Friday, December 27, 2013

January 2014 Book Buddies Book

The Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, January 27th @ 3:45pm to discuss The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors.  Copies of the book are available for check-out at the Children's Desk.

New members are always welcome!  To sign up for Book Buddies, visit the Children's Desk, call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.

Spending the summer in his grandfather's rundown town, ten-year-old Ben meets an adventurous local girl and together they learn that the town's veterinarian runs a secret hospital for imaginary creatures.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Holiday Hours and Closings

 The Newport Public Library will be CLOSED the following days over Christmas vacation:

Tuesday & Wednesday, December 24th and 25th 

Sunday, December 29th

Tuesday, & Wednesday, December 30th & January 1st

______________________________________________

We will be OPEN Thursday - Saturday, December 26th - 28th

Regular hours will resume on Thursday, January 2nd

Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday and a very Happy New Year! (2014!!!!)

Saturday, December 21, 2013

New Chapter Books for Winter Break!

The Children's Department has recently gotten in a whole bunch of wonderful new chapter books that will keep you busy over Christmas vacation.  Visit the library and check out all of the books on our "new" shelf, visit our Kids Read webpage for more suggestions or read one of the terrific books below...

Smells Like Pirates by Suzanne Selfors

Homer thought membership in L.O.S.T., the mysterious Society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures, would help him find pirate Rumpold Smeller's missing treasure. But when Homer's enemy, Lorelei, forms an evil organization called FOUND, Homer and Dog face an impossible decision: Work with Lorelei to find the prize once and for all, or abandon their lifelong quest to locate the treasure.

Who Stole New Year's Eve? by Martha Freeman

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, College Springs has a winter carnival, complete with ice sculptures.  However, this year someone has stolen all thirty-seven of them, including one on Chickadee Court. Unfortunately, the twelve-year-old sleuths, Yasmeen and Alex, are having friendship issues--Yasmeen thinks that she's being replaced by a new girl who has come to Chickadee Court. Then, the whole gang comes together to solve the frosty mystery. Believe it or not, the clues lead to a fracking operation and the laboratory of a professor who is racing to invent a new alternative fuel before his competitors do.

Alexander Graham Bell: Master of Sound by Ann Hood (Treasure Chest #7)

Time travelers Maisie and Felix meet a young Alexander Graham Bell (the inventor of the telephone). When the twins get separated from Alexander, they join the thousands of orphans in the streets of Victorian London.

The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems by Lauren Myracle

Seven-year-old Ty gets into mischief and big-hearted schemes while navigating second grade and becoming a big brother.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Rhode Island Children's Book Award

Here are four more titles from the current list of Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominees.  Read and get ready to vote for your favorite in February 2014!

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Eleven-year-old Princess Celie lives with her parents, the king and queen, and her brothers and sister at Castle Glower, which adds rooms or stairways or secret passageways most every Tuesday, and when the king and queen are ambushed while traveling, it is up to Celie--the castle's favorite--with her secret knowledge of its never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom.

The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

When Sonia's father loses his job and she must move from her small, supportive private school to a public middle school, the half-Jewish half-Indian sixth-grader experiences culture shock as she tries to navigate the school's unfamiliar social scene, and after her father is diagnosed with clinical depression, she finds herself becoming even more confused about herself and her family.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

King of the Mound by Wes Tooke

Twelve-year-old Nick loves baseball so after a year in the hospital fighting polio and with a brace on one leg, Nick takes a job with the team for which his father is catcher and gets to see the great pitcher, Satchel Paige, play during the 1935 season.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

December Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to talk about our December book, The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman.  We had a great discussion with snacks including popcorn and holiday cupcakes followed by a wish ornament craft project!

Our discussion focused on wishes, what we would wish for if given the opportunity and how long it would take to come up with a really great wish.  We talked about the different types of wishes, selfish wishes and "world peace" kinds of wishes and the different wishes that the class came up with.  Many of the class's wishes weren't that good, because they were too small (getting a dog, a TV the size of a wall, truck full of candy, etc.) and in many cases not specific enough (wishing the world would be a better place).  Also, for some of the wishes it was obvious that the consequences hadn't been considered at all (for example, wishing for all the money in the world is not a good wish because if you have it all and everyone else has none, it becomes worthless).

The things we would wish for included to become a famous artist, becoming a famous pop star, becoming a superhero with many superpowers and for there to be no more bullying in the world.

We all agreed that Genie Bob would not be a good Santa Claus and that even though William wished it, he will not become the real Santa.  Perhaps Genie Bob could go back to space (maybe via another meteorite) and be a Space Santa but he could not be the real Earth Santa.

Following our discussion we made wish ornaments! 


It was a terrific meeting and thanks to all the Book Buddies members who attended.  See you in 2014!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet this coming Monday, December 16th @ 3:45pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room to discuss our December book, The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman.

Come for book discussion, snacks and a wish-ornament craft!

Hope to see you Monday!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Dan Gutman Online

First, I wanted to share this interview with Dan Gutman that I found very interesting and this profile by Simon and Schuster with some revealing questions and answers.

I also found a couple of videos for you to enjoy:



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Books for the Christmas Season

If you are enjoying The Christmas Genie, and like to read books set a Christmastime, here are a few you might want to read:

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Relates the surprising gifts bestowed on twelve-year-old Bob Barnhart and his family, who have recently moved to a small Illinois town in 1958, by their larger-than-life neighbor, Mrs. Dowdel.

'Tis the Season by Ann M. Martin

Christmas is coming to Camden Falls, and Flora and Ruby don't know how to feel about it. It's their first Christmas without their parents, and the memories are both happy and sad...

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce

Nicholas St. North, a daredevil swordsman seeking treasure in the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen finds, instead, the great wizard Ombric Shalazar and a battle against the Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings--a battle Nicholas can win only if he finds five other Guardians in time.

Kringle by Tony Abbott

In the fifth century A.D., as order retreats from Britain with the departing Roman Army, orphaned, twelve-year-old Kringle determines to rescue his beloved guardian from the evil goblins who terrorize the countryside by kidnapping and enslaving humans and, in the process, with the help of elves and others along the way, discovers his true destiny.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Featured Author of the Month: Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke (birthday December 10) is the featured author of the month!  Ms. Funke has written many books for children including Dragon Rider, Ghost Knight, Igraine the Brave, The Thief Lord as well as the Ghosthunters series and the Inkheart trilogy.  Her newest book is Fearless: a Mirrorworld Novel.  She lives in Los Angeles, California with her family.

Watch a video interview at Scholastic and check her out at Reading is Fundamental.  Visit the library today to check out his wonderful books.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Author Dan Gutman

Dan Gutman is the wonderful author of our December book, The Christmas Genie. He has a terrific website with a very interesting biography that I encourage you to take a look at. He has written a TON of books for kids including the Baseball Card Adventure series, the My Weird School series and the new Genius Files series. Here are just a few of his books that you might want to read:



After foiling a terrorist hijacking aboard their airplane, fourteen-year-old Jimmy, his younger sister, and two skateboarding friends crash-land the plane and try to survive in a forest wilderness until help arrives.








When fifth-grader Trip Kindleman, who does not like to read very much, is hit on the head by a heavy box and becomes a character in a series of different books--from a sports story to a science fiction novel to an adventure tale--his view of reading is changed forever.







After a devastating tornado destroys much of Cape Bluff, Kansas, residents come together as a community to put on a talent show as a fund-raiser.







Mission Unstoppable (Genius Files #1)

On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Featured Homework Resource


Looking for a great book to read?  Did you know that you can search NoveList to find:

  • all the titles in a fiction series
  • all the titles written by an author you liked
  • fiction books about a topic that you are interested in or like to read about
  • read-alikes for every author, title and series
Find NoveList by visiting the Kids Read webpage.

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

Friday, December 6, 2013

December Book Buddies Book

The Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, December 16th @ 3:45pm to discuss our December  book, The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman.  Copies of the book are available for check-out at the Children's Desk.

New members are always welcome!  To sign up for Book Buddies, visit the Children's Desk, call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.

When a meteorite crashes into a fifth-grade classroom at Lincoln School in Oak Park, Illinois, the genie inside agrees to grant the class a Christmas wish--if they can agree on one within an hour.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Holiday Hours and Closing

The Newport Public Library will be closing early at 6:00pm on Wednesday, November 27th and will be closed all day on Thursday, November 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Rhode Island Children's Book Award

Here are four more titles from the current list of Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominees.  Read and get ready to vote for your favorite in February 2014!

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school.

Brother From a Box by Evan Kuhlman

Sixth-grader Matt Rambeau finds out what it is like to have a brother when his father, a computer genius, creates a robot kid that goes to school with Matt, shares his feelings and ideas, plays, does chores, fights for his "life" when chased by spies, and becomes a part of the family.

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

Follows a young Chinese American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends, and her fourth-grade classroom, and finds a true best friend.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a café and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.

Friday, November 22, 2013

National Book Award Winner!

The winners of the 2013 National Book Awards were announced on Wednesday and the winner for Young People's Literature went to:  The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata! 

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

Just when twelve-year-old Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong in a year of bad luck, an emergency takes her parents to Japan, leaving Summer to care for her little brother while helping her grandmother cook and do laundry for harvest workers.

Check out the other nominees as well!

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt

Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn, ancient Sugar Man, and his raccoon-brother Swamp Scouts Bingo and J'miah try to save Bayou Tourterelle from feral pigs Clydine and Buzzie, greedy Sunny Boy Beaucoup, and world-class alligator wrestler and would-be land developer Jaeger Stitch.

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal - Young Adult

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff - Young Adult

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang - Young Adult

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Books for Thanksgiving

Looking for something to get you in the spirit of Thanksgiving?  Try one of these...

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet

Everyone's a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant balloons will fill the skies for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Who first invented these "upside-down puppets"?  Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! 

Thank You, Sarah: the Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson

Relates how Sarah Hale, a magazine editor and author, persuaded President Lincoln to transform Thanksgiving Day into a national holiday.

Who Stole Grandma's Million-Dollar Pumpkin Pie? by Martha Freeman

When the recipe for his grandmother's famous pumpkin pie is suddenly missing just before Thanksgiving Day, Alex and his friend Yasmeen try to solve the mystery of its disappearance.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

November Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our November book, Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.  We had a terrific meeting featuring a great discussion and a fun Lunch Lady activity packet!

We began by discussing the opening sequence in Lunch Lady and why the author chose to include it in the book since it is not directly related to the story.  We all agreed it was there as a preview of what the Lunch Lady can do and as a teaser to make kids want to read the story.  We all thought it was very effective and did make us want to read the book!

We talked about the color scheme of Lunch Lady (black, white, gray and yellow) and why the author chose to use only those colors to tell the story.  We also thought about why the author chose to make the Lunch Lady the school's secret crime fighter and who else in a school might make a good secret crime fighter.  We thought the school librarian, school secretary and the custodian could all reasonably lead secret double lives.

We thought about new inventions that Betty could create for the Lunch Lady including a pizza boomerang and a gravy/glue sticky trap among other possibilities.

After much discussion, we decided that future Lunch Lady chapter books could take place in the school gym, locker room, science lab, or art class and that another possible storyline could include a rival mutant alien Lunch Lady getting hired at the school.

We thought about what superpowers we would like to have and our favorites included invisibility, the ability to duplicate yourself, the ability to fly, super speed and the ability to create things just by thinking about them.

Following our discussion we looked at the author's website and a lot of the great information and activities that are there.  We also worked on a special Lunch Lady activity packet made up of Lunch Lady activities available on the author's website.

It was a great meeting and thanks to all the Book Buddies club members who attended!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Colonial Clothing - Under the Petticoats

Celebrate Thanksgiving and peek under the petticoats with professional history interpreter Patricia Perry on Tuesday, November 19th @ 4:00pm!  Discover the toiletry habits, clothing styles, and personal hygiene of our colonial ancestors.  Volunteers will have the opportunity to be clothed in colonial garb!

Learn how colonial customs impacted our lives and traditions, and how they continue to impact us today.

No registration is required for this free program.  Held in the lower level program room.

For kids in grades 3 - 5.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet this coming Monday, November 18th at our new time, 3:45pm to discuss our November book, Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. 

Come for book discussion, snacks and a related activity.

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Graphic Novels

Lunch Lady is just one of the terrific graphic novel series available for  young readers.  If you like to read graphic novels and are enjoying Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, you might also want to check out:

Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm















Squish by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm











Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi












Frankie Pickle by Eric Wight










And check out No Flying No Tights for everything you ever wanted to know about graphic novels!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Lunch Lady READ Poster

The Lunch Lady now has her very own ALA READ poster!

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Lunch Lady Graphic Novels

There are 9 Lunch Lady graphic novels and a 10th will be released on January 29, 2014: Lunch Lady and the Schoolwide Scuffle!


Here are the books in order:

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute
Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians
Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta
Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown
Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit
Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco
Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes
Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril
Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain
Lunch Lady and the Schoolwide Scuffle

Visit the author's website for videos, activities and downloads!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Meeting Jarrett Krosoczka!

I was fortunate enough to meet our November author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka a few weeks ago at the Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors.  The event was held at the Lincoln School in Providence on Saturday, October 19th. 

Mr. Krosoczka was charming and happily signed a book for me  (Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians - what else?) and posed for a picture!  It was a wonderful day and a thrill to meet him!

Me, my niece, Abby, and Jarrett!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the author of our November book, Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute.  He has an amazing website with 7 different biographies (I like "According to Ralph"), artwork, videos, activities and free downloads.  You can also learn how to correctly pronouce his name!  Check it out!

In addition to the amazing Lunch Lady graphic novels, Jarrett has also written and illustrated a number of picture books including Punk Farm and Punk Farm on Tour.  His newest chapter book is called Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked.


Jarrett is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts with his family.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Featured Author of the Month: Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes (birthday November 27) is the featured author of the month!  Mr. Henkes has written many books for children including Bird Lake Moon, Junonia, and Olive's Ocean which was a 2004 Newbery Honor book.  His newest chapter book is The Year of Billy Miller.  He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his family.

Watch meet-the-author videos at TeachingBooks.net and go In the Studio with Kevin Henkes.  Visit the library today to check out his inspiring books.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Featured Homework Resource

Ever wanted to learn another language?  Becoming bilingual (or multi-lingual!) 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!  Mango is always adding new languages to learn.

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

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