Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 100

Great Programs and a Chance to Win!

Stop by your local branch and pick up a Kaleidoscope, our seasonal  library program and information guide. The piece highlights all of our fall programs, and boy do we have some good ones! Your kids won’t want to miss Awesome Autumn Adventure or Star Wars Reads. Teens are sure to enjoy Catching Fire, and adults will want to attend Todd & Brad Reed: A Photographic Michigan Tribute. And these are just a few of our many exciting offerings!

Plus, there’s more! Check out page 4 of the Kaleidoscope for details on our Connect With Happiness Contest. It’s easy to enter and you could win a $50 gift certificate to Schuler Books & Music!

Start Your Holiday Shopping Early!

Stop by the Plainfield Township Branch on Saturday, October 26, 2013 and check out our Home-Based Business & Craft Show!  Crafts, clothes, home decor, cosmetics, jewelry, home-made goodies, health and wellness products, kitchen wares, kids’ items and more.

The show will run from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm with a bake sale included, while supplies last.  There is no admission fee for this show.

Also, check out our Silent Auction Baskets ahead of time and make your bid.  All baskets are complete with gift items, gift certificates, and more.  Baskets will be set up throughout the week of October 21, with the bidding ending on Saturday, October 26.

Mark your calendar to attend our show: Saturday, October 26 9:30 am – 2:30 pm.

New Penguin eBooks Available!

Good news for eBook fans — new titles from Penguin Books are now available again from the library! Penguin had previously chosen to stop selling eBooks to libraries, but they are now once again making their titles available for libraries to purchase.

KDL has purchased many new Penguin eBook bestsellers, including:

Robert B. Parker’s Damned If You Do by Michael Brandman
The Spymistress by Jennifer Chiaverini

Six Years by Harlan Coben

The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter
The Mayan Secrets by Clive Cussler
Dick Francis’s Refusal by Felix Francis
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Last Witness by W.E.B. Griffin
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
This Town by Mark Leibovich
Who Asked You? by Terry McMillan
Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb
Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts
Storm Front by John Sandford
Deceived by Randy Wayne White
Doing Hard Time by Stuart Woods
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Visit http://ebooks.kdl.org and download one today!

 

               

 

 

Celebrating Comics and Graphic Novels

September 25 marks National Comic Book Day, so in honor of that event, here are some graphic novel recommendations. First up is Avatar: The Last Airbender by Gene Luen Yang. If you watched the movies and want to know what happens next, these are great additions to the story.  Currently there is a trilogy titled and a second trilogy, The Search, with the last book due out at the end of October.

Next up is for anyone who loves the mythology genre, like Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. George O’Connor’s Olympians series is a great introduction to Greek mythology. So far there are five books, each one featuring a different god: Zeus, Athena, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. The books also feature brief summaries of other gods who were mentioned in the story but don’t have their own book.

The final recommendation is for Eric Shanower’s adaptations of Baum’s Oz books. This book series is a visually pleasing way to experience the wonderful world of Oz. The first Wonderful Wizard of Oz book is the most familiar because of the movies, but this series covers other L. Frank Baum’s Oz books as well.

     

 

New for Students

We are pleased to announce that we offer two new databases especially for students. Parents and teachers, make sure that the young people in your life check these out!

NoveList K-8 Plus features both fiction and nonfiction for grades K-8. Find just the right book by subject, age, awards won, Lexile Reading levels, Common Core standards, books made into movies and much more. Read reviews, learn about the author and create your own reading wish list. (A guided tour is available if you’d like to learn more.)

World Book Early World of Learning features a wealth of resources to help preschoolers and children in the early grades grasp critical early childhood themes. Follow Trek and Taffy the cat around the world learning about colors, numbers and other fun things. Strengthen reading foundations with stories, activities and videos. Explore the Know It encyclopedia designed especially for early readers. Also includes materials for educators. (A guided tour is available if you’d like to learn more.)

We know how hard schoolwork can be (for parents and teachers too). We hope that these databases make everyone’s life a little bit easier!

 

Early Lit Bits: App Review — PBS Parents Play and Learn

An app that helps introduce various early literacy concepts and is also fun for kids is PBS Parents Play and Learn. This app enables kids to select from a wide variety of settings like “In the Car,” “Bath Time” or “Library” where they can then play simple games by sorting items, practicing letter recognition, counting and more. Each game can be selected as “easy” or “hard.” A “Parent Tip” section explains what your child is learning while playing. The app is fully bilingual in Spanish. A wonderful aspect of this app is the suggested activities in each section for ideas of what you can do with a child to extend the learning experience beyond the app. Engage with your child as they play and then follow up with one of the fun activities to maximize the learning fun. This app is available free for Apple and Android devices.

– Julie R. at KDL’s Caledonia Township branch

 

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

 

Book Review: The Daughters of Mars

Thomas Keneally is a marvelously prolific Australian writer perhaps best known as the author of Schindler’s List.

The Daughters of Mars is his 29th book, and quite possibly his best.

Naomi and Sally Durance are young sisters working as nurses in Australia.  When World War I breaks out, they join a volunteer corps of military nurses, stationed first on a hospital ship in the Mediterranean, then on the front lines in France.  Their patients include young men suffering from horrific wounds, virulent disease, trench foot and the effects of chlorine and mustard gas.

The novel examines the morality of war, the changing roles of women in an increasingly complex world, the dawn of modern medicine and the new science of psychology.  The writing is muscular, the story compelling and unforgettable.

 

 

Battle Those Beyblades

Don’t miss out on all the spinning action! Children ages 6 and older are invited to test their skills and have fun competing in KDL’s Beyblade Battles. Bring your own Beyblades and arenas, or train and compete using our equipment. There is sure to be a dizzying amount of excitement!

Schedule:

Mondays, September 23, October 21 and November 18, 4:30 PM – Cascade Township branch

Wednesdays, September 25 and October 23, 6:30 PM – Englehardt branch

Saturdays, September 28 and October 26, 10:30 AM – Sand Lake / Nelson Township branch

Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 PM – Grandville branch

Thursday, October 17, 6:00 PM – Tyrone Township branch

Saturday, November 16, 10:30 AM – Tyrone Township branch

Wednesday, November 27, 1:00 PM – Englehardt branch

For maps to all KDL branches, click here.

KDL Top Ten – 9/20/2013

View 10 of the most popular Art books this month at KDL – click on the link to the KDL Top Ten list!

Star Wars Reads: At a Branch Near You

May the force be with you as we celebrate Star Wars and reading. Join us for crafts, games and activities that are out of this galaxy! Come dressed as your favorite character to add to the fun. Guys Read Approved.

For links to maps to all our branches, click here.

Schedule:

Saturday, September 21, 10:00 AM – Krause Memorial branch

Saturday, September 28, 10:30 AM – Tyrone Township branch

Saturday, October 5, 10:30 AM – Alpine Township branch

Saturday, October 5, 2:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Sunday, October 6, 2:00 PM – Cascade Township branch

Saturday, October 12, 1:00 PM – Walker branch

Saturday, October 19, 2:00 PM – Caledonia Township branch

Saturday, October 19, 2:00 PM – Wyoming branch

Saturday, October 26, 2:00 PM – Comstock Park branch

Saturday, November 2, 1:00 PM – Grandville branch

Tuesday, November 5, 6:30 PM – Englehardt branch

Saturday, November 9, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch

Saturday, November 9, 1:30 PM – Sand Lake / Nelson Township branch

Saturday, November 16, 10:00 AM – Gaines Township branch

Saturday, November 16, 2:00 PM – Byron Township branch

(Photo courtesy of Broward Palm Beach New Times)