Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!  Today is Trick-or-Treat at the library!  Put on your costumes and stop by the Children's Desk for a free Halloween treat.  One per person while supplies last.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

October Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our October book, Room One: A Mystery of Two by Andrew Clements.  Everyone enjoyed the book and felt that the characters and storyline were very realistic and well written.  We all liked the main character, Ted, and thought that he was very courageous in trying to help April and her family. 

We are all big fans of Andrew Clements work and have enjoyed reading many of his books including Frindle and A Week in the Woods.  I am currently working on his newest book, The Map Trap!

Following our lightning round trivia and discussion of the book, we put our sleuthing skills to the test with the board game Clue!  Everyone made great guesses and worked very hard to solve the mystery.  In the game we played it turned out to be Ms. Scarlet in the hall with the revolver!

See you all next month!  Happy Halloween!

Meeting Reminder

A reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet on Wednesday, October 29th at 3:30pm to discuss the October book, Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements.  Come for book discussion, snacks and a related activity.

Registration is required - sign up today.  Visit the Children's Desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204.  Hope to see you Wednesday!

Tween Advisory Group Meeting - Tuesday!

The next meeting of the Tween Advisory Group (TAG) will be Tuesday, October 28th at 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.  Get involved in the library!  Discuss books, plan programs and work on special projects.  Enjoy a light snack and a craft activity.

For ages 8 - 12.  No registration is required - just drop in.  Hope to see you Tuesday!

Room One: Extension Activties

Enjoying Room One: A Mystery or Two?  Here are a few aspects of the story you might want to investigate further...

MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries

A selection of mystery games and mystery stories written by kids.

4-H Virtual Farm

Learn about farms of many kinds, see videos and read interviews with farmers.

One-Room Schoolhouses

Information about one-room schools and early education in the United States.

FBI for Kids

Learn more about the FBI through games, tips, stories and interactives.

Detective Skills and Mysteries Kids' Blog

Learn all about being a detective and how to solve mysteries.

And here are a few other books you might like to read:

The View From the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
Rob admits having seen a murder, but no one believes him--exceptthe murderer.

The 100-Year Old Secret by Traci Barrett
Xena and Xander Holmes, an American brother and sister living in London for a year, discover that Sherlock Holmes was their great-great-great grandfather when they are inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Famous Detectives and given his unsolved casebook, from which they attempt to solve the case of a famous missing painting.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

The Secret School by Avi
In 1925, fourteen-year-old Ida Bidson secretly takes over as the teacher when the one-room schoolhouse in her remote Colorado area closes unexpectedly.

Haunted Halloween Craft Party

The Children's Department's annual Haunted Halloween Craft Party will take place on Saturday, October 25th from 2:30-4:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room.  Registration is required - sign up now!  Register at the Children's Desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204.

Come in costume and make a variety of spooky craft projects while enjoying light Halloween refreshments.

Hope to see you there!

Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors

The Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors will take place next Saturday, October 18th from 9:00am - 5:30pm at the Lincoln School in Providence.  Meet a variety of children's authors and illustrators, hear presentations and get your books signed!  A terrific annual event not to be missed.

This year's authors include Joseph Bruchac, Carmen Agra Deedy, Jeff Kinney and Jon Scieszka. 

The festival also includes crafts, food and storytelling.  Don't miss this amazing event!

Books for Halloween

Looking for a spooky read to get you in the Halloween spirit?  Try one of these... if you dare!

The School is Alive! by Jack Chabert (Eerie Elementary #1)

Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is alive and plotting against the students, and,as hall monitor, it is his job to protect them--but he will need some help from his friends.

The Night Gardener: A Scary Story by Jonathan Auxier

Irish orphans Molly, fourteen, and Kip, ten, travel to England to work as servants in a crumbling manor house where nothing is quite what it seems to be, and soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Pat McKissack

A collection of ghost stories with African American themes, designed to be told during the Dark Thirty--the half hour before sunset--when ghosts seem all too believable.

Chilling Tales of Horror: Dark Graphic Short Stories by Pedro Rodriguez

Stories include: The hand / Guy de Maupassant -- Sir Dominick's bargain / Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu -- The house of nightmare / Edward Lucas White -- The vampire / John William Polidori -- House B... on Camden Hill / Catherine Crowe -- The body snatcher / Robert Louis Stevenson -- The black cat / Edgar Allan Poe.

Maker Open Studio

Maker Open Studio
Wednesday, October 15th - 3:30pm-5:00pm

Join us for a Maker Open Studio on Wednesday, October 15th from 3:30pm - 5:00pm.  Families are invited to bring kids in to try out our new Maker technology, including a 3D printer, vinyl cutter, heat press, and more.  We are here to help you learn about and use the technology.  Come with a project in mind, or just to experiment, all skill levels welcome.  Free and open to the public. No registration required.  Held in the John Clarke Children’s Program Room.

Author Andrew Clements

Andrew Clements is the wonderful author of our October book, Room One: A Mystery or Two.  He has written many books for children include Frindle, A Week in the Woods and The Landry News.  He also writes the Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series.  Find out more about him on his website.

And check out a few of his more recent books:

The Map Trap (2014)

Sixth-grader Alton Barnes loves maps, and when his portfolio of secret maps is stolen, he begins getting notes with orders that he must obey to get the maps back but, with the help of a popular classmate, he just might succeed before his teacher, principal, or someone else learns he has been studying and mapping things about them.

About Average (2012)

As the end of sixth grade nears, Jordan Johnson, unhappy that she is only average in appearance, intelligence, and athletic ability, reveals her special skills when disaster strikes her central Illinois elementary school.

Troublemaker (2011)

When his older brother gets in serious trouble, sixth-grader Clay decides to change his own mischief-making ways, but he cannot seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.

Extra Credit (2009)

As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.

Rhode Island Children's Book Award

Four more books to get you reading and ready to vote for the 2015 Rhode Island Children's Book Award! 

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Zach, Alice, and Poppy, friends from a Pennsylvania middle school who have long enjoyed acting out imaginary adventures with dolls and action figures, embark on a real-life quest to Ohio to bury a doll made from the ashes of a dead girl.

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

Presents a biography of the former South African president best known for his political activism and fight to end apartheid.

Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace by Nan Marino

When musical prodigy, Elvis Ruby, completely freezes up on television, he is forced to hide out in the Pinelands of New Jersey and try to find his way back to the music once again with the help of a new friend.

Bats: Biggest! Littlest! by Sandra Markle

An exploration of the diverse world of bats. How does being big help one kind of bat? How does being little help another kind? Sometimes these extremes offer the key to survival. The biggest bat is the Flying Fox, which can have a wingspan as long as a bathtub. Its littlest cousin is the Bumblebee Bat, which weighs only as much as a penny.  Read to find out all about bats.

October Book Selection

The Book Buddies October book will be... Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements.  We will meet to discuss this book on Wednesday, October 29th at 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room. 

Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk.  To join book club, stop by the desk or call 401-847-8720 ext. 204.  You can also email me at cgould@newportlibraryri.org.

Ted Hammond, the only sixth grader in his small Nebraska town's one-room schoolhouse, searches for clues to the disappearance of a homeless family.