TEENS, INTERESTED IN MAKING MINI COMICS?

 
Come by Saturday, at 11:30 at the Central Library  Auditorium for a mini workshop as part of The Big Draw L.A. 

SWALLOWED WHOLE

THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY by Kathryn Fitzmaurice is very well written for an author's first novel. Set in a small oceanside town, Eleanor "Groovy" Robinson witnesses her father being taken to jail. Turns out, it's her mother that's sent him there, and all of a sudden her normal world swirls into chaos. She's so upset she can't even do the one thing she loves - cooking. She discovers unlikely friends in peculiar people and places, and comes to terms with things not always being what they seem. Very easy to read, with vivid imagery and an engaging plot. For grades 4 and up.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME...

FOREVER ROSE by Hilary McKay is not your typical family, not your typical little girl and NOT your typical book. Is your Dad an artist living far away from home? Does your mom hide away in a shed pretending to paint pictures? Do your brother's friends come to live with you? Even if none of these things happen in your life, Rose might be someone you can relate to because Rose feels very alone. The youngest of five or so siblings, it's almost as if everyone forgets she even exists. Nothing a little hiding out with a tiger at the zoo wouldn't help... For grades 5 and up.

ANOTHER PAULSEN CRACKUP

The Glass Cafe or, the Stripper and the State; How My Mother Started a War With the System That Made Us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous by Gary Paulsen is the really long title of this hilarious tale of how some figure drawings of exotic dancers became part of an art exhibit and landed Tony, a budding artist and his mother, Al, in trouble. The story unfolds in the rambling way of a great storyteller who has you hooked from the first line of this incredible story of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary a mother.

Short and tiny at 99 pages, it is one of the funniest thing I've read in a long time. For mature readers in 6th grade and up. Be sure to read another hilarious boy book by Paulsen, The Amazing Life of Birds: (The Twenty Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech) As Discovered by Gary Paulsen. Stay tuned for more Gary Paulsen book reviews.

^@^@^ BOOKMARK CONTEST 2009 ^@^@^

BE CREATIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY!!!

January 26 - February 8, 2009

Each January the Library holds a contest to design new bookmarks to be used during the year. This competition is open to any one who wishes to participate from infants through adults. The only restriction is that the actual drawing must be done in the Library, Central or one of the Branches, with the materials supplied by the Library. The submissions are then judged by outside judges and the winners are chosen according to age groups. The winners are given a certificate and copies of their winning bookmark at a ceremony which is held at the Central Library. Winning bookmarks are duplicated and distributed throughout the Glendale Library System. This year's theme is Be Creative @ Your Library.

DANGER IN ART

While in a small London town, Calder becomes intrigued by a piece of art work created by the artist he was named after, Alexander Calder. The sculpture mysteriously disappears one day and so does Calder. His father and the police are clueless as to how to find Calder so they must enlist the help of his two closest friends to search for clues. His friends must set aside their personal dislikes of each other to find him before it is too late.

In this third art mystery novel, The Calder Game by Blue Balliett, the puzzle lover finds himself within a life size maze that has somehow swallowed him up without leaving a trace.

For readers in 4th - 6th.

CURSES AND COMICS

Just when it seems like things can not get any worse, they do for Addy. She would like to blame it all on that Irish ancestor who chopped down the fairy tree but her mother says the stories are just jokes. When her best friend deserts her because one of her hand drawn comics got shown around the entire school and her mother's boyfriend moves into the guest room she is not so sure that she isn't cursed.

Katie Davis tells the story of a talented creator of her own "autobiogra-strip"* in The Curse of Addy McMahon. Best for readers in grades 4-6,

*Read the book to discover just exactly what this is!

WHEN ART WAS LIFE!

Charlotte is a young American girl living in France with her mother and father, who is an impressionist artist. They live right next door to Monsieur Monet, run into Monsieur Gaugin while vacationing by the sea, and travel to New York where her father is comissioned to be a featured artist in a fancy gallery there. The story unfolds through Charlotte's journal, as she details the many exciting things that happen in France and New York, and what it's like to be alive in the 1890s. It even includes a recipe and quite a few paintings, post cards and other artistic tokens. A good story for 3rd-5th grades.

ARTFUL READING

Now here is a very fun book to not only read but also get to see some pretty cool paintings by world famous artists. The subject in all of the paintings is reading, therefore the title ARTFUL READING by BOB RACZKA. The book is very thin and there is not much to read. However, the paintings are really beautiful and it is actually cool to see reading being portrayed as a cool pass time in them. At the end of the book, there is a brief history of each artist's life.

For grades first and older.

BOOKMARK CONTEST 2008

It's time for our annual BOOKMARK CONTEST, so come one come all to your local Glendale Public Library and design a bookmark with the theme - CATCH THE READING BUG!

From January 28th through February 10th, design a bookmark at your local branch library and enter to win. You can be 5-years-old or 55-years-old; our only rule is that the actual drawing of the bookmark must be done in the library, at either Central or one of the Branches.

Submissions will be divided into age groups and given to a panel of judges. All winners will be presented with a certificate and copies of their winning bookmark at an award ceremony in April. The winning bookmarks are also distributed throughout the Glendale Public Library System, so make sure yours is in the running!