Monday, August 30, 2010

Books About School

The first day of school in Newport is this Thursday, September 2nd. To help get you in the spirit, here are a few new books you might like to read...


The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming

The reputation of the fifth graders of Aesop Elementary School precedes them and no one wants to teach this rowdy group. Luckily, Mr. Jupiter, their intrepid, world-traveling, fourth-grade teacher, is willing to step up to the challenge. As the other teachers breathe sighs of relief, Mr. Jupiter revels in exposing this exuberant group to unusual and exciting information. From singing Burmese guinea pigs to ancient texts such as The Babylonian Book of Babble, which actually produces a thunderstorm, Mr. Jupiter has all that it takes to keep their attention. (SLJ Review)
(This book is the sequel to The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School)

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce

Supremely confident middle school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.







Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy

Ten-year-old Camille McPhee relates the ups and downs of her fourth-grade year at her Idaho elementary school as she tries to adjust to the absence of her best friend, maintain control of her low-blood sugar, cope with the intensifying conflict between her parents, and understand the importance of honesty and fairness.



And for those of you who'd like to read about a different sort of school...



Ottoline Goes to School by Chris Riddell

Ottoline and Mr. Munroe, her very helpful dog, enroll in the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted and while Ottoline worries that she may not have a special gift, Mr. Munro worries about the ghost that is said to haunt the school at night.






School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

Twelve-year-olds Madeleine, Theo, and Lulu, and thirteen-year-old Garrison, are sent to a remote Massachusetts school to overcome their phobias, but tragedy strikes and the quartet must work together--with no adult assistance--to face their fears.





Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Thirteen-year-old Quinn believes he is fairly normal until he is spirited away from his grandmother's house to the Academy for Monsters, where he leads his new friends in rebelling against the faculty's agenda of suppressing students' true natures.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A New Year of Book Buddies



The Book Buddies Book Club returns this September!

Kids in grades 3, 4 and 5 are invited to join the club which meets once a month on Monday afternoons in the John Clarke Children's Program Room. We'll be reading some fantastic popular children's books as well as having amazing discussions, doing exciting crafts and activities and if we're lucky, conducting a few more author interviews! As always, snacks will be provided. Registration is required as is a committment to reading and talking about books.

Each month's book is available at the Children's Desk during the weeks preceeding our meeting. (i.e. September's book will be available all during the month of September). Books must be checked out on your own library card and you're encouraged to read the book before we meet. That way we can have a great discussion!

Registration is open now! Register by visiting the Children's Desk, calling 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or adding a comment to this post.

Our first meeting of the new school year will be on Monday, September 27th at 3:30pm. Stay tuned for details on our amazing first book! Hope to see you there!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

End of Summer Reading & Special Tween Events

The end of summer reading is almost here! Can you believe it? I feel like the summer just started and we're already talking about the end of summer reading outdoor fair. Next Thursday, August 19th, the Children's Department will be hosting our annual outdoor fair to celebrate the end of summer reading. This year's fair will be bigger than ever, beginning at 10:30am with a performance by the dance group, JUMP! At 11:30am, environmental artist, Michael Higgins, will be carving sea serpents out of wood and at 12:00pm Sue Klau will present her final puppet workshop of the season. The fair features food and drinks, arts and crafts and for those who completed their reading, certificates, free books and toy prizes. You don't want to miss out! So don't forget to log 6 books by the 19th to qualify for your prizes. Most of the fair events will take place in Aquidneck Park adjacent to the library however the opening dance group will be performing inside the library in the lower level program room.

For Tweens, ages 9 - 12, we have a couple of additional special events also happening on Thursday, August 19th. Have you ever wondered what pirates were like, or how they lived when they came ashore? At 11:30am, the Rhode Island Pirate Players will set up encampments in the park where you will have the opportunity to see what tools of the trade were used and hear stories about what life was like in pirate-infested colonial Rhode Island.

At 3:30pm, Tweens who have attended at least one Friday afternoon activity are invited to a pizza party! Join us for an end of summer reading celebration located in the Stride Room, off the lower lobby. Tween should bring their pizza ticket with them for admittance.

See you on the 19th!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Tween Movie: The Goonies

This Friday, August 13th, Tweens are invited to beat the heat by joining us for an afternoon showing of the '80s classic movie, The Goonies, rated PG. The Goonies is absolutely one of my favorite movies from the '80s and I'm looking forward to revisiting it this Friday! In The Goonies, a band of kids from the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon - hoping to save their homes from demolition - go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate.

Popcorn and drinks will be provided! Located in the lower level program room. Please note this week's Tween activity will begin at 2:30pm (not 3pm as in previous weeks) and will go until 4:30pm.

See you there!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tween Book Discussion

Join us for a book discussion of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan! This Friday, August 6th from 3pm - 4pm, Tweens are invited to come for an amazing discussion and activities related to this fantastic book. No registration is required but Tweens must be signed up for the summer reading program. We'll meet in the Children's Department but if the weather is good, we'll have our discussion outside in the park. Don't miss it!

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.