Monthly Archives: January 2011

Library events

Valentine program change

I don’t usually post this sort of announcement on my blog, but I want to be sure the word gets out about this program change:

Due to the predicted snowstorm for Wednesday, I’ve decided to move the Create a Valentine program to Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30.

This morning some forecasters were predicting that we might have as much at 20 inches of new snow by the end of the day on Wednesday – yikes – so it seems smart and reasonable to move this Valentine workshop to a day that is predicted to have good weather.  Don’t forget to pre-register, though, since space is limited!

Book groups, Teens, Young adult book review

Demons of the Ocean

Jim and our friend Greg are working on the bathroom renovation this afternoon, while I do various library projects like download Skype for the upcoming author visit, read the book for Tuesday’s teen book group, and make a new feltboard story for the Cat storytime.  I’m really, really looking forward to the teen book group book, Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper, and I am so glad that it’s finally time to read it.  The book (and its sequels) have intrigued me since Lisa and I first ordered them for the library collection, and I’ve become even more psyched to read it since I’ve heard so much great feedback from the teen book group members.  Three of the teens in the group have made a point of coming to visit me in the children’s room to tell me how much they love the book.  In fact, they all have loved the book so much that they have gone on to read all of its sequels.  That’s really high praise from a discriminating bunch of readers.

And now I think I’d best stop writing and start reading.  I’ll let you know what my opinion of the book is once I’ve finished it.

Etc.

snow…

A few pictures of our poor, snow-swamped yard.  Good thing we don’t use our front door, since you can’t get to it!!  (Click on images to enlarge.)

Library events

The Magic of Bonaparte

We had a fantastic show at the library yesterday, the Magic of Bonaparte, “Boston’s Hottest Magician.”  This show was co-sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the local Cultural Council [please note that I do not name the town that I work in on this blog, and thus will not name the local Cultural Council specifically here], a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.  Many thanks to both of these organizations for sponsoring this terrific show!!

The crowd that attended the show was huge and very enthusiastic, and I can say with absolute certainty that everyone had an awesome time.  Bonaparte is funny, energetic, knows how to involve the audience, and is a great magician to boot.  He made a concerted effort to adjust his show to interest the teens who attended (and they attended at his specific invitation, as he met them coming through the front door of the library), adding some higher level tricks for them and calling them up on stage several times.  I LOVE when performers are so skilled that they can modify their program to suit the mood and makeup of their audience; not many performers are capable of that on-your-feet thinking, but Bonaparte is great at it.  And it was so nice to see teens having fun at a show like this, because as we all know it can be tough to run programs that appeal to teens.

Even more remarkably, there were several younger children in the audience, some as young as two, who stayed attentive for the entire one hour show.  Think about that:  these two year olds sat still for an hour, fully engaged in the show.  Wow.  And all of the children in between the twos and the teens had a blast, too.  That’s talent, keeping such a broad age range interested and excited for an hour long magic show.

And then there’s the little issue of me being called up on stage not once, but twice.  Thank goodness I actually dressed for the occasion yesterday, wearing a skirt for the first time in who knows how long, because that was a lot of eyes on the shabby children’s librarian.  But Bonaparte gave me the origami crane that he made, a magical crane that will flap its wings for the kids who visit me in the children’s room.  And I got to wear a nice pointy sorcerer’s hat and hold a magic wand while crammed on stage with a dozen other “volunteers” for the grand finale, when Whiskers the rabbit appears out of nowhere.  (Whiskers is very, very cute, by the way.)

Thanks to Bonaparte, and of course to the Friends and the LCC, for this great mid-winter show.  What a way to beat those cabin fever blues!!

Book groups, Children's book reviews, Children's literature

Ellen Potter visit

It’s official – Ellen Potter will be joining the 5th grade book group via Skype on February 8 for discussion of her book Olivia Kidney!! 

As I said to Ellen in my most recent email to her, I had not yet read Olivia Kidney when Ellen first contacted me – the book had been enthusiastically proposed for discussion by a book group member, and I was happy that I had a reason to finally read this book.  And guess what?  I LOVE this book!  It’s quirky, well-written, unexpected, funky, and insightful.  To give the book and its author the best compliment I can think of, I’d say that Olivia Kidney is akin to the best of E.L. Konigsburg’s books. 

So I’m thrilled that we’ll be able to chat with Ellen Potter during the book group meeting.  I’ll be sending out an email to all the group members telling them this exciting news, and maybe they can prepare a bit for “meeting” the author – jot down a few questions they’d like to ask her, and maybe even read the book a second time if they are able.  It will be fun!!  And the most fun part?  The book group member who suggested the book, and who advocated so strongly for it, will be celebrating a birthday on the day of the book group.  What a cool way to spend your birthday, chatting with an author you admire!

Book groups, Children's book reviews

The Seems

Oh, dear.  It’s happened again.  The book for today’s book group is almost as annoying and self-consciously clever as Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians.  For today’s book group, the sixth graders almost unanimously chose The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep by John Hulme and Michael Wexler, the first in a series that has been moderately popular at my library.  I was looking forward to reading this book…and then I started it.  Ick.  That’s really the only word I can use to describe it – ick.  The authors have created a fantasy about The World (that would be where you and I live) and The Seems, where the crew that keeps The World running live and work.  There are people working in the Department of Sleep and the Department of Weather, there are Fixers and Case Workers, and there is a connection between The World and The Seems that involves The Door and the Transport Tube (and don’t forget to wear your Transport GogglesTM while in the Transport Tube).  And all of those capital letters are not my invention – the authors did that.  The name of almost every object begins with a capital letter, and many things are trademarked (like the Transport Goggles) or have annoying footnotes explaining them.

I know I’m not the target audience, and that if I were younger I might have a different perspective on this book.  But I also know that I talked to the mom of one of the kids in the book group, and she told me that her child would not be attending today’s group because her child hated the book so much.  So my harsh judgement of this book may be echoed by the kids in today’s discussion.  Even if the kids don’t all agree with me, though, I really do think I’m justified in criticizing this book for trying too darn hard to be cute and clever.  I repeat:  ICK.

Book groups

And the winner is…

Alyson! 

Alyson wins the blog detective award for figuring out the name of the author who will be Skyping (hopefully that’s a word) with the fifth grade book group in February.  And she smartly only listed the author’s initials, since the Big Announcement is yet to come, pending final confirmation with the author.

Congrats Alyson!  🙂

Etc., Spare time - Culture

I’m on Etsy!

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Yes, I have finally bowed to pressure, and I have opened up my own storefront on Etsy.  At the moment I have eight whole items available for sale!  Wow!

Follow the link above, or the exact same link here, to check out my store.  It’s a little amateur looking compared to some of the stores on Etsy, which look totally professional, but after several hours of setting policies and uploading photos and such, I am DONE.  And in case anyone is wondering, I had wanted to name my store “Abby’s Jewelry,” but that name was already taken, so I thought fast and found that “Ophelia’s Jewelry” was still available.  Ophy is very happy to have a store named after her.  Pippa is just as glad that I didn’t choose her name for a jewelry store, since Pippa is a bit of a tom-boy.

Let me know what you think of my new store!

Book groups, Children's literature

Virtual Author Visit

4 Comments

The details aren’t firmed up yet, so I won’t divulge the author’s name, but one of the authors of one of the February book group books has contacted me (via Barbara at the library, since I’m off this week) about joining our upcoming book group discussion via Skype.  How cool is that?!?!  The author even promised me that he/she would help me with my Skype naivete by doing a Skype dry run prior to the book group meeting (what a nice person, this author!). 

I can’t wait to tell the kids in the group that this will be happening, especially since the book was suggested by one of the book group members who advocated so strongly for the book that she got the rest of the kids in the group to vote for it as one of our choices.  And she’s stood up to a bit of gentle teasing, since the other kids in the group originally thought that she said the book is about a girl who sees goats…she really was saying “ghosts,” but somehow it kind of sounded like “goats.”  And that, dear friends, was a BIG hint for you.  I hope the detectives in my readership can track down which book and which author we’re talking about.  Another hint: I did list the book choices for all of the book groups for the rest of the year in a previous post.  I’d offer a fabulous prize for the person who can figure this out, but, alas, I’m quite broke.  But I will mention you by name on the blog if your detective skills lead you to the right book.

Meanwhile, I’m just thrilled that this author found us and is willing to visit with us via Skype.  Very, very, very cool.

Librarianship

Why Libraries Are Awesome

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I took an adult education class on wire wrap jewelry making a couple of months ago, and I am now officially addicted to my new hobby.  I’m still a rank beginner, and most of what I make is for myself, since the finished product is usually a little too wobbly and imperfect to give to another person.  But I’m practicing, practicing, practicing, and am ever eager to learn more ways to use my new skill.

Yesterday I got an offer in the mail for the magazine Step by Step Wire Jewelry (clearly one of the catalogs I’ve been ordering jewelry making supplies from sold my name – humph), and I kind of started salivating as soon as I saw that there was a whole magazine devoted to new wire wrap projects.  And then I went online today to investigate if the magazine is any good – and, sadly for my coffers, it looks like it’s fabulous – and that led me to look at some of the books that the magazine editorial staff has written…and all of a sudden I was on Amazon, ready to spend quarts of money that I don’t have.

Screeching mental brakes.  Wait a second, wait a second, I told myself.  Why am I thinking about buying books that I can’t afford and don’t even know much about?  I might well spend precious money on some books that are worthless to me, and then I’ll just be grumpy and pissed with myself.  GO TO THE LIBRARY CATALOG, my inner voice screamed.  You’re a librarian – you know how to order some interesting looking wire wrap jewelry books via interlibrary loan, and then you can audition the books and try out all kinds of cool projects.  FOR FREE. 

And, you know, you don’t have to be a librarian to do this.  All you need is a library card and internet access, and you can sit in the comfort of your own home and request books for yourself.  And lo and behold, in a week or so those awesome books will arrive at your home library for you to pick up and check out for a few weeks.  And guess what?  If you don’t have internet access at home, or if you would just like a little additional help, you can visit your local library and ask a nice librarian (like me!) to find the books that you’re looking for and request them for you.  And you might just be surprised at how many books are at your local library, meaning that you don’t have to wait a week for them to be delivered from another library in the system.  Wow.  That is cool, huh?

So now I’ve requested six wire wrap jewelry books on my library card, and before you know it I’ll have those books in hand and I’ll be acquiring all kinds of new skills and techniques and ideas.  For free.  Libraries ARE awesome!!!