rise victorious? Or did almost invisible Hathin of the Lace tribe finally get the credit she deserves? Angela Johnson had to choose between The Last Olympian and The Lost Conspiracy today. Last-lost, lost - last? Which one won? Angela has to admit, like Julius Lester did a few days ago, that certain types of books just don't appeal to her. Her argument for her choice is convincing. But, I never had a doubt who would go on to the next round.

Hathin has received more accolades for her hard work, dedication, sisterly devotion and Machiavellian strategies. The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge will fight again. Sorry, Percy.

ROUND TWO!!!

2010-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, Battle of the Kids' Books fans, Round Two has already taken place. M. T. Anderson had to choose between The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacquelyn Kelly and Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman. My personal choice would be Calpurnia but my choice does not count, nor should it, since I only read the first two chapters of Charles and Emma. Anderson gives a clever, and very full defense for his choice. Read it. And then read the books. Perhaps, you will agree with me or perhaps you will agree with M. T. Anderson who chose....

Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman! The Darwins move on to Round Three.

Tomorrow, Percy Jackson from The Last Olympian will lock horns with the Lace from The Lost Conspiracy. I KNEW I should have read those Percy Jackson books!!! My choice for this bracket is The Lost Conspiracy but once again it is not the best informed decision. Which of these two book do YOU think should move on to Round Three?

Reading to children

2010-03-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

When should you stop reading out loud to or with your child? Parents often ask teachers and liibrarians that question. In this New York Times article, a school librarian and his daughter decided that the start of college was the right time to stop.

Jim Bronzina and his daughter, Kristin, started The Streak in fourth grade by aiming to read 100 nights in a row. The Streak ended on Kristin's first day of college over 3000 nights later.

Most parents feel that reading with their children should end soon after the child is comfortable reading alone. Jim Bronzina and I disagree. Sometimes books need to be shared. A nightly ritual of reading a chapter or two together creates a family language and a love of reading.

So, slow down. Grab that third or fifth grader and read a chapter of the first Percy Jackson novel or Dear Dumb Diary. You only have to share ten minutes. Maybe you and your child can beat the Bronzina's Streak.

Some of my all-time favorite read-togethers include The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolien, almost anything by Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising series, Little House on the Prairie and the original, uncut Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. Start that last one early and revisit from time to time. Children grow into Milne's dry British humor slowly. Re-reading favorites is STRONGLY advised.

Nominate your favorite read-together books by responding to this post.

Round One Is Done

2010-03-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today marks the final match of Round One of The Battle of the Kids' Books. Whew! This has been a wild ride. Today's judge, Julius Lester, had to choose between Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan and When Your Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Tan's book is a wonder of short stories and illustration. Stead's book is an intriguing puzzle and sometimes a little creepy. Lester explains clearly how a reader's experience and preferences color the reading experience.

The final winner of Round One is.....Tales from Outer Surburbia. Half of the Parkland Community Library's YS staff was right in predicting today's winner.

Tomorrow, Round Two begins. It is the Battle of the Evolutions! Charles and Emma :The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman clashes with The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. May the best book win!

Graphics rule!

2010-03-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

The books in today's Battle of the Kids' Books' match are both visually striking. Sweethearts of Rhythm is illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, one of the supreme beings of illustration. Every painting is a treat. Marilyn Nelson's poems tell the story of the first all-female swing band by letting the band instruments speak. The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan is a graphic fairy tale about dust storms during the Depression and one boy's struggles with finding his place in a time of worry. Done in grays and browns, this book gives the reader a lot to see and ponder.

Anita Silvey, the judge for today's match, points out that both books describe America's history in different almost equally appealing ways. She chose The Storm in the Barn to go on to Round 2. Read her explanation. And then, read both books to see if you agree.

Tomorrow's match between Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia and Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me is the final match in Round 1. The Parkland Community Library YS staff is split between these great books. Stay tuned!

As April approaches, the YS staff is preparing for National Poetry Month and National Kite Month with the Fly a Poem activity. Check the Children's area for more information.

The Battle is Joined Again

2010-03-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson went up against A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck this morning. Cynthia Kadohata, author of Weedflower and A Million Shades of Gray, had the difficult job of deciding which book will move on to the next round. She describes her decision-making process on the BOKB website.

The Battle of the Kids' Books is a great way to make sure that books that deserve more attention are getting it. Both of these titles are sequels to other books. Peace, Locomotion is the second book about Lonnie, a foster child who is separated from his younger sister. A Season of Gifts brings back the inimitable Mrs. Dowdel from A Long Way from Chicago and A Year down Yonder. The Battle will send readers to discover the other books in these series and to other books by these talented authors.

So what book moved ahead today? A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck will get to flex its muscles in round two.

April - Fly a Poem!

2010-03-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

April is National Poetry Month! It is also National Kite Month! So visit the Parkland Community Library during April and place a poem in the Poem Box. The Youth Services Staff will put that poem on a kite and fly it from the ceiling in the Children's area. Fly a Poem in April!

The poem can be a favorite poem written by someone else, or an original poem written by the person submitting the poem. But the poet's name must be clearly and truthfully written on each poem.

Visit Poets.org to sign up for a Poem-a-Day and to read poems by great American poets, present and past.

The Family Education site lists ideas for ways to involve families in poetry fun. This site has corporate sponsors so expect some advertisements.

Gomber Kites has interesting links on its National Kite Month page. Click on Five People Who Flew Kites...to read how kites have aided with scientific research. Further down the page are instructions on running kite workshops with some easy-to-make kite plans.

Get ready for April. Find books on kites - and poetry - at the Parkland Community Library.

Today's winner

2010-03-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Marcelo in the Real World was up against Marching for Freedom in The Battle of the Kids' Books today. These two books have very little in common, except the first four letters of each title. One book deals with a fictional autistic teen's struggles to enter the "real" world, deal with father-son conflict, betrayal and love. The other book describes the struggles of real black teens who stood up for Civil Rights in the eight months that led to the march on Selma.

Struggling teens - that must be the other common thread in these two books.

So which book did Gary Schmidt, the judge du jour, pick to go to the next round in this contest? And who came up with this match-up, anyway? The winner is.....Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge. Schmidt's reason is elegantly simple. Read his opinion of both books here.http://sljbattleofthebooks.com

We get the weekend off, which is just time enough for everyone to read the next contestants, Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson and A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck. Fiction against fiction on Monday. Both books are worth reading and I will be happy with either title moving on to the next round.

BOKB - the battle rages on

2010-03-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Each day is a surprise in the contest that is "The Battle of the Kid's Books". (No more annoying parentheses, except my own!)

The edgy collaboration of graphics and supernatural romance that is Lips Touch: three times by Laini Taylor was unseated by a dense and involving fantasy by Frances Hardinge, The Lost Conspiracy. The judge for this round, Helen Frost, writes a very original explanation of her choice on the BOKB website today. Read it. It will make you want to read BOTH books as quickly as ever you can. Christina Rossetti makes an extended appearance is Frost's apologia, making Frost's explanation even more enjoyable. (I have wanted to use the word "apologia" all week!)

I am actually glad that my prediction was wrong, yesterday. On to the next round!

BO(K)B cont.

2010-03-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

In this blogger's humble opinion, Nancy Farmer made the better choice yesterday in moving The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate on to the next round in The Battle of the (Kids') Books. (What is with those parentheses?) (Already?)

Today the choice is between The Frog Scientist and The Last Olympian. Candace Fleming chose our good friend, Percy Jackson, over the frogs. The frogs are very attraction, though, and who doesn't enjoy learning more about nature? Read both of these books and make your own decision.

Tomorrow, Lips Touch is up against The Lost Conspiracy. Supernatural kissing vs tribal politics and survival. Hmmmm. This is an interesting match.

Battle of the Kids' Books

2010-03-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

The first choice has been made. The first book has gone on to the next round. And what book was that?
Click here to read about the process that author, Jim Murphy, went through to make his decision between Deborah Heiligman's Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith and Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice toward Justice.

Have you finished reading? Then, you know which book won. For everyone else, the winner is..........Charles and Emma: the Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's contest between The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (YES!! YES!!) by Jacqueline Kelly and Fire by Kristin Cashore. May judge, Nancy Farmer, be led to the most sage of all decisions.

Battle of the Books

2010-03-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Correction! First off, the library blogqueen goes by Betsy Bird. Sorry. Second, each judge gets to choose between two books only. This makes the idea of voting for an Undead (or already eliminated) title even more appealing. BECAUSE, what if the author/judge just doesn't have a feel for the book he or she eliminates? Not every reader can fully appreciate every book. The judges chosen for this year's Battle are more discerning than 99.786% of the reading public (I made that figure up), still... Go to http://www.slj.com/ and click on the article about the Battle of the (Kids') Books in the right hand frame for a list of the books and the judges. Or go to the last post in this blog and click on Betsy Bird's video.

Battle of the (Kids') Books

2010-03-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

School Library Journal's Battle of the (Kids') Books has begun! Elizabeth Bird, librarian blogqueen, has a YouTube intro to every book in the running. Click here to view the video. (BTW, did she get a new hairstyle during this video, or is it just me?) Anyway, this year, readers get a chance to override the judges' final decisions. Every judge eliminates one book from the running until only two are left. Then, the Final Judge (this year it is Katherine Paterson) chooses the Winner. However, if a reader's favorite book gets cut out of the running, that reader can vote to have the book vie against the last two books. The first cut happens tomorrow. Go to http://www.slj.com/ to keep track of what is happening.

One book that did not make the Battle this year, although it certainly would have been a serious contender, is Josh Berk's The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin. Josh is at the Parkland Community Library TODAY at 1 pm. Stop by to purchase a copy of his book and get it signed. Josh will leave a handful of signed books at the library for people who can't make today's book signing.

Turn your clock's ahead tonight as we Spring Forth!

In like a lion, out like a lamb

2010-03-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

On March 6th, children celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday by listening to the Black Rose Teen Tellers and by creating birthday posters for Dr. Seuss. The birthday posters are on display in the Picture Book section for the next week or two.

On March 13th from 1 to 2 pm, Josh Berk will be here to talk about his teen book, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin. Readers will recognize the setting for this novel about a teen who transfers from his school for the deaf to a regular high school and finds out that the hearing world is harder to navigate than he expected. Berk has worked a couple of mysteries into this novel as well.

Juilene Osborne McKnight will tell Irish tales on Monday, March 16th at 7 pm. Osborne McKnight is an author and storyteller who teaches courses in Celtic mythology and folklore throughout the Lehigh Valley. This program will interest older children, teens and adults.

For Irish blessings, tales and trivia, check out the display in the center of the library. Here is a website with more Irish sayings and blessings for the Gaelic at heart.

Looking ahead:
April is National Poetry Month and National Fly a Kite Month. Here at the Parkland Community Library, April is Fly a Poem month. Write a poem, limerick, haiku, and place it in the Poem box. Youth Services staff members will put the poems on paper kites and fly them from the library ceiling.

National Library Week is April 11th to 17th. On April 14th in the evening, the Lehigh Valley Zoo will bring some furry, scaly friends to the Parkland Community Library in celebration of National Library Week.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

Pink and red and white, lace and frills, roses and chocolates! It's a love-ly time of year. Michael Hall's new book, My Heart is Like a Zoo, uses heart shapes to picture all kinds of animals and how they might feel.
Hall's website offers animations of the illustrations in the book that show how the animals are constructed. This book is a keeper, fun to look at, fun to read!

Henry in love, by Peter McCarty, is a snapshot of a small child's school day and includes big kids, schoolyard games and budding friendship. Henry, the cat, is smitten with Chloe, the prettiest girl in class. This book is great for children who don't like mushy stuff.

Suzanne Bloom's ode to friendship, A Splendid Friend, Indeed, is a clever and simple book about a quiet polar bear who is bombarded with questions and suggestions from a chatty goose.

Love reveals itself in mysterious ways. In Margaret Mahy's book, Tingleberries, tuckertubs and telephones, a shy orphan must overcome his reluctance to speak and find love and adventure.

Homemade Valetine's Day Cards are a time-honored tradition. Dress them up with this simple origami heart from Activity Village.

Friends from PBS - Clifford, Cuyrious George and others - share their Valentine's Day ideas on the PBS Kids website.

Love is everywhere! - especially at the library.

Blizzard

2010-02-10T17:43:00.000-08:00

Snow, snow everywhere! Read more about snow by checking out these titles. The blizzard by Betty Ren Wright tells of how a boy's birthday is almost ruined by a blizzard.

One man dedicated his life to making a photographic record of thousands of snowflakes. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin tells his story with illustrations by Mary Azarian. To see Bentley's photos, click here.

Grandparents can tell stories of amazing storms. In Terrible storm by Carol Otis Hurst, two grandfathers tell stories of the snowstorm of 1888.

Older readers (grades 4, 5 and 6) will enjoy Help! I'm a prisoner in the library by Eth Clifford. Two girls are trapped over night in the library during a blizzard. Sounds like heaven to me!

Slightly younger readers can revisit a famous blizzard in Anna, Grandpa, and the big storm by Carla Stevens. Anna's grandfather thinks living in the city is boring until the huge blizzard of 1888.

The blizzard of 1888 made history as told in the book by Jim Murphy, Blizzard : the storm that changed America.

NYCSubway.org has posted a history of how the blizzard of 1888 effected New York City. The history is rather scholarly, so for pictures and personal stories check this site, presented by CUNY.

Just for fun, visit Make-a-Flake and create a snowflake online. This site requires Flash 6.

Cutting a paper snowflake is easier and directions are available at ZOOM (pbskids.org).
Billy Bear has simpler instructions for paper snowflakes but the snowflakes end up with 8 points. Check the site out.

This 3-dimensional snowflake is lovely at all times of the year, made in different colors. This is for children and adults who are comfortable with paper folding.

Enjoy the snow.

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

2010-02-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean is fun and action-packed. For his entire life, Pepper Roux had been warned that he would die on or before his 14th birthday. He woke up on that fateful day, STILL ALIVE. What follows is one adventure after another, as young Pepper attempts to cheat fate. The School Library Journal says ..."the memorable characters and lyrical prose make the novel hard to put down", and gives the novel a starred review.

The novel IS hard to put down and Pepper Roux is a fascinating character. My suspicion that Pepper will not have further adventures disappoints me but I will await breathlessly McCaughrean's next novel.

Author #12 - Dick King-Smith

2010-01-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

He writes about animals - sheep herding pigs and musical mice. And he writes about children. Dick King-Smith's books are full of what he likes to call "farmyard fantasy".

A farmer for twenty years, King-Smith knows a lot about the animals who have made him most famous - pigs. Babe,the Gallant Pig was turned into a very popular movie. His picture book, All Pigs are Beautiful, illustrated by Anita Jeram, expresses King-Smith's affection for swine.

King-Smith doesn't restrict himself to writing about farm animals. He has written about singing mice, (A Mouse Called Wolf), very intelligent guinea pigs, (Jenius ; the Amazing Guinea Pig), and a boy whose uncles leaves him a madly entertaining parrot, (Harry's Mad).

King-Smith's books are appealing to children in grades 3 and up. Younger children will enjoy listening to the books, too.

Here are a few interesting facts about Dick King-Smith. His first name is not Dick, nor is it Richard. His name is Ronald Gordon King-Smith. He has written 100 books for children. And in the New Year's Honours of 2010, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. That's SIR Dick King-Smith, to us all.

This completes my 12 authors in 31 days challenge and I did not even mention some of my all time favorites; authors such as Elizabeth Enright, or E. Nesbit or A. A. Milne. I decided not to profile my favorite American author, Lloyd Alexander, or even Susan Cooper OR Suzanne Collins! Nor did I mention David Adler or Bruce Hale or Eva Ibbotson - how could I neglect Eva Ibbotson? Or Patricia Wrede or Jill Paton Walsh or Ann Rinaldi or.... Stephen Krensky!!!??? I am just getting started. There are wonderful books on the shelves of the Parkland Community Library - or any public library. Just borrow one or two- or ten - until you find YOUR favorites. Let me know who you like best, please.

Author #11

2010-01-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

Guess which Newbery Award winning author lives above an airplane hangar with her husband? Betsy Byars, who won the Newbery Award for her novel The Summer of the Swans. Byars and her husband are avid aviators and fly their own airplanes whenever they can.

Byars has written over 60 books, most about children who are navigating the treacheries of growing up. Her Blossom Family series has recently been reissued in paperback. The series chronicles the Blossoms whose mother rides the rodeo circuit and whose grandfather collects aluminum cans to recycle. The first book of the series, The Not-Just-Anybody Family introduces Junior Blossom as he is about to "fly" off the barn roof as his older sister and brother watch from below. The whole family, mother, grandfather, three children and dog, are fully drawn and their adventures are humorous tragedies of errors.

Herculeah Jones is Byars' pre-teen sleuth, starring in four different novels. Herculeah solves real crimes to the frustration of her Private Eye mother and her police detective father.

These two series just scratch the surface of Byars' impressive writing output. Two of Byars' children, Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers, write books for children now, too. So, the legacy will continue.

Check out www.BetsyByars.com for more information on this prolific author. Then stop by the library and check out her books.

Author #10 - Jim Arnosky

2010-01-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

Jim Arnosky is an author/illustrator who concentrates on wildlife and acquainting children and parents with the animals who share the world with us. His alterego - or avatar - is a whiskered fellow in buckskin named Crinkleroot. Among Crinkleroot's many adventures, he guides readers through the season's in Crinkleroot's Almanac and searches for his pet snake in Crinkleroot' visit to Crinkle Cove.

Arnosky's artwork is lifelike with a soft touch. Although his animal's are authentic and realistic, Arnosky adds expressiveness to his creatures and humor to the events he chronicles. Some of his books are scientific treatments to introduce young readers to animals in their habitats. Others are picture books that give a snapshot of the lives of rabbits or armadillos or deer or black bears. Occasionally, Arnosky tells a story from his own life, as in Big Jim and the White-legged Moose, a song about Arnosky's run in with a moose.

Arnosky has written guides for older children and adults to photographing wildlife and freshwater fishing and guides to field trips near the ocean, in the mountains and through swamps. His paintings are the next best thing to seeing the animals in person. Look for his books in the next time you stop by the library.

Katherine Paterson - National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

2010-01-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

The title, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is only one year and a month old. The first ambassador, Jon Sciezka, turned over his title to Newbery Award winning author Katherine Paterson, on Tuesday, Jan. 5th.

Paterson's most famous book is The Bridge to Terabithia, based on the actual death of her son, David's, good friend during his childhood. The book was made into a major motion picture in 2007. David Paterson worked on the screenplay for the movie.

Paterson won a Newbery Award for The Bridge to Terabithia and another one for Jacob I Have Loved, a novel that addresses conflicts between fraternal twins.

Winner of numerous other awards, Paterson's works include "problem" novels that deal with difficult subjects, such as death, social commentaries, and historical fiction like her look at textile factory workers in New England in the first half of the 1800s, Lyddie.

Paterson is known best for her novels for readers in middle and high school but she has written original folktales that can be enjoyed by much younger readers. Her The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks is a touching story of compassion and faithfulness with exquisite illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon.

This just introduces the wonderful writings of Katherine Paterson. Her novels take place all over the globe and in many time periods, and they are always fascinating and challenging.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder - Author of the Day

2010-01-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

Zilpha Keatley Snyder writes intriguing fantasies, mysteries, historical fiction and adventures. The Egypt Game, a suspenseful story of crime with imaginative children as heroes, is a perennial favorite and a Newbery Honor Book. Snyder has had three Newbery Honor books in her prolific career.

The Headless Cupid, another Newbery Honor book, introduces a series of books about the Stanley family, a family of siblings and step-siblings who experience weird supernatural events after their parents marry.

A more recent book, The Bronze Pen, is a loving portrayal of a young writer, Audrey, who struggles with the changes in her family and her own imagination. A gift from a stranger, a bronze pen, may be the answer to Audrey's problems but it takes her awhile before she figures out how to use it. Snyder leads readers on an adventure full of everyday happenings and worries and fantastic happenings to a feel-good ending.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder is still writing for readers in grades 4 and up. Check out one of her books soon.