Outside of a dog

Fun stuff happening in Feb and Mar (for 6th through 12th graders)

2012-02-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

Duct Tape!!! Saturday, February 25th at 2:00 at Madison

I can't remember the last time that we made stuff out of duct tape, which is just sad.
Therefore, I will show you have to make stuff out of the fabulous silver stuff. We will start with wallets and pouches, etc... If you already know how, come anyway to have some fun and be creative.

Be sure to register (265-2744) so that I know how much tape to have on hand. If you want to use colored or patterned duct tape, bring it!

Manga Club Wednesday, March 7th at 5:30 at Madison

For all my manga lovers... We are going to learn how to play a couple of Japanese games. Woohoo!

Game Day! Saturday, March 24th from 1 to 4 (in the children's room) at Madison

I <3 Game Day! If you aren't familiar... show up and play games. What could be more fun? We have some board games here but you can bring your favorites along with your favorite people to play with. I will also hook up the PS2 so that you can play Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution.

This program is for all ages so bring the family.

YA and Adult Book Discussion - Thursday, March 29th at 6:00 at Madison
The Perfect Shot by Elaine Alphin For everyone 6th grade and up!

The way it works -- Sign up to come to the discussion and pick up your copy of The Perfect Shot at the library. (They should be available in 1 to 2 weeks at the Madison Branch) Read the book. Show up on Mar. 29th ready to talk about the book. There will be snacks and I will also have some kind of Perfect Shot related activity to do.

About the book... Did you know that the author, Elaine Alphin used to live in Madison? It's true. Even though she now she lives in Bozeman, Montana, we still love her. Not only is she a lovely person, she's a truly brilliant author. The Perfect Shot is one of my favorite books of all times. The first time that I read it, I COULD NOT put it down. Totally sucked in. And I'm not the only one that thinks so... School Library Journal gave it a starred review and it won the Foreward Book of the year award. AND it is the perfect book to read during March Madness because it has that basketball thing going on. Oh, and murder. Read on for amazon.com's summary.

Someone murdered Brian's girfriend, Amanda. The police think it was her father. Brian isn't so sure. But everyone he knows is telling him to move on, get over it, focus on the present. Focus on basketball. Focus on hitting the perfect shot. Brian hopes that the system will work for Amanda and her father. An innocent man couldn't be wrongly convicted, could he?
But then Brian does a school project on Leo Frank, a Jewish man lynched decades ago for the murder of a teenage girl - a murder he didn't commit. Worse still, Brian's teammate Julius gets arrested for nothing more than being a black kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. Brian can't deny any longer that the system is flawed.
As Amanda's father goes on trial, Brian admits to himself that he knows something that could break the case. But if he comes forward, will the real killer try for another perfect show - this time against Brian?

p.s. I will put a few copies of Elaine's nonfiction book about the Leo Frank case, An Unspeakable Crime on hold for anyone who is interested. Ask for it at the desk when you get your copy of the Perfect Shot.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love audio books?

2012-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

And since I love them soooo much, one of my missions in life is to make sure that people know how great they can be. (Another mission is to make sure that everyone reads Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Perfect Shot by Elaine Alphin, but I digress.)

The most brilliant thing about audio books is that you can multi-task. Take a walk and listen to a book. Clean your room and listen to a book. Play a video game. Knit a scarf. Play with your dog. You can see where I'm going with this...

Plus, I know people who HATE to read, but don't mind listening to a book. Lots of teachers only want you to listen if you are following along at the same time, and sometimes that is great. But I bet those teachers will take 'just listening' as an alternative to not reading at all. There are studies that show listening to a book has many, many benefits. Critical listening and increased vocabulary are just two examples. I personally know a student whose reading jumped several grade levels in one summer and the only books he 'read' were audio books.

Here in the Young Adult section we have 3 formats of audio books.
* CDs -- You know how this works. Pop it in a cd player and listen.
*Playaway -- An audio device that has a single book loaded onto it. The library provides 1 AAA battery that should last the length of the book (unless you fall asleep, then you will need another battery) and you plug in your own earbuds. (Because sharing earbuds with Jefferson County is GROSS.)
*MP3 CDs -- A cd that works in some newer CD players that specify they are MP3 compatible. But the beauty in these is the download. If you like to listen on your iPod or MP3 player and you have had to download 16 cds to listen to your favorite book, you will love MP3 CDs. Because of their format more information will fit on 1 or 2 discs, which will save you a lot of bother when it comes to putting it on your iPod, etc... 1 disc as opposed to 16. Yes, I'll take it, thank you.

I am nearly ready to step off of my soap box. Be sure to check out the audio collections in Madison and in Hanover. If you need suggestions, I'm your girl. :0)

Have a great day!
Shonica

btw.... We have The Hunger Games on cd and the next 2 in the trilogy on Playaway. Sadly I've never been able to find Elaine's books on audio. :( I'll be sure to ask her why the next time I see her. But trust me, they are worth the read.

Manga Club in February

2012-01-11T17:10:00.001-08:00

I've noticed that most of the people I know who are really into manga are also into drawing manga. This is why in February we are going to have our own little art gallery.

Bring in your favorite drawings and we will hang them around the room for everyone to admire. Cookies and punch will be served as we look at the art. Drawing paper and pencils, etc... will also be available for anyone who is moved to create. And who wouldn't be? I might even try it.

And of course, while we are admiring and creating manga art, we will be talking about our favorite manga.

Get out your art supplies and start drawing! Then come to Manga Club the first Wednesday in February, aka February 1, 2012 at 5:30 at the Madison Branch. It won't be the same without you!

ttfn
Shonica

p.s. In case you didn't know, Manga Club is for all lovers of manga in 6th - 12th grade.

Game Night at the Library

2012-01-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

I <3 Game Night!

There are lots of games, including our little ol' PS2 with Guitar Hero or DDR.
Then you just hang out for a couple of hours and play games and eat snacks.
What could be more fun than that?
Not much.

Put it on your calendar...

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
6 to 8 p.m.

And bring your friends and family... this is another cool thing about Game Night. Any one can come. All ages are welcome.
Also bring your favorite board games.

Can't wait to see you!

Manga Club!

2011-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Manga Club will be meeting on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 5:30 at the Madison Branch.

Manga club is for all manga lovers who are in 6 to 12th grade.

We chat about manga and usually try something Japanese. This month we are going to try origami. Though I ask you not to laugh at my attempts because I'm not real great at it. :)

See you soon!

Wacky Writers!!

2011-11-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

This coming Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011 at 5:30 we will have Wacky Writers at the Madison Branch of the library for students in 6th to 12th grade.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Wacky Writers....

Wacky Writers is all about writing for fun.

We don't care so much about spelling, grammar, or sentence structure. Your teachers can handle that just fine. We are all about writing goofy stories that make us laugh.

All you need to bring with you is your writing notebook, a pen and your imagination.

I hope to see you then!

Young Adult Non Fiction Section!!!

2011-10-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to announce that we finally have a YA Non-fiction section!!!
Woohoo and thanks to Amanda who cataloged all the books.

There are so many titles in this collection that I'm excited about that I don't even know where to start.

Can I see your I.D.:Stories of False Identity by Chris Barton
Boys Lie: How Not to Get Played by Belisa Vranich, Psy.D.
Going Blue: a Teen Guide to Saving our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers & Wetlands by Cathryn Berger Kaye
They Called Themselves the K.K.K. by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Tweak by Nic Sheff
Gaia Warriors by Nicola Davies
The Exploding Toilet: Modern Urban Legends collected by David Holt and Bill Mooney
Hurrican Force: In the Path of America's Deadliest Storms by Joseph B. Treaster
Drawing the Kraken and other Sea Monsters by Steve Beaumont
The Complete Guide to Paintball 4th Edition by Jerry Braun
Five Pages a Day: A Writer's Journey by Peg Kehret
Grigory Raputin: Holy Man or Mad Monk by Enid Goldberg
(plus many others in the Wicked History series)
Lost Boy, Lost Girl:Escaping Civil War in the Sudan by John Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
Mystery Meat: Hot Dogs, Sausages, and Lunch Meats: The Incredibly Disgusting Story by Stephanie Watson

Seriously, there are so many more...
Come and take a look. There are truly great stories in the non fiction section.

Of course since this is a brand new collection, it isn't complete. If you see a subject that you think we should be covered and we don't have books on it, please let me know. Turn in a purchase suggestion or ask someone in the children's room to put it on our reference log so that I can look into it. Our goal is to serve the students in Jefferson County as best as we can and I value your input.

I can't wait to see you in the YA Non-fiction Section!!!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2011-09-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, the graveyard book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

On Wednesday, October 12th at 6:00 p.m. we will have a discussion about this amazing book. Middle and high school students will be in the auditorium where we will chat about the book while we do something fun. Adults will be in the conference room having their own discussion. At 7:00 we will all get together in the auditorium to have cookies and Ghoul-Aid.

I am super excited about this event! When I first read this book I thought that everyone of all ages should read it and read it IMMEDIATELY. Now my only wish is that I could split myself in two so that I could be with both groups of people. However, the adults will be in the capable hands of

our dear Rebecca Lathrem.

Fyi, adults do not have to have a child reading the book to attend the discussion. And at the same time, students don't have to have a parent reading the book to attend. Though it would be super cool if that happened.

If you haven't gotten the book or signed up, there is still time. Simply go to the main desk at the Madison branch and ask for a copy of the book and ask to sign up. If you already have the book, sign up by calling the Madison branch at 265-2744.

I can't wait to see you there!! ~Shonica

One of my favorite quotes

2011-09-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

"Outside of a dog a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it is too dark to read." Groucho Marx