November Book

Our November book will be... The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling.  We will meet on Monday, November 26th @ 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room to discuss the book.  Copies are available at the Children's Desk. 

If you are new to the group, please let me know you are coming!  Sign up at the children's desk, by calling 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or by emailing me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.

A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate.

Sounds great, right?  Hmm, on second thought maybe not....

Hope to see you there!

Homework Help: Try This!

Looking for additional help in one of your subjects?  Check out the Kids Homework Help Webpage and see what's available to you!

Our Kids Homework Help page is your access point not only to the World Book Web, Live Homework Help (online tutoring) and our databases like Kids Search and the Student Research Center but also provides you with subject-specific links to some terrific websites.

The websites we've selected are authoritative (accurate information), trustworthy (we know you'll get good information) and fun!  We've chosen links to some great websites in the subjects of Math and Science, History and Social Studies, and English and Grammar.

Need to do a science fair project?  Don't miss the Science Fair Project Resource Guide (it will change your life!).  Need to know more about the inner workings of the U.S. Government?  Your one step away from Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government for Kids.  Trying to figure out how to do a citation?  Visit the Online Writing Lab from Purdue University.

See all these terrific subject-specific links and more on the kids homework help webpage.

Questions?  Visit the Children's Desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 for more information.

October Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met on Monday afternoon to discuss our October book, Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy.  We had a terrific discussion, enjoyed Halloween popcorn and
cupcakes and planted pumpkin seeds!

We all really liked the book and the main character, Mildred.  We felt that she was someone we could all imagine being friends with because she has a great personality (and for the boys she's not super-girly).

We talked about hobbies and although none of us grow giant pumpkins like Mildred we discovered that our book club members like to participate in dance and gymnastics and read and collect sea glass for fun.

We discussed Mildred's difficult relationship with her Aunt Arlene and decided that although they are very different people and it seems like Aunt Arlene is always trying to get Mildred to be more like her, Aunt Arlene is just trying to help Mildred and be the best mother-figure she can be.

Mildred had an assignment to write a paper on someone who inspires her and we talked about people who inspire us.  We all agree that our parents are inspirational as well as people like Steve Irwin and Captain America. 

Mildred never was overly concerned with fitting in at school or having the coolest clothes and we all really liked that about her.  We all really liked that she stayed true to herself and didn't cave in to peer pressure to be like everyone else.

We all agreed that it was terrible of Grover to try and spread rumors at the pumpkin show that Mildred had help growing her pumpkin but we thought that he was probably doing it out of jealousy and that Mildred handled it very well by not making a big commotion out of it and confronting him.

Overall we had a wonderful discussion and would all recommend this great book to our friends!

Following our discussion we planted our very own pumpkin seeds in terra cotta pots and will attempt to grow some pumpkins of our own.  Although it is not the optimal time for growing pumpkins in New England, we're going to give it a shot and see how we do!  If any of us end up with anything, I will let you know!

Thanks to all the Book Buddies members who attended and I look forward to seeing you next month!

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, October 22nd at 3:30pm to discuss our October book, Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy.

Held in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.

If you are not already signed up, please register by calling the Children's Desk or emailing me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.  Hope to see you there!

Spooky Special Effects and Sci-Fi Fun

Looking for something fun to do for Halloween?

Join professional movie special effects creator and costume designer Alex Ezorsky-Lie of Awespark Productions for a spooky presentation on Thursday, October 25th @ 3:30pm.  See how the green screen works and how movie magic makes horror and science fiction scenes look real.  Find out how special effects are done and see some of his creepy costume creations.

No registration is required for this free program.  Ages 9 - 12.

Homework Help: Try This!

Ever wanted to learn another language?  Becoming bilingual (or multilingual!) is easier than ever with Mango Languages.

Mango Languages is an online language learning system that teaches actual conversation skills for a wide variety of languages.  Mango is completely web-based and is accessible anytime and anywhere you have access to the Internet.  Create an account to keep track of your lessons or just start learning!

Learn French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Icelandic, Pirate and many more!

Try Mango by visiting the library's homework help webpage.

Questions?  Visit the Children's Desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 for more information. 

Creating Halloween Candy - CANCELLED

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Creating Halloween Candy presentation scheduled for this Wednesday, October 17th has been cancelled.  We hope to reschedule at a later date.  I apologize for the inconvenience. 

Check back for information about other Halloween events happening at the library this month!

Growing Pumpkins

In Me and the Pumpkin Queen, Mildred tries to grow a pumpkin big enough to win the annual Circleville, Ohio pumpkin growing contest. 

Learn how to grow your own pumpkins and see some of the biggest pumpkins ever grown!

Creating Halloween Candy

Don't miss Creating Halloween Candy on Wednesday, October 17th at 3:30pm.  Find out how Halloween candy is made with Jeff Greene from NECCO.  Discover the process, machines and people who made the sweets that could end up in treat bags this Halloween.  Savor some "inside knowledge" when enjoying Halloween candy this year. 

No registration is required for this free program held in the lower level program room.  Ages 4+.

Hope to see you there!

Homework Help: Try This!

Did you know that you have access to some fantastic databases that can help you with your homework assignments?

Kids Search, for students in K – 8, allows you to search by topic for magazine articles, reference books, photos, flags and more.  Once you begin your search you can filter your results by material type (magazines, newspapers, books & encyclopedias, biographies, photos, maps & flags) and you can also narrow your search by subject and publication.

The Student Research Center is designed for students in grades 6 – 12.  It is a database of thousands of newspaper and magazine articles, country reports, biographies, film and video.  Search by topic, limit according to Lexile reading levels and make use of an online dictionary and encyclopedia.  Sign in and create a folder for yourself where you can store the articles and information you find.

Try out these wonderful resources today by visiting the library's homework help webpage. 

Questions?  Visit the Children's Desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 for more information.

October Author: Marlane Kennedy

The wonderful author of October book, Me and the Pumpkin Queen, is Marlane Kennedy.  Find out all about her on her website and read her second book, The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes.

Eleven-year-old Charlotte is not a dog person but does not like that the rest of her family neglects their Saint Bernard puppy, and so with a lot of determination and a little sneakiness, she works on finding a good home for the gentle giant.

Homework Help: Try This!

Need some extra help in some of you classes?  Did you know you can be connected online with professional tutors through the Newport Public Library?

Students of all ages can find the help they need through Live Homework Help (LHH).  Get one-on-one tutoring with real tutors in real time with LHH on demand.  Communicate with your tutor anonymously through an instant message style of chat and dual access to an online whiteboard.  Tutoring is available in Math, Science, English and Social Studies and is available to both English and Spanish speakers.  LHH is open from 2pm - 10pm, 7 days a week.

LHH also includes access to the Internet during your tutoring session for sharing the best websites as well as file sharing - tutors can send students worksheets for additional practice and students can upload papers for review. 

In addition to real-time tutoring, LHH also includes the SkillsCenter Resource Library which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   The Resource Library includes homework resources consisting of thousands of lessons, worksheets, study guides, videos and more.

Take advantage of this amazing service by visiting the library's homework help webpage.

Questions?  Visit the Children's Desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 for more information.

October Book

The October book will be...

Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy

Although Aunt Arlene tries to interest her in clothing and growing up, ten-year-old Mildred is entirely focused on growing a pumpkin big enough to win the annual Circleville, Ohio, contest, as her mother dreamed of doing before she died.

We will meet to discuss this fantastic book on Monday, October 22nd at 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.  Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk and must be checked out on your library card.

Not signed up for Book Buddies yet?  It's never too late to register!  Let me know you are coming so I can plan our snacks and activity.  Register by visiting the Children's Desk, calling 847-8720 ext. 204 or emailing me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.

Hope to see you on the 22nd!