Summer Reading 2014

Summer Reading 2014: Fizz, Boom, Read!
June 30th - August 13th

This year's children's summer reading program is all about science!  Explore many different aspects of science, including chemistry, electricity, magnets, bouyancy, engineering, animal science and much more!  Science is all around us - learn, observe and experiment!  The program is open to preschoolers through children entering grade 6 in September.  Kids are asked to read 6 books during the summer and record their reading in a reading log or online.  Readers who complete the program will receive a certificate, a free book, 1 free ticket to a PawSox game, a Fizz, Boom, Read! pencil and a Fizz, Boom, Read! doorknob hanger. 

Kids signed up for the reading program are also eligible to receive grand prizes by recording their reading and attending library programs.

All information about the summer reading program is available on our website and flyers and calendars are available at the Children's Desk.

We are offering a variety of programs for kids of all ages 2-12.  Again this year, there will be special programs for Tweens, ages 8 - 12.  In the coming weeks, I'll be writing individual posts about the many Tween programs happening this summer.

Registration for the reading program begins on June 2nd.  Visit the children's desk, call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or sign up online. 

Sign-ups for any summer programs requiring registration begins on June 23rd (see the SRP June, July, August 2014 calendar for the complete list of programs requiring registration).

Visit the children's desk for more information about the exciting 2014 Summer Reading Program, Fizz, Boom, Read!

Kids Reading Across Rhode Island

Kids Reading Across Rhode Island is this Saturday, May 31st at the RI State House in Providence from 2:00pm - 4:00pm.  Don't miss out on this fantastic event which includes a presentation and book signing by author Chris Grabenstein.  Every family will receive a copy of the 2014 KRARI book, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library while supplies last.

The event also includes science activities and games from RI libraries and a life-size board game!  You'll also have a chance to hear about the summer reading programs taking place at libraries across the state.

Latino Book Month

LATINO BOOK MONTH

Don't forget to vote for your favorite book for Latino Book Month!  Ballots are available at the Latino Book Month display in the Children's Department and are due by May 28th.  Stop by the Children's Desk if you have any questions.   

Refer back to my earlier post to see the reading list and learn more about it.  You need to have read at least 3 books on the list to cast a vote. 

Happy reading (and voting)!

Book Buddies Year in Review

It's hard to believe another year of Book Buddies is behind us!  My 7th year of the program! 

This year we read a lot of terrific books and explored a variety of genres including novel in verse, mystery, graphic, and realistic fiction.  We made some great crafts from scratch art to hand-sewn drawstring bags to sand and seashell ornaments and as a group, a fantastic outer space diorama. 

I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite book and I think the Book Buddies club members would agree although I reallly enjoyed The Ghost, the White House and Me by Judith St. George and Junonia by Kevin Henkes.

I'm looking forward to another great year of books and reading beginning in September.  My goals for next year include more author visits (perhaps a few Skype visits?), a more diverse reading list including non-fiction (I've always wanted to do a non-fiction - just need to find the right one) and to grow our club of avid readers.  As always, I'm open to your input so if you have any books you think we should consider reading, please don't hesitate to let me know!  Comment on this post if you have any suggestions I should think about over the summer.

Have a great summer and see you next Fall!

May Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon for the final meeting of the school year. 

Our May book was Junonia by Kevin Henkes, an excellent read that got us in the mood for summer, going to the beach and collecting seashells. 

We spent a few minutes talking about the book and going over our book trivia and then we moved on to our craft, a sand and seashell ornament!

It was a good meeting and a great way to end the year.  Thanks to all the Book Buddies club members who attended and to those who came each month ready and eager to discuss our books. 

Reading Recommendations

Enjoying Junonia?  Here are a few other books you might also like to read...

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker

A foster child named Angel and twelve-year-old Stella, who are living with Stella's great-aunt Louise at the Linger Longer Cottage Colony on Cape Cod, secretly assume responsibility for the vacation rentals when Louise unexpectedly dies and the girls are afraid of being returned to the foster care system.

One White Dolphin by Gill Lewis

When a baby albino dolphin caught in old fishing netting washes ashore, Paralympics sailing hopeful Felix and English school girl Kara work with veterinarians and specialists to save and reunite the dolphin with her mother, setting off a chain of events that might just save the reef from the environmental effects of proposed dredging.

Kid vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout

Spending the summer after sixth grade at his great-uncle's oceanside museum, Thatcher and local girl Trudy team up to help Shoal, one of the people of Atlantis cursed by a witch whose head still survives, and who has an army of monstrous creatures helping her.

The Summer of Moonlight Secrets by Danette Haworth

During the summer of 1988, Allie Jo, whose family runs an antebellum Florida hotel, meets Chase, who is staying there with his father, and they become friends when they discover a mysterious teenager hiding on the grounds of the hotel.

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet for the last meeting of the school year on Monday, May 19th at 3:45pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.  Come for a book discussion, snacks and a related activity.

Our May book is Junonia by Kevin Henkes.  Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk.

Hope to see you Monday!

All About Seashells

In Junonia, Alice spends a lot of her time while on Sanibel Island searching for the elusive junonia shell.  Learn more about seashells and the junonia by checking out these books and websites:

Shells! Shells! Shells! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

When Buddy Bear and his mother go to the beach, she teaches him all about shells and mollusks. Includes facts about shells.

Cool Shells by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann

What is a seashell? -- Seashells in history -- Why collect seashells? -- Collecting responsibly -- Growing your collection -- Research and resources -- Finding seashells -- Buying seashells -- Trading and selling seashells -- Cleaning seashells -- Storage and organization -- Displaying seashells -- Seashell crafts.

Seashells of the World by R. Tucker Abbott

A guide for the identification of shells, including general information on mollusks and advice on shell collecting and study.







From the web:

Learn about the Junonia shell!

Learn all about the different types of seashells at Kids Konnect

Seashells: Where Do They Come From?

Identification Guide to Seashells

A junonia shell on top of other seashells!

Children's Book Week 2014

Children's Book Week begins today and runs through May 18th!  Visit the library, check out our display, and bring home a good book to read!

Chapter Books by Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes is the wonderful author of our May book, Junonia.  While he is a rock star among picture book readers, he has also written a number of chapter books for older readers, some of which are award winners! 

The Year of Billy Miller (2013)

Seven-year-old Billy Miller starts second grade with a bump on his head and a lot of worries, but by the end of the year he has developed good relationships with his teacher, his little sister, and his parents and learned many important lessons.

Bird Lake Moon (2008)

Twelve-year-old Mitch and his mother are spending the summer with his grandparents at Bird Lake after his parents separate, and ten-year-old Spencer and his family have returned to the lake where Spencer's little brother drowned long ago, and as the boys become friends and spend time together, each of them begins to heal.

Olive's Ocean (2003)

On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer.

The Birthday Room (1999)

When twelve-year-old Ben visits his uncle in Oregon, he feels caught in the strained relationship between his mother and her brother while he also begins to accept himself as an artist.

Agatha Award Winner

A couple of days ago I posted about the nominees and winner of the Edgar Awards (mystery awards named in honor of Edgar Allan Poe). Well, another famous mystery writer has awards named after her which were just announced as well. The Agatha awards (named for the incomparable Agatha Christie) were announced at the Malice Domestic annual conference on May 3rd. The winner for best Children's/Young Adult novel went to...Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein!  We, here in Rhode Island, are very familiar with this book as it is a Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee for 2015 and is also the Kids Reading Across Rhode Island book for this year!  Congrats to Chris Grabenstein!

Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape.

Kevin Henkes Talks About Junonia

Author Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes is the wonderful author of our May book, Junonia.  He has written many books for children of all ages and lives in Wisconsin with his family.  Find out more about him at his website and by reading this School Library Journal Interview from September 2013.

Edgar Award Winner 2014

The winners of the 2014 Edgar Awards were announced on May 1st in New York City.  And the winner for Best Juvenile Mystery went to... One Came Home by Amy Timberlake!  Check out the complete list of nominees and winners.

In 1871 Wisconsin, thirteen-year-old Georgia sets out to find her sister Agatha, presumed dead when remains are found wearing the dress she was last seen in, and before the end of the year gains fame as a sharpshooter and foiler of counterfeiters .

2014 Latino Book Month

LATINO BOOK MONTH!

May is Latino Book Month!  This year the Children's Department at the Newport Public Library is partnering with the Pawtucket Public Library and Rhode Island Latino Arts to encourage kids to read books by and for Latinos.

Read at least 3 books on the list below and vote for your favorite at the Newport Public Library by May 28th.  The winning title will be announced on May 31st at the Pawtucket Public Library.

The books on the reading list represent reading choices for children in grades Pre-K - 12.  Books on the list below that are appropriate for grades Pre-K - 6 are available in the Children's Department in a special display for Latino Book Month.  Older books are available in the Young Adult Department or by request.  The children's display is located adjacent to the Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee display.  Stop by the desk if you have any questions!

Happy reading!

My Name is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada (Grades 3-5)

Mediopollito - Half Chicken: A New Version of a Traditional Story by Alma Flor Ada (Grades K - 4)

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez (Grades 6-10)

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown (Grades Pre-K-2)

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales (Grades 5-8)

Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes (Grades 5-8)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Grades 6-8)

Rene Has Two Last Names by Rene Colato Lainez (Grades K - 3)

Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre (Grades 4-6)

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle (Grades 6-10)

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle (Grades 5-8)

The Storyteller's Candle by Lucia Gonzalez (Grades K-3)

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano (Grades 6-10)

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kiss Your Ass by Meg Medina (Grades 8-11)

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan (Grades 4-8)

Uncle Nacho's Hat by Harriet Rohmer (Grades 3-6)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Alire Saenz (Grades 9 - 12)

May Book Buddies Book

The Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Monday, May 19th @ 3:45pm to discuss Junonia by Kevin Henkes.  Copies of the book are available 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.

Please note, the May meeting will be the last meeting of the school year.

The week of her tenth birthday, Alice and her parents go to Sanibel Island, Florida, just as they do every year, but this time some of the people who are always there are missing and some new people have come, which unsettles Alice, who wants things to be exactly the same as they always are.