A BOOK SCAVENGER FINDS A BOOK

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman is a book lover's adventure that's described by the author as a mix of geocaching, scavenger hunting and Bookcrossing.com.  In this story, people hide books and provide clues online for others to decipher in order to find the hidden books and with each successful find the hunters earn points.  

San Francisco, California is the next city Emily and her family are headed for on their quest to live in all 50 states.  Her parents' jobs and nomadic lifestyle has left her with one thing that she clings to and can always count on to do in each new city, The Book Scavenger game started by Garrison Griswold.  As soon as she arrives in the city, Griswold is mugged and in the hospital.  Emily finds a book thinking it's part of the game but as she and her new friend, James, begin to decipher each clue and code they realize this new game has become more and more dangerous.  

For 5th-8th grade readers who really enjoy decoding, a mystery and an adventure in one of the most amazing city in the country.  

OUR SPECIAL SUMMER PERFORMERS

Noteworthy Puppets will be performing their two amazing puppet shows at the branches this summer.  

The company's new show, Sherlock Homerun: A Whodunit Puppet Musical, based on this year's summer reading theme has it all - sports, music, mystery!  Best of all,YOU, the audience gets to decide the ending!!!

Cental, Thursday, 6/2 @1pm
Casa, Wednesday, 6/29 @ 6:30pm
Montrose, Tuesday, 7/19 @4pm

Jack and the Beanstalk:  The Puppet Musical will be performed at these branches:

Chevy, Saturday, 6/4 @2pm 
Grandview, Thursday, 6/9 @3pm 
Adams, Monday, 7/11 @ 6:30pm

BOOGER INSPIRED

Billy's Booger: A Memoir (sorta) by William Joyce and his younger self

Once upon a time there was a boy who loved the Sunday comic strips, drawing and creating all kinds of things.  he entered a book writing contest at the behest of his school librarian.  He included all the things he thought would be interesting:, space travel, mucus, meteor, and more in his book hoping to win.  

Readers in 3rd - 6th grade should read this fantastic story illustrated by award winning author William Joyce and be inspired.  

SUMMER READING STARTING SOON

READ FOR THE WIN!  is this year's summer reading theme.  Come for some olympic fun but reading is always our game.  You are always a winner when you read so beat that summer slide and pick up your reading log at your nearest library branch.  

First prize: Win a book after you read eight books. 
Second prize:  Win a book after you read eight books. 
Third prize:   Win a book after you read eight books. 
You can do it!  Everyone can do it! 


New this year: Sign up for the new online reading program, too. 

For all ages.  

A NEARER MOON

A Nearer Moon written by Melanie Crowder is a story about a young girl, Luna, who is determined to save her little sister.  The story takes place in a village where over the years the swap water, as the elders say, has been cursed.  Luna’s mother had three rules never to be broken:  don’t go past the bend in the river;  don’t go below the dam; and steer far away from the slick.

The book touches on important topics such as sisterhood, environment and determination with Luna’s character portraying bravery and wholesomeness and amazing sisterly love.  

This book is for ages 8-12 but it is slow-paced and a little complex in the beginning.

A HAUNTING SUMMER

A review by Theresa : 

It"s summer time and school is out which means that it is off to grandmother’s Tennessee farm for 12-year-old Avery and older brother Blake and days spent playing a make-believe game of their own invention. But this year Blake feels that he is too old for this pastime and plans to spend the summer reading for school. Avery is very upset at the prospect of a long uneventful summer in the country. All that changes though when she meets Julian, an aspiring filmmaker, who wants to film a ghost story at the very old and very spooky house on her grandmother’s property.  

The big glitch is that Avery is not allowed to go anywhere near the place but after some convincing by Julian and some research into the history of her family, she breaks that rule. The house is as spooky as promised and the two would-be filmmakers are in for some very thrilling times trying to discover the mystery of the house and make their film in Sonia Gensler’s Ghostlight. 

This is a hard story to put down, ghosts and mystery an unbeatable combination.  For readers in 5th grade and up. 

ONE SECOND AROUND THE WORLD

The World in a Second is captured in this picture book by Isabel Minhos Martins and Bernardo P. Carvalho to show the concept of a moment captured in time anywhere in the world.  A horn is being honked in Mexico City, a package arrives at someone's home, or an orange falls in an orchard. The book is simply and graphically illustrated with strong colors and outlines alongside some simple poetic text.  At the end, there's a spread of a world map indicating where each moment took place moving across the world and time. 

Almost every continent was represented in this lovely book. Great for readers of all ages.

AN UNUSUAL FAMILY

A review by Theresa: 

Their divorced family is a bit unusual as mom and dad are still friends and very involved with their twins, Nick and Eryn. When mom suddenly announces that she and her long-time boyfriend Michael are getting married, the expectation is that very little will change. But that may not be the case in Margaret Peterson Haddix’s book Under Their Skin. First of all they are going to move into a new house. Then the twins discover that Michael has two children that they have never met and there are no plans to get the kids together even though they are close in age. Very quickly changes come flying at the twins and the discovery that they make on a snowy day will change their lives forever. 

This new two-part series is a combination of science fiction, suspense and mystery guaranteed to keep the reader guessing. For readers 5th grade and up.

TUTUED COCKATOOS CAN CAN-CAN, TOO

In Cockatoo, Too, two cockatoos meet two tutued cockatoos; then they want two tutus, too. The two pairs of tutued cockatoos soon join two pairs of tutued toucans can-canning.

Sparely written, Bethanie Deeney Murguia’s Cockatoo, Too is a simple story told in clever homonym wordplay and attractive watercolor illustrations. As the dedication indicates, it’s the perfect picture book “for word lovers and bird lovers.” Share it with older readers to exemplify the versatility of language, or share it with younger readers just for fun!

For another picture book featuring delightful word and punctuation play within a simple story, try Emily Gravett’s Orange Pear Apple Bear.

Ages 2 and up

CREEPY AND TWISTED

Tabitha, an unwanted child of two very selfish parents, is about to be left at the doorstep of the local orphanage, when she and five other children are  invited to a spend the weekend at the mansion of a wealthy but reclusive countess.  Strange things begin to happen as soon as they arrive.  The maid dies right at the dinner table and the children begin to dissappear one by one.

Tabitha sets out to investigate the secrets she's sure is hiding in the mansion and with the seemingly more and more unstable countess.  Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson is a Dahlish gothic novel set in some nebulous Dickensian time period.  It's a perfect read for those looking for something different to read.

For readers in 4th-6th grades.  

FRACTURED AND FRUSTRATED SNOW WHITE

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Raphaelle Barbanegre is a another twist on the original tale where Snow White meets and takes care of not 7 but 77 dwarves!  She has to memorize all their names, make lunches and help maintain their beards. When no one would help she decides is due for some much needed rest. 

This is perfect for those who know the original and are looking for something a little different.  No helpful woodland creatures here!  For preschool readers and up. 

BLUEBERRY FEVER

Newbery-honor author Cynthia Lord takes readers back to her home state of Maine in her newest middle-grade novel A Handful of Stars. There we meet twelve-year-old Lily, her beloved blind dog, Lucky, and--when Lucky slips his collar to pursue a tasty sandwich--Salma Santiago, whose family are migrant workers only in town for blueberry season. Lily has never gotten to know any migrant workers before, even though they come every summer, but she finds she and Salma have more in common than she ever would have expected, including a love of dogs and painting as well as a personal history of loss. They also both have some lofty goals: Lily yearns to earn enough money to help fix Lucky's eyesight, while Salma is determined to enter the local Blueberry Queen pageant and take home the first-place prize even though no migrant worker has entered before. 

This delightfully heartfelt novel is a true testament to the power of friendship and the love of family, beautifully exploring what it really means to reach for the stars. 

Perfect for readers in 4th grade and up. 

I REALLY LIKE SLOP!

Slop anyone? Piggie’s latest is making slop that’s part of “pig culture.” Gerald, the elephant, can’t stand the smell or the look of Piggie’s treat; partly because it has flies buzzing around it but as Piggie says, “that’s how you know it’s ripe.” Although the slop isn’t appealing to Gerald, he tries it because Piggie is his friend.

I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems is the 24th book in the Elephant and Piggie series. This particular book teaches that it’s okay to try something and not like it. The illustrations are simple and the text is short and funny.

For ages 6-8

WAITING FOR JUNE

We've had a great winter storytime session and now we are getting ready for our summer session.   We'll see you the first Monday in June, June 6, 2016.  
Check our online calendar for all the upcoming summer events at all our branches. Have a good May. 

Remember that this week, the Central library's Children's Room will open at 2:30pm due to construction in the room.