Monday, June 30, 2008

Calling all Pippi Longstocking Fans!

Orr, Wendy (2007). Mokie & Bik. 72 pages. Grades 2-4.


If you love to read about Pippi and her zany adventures, try this early chapter book! Mokie and Bik are twins who live on a boat called Bullfrog. Read all about their lives on the sea, playing games and trying to keep themselves out of trouble. There are plenty of great pen and ink drawings and interesting words made up by the twins that will keep the reader entertained!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Adventure, Heroism, and More!

Pierce, Tamora (1999). First Test (Protector of the Small, bk.1). 216 pages. Grades 5-8.



Ten years ago, it was decided that girls would be accepted to train as knights, but no one has come forward until Keladry of Mindalen. When she arrives at the school, Keladry is treated unjustly by the male students, as well as the male staff. In order to meet the first year requirements, Keladry must work harder than her colleagues in order to prove to them that she has what it takes to be a knight. When she stands up for the underdog, she earns respect from several students. Through the different tasks and battles, Keladry demonstrates her strength and heroism. This is a great adventure story with a strong female protagonist! If you liked the first book, continue with the sequel, Page.

Fun Summer Programs for Children!

Join us in the Community room on the following dates for special children's programs:

Wednesday, July 2 at 3 pm: Having Fun with Fossils and Dinosaurs
Introduce your child to the prehistoric past and dinosaurs! They will examine fossils and learn how to find them.

Monday, July 14 at 3 pm: Creature Teachers
Learn about the many animals that share our planet. Children will have a chance to meet 8-10 live rainforest animals.

Wednesday, July 30 at 3 pm: Crazy for Critters
A playful, interactive show that combines stories, songs, and jokes about animals in the wild.

Music, Movement, and Me for ages 0-4.

Join Sara Epstein in this interactive class for parents and their children. Participants will sing, dance, and play instruments together, as well as learn the basics of pitch and rhythm while exploring a range of musical styles.
Join Sara on Tuesdays July 1 and July 15 from 11:30-12:15 pm.
Advanced registration will begin 1 week before each session. There is a maximum of 20 children, plus their parent(s) or caregiver. Please arrive on time. For more information, please call the Children’s Library (781) 455-7559 x204.

Three Great Historical Fiction Novels!

Giff, Patricia Reilly (2000). Nory Ryan's Song. 148 pages. Grades 5-8.


This is a powerful story about twelve-year-old Nory and her family who struggle to survive during the Irish Potato Famine of 1845. Nory sees her neighbors being evicted by the English landlord for not paying their rent and she is afraid that her family will be met by the same fate. Their father "Da" has not yet returned from working aboard a ship and Nory must find ways in which to help her family find food. She attempts to sell shawls, find eggs from sea birds, and helps Anna, the local herbalist, with chores. After her Granda and sister leave for America, her friend Sean offers Nory a ticket, but she asks him to take her younger brother Patch instead. Find out if Nory can survive the famine and join her brother and family in America.

If you liked this book, read Maggie's Door and Water Street, which continue to follow Nory's life.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Reviews by Kids!

Reviews by Sophia, age 10.


From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg.
Have you ever thought of running away from your parents? Well in this book Claudia is a girl who is going to run away from her parents and she gets her brother to go with her.They run to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Then they come upon a mystery which you will find out in the book. This is a great book.



The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.

Have you ever thought of staying in a summer house, which is next to a mean garden freak? Well, in this book, Jane, Skye, Rosalind, and Batty, and their Dad and Dog, they all do. Whenever they go into their neighbors yard and she catches them, she yells at them. They meet their neighbors son, and he is nice, but his Mom wants to send him to a military academy, that his Grandfather had gone too. What the four girls and the one boy are trying to do, is to make the boys parents to let him stay at home, he doesn't want to go to the boarding school. They try, and try... and you'll see what happens!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Mazer, Norma Fox (2007). Ten Ways to Make My Sister Disappear. 148 pages. Grades 4-6.



Have you ever imagined what life might be like without your annoying sibling? Meet Sprig, a ten-year-old girl, who imagines the many ways in which she could get rid of her older sister, Dakota, who constantly teases and bosses her around. But, when their father leaves for work in Afghanistan, the sisters grow closer together through their mutual concern for his safety.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Reviews by Kids!

The Anybodies by N.E Bode (2004).


Have you ever read the Anybodies? It is a great Fiction book about a girl who gets sent to the wrong family at birth, then her real Dad comes to pick her up at the family's house that she had been living at and the two kids switch to see how it goes over the summer. She finds out that her real Dad is an anybody which is a person who can be anybody at anytime. It is a very interesting adventure for Fern. I would recommend this to anybody.

Review by Sophia, age 10.




Monday, June 16, 2008

Fairy tales come alive in this fantastical adventure!

Durst, Sarah Beth (2007). Into the Wild. Grades 5-7.



Twelve year old Julie lives with her single mom, Zel (a.k.a. Rapunzel) who had once upon a time fled from the enchanted forest, known as "the wild", in order to live a somewhat normal life. There are others just like Zel -- Mary from "Mary had a little lamb," the Three Bears, Puss in Boots (he's now Julie's brother) and more. But, when someone makes a wish to release "the wild", it captures characters into their original roles. Julie must rescue her mother and the others before it is too late. Can she manage to escape the fairy tale endings or will she end up in a story of her own? A neat twist is that the setting is right here in Massachusetts!



If you like books with fractured fairy tales, try these titles:

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A little bit of magic, mixed with realism.

Going, K.L. (2007) The Garden of Eve. 234 pages. Grades 4-6.


Eve loved to listen to her mother's stories and believed that magical things really could happen. After her mother's death, she no longer believe in stories until mysterious things begin happening at an old orchard her father purchased in upstate New York. Within the their first few days in Beaumont, Eve meets a boy who claims to be a ghost and receives a mysterious seed as a gift for her eleventh birthday. When she plants the seed, it takes her and the boy on a strange journey.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Animal Fantasy Fans!

Fan, Nancy Yi (2007). Swordbird. 219 pages. Grades 4-6.


If you enjoy Animal Fantasy books, don't miss Swordbird, which was written by 11 year-old Fan! Deep in Stone-Run Forest, the once peaceful blue jays and cardinals have become enemies over stolen food and eggs. But who really stole these items? In addition to the warring birds, a terrible hawk, Turnatt, is planning to enslave all of the forest birds and force them to build his fortress. Only Swordbird, a bird of peace, can rescue the birds, but will he arrive in time?

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

"The John Hancock Club"

Borden, Louise (2007). The John Hancock Club. Grades 1-3.

When Sean and his third grade classmates find out that they will learn how to write in cursive, they can't wait! Their teacher, Mrs. Tovani, will let each student join the John Hancock Club once they can write in cursive. The students all want to know, who was John Hancock? But, Sean, doesn't know if he'll ever make it into the club, because he is having trouble with his cursive. Learn about John Hancock and find out if Sean makes it into this special club. Colorful illustrations and examples of cursive writing make this a fun book to read together!


Monday, June 2, 2008

Wild Reads Summer Reading Program 2008


Hey kids! The Needham Public Library is ready for summer. If you want to have a wild time, join our Summer Reading Club in the Children’s Library from June 16 to August 15. We will have two clubs—Read to Me (ages 3-6) and Independent Readers (grades K-6). You can register on-line and maintain your reading log at http://www.readsinma.org/needham/or you can sign-up and log your books in the Children’s Library.
Please note that the last day to register for the program is July 25, 2008.
You can see a preview of all the fun prizes for Summer Reading Club participants on display in the Children's Library!
View the complete rules on the Summer Reading page.
Come and visit us in the Children’s Library and join in the fun of the Summer Reading Program!