While you're waiting for The Red Pyramid ...

If, like so many people, you're waiting and waiting for a copy of Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid, here's another book to read in the meantime!

Voelkel, Jon (2007). Middleworld (Gr. 5-9)

(The Jaguar Stones, book 1)  Max Murphy was looking forward to a family vacation in Italy, but his parents--famous archaeologists--leave for a sudden excavation among Mayan ruins instead, leaving Max home with their strange housekeeper.  What a waste of a summer ... until Max is rushed along to Central America, too.  Smugglers, theives, murderous bandits, and the ancient Mayan gods all play a role in this thrilling mystery.

Go Green at Your Library!

The summer reading program has official opened!  Here's the scoop:

1. The program is for anyone from age three through sixth grade.
2. There are two categories: "Independent Reader" and "Read To Me", and the rules are the same for both groups.
3. You measure the amount of time that you spend reading.
• The reading logs measure time in 20-minute blocks.
• There's a new prize every time you read a total of 3 hours.

You can sign up with a paper log at the library, or you can sign up online at http://www.readsinma.org/needham --the rules are the same no matter how you register for the program!  If you sign up online, don't forget to come to the library to pick up your official summer reading bookmark.

Need some help finding a great book?  Just ask the librarians!  We have tons of ideas to get you started.

Do you despise broccoli? It might not like you, either.

Weinstock, Robert (2009). Food Hates You, Too (Gr. 2-5)

"If everyone hates different food,
Then couldn't it be true
That creamed chipped beef dislikes Gertrude,
And liver gags on Lou?"

This collection of poems will tickle your funny bone--and maybe your stomach, too.  There are poems devoted to ice cream for cats, a limerick about toast, a brief poem about a praying mantis's recent meal, and even a few lines in praise of circus fare.  We have food on the land, food underwater, and even some food in the sky.

These poems are funny when read to yourself, and funnier still when read aloud.  Be sure to look closely at the illustrations!

The Shape of Letters

Werner, Sharon (2009). Alphabeasties (Gr. K-4)

Not all typefaces look the same.  You can have this, or this, or this, or this, or thousands of other options!  An A can be sharp and pointy, or an a can be small and round.  What does the shape of a letter say to you?  In this book, letters become animals, plants, and people.  A becomes an alligator with deadly teeth, and Z becomes a zebra with bold stripes.  There are fish and giraffes, elephants and newts, and different letter shapes have very different personalities: just look at the spooky bat, the trembling rabbit, or the newly sheared sheep.

This is a book that has fun with letters, shapes, and great big ideas.  Read it once, twice, and then again.  You'll see something new each time!