LET'S PARTY WITH RICKY AND HIS ROBOT

Tuesday, June 30th at 2p.m. join us in the Children's Room for a Ricky Ricotta and Mighty Robot Party.  We will have activites themed around these fabulous book characters. 

Check out their books online through our catalog.  

KINDERWISE IS IN THE HOUSE!

Kinderwise, will have you dancing and singing up a storm.  

Join us this Saturday, June 27 at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at the Central Library for an afternoon of fun. 

IMAGINARY FRIENDS MEET THE REAL WORLD

Rudger is Amanda Shuffleup's imaginary friend. No one else can see him but her, and that's just fine by him--Amanda is the only one with enough imagination to dream him up in the first place. But when a suspiciously creepy man comes to the door one day asking Amanda's mum to take a survey, it appears he can see Rudger too, and that's when things begin to go amiss. He sees the man lurking everywhere, determined to get his hooks on Rudger. And then--worst of all--there is an accident that causes Amanda to be rushed to the hospital, and for the first time in his life, Rudger is all on his own. How will Rudger escape the nefarious grasp of the sinister man, and, perhaps more importantly, without a real person to imagine him, can an imaginary boy even exist? 

This fantasy by A.F. Harrold told from various points of view is at turns whimsical and downright spooky, and proves no one is too old to tap into their imaginations and let them run wild. Emily Gravett's striking illustrations--some in black-and-white and occaisionally in color--add just the right balance of eerieness and eccentricity. 

An exciting and offbeat read for 4th to 6th graders. 

AN OLD STORY WITH A NEW TWIST

You would be wise not to anger the Brixen witch. But what if you make her angry by accident? Nope, doesn't matter. She is still going to haunt and hex you. That's what happens to Rudi when he stumbles upon a gold coin while he's out foraging around the forest. The next thing he knows he is being haunted by a creepy noise. Even after he puts the coin back on the mountain (sort of) a plague of rats infects the town! 

THE BRIXEN WITCH by Stacy DeKeyser will have you guessing about what happens next, and it's not what you expect! This is a retelling of the classic Pied Piper story, but with many great twists and a completely different ending. 

For 3rd - 6th grades.

SURVIVOR COLONIAL STYLE

Tori and her mother are in deep financial trouble.  Along comes a chance for them to win big and save the dress shop, but they have to compete with all the extended members of their family and live on their dead aunt's estate in "colonial style".  That means no modern conveniences; make the food, no daily baths, and make the furniture. The family who performs best will win it all, millions and millions of it.  

Tori wants to win and be serious about the contest, but can her flakey mom pull it together?  Add to all this stress Tori is seriously crushing on the local boy whose father thinks she's a witch and another member of her family sabotaging their efforts.  

It's a fun survivor, reality television show, and boy meets girl story all rolled together in Colonial Madness by Jo Whittemore.  

For readers in 6th-8th grades. 

THE BIG ZUCCHINI HEIST

Who would steal a 200 pound zucchini?  The person who has never won first prize for the biggest zucchini that's who. Zeeta and Zelda want Max to find out who stole their giant vegetable.  With the help of his uncle Larry, a ghost and former detective, Max set out to gather clues and suspects in order to solve this most unusual case.  

A typical but silly beginning chapter book with lots of people to suspect.  Join them in this new mystery series The Ghost and Max Monroe: The Case of the Missing Zucchini by T. L.M. Falcone.  

For beginning chapter book readers in 2nd -4th. 

TWO WILD AND CRAZY GUYS, GERALD AND PIG!

FUN ACTIVITIES FOR FANS OF GERALD AND PIGGIE.  THEY JUST WANNA PARTY ALL THE TIME! PARTY WITH ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE ON TUESDAY, JUNE 16TH AT 2 PM.

CHILDREN'S ROOM 
CENTRAL LIBRARY 
818-548-2035

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

Dance the morning away with us in the Children's Room.  Monday, June 15 at 10:30 a.m.. Wave those scarves in the air all you preschoolers!  

Children's Room 
818548-2035 

IT'S ROUGH BEING A PRINCE

Prince Lucas doesn't really have many friends. There aren't a lot of kids in the castle, and he's definitely not allowed to play with the common folk. His only friend is Clara, who is the daughter of he's mother's attendant, and his dad doesn't really want him to be friends with her either! How boring! But that all changes one day, and Clara and Prince Lucas team up on a real life mystery adventure! THE KINGDOM OF WRENLY: THE LOST STONE by Jordan Quinn is the first book in a promising series for beginning chapter book readers. 

For 2nd - 4th grades.

APRIL 2015

IS GOOD LUCK ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE?

Nate Harlow is about as unlucky as one kid can get. He has never once in his life won a coin toss, the toaster burns his toast every morning, and there's never a prize at the bottom of his Cracker Jacks. His best friend Gen Beam, the smartest person Nate knows, swears there's no such thing as luck at all--with the law of averages it's all bound to even out over time. Until then, though, Nate's stuck being a loser with just a single friend. 

But everything changes on Nate's 11th birthday--the day he's struck by lightning. Not only is he lucky enough to survive, all of a sudden Nate can't lose. Coin tosses, contests, and baseball games--he wins them all! Just when it seems like all his wishes are coming true, things start to get complicated, and all Nate's luck sets off some unintended consequences. Pretty soon Nate starts to wonder--is there such a thing as too much good luck? 

Bobbie Pyron's charming novel Lucky Strike, about family, friends, and fortune, will make a page-turning read for 4th to 6th graders. 

A SECRET REVEALED

From Theresa, Children’s Librarian at the Central Library

Ally, a sixth grader now at her seventh school, works hard to hide her terrible secret from her teacher and classmates. It’s not that she isn’t smart, she’s great at math and a talented artist. She’s also often in trouble and spends a lot of time in the principal’s office. When Ally inadvertently gives her teacher who was going on maternity leave a sympathy card instead of a congratulations on the birth of your baby, it wasn’t done to be mean but happened because she just does not know how to read. The kids in her class particularly a couple of “mean girls” often bully and make fun of her which makes school an even bigger challenge. When the new teacher takes over the class he is much more difficult to fool than any of the other teachers have been but fortunately for Ally he diagnoses her problem and offers to help.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullay Hunt deals with some very sensitive issues, dyslexia, bullying, friendship and courage. She does not sugar coat any of these but chooses to develop them fully in the middle school setting. In the end there is no miracle cure but there is progress brought about by small steps and lots of work. Ally is one of those characters that most readers will be glad they met. 

For readers in grades 4-6

PARTY WITH ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE!

PARTY WITH ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE ON TUES., JUNE 16TH AT 2PM.

GAMES, CRAFTS AND FUN ACTIVITIES FOR FANS OF GERALD AND PIGGIE.  

CHILDREN'S ROOM 
CENTRAL LIBRARY 
818-548-2035

A PRANKSTER'S PARADISE

Yawnee Valley: where a cow was once elected as Mayor due to a balloting error, and then reelected to a second term following record-high approval ratings. This bovine-enthusiast’s paradise, notable for counting moos as a popular pastime, is hardly Miles Murphy’s idea of a great place to live. 

Miles doesn’t know much about cows, nor does he care to. After being forced to abandon his familiar friends and home, all he wants is to reestablish his reputation at his new school as biggest prankster. There’s just one fly in the ointment: another prankster has already taken up residence, and truly masterful one at that. Miles isn't about to be cowed by some amateur, but when he finds his first big prank foiled, he’s given a proposition: he’ll  have to choose to beat ‘em at their craft or join ‘em. So let the pranking war begin…

With dry wit, quirky characters, comical illustrations, and some serious pranking Mac Barnett and Jory John’s The Terrible Two is a natural next read for for fans of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. A humorous read for grades 4 and up that will have kids cracking up until the cows come home.

A PUPPET MUSICAL THIS SATURDAY

Saturday, June 6, 2015 Noteworthy Puppets will perform JACK AND THE BEANSTALK:  THE PUPPET MUSICAL. You've never heard of singing puppets, you say?!  Well, then you must come and see this live performance yourself.  You all know the story, now come hear the songs.    

Central Library - auditorium 
2 pm. 
818-548-2038

A CRAYON'S STORY

Red crayon can’t seem to do anything right. Despite his bright red factory-applied label and very determined efforts, his artistic attempts are all decisively blue: blue strawberries, blue firetrucks, blue traffic lights, blue ants, etc. And, though well-meaning, his family’s suggestions fail to engender either change or satisfaction. Soon everyone is chiming in with commentary, critiques, and counsel: tape thinks he might be broken inside; scissors wonders if his label is too tight; amber questions whether he’s really red; fuchsia suggests that he might not be very bright… Ever keen to conform to expectations, red crayon diligently follows the advice of fellow art supplies, though it’s clear to readers from the start that mislabeling is the true source of the problem. The solution, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to longtime fans of the genre, is a celebration that comes from defying labels and embracing one’s true identity. Deceptively simple, Michael Hall’s Red: A Crayon’s Story is a fantastic picture book addition to the ever popular genre of identity and self-acceptance.

For more picture books exploring identity try The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino, Zero by Kathryn Otoshi, and A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. Or, for another imaginative crayon story that colors outside the lines, check out Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Quit.

For ages 4+

MUSICAL MAGIC

From Theresa, Children’s Librarian, Central Library: 

In her multilayered novel Echo, Pam Munoz Ryan, author of Esperanza Rising, takes us on a journey across time and geographical boundaries following a very unique harmonica, one that not only changes owners but lives as well. The first owner Otto is given the instrument when he was lost in the forest.  He is rescued by three sisters who were trapped there by a witches spell until they saved a life, coincidentally the girls were also characters in a book Otto bought from a gypsy. He promises to help them escape and carries their spirits out of the woods in the enchanted mouth harp. From there the harmonica travels to three different children, an aspiring Jewish conductor in pre-World War II Germany, two very poor orphaned brothers in Pennsylvania and the daughter of migrant workers in California. This special mouth harp works its magic on those it comes into contact with and they discover not only a love but an exceptional talent for music.  Each child’s story gives the reader a good picture of their time, circumstances and location and while the stories seem to end badly, please keep reading. 

For grades 5-8