January Book Selection

Our January book selection will be Mudshark by Gary Paulsen. Copies of Mudshark are available at the Children's Desk or through the library catalog. We will meet on Monday, January 25th at 3:30pm to discuss the book and do an activity.

Principal Wagner confidently deals with a faculty washroom crisis, a psychic parrot, and a terrorizing gerbil, but when sixty-five erasers go missing, he enlists the help of the school's best problem solver and locator of lost items, twelve-year-old Lyle Williams, aka Mudshark.

December Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met this past Monday, December 21st to discuss the book Matilda by Roald Dahl. We had a terrific meeting, a great discussion and lots of holiday treats!

We began by talking about Matilda as a person and the things that were special about her. We discussed how she handled her situation at home and why her parents were so mean to her. Some felt that they were jealous of her abilities and one member thought that maybe her parents felt boys were better than girls and that they were right to focus all of their attention on her brother, Michael.

We were split on who we thought was worse: Mr. Wormwood or Miss Trunchbull. Some readers felt that Mr. Wormwood was worse because he was a crook and because he was so mean to Matilda at home. Others felt Miss Trunchbull was worse because she was so mean to all of the students at Crunchem Hall Primary School and because of "The Chokey."

We all agreed that it was wrong for Miss Trunchbull to not give Miss Honey her full salary and to have forced her out of the home that was rightfully hers. And we were all surprised that Miss Trunchbull turned out to be Miss Honey's aunt!

We talked about Matilda's special powers and how she helped Miss Honey get her home back. We were all very impressed with Matilda's brilliant plan and thought the chalk trick was smart. We agreed that Matilda will probably not see her family again but that she will be happy living with Miss Honey.

Overall most of us really liked Matilda and would recommend it to friends. We are all eager to read more Roald Dahl books.

During our book discussion we decorated some holiday window ornaments and ate some holiday cupcakes and cookies. We also worked on some word mastery, trying to make up as many words as we could using the letters from this sentence: "Matilda Loves Reading." We came up with some great words including mall, slime and validate! It was a terrific meeting and thanks to everyone who came out for book club so close to christmas!

Have a wonderful holiday and a very happy New Year!

Matilda the Movie & Meeting Reminder

Matilda by Roald Dahl was made into a movie in 1996 starring Mara Wilson as Matilda and Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman as her horrible parents, the Wormwoods. Check out the movie version after you read the book for book club!

And just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet this Monday, December 21st for a book discussion of Matilda and some holiday treats. See you then!

An Old Fashioned Holiday & Saturday Matinee

There are two events happening at the library this week that we hope to see you attend:

An Old Fashioned Holiday with Lisa & Friends - join Lisa and her puppets for a celebration of the winter holidays on Thursday, December 17th at 3:30pm in the Children's Program Room. No registration is required for this free program.

Saturday Matinee @ the Library: Disney's G-Force, rated PG - join us for a free afternoon showing of the children's movie G-Force on Saturday, December 19th at 2:30pm. Buckle up for thrilling action in this family comedy adventure about courageous guinea-pigs with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme. No registration is required. Located in the lower-level program room.

Something New for Winter Break

The Children's Department recently acquired a bunch of new novels for kids. Here are a few that you might want to read during the winter vacation...

The Last Newspaper Boy in America by Sue Corbett

"Wil David, twelve, became his town's newspaper carrier this week only to learn he may soon be unemployed...Now, with a clueless brother, nosy neighbor girl, and some rocket science on his side, Wil is fighting to save his route--and realizing there's more at stake than one kid's job. Along the way he just might unravel a carnival mystery, expose a con artist, rescue a little town, and become a true hero..."

Murder at Midnight by Avi

"Falsely accused of plotting to overthrow King Claudio, scholarly Mangus the magician, along with his street-smart servant boy, Fabrizio, face deadly consequences unless they can track down the real traitor by the stroke of midnight."

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

"An unlucky twelve-year-old Norwegian boy named Odd leads the Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin in an attempt to outwit evil Frost Giants who have taken over Asgard."

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor

"In Fayette, South Carolina, the highlight of Popeye's summer is learning vocabulary words with his grandmother until a motor home gets stuck nearby and Elvis, the oldest boy living inside, joins Popeye in finding the source of strange boats floating down the creek."

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan

"Eleven-year-old inventor Sol must recover his self-confidence if he and his eight-year-old sister, Connie, are to escape the clutches of Hansel and Gretel's witch, to whom they have been led by their new stepmother and the man they believe to be their father."

Author Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916 - 1990) is the amazing author of Matilda and many, many other classic books for children. Here are just a few of his books that you will definitely want to read:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)

Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970)

Three farmers, each one meaner than the other, try all-out warfare to get rid of the fox and his family.

Danny, the Champion of the World (1975)

A young English boy describes his relationship with his father and the special adventure they share together.

The Witches (1983)

A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.