The Explorer

2009 is shaping up to be the year of Neil Gaiman. An animated version of his classic children’s book Coraline is set to open in a few weeks, and is already getting positive reviews and a 3-D presentation. Here’s the trailer:

And this morning it was just announced that his novel The Graveyard Book just received the Newbery Medal, which the American Library Association gives to the “author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”

And the book doesn’t disappoint. Follow the story of Nobody Owens, an orphaned boy whose has been raised by a variety of ghosts all (un-)living in an old graveyard. As he comes of age, young “Bod” learns that his destiny and that of the graveyard are very closely intertwined. The book may be a little scary for the youngest readers, but the most daring of you should have an enjoyable read.

If you like, you can watch Neil Gaiman read the entire Graveyard Book at Mr. Bobo’s Remarkable Mouse Circus, his site for young readers.

The American Library Association announced on Monday the winners of the 2009 book and media awards for children and young adults. A list of the winners and a video of the award presentation is available on the American Library Association website.

For a list of the winners, including links to other works by the award-winning authors and illustrators available for checkout at the Library, visit our Children’s and Young Adult Book and Media Award Winners web page!

Today I read an article on the Web about the love of reading. How to Instill the Love of Reading– In Your Child or Yourself was written by a father of six in response to a teen who asked how he could get into the habit of reading instead of spending “too much time” on the Web and playing video games. The author’s short answer is this: Read amazing, fun, exciting, lovely books that you just can’t put down.

The much longer answer is three Web pages long and goes pretty much like this:

• If you see reading as a chore, then that’s what it will be. Instead, try looking at reading as a time of peace, joy, adventure, exploration, and getting away into a good story.
• Reading is good for you. But so is playing outside, exploring the Web, being in nature, playing sports, making art and music, dancing, talking with friends… and yes, even playing video games. Each activity has its own benefits and pleasures.
• Make reading a fun activity that you enjoy together on a regular basis.
• Go to your library regularly… sit down, read a bit, and look for books that interest you.
• Visit book stores… new and used.
• Read lots of magazines, newspapers, and websites, too!
• Mark an “X” on the calendar for every day that you take time to read.
• Join a reading group on land or a book discussion group online.

There’s a whole lot more in the article, but maybe these few tips will get you started on a reading adventure that you can look forward to each day!

The local news that I watch in the morning before I come to the Library has been showing some interesting experiments to demonstrate how cold it is outside. One of my favorites is frozen bubbles. The air was so cold when they tried it on the news that the bubble solution froze on the wand, but I found a little slideshow on the Web that shows what should have happened.

Another experiment tested which would freeze faster, hot or cold water. The answer might surprise you!

And we’ve actually tried this one at the Library: Throw a cup of very hot water into freezing cold air. If the air is cold enough, the water will turn into snow and ice crystals before it hits the ground. This video from the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire shows the experiment with three different volumes of water thrown into -35F air.

These cold weather experiments are just a few that could be the inspiration for a science fair project. To find more ideas, take a look at some of our science fair books and homework help resources on the Web.

Some questions don’t have easy answers. Take this one, for example:

Do PlayStation2 games work on PlayStation3… ?

I thought it would be an easy yes/no answer. HA! It’s not that easy. There are a lot of answers to this question depending on which PS3 console you have.

Check this article on the PlayStation Knowledge Center website to find out if your PS3 will play PS2 games. Then take a look at our list of PS2 and PS3 games available for checkout at your library!

P.S… We also have games for the Wii and Xbox 360!

If you’ve never been to Emily’s desk in the workroom behind the Circulation desk, then you’ve probably never seen her great ball of tape. It’s big… and heavy… and it’s solid to the core. She’s been working on the ball since February 1, 2007.

Where does all that tape come from? It comes from the spines of books, movies, and other stuff that we hold for pickup on the self-checkout shelves at the Library’s west entrance. Things that don’t get picked up after 3 days go back to the regular shelves after Emily takes the tape off of all the spines and sticks it to the ball.

When the ball was smaller, Emily could keep it on a shelf over her desk. But it’s grown so big and heavy that she moved it to the floor under her desk so that it wouldn’t drop on her head while she’s working.

One person can’t lift or hold on to the great ball of tape for more than a few seconds… it really is that heavy. Sometimes it takes two or three people to just get it off the floor!

If you’re curious about what the different colors mean…

• White tape means the item was put on hold at one of the public desks, like Youth Services or Reference or Readers’ Services.

The other colors tell Emily on which day of the week to call people to tell them their stuff is ready to be picked up:

• Pink tape means she calls on Monday
• If the tape is green, she calls on Tuesday
• Purple tape is for Wednesday calls
• Thursday calls are for the stuff with orange tape
• If the tape is blue, it must be Friday

And there you have it… the great ball of tape!