Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 105

New Teen Booklists for August

Looking to add a little Horror in your life?  Browse our new teen Horror booklist, find your next spooky read just in time for Halloween.

We also have fiction for teens featuring LGBTQ characters.

            

 

 

Fall 2013 KDL Kaleidoscope

The Fall 2013 issue of the KDL Kaleidoscope program guide is now available at your local branch library. Or check it out online. You’ll find all you need to know about fall programs and get some great information on library resources and staff recommendations. We are also featuring a special contest with a chance to win a $5o gift card to Schuler Books & Music — check out page 4 of the Kaleidoscope for complete details!

It’s sure to be an exciting summer at KDL, and you don’t want to miss a thing. Check out the KDL Kaleidoscope today!

 

Summer Reading Success!

Summer Reading @ KDL 2013 is over, and thanks to you, it was a HUGE success! A record-breaking 29,579 people participated this year!

8,484 children completed the program
Teen participants read 59,418 books
Adult participants read 41,568 books

We would love to hear from you. Was there a  program that your family loved? Did your child develop a passion for books this summer? Do you have any thoughts on how we can improve Summer Reading @ KDL? Leave us a comment and let us know!

 

KDL Top Ten – 8/30/2013

Find creative and tasty ways to make school lunches and dinnertime more fun and nutritious with books from our Cooking Kids collection!  This week’s Top Ten list features 10 of the most checked-out titles in this section.  Bon appétit!  And, as always, please feel free to comment on your favorite titles, tips and resources on this subject below!

View more delicious titles from KDL’s Cookbooks section on our Cookbooks board on Pinterest!

Holiday Closing — Labor Day

The Kent District Library will be closed Monday, September 2 for Labor Day. We will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, September 3. For additional 2013 holiday closing information, please view our holiday closings page.

We appreciate your patronage and wish you a Happy Labor Day!

 

 

Upcoming Blood Drives: Do Good @ KDL

More than 4 million people in the U.S. would die each year without blood transfusions. And blood is a perishable resource that can be stored only for a short time. That’s why blood donors are needed every day. Stop by the branches listed below and do a good thing for someone else — maybe save a life. Sponsored by Michigan Blood.

Tuesdays, September 3, October 1, November 5 and December 3, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM

– East Grand Rapids branch

Mondays, September 30 and November 25, 12:00 – 7:00 PM

– Cascade Township branch

 

Mom, Daughter Team Up for Teen Tale

Popular adult realistic fiction author Jodi Picoult was on book tour in Los Angeles when her telephone rang. It was her daughter, Samantha, who said, “I think I have a pretty good idea for a book.”

The resulting collaboration, Between the Lines: A Novel, is a happily-ever-after fairy tale retold for teens. Similar to Picoult’s adult novels, this story is told in chapters alternating between book character Prince Oliver and loner, 15-year-old Delilah. According to Picoult’s website, daughter Samantha asked her mom these questions:

“What if the characters in a book had lives of their own, after the cover was closed? What if the act of reading was just these characters performing a play, over and over… but those characters still had dreams, hopes, wishes, and aspirations beyond the roles they acted out on a daily basis for the reader? And what if one of those characters desperately wanted get out of his book?

Better yet, what if one of his readers fell in love with him, and decided to help?

“Mom,” Sammy said, as I languished in Los Angeles traffic. “What if we wrote the book together?”

“Okay,” I told her, “but that means we’re writing it. Not me.”

If you’re a fan of fairy tales retold, check out this booklist of other modern retellings.

Here are some reviews of this new book by Jodi Picoult and her daughter, Samantha Van Leer.

 

The European Reading Experience

Although I have never been to Paris, I have visited through some great books. Just recently I finished reading Just One Day by Gayle Forman.  Although the book starts out in Stratford-upon-Avon, Paris is the real destination. Allyson’s parents give her a tour of Europe but nothing is like she imagined from the movies she has seen. Until Stratford, where she meets a Dutch boy, Willem, who takes her on a whirlwind journey to Paris for just one day. Luckily the next book, Just One Year, is from Willem’s point of view and will be released in October.

While reading Just One Day, I was reminded of 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. The similarity was partly from breaking out of shells and experiencing life along with the travel aspect. Ginny’s aunt bequeaths to her 13 little blue envelopes and sends her around Europe following the directions given. The sequel is The Last Little Blue Envelope, which gives you a hint of what happens at the end of the first book.

And to end on Paris, I have to mention another of my favorite books, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Anna’s father sends her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. She isn’t thrilled until she meets Etienne St. Clair, who is gorgeous and funny but has a girlfriend. A light-hearted but engaging read.

                                    

 

Books to Read Before Boarding the Bus

Back to school season is officially here. Whether your child faces the coming school year with dread, anticipation, jitters or confidence, books are a great way to calm their fears or increase their excitement. Check out this great booklist of picture books and beginning readers about going to school. Find some time to read these books to your little student.

 

 

 

Dinner with an Author

Recently, we asked this question on our Facebook page:

If you could have dinner with an author, who would it be?

We received a host of great responses including , Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Jodi Picoult and C.S. Lewis.

Who would you add to the list? Leave us a comment and let us know. And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook!