Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Summer Reading 2013: Dig Into Reading!

Summer Reading is right around the corner and our theme for 2013 is Dig Into Reading!  We will be digging into dinosaurs, archaeology, underground animals, gardens, garden gnomes, buried treasure, and much more!

Our summer reading program officially begins on Monday, June 24th and will run for 8 weeks through Wednesday, August 14th.  This years program features performers including a magician, storyteller, musicians, live animals, Ronald McDonald, Mad Science and more.  We will also be having Monday morning drop-in storytimes (ages 2 - 4), Tuesday morning puppet workshops (ages 5+) and Tween activities (ages 9 - 12).

Sign up now for summer reading!  All you have to do is register for the program at the library, over the phone (401-847-8720 ext. 204) or online.  Read 6 books during the summer and record the titles in a reading log at the library or online.

Summer Readers who complete the program will receive a certificate, free book, toy prize and 1 free ticket to a PawSox game.  Those who also make a time capsule and guess the mischievous garden gnome (details are online) will be entered into a grand prize drawing for a nook!

Visit the summer reading website for all the details of our program.  See you this summer!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Kids Reading Across Rhode Island


Kids Reading Across Rhode Island is back!  The kick-off celebration will be held on Saturday, June 1st from 1:00pm - 4:00pm at the Rhode Island State House in Providence.  The 2013 book is... Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai!  M. Lai will give a presentation and sign copies of the book. Crafts and activities will be available from Rhode Island libraries.  In addition a youth dance group from Worcester, MA will perform two Vietnamese dances.  Each family in attendance will receive a free copy of the book.  This event is for kids in grades 3 – 6.

 












Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

May Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our May book, Punished! by David Lubar.

We began with our Punished! trivia and I was very impressed with how closely many of the kids read the book.  Numerous details were remembered including all of the details of Logan's quests.

We began our discussion by talking about the title, Punished!, and why the author chose to go with that title.  For obvious reasons (Logan is punished in the story) it makes sense but some members felt that it was too much of a spoiler and gave too much away.  We then shared some ideas for what we think makes a good title and how much of a book's plot the title should give away.

We talked about Logan's first encounter with Professor Wordsworth and what the professor means when he tells Logan "words aren't always enough."  Even though Logan apologized for running into him and being disrespectful, he wasn't truly sorry.  As is always the case, actions speak louder than words and Logan should have been more sincere.  If he was, maybe he wouldn't have been punished.

We talked about puns, how they are very annoying to people, and about the other types of word play used in the book: anagrams, palindromes, redundancies and oxymorons.  We knew about anagrams and oxymorons prior to our reading of Punished! but many of us did not have experience with palindromes beforehand.

Some of us were surprised that Professor Wordsworth helped Logan finish his quest by helping him find the last palindrome, but others thought that it made sense because he had started to like Logan and was impressed that he was actually following through on working to reverse the punishment.

We agreed that although the story would have been different and interesting had it been narrated by another character, Logan was the best person to tell his story since the punishment happened to him.  The only other character we could see narrating it would be Logan's best friend Benedict.

Overall we were a little bit mixed on Punished!.  Not everyone loved it and I think a few club members thought it was a little too easy and straightforward for us.  But others enjoyed following Logan as he completed his quests and enjoyed the different types of word play.

Following our discussion we worked together on an activity packet where we had to create anagrams and palindromes and decipher oxymorons based on the clues given.

It was a terrific meeting and our last meeting of the school year!  Book Buddies will resume in September for another great year of books and reading.  Thanks to all the club members who came, read and contributed as much as they did this year.  Stay tuned for all of the details of the upcoming summer reading program!

 

Friday, May 17, 2013

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, May 20th @ 3:30pm to discuss our May book, Punished! by David Lubar. 

Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk.

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

New and Recommended

Looking for something new to read?  We've recently gotten a whole bunch of new chapter books in at the library.  Come in and see what's on the new bookshelf today!  Here are just a few you might want to read...

Secrets of Shakespeare's Grave by Deron R. Hicks

Twelve-year-old Colophon Letterford has a serious mystery on her hands. Will she discover the link between her family's literary legacy and Shakespeare's tomb before it's too late?

Keeping Safe the Stars by Barbara O'Connor

In rural Minnesota in 1974, thirteen-year-old Pride Star, raised to be independent, must accept help from friends and neighbors to care for eleven-year-old Nightingale and six-year-old Baby when her grandfather is hospitalized with a brain infection.

A Whole Lot of Lucky by Danette Haworth

When twelve-year-old Hailee's family wins the lottery, her life changes in unexpected--and not always good--way.

Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs

As almost thirteen-year-old Ben, a student at the CIA's academy for future intelligence agents, prepares to go to spy summer camp, he receives a death threat from the evil organization SPYDER.

Nightmare of the Iguana by Ursula Vernon (Dragonbreath #8)

 Wendell the iguana's dreams are all nightmares and a Dream Wasp wants him as a host for her eggs--so, with Great-grandfather Dragonbreath's help, Danny the dragon and Suki the salamander enter Wendell's dreams to try and defeat the wasp.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Word Play and Figures of Speech

 
"A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired."

Check out this website with links to great sites that give examples of anagrams, palindromes, oxymorons and puns. Also be sure to click on the link, "Figures of Speech Sites." There are explanations and activites for all kinds of figurative language including similes, metaphors, idioms and my favorite: onomatopoeia.

Friday, May 10, 2013

May Featured Author of the Month

Christopher Paul Curtis (birthday May 10) is the featured author of the month! Mr. Curtis has written many books for children including The Mighty Miss Malone, Elijah of Buxton, Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money, the Newbery Honor book The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 and the Newbery Award winner Bud, Not Buddy. He lives in Detroit, Michigan.

Find out all about him and watch a video at Reading Rockets.  See another video interview from Scholastic. Visit the library today to check out his amazing books.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Anagrams, Palindromes and Oxymorons

Punished! is a book filled with word play. Logan must complete three quests in order to stop his incessant punning and the quests involve anagrams, palindromes and oxymorons.

Here are a few other books overflowing with word play that you might enjoy...

Double Trouble in Walla-Walla by Andrew Clements

It's an ordinary morning in Walla Walla until Lulu, her teacher, the school nurse, and the principal are all infected by a word warp which makes them reduplicate everything they say.






Born to Drive (Otto Undercover #1) by Rhea Perlman

After thwarting bad guys to win the Yazoo 200 race, with the help of his trusty racecar and his eccentric Aunts FiFi and FooFoo, Otto Pillip receives a note from his long-lost parents inviting him to join the secret family business. Includes words spelled backward, anagrams, and palindromes.





Cat's Eye Corner by Terry Griggs

When Olivier is invited to spend the summer with his eccentric grandfather and his even more eccentric third wife, Sylvia de Whosit of Whatsit, at their strange old mansion, Cat's Eye Corner, he knows that he is in for a real and true adventure. And, Olivier is not disappointed, for on his first morning at Cat's Eye Corner, his step-step-stepgramma sets him off on a scavenger hunt to keep him amused. As Olivier forages in and around the seemingly ever-changing mansion in search of all the items on his list, he acquires various odd friends, including a witty fountain pen and a resourceful dragonfly. Together they find all of the items, stop the nasty Mr. Mirrific from rewriting the dictionary and other literary classics, and generally have a grand adventure. (School Library Journal Review)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Casey Farm Chicks

Our Casey Farm chicks have hatched!  Visit the library and meet our new feathered friends or watch them via our webcam!


Saturday, May 4, 2013

2013 Edgar Award Winner

The winners of the 2013 Edgar Awards were announced on May 2nd in New York City.  And the winner for Best Juvenile Mystery went to... The Quick Fix by Jack D. Ferraiolo!  Check out the complete list of nominees and winners.


The Quick Fix

When the star of the basketball team is blackmailed, it is up to Matt Stevens, the lone voice for justice in corrupt Franklin Middle School, to uncover who is behind the scheme--Vinny "Mr. Biggs" Biggio, his deputy Kevin Carling, or perhaps the scheming Thompson twins.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Author David Lubar

David Lubar is the fantastic author of Punished!, our May book club book.  He has written many books for children including the Nathan Abercrombie series and many Creepy Tales. He has also written books for young adults including his very popular Hidden Talents and True Talents.

Attack of the Vampire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales (2011)

Thirty creepy stories about warped technology, revengeful ants, sadistic gym teachers, and other terrifying things. Includes author's notes on how he got his ideas for these stories.

My Rotten Life (2009) - Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie #1

Tired of continually having his feelings hurt by popular students and bullies, fifth-grader Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula, Hurt-Be-Gone, and becomes a half-dead zombie, a condition which, he soon discovers, has some real advantages.



Wednesday, May 1, 2013

May Book

Our May book will be... Punished! by David Lubar. We will meet to discuss the book on Monday, May 20th at 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.

Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk or can be requested through the Ocean State Libraries Catalog.

Registration is required. If you would like to join Book Buddies (for readers in grades 3 - 6) we would love to have you! To sign up, call the Children's Desk at 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.

Hope to see you all in May!