A BEDTIME FOR BEAR

Katherine from Pacific Park likes:

Author Bonny Becker delivers again with another wonderful installment in the Bear and Mouse series. This perfect bedtime story infuses beautiful watercolor illustrations, lessons of caring and sharing, and good old-fashioned humor. In A Bedtime for Bear, light sleeper Bear “invites” boisterous Mouse for a sleepover. At first Bear has trouble sleeping with Mouse’s distractions, then finds actual silence is not all it’s cracked up to be.

For Preschool – 2nd grade.

BE SPHDZ, SAVE THE WORLD

Jennifer, the children's librarian from the Montrose-Crescenta Branch likes:

Spaceheadz is Jon Scieska’s first book in a promising, new chapter book series. Michael K. is the new kid at school and just wants to fit in. But his class partners, who say they’re aliens, are making it difficult. They talk like TV advertisements, don’t understand earth rules, and follow a hamster’s orders. People are starting to notice. Even worse, the aliens need Michael’s help to save the world. He must convince 3.14 million (+1) kids to become SPHDZ (Spaceheadz) or earth will be “turned off.” Agent Umber, an anti-alien spy, is on their trail. Michael must decide whether to help the aliens or turn them in to the authorities.

A quirky, fun read about an alien takeover. For grades 3-4.

FROM THE LIBRARY CONNECTION @ ADAMS SQUARE

From Kristine:

The Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter is a great sing and dance along book to share during storytime. The animal behaviors described in lyrics gets children imitating animal behaviors and “boogie, woogie oogie” throughout the entire book. This engaging book will get any group of children out of their seats.

ALCATRAZ IS NOT JUST A PRISON

Apparently, librarians are ruling our world. Had I known this earlier, I would've taken my duties as a librarian a little more seriously. But after reading ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS by Brian Sanderson (allegedly), perhaps it's not such a good idea to even BE a librarian! When Alcatraz Smedry turns thirteen, he is shown an entirely alternate universe than the one he lives in, a place where guns are not the most effective weapons, and it's a good thing to show up late and break stuff. It's a place where Alcatraz Smedry feels accepted and loved, and somewhere that he is appreciated instead of rejected. It's also where he begins his adventures of restoring the world ruled by librarians to its natural order. Recommended for 5th - 8th grade.

MUD TACOS

One morning, playing in the garden at her grandmother’s house, Mario and his sister Marisa use their imagination and make from a large cardboard box, a mobile restaurant that sells tacos for lunch. Mario runs through the yard looking for big leaves, mud and petals of flowers to decorate the tacos. The tacos look very appetizing, but the appetite of Marissa goes off and does not dare to try. Making mud tacos in the yard, Mario and Marissa decide to have real tacos for lunch and headed for her grandmother to accompany them to buy the ingredients needed to prepare some delicious tacos.On the way to the supermarket, they stop at their cousins’ home Rosie and Chico. Chico behaves like a bully boy trying to intimidating the cousins and starts acting super mature. When Mario and Marissa invite their cousins to visit the improvised restaurant, Chico proclaims himself too big for those silly childish games and Marissa and Mario think that maybe Chico would like to taste a mud taco. Funny store with nice colorful illustrations. Kindergarten. Ages 5-6. Written by Mario Lopez and Marissa Lopez Wong, illustrated by Maryn Roos.

GREATEST WORDS TO LIVE BY

If you want to read one book and get bunch of incredible, amazing and inspiring ideas and thoughts than this books is for you! A GIFT OF DAYS: THE GREATEST WORDS TO LIVE BY is compiled by STEPHEN ALCORN which lift your spirits, make you will want to do great things for yourself and others and allow you to think of extraordinary things that you usually would not think of. This beautiful book of quotes with great illustrations of the people that are depicted is a treasure. Famous people such as Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Walt Disney and Mia Hamm are just the few to mention in this collection of famous people’s quotes that are inspiring, imaginative and clever. Here is one to live by “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree” –Marin Luther
For grades 4th and up.

SWEET 15

Destino Lozada will be pretty soon 15 years old. Her parents decide to prepare a "quinceañera" traditional party to celebrate the birthday of their daughter's transition to a señorita. These plans put Destiny in the midst of a family dispute between her parents' traditional ideas and liberal ideas of her older sister America that sometime declared herself in a hunger strike to prevent her own quinceañera party. Destiny's conflicting feelings about whether she wants to continue being a tomboy or a girl, are upsetting and realistic. Destiny prefers to continue doing her skateboarding and watching TV. After months of struggle between the mother and sister about the event and trying to find out who will be her escort for the occasion, Destiny learn to express their feelings and even finds love.The book provides Spanish vocabulary that explore the Hispanic cultural tradition. Grades 7-9 . Ages 12-14. Written by Emily Adler and Alex Echevarria.

SMILE, OR ELSE!

Grandpa woke up one morning to find his teeth, which he always kept in a glass of water on the nightstand, have gone missing. Everyone in the family as well as the entire police force is recruited to search for the stolen dentures but nothing turns up. Grandpa suspects everyone in town, especially if they didn't smile. Business begins to fall off because tourists were too scared to come to a town full of smilers. So, desperate and miserable, the town comes together to discuss a solution to make Grandpa and everyone else happy again.

Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement is a fun and clever picture book for older readers in 1st - 4th grade.

HEY, AL!

I am sure that you have read countless books about people and their dogs. But I promise that this one is different in that they turn into different creatures due to special circumstances. The story begins just like any other story about a man and his dog. They live together, do things together and have a very close and royal relationship with each other. As days go by however, they start arguing and get tired of doing the same things on a daily basis. To their surprise, a toucan arrives at their window and invites to take them to some version of paradise. However, things turn spooky when they see they are also changing into birds… You need to read the book to find out what happens to this dynamic duo! HEY, AL is by ARTHUR YORINKS and the beautiful illustrations are by RICHARD EGIELSKI.

For grades 1st to 3rd.

HAMLET, YOU ARE SPECIAL

Hamlet's parents are Shakespearean professors. Not only do they teach about Shakespeare, they wear the clothes, speak in the style and eat the food of Shakespeare's time. You get the idea. Shakespeare fanatics. And that's how Hamlet came to be called Hamlet and her sister Desdemona. But, it doesn't end there.


Hamlet thought eighth grade was going to be her year to be at the top of the heap and everything would go smoothly, but no. Her genius seven year old sister, Dezzie, who needs to fulfill her arts requirement before going off to college will be going to be going to school AND attend classes with her. What's worse, in English and Social Studies, they will be studying all things Shakespeare. And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.


Read all about The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne. A tragic comedy for readers in 6th - 8th grade.

MAKE A MASK

WHEN: Saturday, October 30, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Central Library Children's Room
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale, Ca 91205

For children ages four and older and their families, come and make a mask, share some Halloween stories and treats.

GRIFFIN BING, IS A MAN WITHOUT A PLAN

Griffin's new start in middle school is not going well. The principal is all about football and seems to have it in for Griffin and his friends from the beginning. Being framed for stealing a valuable and significant Super Bowl ring from the glass display case of the school, he and his "team" have to prove his innocence, and figure out who really stole the ring but every single plan lands Griffin in even more of a mess - until he's under house arrest - with an electronic device around his ankle .

Framed by Gordon Korman is next in the Griffin Bing series and perfect read for 4th -6th graders.

MY HAVANA

In 1954, Secundino Fernando (Dino) is six years, and he lives in Havana, Cuba.
Dino feels a deep attraction for the beautiful architecture of his city. He is always seen drawing buildings, monuments, cathedral domes and courtyards in his sketchbook. The Fernandez family decides to leave Havana and moves to Spain for 3 years. Dino’s father should help his brother’s family while he recovers from an accident. The length of stay in Spain is painful and Dino is constantly thinking when to return to Havana.
In 1956 the family moves back to Havana. Dino’s parents go back to work at the restaurant they own. In 1959 when Castro and the Communist Party take over the Cuban government, it’s time to say good-bye to Havana definitely. They move to New York city. Dino carries his sketchbook with him but mostly of the time the pages stay empty. He longs every day to come back to his home country, so he tries to find a solution to his homesickness building a model of the Cuban capital on his bedroom floor.
The bestselling children’s author, Rosemary Wells, was moved to tell the story of “Dino” after hearing and interview with the architect Secundino Fernandez in 2001. Grades 3-4 – Ages 8-9. Written by Rosemary Wells with Secundino Fernandez, illustrated by Peter Ferguson.

FUN WITH YOUR FACE

Katherine from the Pacific Park Branch enjoys reading this title to classes that visit the library:

Reluctant readers don’t stand a chance with Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas. From four years old to 4^th graders, this book will have them standing, sitting down, dancing and making faces at the direction of a lady bug narrator. With the characteristic humor of Thomas, this short but sweet book makes storytimes and reading fun!