The Explorer

Authored by Christie and cross-posted from The Soapbox

Beginning September 1, if you have a Skokie Public Library card or if you have registered a card from your “home” library in order to check out materials here, you will use your card number when you sign up for a program online. You will enter your card number and your last name to “log in” to our online calendar, and then your full name, phone number, and email address will automatically appear in the sign-up form as that information currently appears in your Library account. You will be able to verify the information without having to type it every time you sign up for a program. This will improve accuracy and speed the registration process. If you call to register, please have your Library card number handy for staff members to enter for you.

If you do not have a Skokie card or another card with current borrowing privileges, call the number listed for the program you would like to attend, and our staff will be happy to sign you up.

On Thursday, July 15, twenty-three student detectives worked in five groups to follow 14 clues and solve a murder mystery in the Library! The children answered riddles, took photographs, and collected evidence to determine that it was Mr. Whitehead in the Youth Services Department with a Popsicle. Great work, detectives!

There’s a reason I follow the Library’s Twitter feed. I just learned that Illinois will have its first-ever statewide sales tax holiday to help families pay for back-to-school essentials, such as new shoes and school supplies. Sales tax will be eliminated on back-to-school supplies purchased between August 6 and August 15. Read the full article here (or here, for a Spanish-language version of the article).

Do you follow Skokie Public Library on Twitter? If you don’t, you might want to start!

This summer, the Library is packed with mysteries for The Amazing Book Caper. Over 3,000 children have already registered for the Summer Reading Club, and dozens of children have attended our Summertime Preschool Storytime series. Children ages three to five are invited to weekly storytimes in the Mary Radmacher Meeting Room from 10:30 to 11:00am every Monday in June and July. Here are the stories and a litttle fingerplay we enjoyed from our first week!

    The Mystery                  Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?        A Soup Opera             The Crocodile Blues

It’s Friday night and we are watching an incredible thunderstorm raging outside the library. Waves of strong winds are whipping the trees around, and hail is bouncing around on our green roof!  Even though thunderstorms can be destructive, I love to watch them. A big storm can give you quite a show! Here are some pictures Ruth just took of tonight’s storm, both coming and going:

There are some wonderful books about people and thunderstorms for all ages. Here are just a few of them:

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco.

A little girl visiting her grandmother’s farm is frightened by the loud thunder that means a summer storm is coming – until Grandma announces,”This is Thunder Cake baking weather, all right!”  She explains that Thunder Cake is a very special recipe you can only bake right before a thunderstorm. As the storm rapidly approaches, the two hurry to get the cake in the oven. Bonus: the recipe for Thunder Cake is included so you can make your own the next time it storms!

spacer

spacer

Ohio Thunder by Denise Dowell Mortenson

In this story in rhyme, an Ohio farm family watches as the sweltering  late summer day turns dark and stormy. The simple rhyme describes a summer storm perfectly and the pictures will make you feel like you’re right in the middle of the downpour!

spacer

spacer

spacer

Williwaw! by Tom Bodett

Brother and sister Ivan and September live with their fisherman dad in a remote part of Alaska.  When their dad is delayed at sea, they are left alone to keep things going at home. But as a williwaw – a huge, deadly storm approaches, this proves harder and more dangerous than they ever could have imagined.

spacer

spacer

spacer

Hurricane: A Novel by Terry Trueman

If you’ve ever wondered what it is like to be in a hurricane,  this fast-paced book is for you.  Thirteen-year-old Jose lives happily in Honduras with his large  family. When the devastating Hurricane Mitch hits, Jose’s father and older siblings are away from home, and Jose has to keep  his mother and younger brother and sisters safe from the storm. Leaving his house in the Mitch’s aftermath, he finds that his community has been destroyed and people are in desperate need.

spacer

spacer

Check out these great books about nature’s fury! You’ll never look at a summer storm the same way again.

What do you get when you pair a puppet with a book? A puppet/book set available for checkout @ your library! These are just a few. We’ve got many more! Stop by and see them sometime…

Calling all Peek-A-Book fans! Now is a great time to bring your kids to the Library as we have six brand new picture book presentations available on the Peek-A-Book kiosk. Always a lot of fun, these colorful puppet-presented book previews will be available for your child’s viewing pleasure in the Youth Services Department for the next week or two. Check them out:

Can Anybody Hear Me? by Jessica Meserve

Jack is quiet–which wouldn’t be so bad if the rest of his family wasn’t SO NOISY. No one can hear him over the sound of their own voices. So when Jack tells them he’s going up the mountain one day, nobody hears him. And when night falls, nobody knows where he is. Now Jack will have to find his voice in order to help his family find him.

Dragon is Coming! by Valeri Gorbachev

A beloved author-illustrator gives the old tale of Chicken Little a dramatic new twist that is sure to get kids giggling at even the most thunderous of storms.

Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow

Christelow’s popular story of the bedtime shenanigans of five little rambunctious monkeys is now available in an oversized board book just right for sharing.
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Johanna Spyri’s classic tale is brought to life with beautiful illustrations from Maja Dusikova in what is sure to become a picture book classic!

Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!

Max and the the Dumb Flower Picture by Martha G. Alexander

Max’s teacher wants the class to color-in pictures for Mother’s day presents, but Max knows that his mother would not want a dumb flower picture drawn by someone else.

Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

When it comes to wild animals, everyone knows that there are certain things that one should not do. In this fascinating picture book, readers find out what they should “never” do if they encounter one of these surprisingly dangerous animals.
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!
Join the Amazing Book Caper summer reading club!

As always, you will find copies of these books on the Peek-A-Book kiosk’s bookshelf. Also, please let me know if your child has a favorite book that they would like to view again on the Peek-A-Book and I’ll try to include it in an upcoming selection.

I recently returned from a trip to Germany where we visited with friends in Heilbronn, a small city north of Stuttgart. We met our friends three years ago when our daughter participated in a high school exchange program and lived with the family for three weeks. The father is a librarian employed by the state of Baden–Württemberg which was a wonderful piece of serendipity. He works in the state archives, overseeing and digitizing their collection of old photographs and documents and helping to develop audio–visual materials for school curricula. When he visited us two years ago he spent a couple of very pleasant hours touring Skokie Public Library and perusing the adult fictions shelves. He was quite impressed with both our German language collection and the German authors included in our adult fiction collection.

While exploring Heilbronn I visited the Stadtbibliothek or municipal library. Of course, I headed straight for the children’s department. I was greeted as I walked through the doors by a large boat positioned on blue tiles that children could climb on and engage in all kinds of imaginative play. It was almost like being back at Skokie Public Library except the room seemed much quieter and the play less exuberant.  One thing I found interesting was that all the nonfiction books were organized by topic, not by actual Dewey Decimal numbers like we do here. There were collections of books on topics such as boats, dinosaurs, and dance. Within each topic the books were then organized by age level (3–5, 6–8, 9–11) and then alphabetically by the author’s last name.

So, my trip was a bit of a “busman’s” holiday–a chance to see how librarians from another country approach some of their responsibilities. Certainly what we all have in common is a desire to turn children and youth on to great books.

Although my official commitment to the Newbery Medal Selection Committee ended on January 18 with the announcement of the 2010 winner, Rebecca Stead, I have continued to enjoy months of special Newbery-related blessings…

In February, I was able to meet Rebecca at Old Orchard Barnes & Noble where she wrote a special inscription in my copy of When You Reach Me. After her presentation, we spent an hour talking together about her unbelievable accomplishment. In March, Listening Library sent me audiorecordings of When You Reach Me and Newbery Honor books Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. Shortly after, I received an autographed copy of my favorite Newbery Honor book, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. In April, Rebecca’s publisher, Wendy Lamb, surprised me with a delivery of Rebecca’s favorite Upper West Side treat — dark chocolate covered pretzels! I’ve also been invited to sit with Newbery Honor winner Grace Lin and her publisher at the Newbery Caldecott Banquet in Washington D.C. on June 27, and I’ll be enjoying breakfast, lunch, or dinner with each of the winners, including Claudette Colvin, the star of the Newbery Honor book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice.

Each of these gifts has energized my excitement about the Newbery Medal, but none as much as the time I have spent talking with Skokie students about my experience. In the past week, I have had the pleasure of visiting 100 fifth-graders at John Middleton Elementary School, 70 fourth and fifth-graders at Solomon Schechter Day School, and eight gifted fifth-graders at Fairview South Elementary School. Each group of students showed interest in the value of the Newbery Medal, of books, and of making and keeping commitments. They made me proud to be a children’s librarian!

[Update 6/16/10: Read more about my Newbery year in Mike Isaac's Skokie Review article "Librarian Shares Experience as Newbery Judge."]

Have you read When You Reach Me? If so, please register to join me on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 4:00pm to play The $20,000 Pyramid, eat strawberry-shaped objects, and have an enthusiastic book discussion. One lucky person will win an autographed copy of When You Reach Me! If you haven’t yet read the book, it would be a great novel for Summer Reading Club!

The Wimpy Kid movie is very popular as are the books. The next Wimpy Kid title isn’t due to out until November. With summer upon us, I have put together a list of books that Wimpy Kid fans will want to read while they wait for the next book.

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce

Like Greg Heffley Nate finds himself in a mix of humorous situations. From getting in trouble with his teachers and having a “perfect” older sister who never gets in trouble, readers will find Nate’s middle school antics hilarious. Big Nate has been a syndicated comic strip for twenty years and now is making its book debut this year. Check out the online comic strip featuring Nate at www.bignatebooks.com.
Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes

Dweeb: Burgers, Beasts, and Brainwashed Bullies by Aaron Starmer

After being framed for stealing bake sale money, the five smartest boys in the eighth grade are imprisoned in a small room beneath their junior high school in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and must use their nerdish powers to expose a conspiracy involving fast food, standardized testing, and a school full of overachieving zombies.
Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes

Geek Chic : The Zoey Zone by Margie Palatini

I like to call this the girl version of Wimpy Kid. Fifth grade is ending and Zoey is worrying that she won’t be “cool” in sixth grade. She keeps hoping she will get a fairy godmother to help her become cool but when the fairy godmother doesn’t materialize she realizes she has to take matters into her own hands. What follows is great fun. Told in alternating chapters and drawings, Zoey’s journey to embrace her “geekiness” is sure to be a fun one.
Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm

Glossy, full-color collages of notes, report cards, receipts, and paraphernalia depicts the story of Ginny’s seventh-grade year as she tries to survive middle school.

Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes
Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes

NERDS : National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley

While running a spy network from their elementary school, five self-proclaimed Nerds combine their talents and use cutting-edge gadgetry to fight evil around the world.

Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes
Wimpy Kid Read-Alikes

If you read any of these books or if you can suggest any other titles that are like the Wimpy Kid ones, please comment below.

News flash—According to Variety, a Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules will come out on March 25, 2011.