Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 137
February 15, 2013
KDL Top Ten – 2/15/2013
Still looking for a romantic read? These are 10 of the most popular titles in Teen Romance at KDL right now!
World War II Fiction for Kids
Do you love to read historical fiction, specifically World War II era fiction? Do you have an upcoming class assignment where you need a book from a specific time period? Place a hold or stop by your local branch to pick up one of these WWII fiction books.
Willow Run (2005)
During World War II, after 11-year-old Meggie moves with her parents to Willow Run, Michigan, when her father gets a job in the B-24 bomber-building factory, she learns about different kinds of bravery from the people around her.
An Elephant in the Garden (2011)
Lizzie and Karl’s mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals don’t run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their garden instead.
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 (2011)
Eleven-year-old Danny Crane is alone on his favorite beach in Hawaii when the world is torn apart and World War II officially hits the United States. Does he have what it takes to find his way home in the midst of the bombs, the smoke and the destruction of the day that will live in infamy?
Don’t You Know There’s a War On? (2001)
In wartime Brooklyn in 1943, 11-year-old Howie Crispers mounts a campaign to save his favorite teacher from being fired.
Black Radishes (2010)
When Paris is captured by the Nazis, Gustave knows that Marcel, Jean-Paul and their families must make it out of the occupied zone. And when he learns that his new friend Nicole works for the French Resistance, he comes up with a plan that just might work. But going into Occupied France is a risky thing to do when you are Jewish. And coming back alive? That is nearly impossible.
A Faraway Island (2009)
In 1939 Sweden, two Jewish sisters wait for their parents to flee the Nazis in Austria, but while 8-year-old Nellie settles in quickly, 12-year-old Stephie feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother who is as cold and unforgiving as the island on which they live.
War Games (2009)
What were once just boys’ games become matters of life and death as Petros and his older brother Zola each wonder if, like their resistance-fighter cousin, they too can make a difference in a Nazi-occupied Greece.
Jimmy’s Stars (2008)
In 1943, 11-year-old Ellie is her brother Jimmy’s “best girl,” and when he leaves Pittsburgh just before Thanksgiving to fight in World War II, he promises he will return, asks her to leave the Christmas tree up until he does and reminds her to “let the joy out.”
The Coastwatcher (2005)
While 11-year-old Hugh, his family, and his cousin Tom are spending the summer of 1943 on the South Carolina shore to escpe the polio epidemic, Hugh uncovers clues that point to a German plot to sabotage a nearby naval base.
(2007)
From her home in Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in 1942, 11-year-old Milada is taken with other blond, blue-eyed children to a school in Poland to be trained as “proper Germans” for adoption by German families, but all the while she remembers her true name and history.
February 14, 2013
Grammy Awards
This past Sunday was the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Over 80 separate awards were presented to the best artists in the music industry. Many of the songs and albums featured in the Grammys can be found at your nearest Kent District Library branch. Here are some to keep an eye out for:
Record of the Year
“Somebody That I Used to Know” from the album Making Mirrors by Gotye, featuring Kimbra
Album of the Year
Babel by Mumford & Sons
Song of the Year
“We Are Young” from the album Some Nights by Fun featuring Janelle Monáe
For many of the winners and as well the award nominees, be sure to look for them through KDL’s Freegal Music service in addition to checking them out from your local branch library.
Kenneth Lonergan’s “Margaret”
Kenneth Lonergan, who has written a number of plays, has only directed two films, and the newest, Margaret, had its start about seven years ago but has only recently been released on DVD. The package that KDL owns actually includes two versions—the theatrical version on Blu-Ray and the director’s cut (which is a half-hour longer, at 186 minutes) on regular DVD. I gave in to watching the director’s cut after hearing it praised by a critic on the radio, not really knowing much about it other than what was on the back of the box.
I can’t say this is a film everyone would like, even if it was less than three hours long (which in itself is a challenge). Lisa, the central character (played by Anna Paquin), is a New York City teenager who early on in the film becomes party to a horrific accident involving a bus and a woman she doesn’t know. She is at a tender age, but by the end of the film most would not call her an innocent, and not even a likable person. For the accident changes her, and drives her to exonerate herself, seek some kind of justice for the dead woman, and act out in ways that could only be called dangerous.
But to say that’s a summation of the plot wouldn’t be fair, since by the end the viewer realizes there is a sort of operatic, sweeping canvas being presented that involves not only Lisa but her mother, her father (who lives in California), the dead woman’s friend and perhaps even the culture at large. Sound confusing? Hopefully not, but it should be noted that the film itself has a rather tortured history, and the director had a very hard time deciding on a final cut that was satisfying to both him and his producers. This is important to remember when watching this fascinating, troubling and memorable film. (The theatrical version is rated R; the director’s cut is unrated but would certainly garner an R rating as well.)
Early Childhood Essentials Classes
Receive professional development hours or just get some great information about early childhood — perfect for parents or childcare providers. Pre-registration is required and class size is limited. Adults only please; childcare is not provided.
Building Self Worth in Children
Thursday, March 7, 6:30 PM – Plainfield Township branch
No-Fuss Feeding
Monday, March 18, 6:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch
Thursday, April 11, 6:30 PM – Plainfield Township branch
Thursday, May 16, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch
FUN-ics — 15 Minutes a Day for Reading Success
Thursday, April 18, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch
Child Safety
Tuesday, April 23, 6:00 PM – East Grand Rapids branch
Mini Day of Learning
Apogee Therapy Center in Grandville will provide sessions on nutrition, fitness and basic rehabilitative interventions for young children. Light on lecture and heavy on fun, with practical ideas you can use. Daycare providers and teachers can earn up to three free professional development credits.
Saturday, April 13, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Grandville branch
(program will be held at First Reformed Church, 3060 Wilson Ave. SW)
February 13, 2013
Run Away with These Groundbreaking Titles
Five titles, recently released, set against the turbulent backdrop of the Civil War, slavery and America in the 1800s. Each novel tells a unique story, from various perspectives of the people affected.
Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
Forced to leave England and struggling with illness in the wake of a family tragedy, Quaker Honor Bright is forced to rely on strangers in the harsh landscape of 1850 Ohio and is compelled to join the Underground Railroad network to help runaway slaves escape to freedom.
Rebel Wife by Taylor M. Polites 
This is the story of a young widow trying to survive the violent world of Reconstruction Alabama, where the old gentility masks a continuing war fueled by hatred, treachery and still-powerful secrets.
Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini 
This novel illuminates the extraordinary friendship between Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave who won her freedom by the skill of her needle, and the friendship of the first lady by her devotion.
Virginia, 1852: Seventeen-year-old Josephine Bell decides to run from the failing tobacco farm where she is a slave and nurse to her ailing mistress, the aspiring artist Lu Anne Bell. New York City, 2004: Lina Sparrow, first-year associate in an elite law firm, is given a highly sensitive assignment: she must find the “perfect plaintiff” to lead a historic class-action lawsuit worth trillions of dollars in reparations for descendants of American slaves.
When a troubled Revolutionary War veteran requires his slave, Washington, to become a breeding sire, Washington’s resolve to stay faithful to his West African spiritual legacy leads to a loving relationship with an enslaved healer woman.
Runaway with These Groundbreaking Titles
Five titles, recently released, set against the turbulent backdrop of the Civil War, slavery and America in the 1800s. Each novel tells a unique story, from various perspectives of the people affected.
Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
Forced to leave England and struggling with illness in the wake of a family tragedy, Quaker Honor Bright is forced to rely on strangers in the harsh landscape of 1850 Ohio and is compelled to join the Underground Railroad network to help runaway slaves escape to freedom.
Rebel Wife by Taylor M. Polites
This is the story of a young widow trying to survive the violent world of Reconstruction Alabama, where the old gentility masks a continuing war fueled by hatred, treachery, and still-powerful secrets.
Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini
This novel illuminates the extraordinary friendship between Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave who won her freedom by the skill of her needle, and the friendship of the First Lady by her devotion.
Virginia, 1852. Seventeen-year-old Josephine Bell decides to run from the failing tobacco farm where she is a slave and nurse to her ailing mistress, the aspiring artist Lu Anne Bell. New York City, 2004. Lina Sparrow, first-year associate in an elite law firm, is given a highly sensitive assignment: she must find the “perfect plaintiff” to lead a historic class-action lawsuit worth trillions of dollars in reparations for descendants of American slaves.
When a troubled Revolutionary War veteran requires his slave, Washington, to become a breeding sire, Washington’s resolve to stay faithful to his West African spiritual legacy leads to a loving relationship with an enslaved healer woman.
February 11, 2013
“Lost on the Lady Elgin” Program Cancelled
Due to poor weather conditions, the Lost on the Lady Elgin program scheduled at the Sand Lake Branch tonight (Monday, February 11 at 6:30 PM) has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we hope to offer the program again in March.
February 10, 2013
KDL on WGVU Radio
Each month KDL staff join Shelley Irwin on the WGVU Morning Show to talk about what’s going on at the library. This month, listen to East Grand Rapids branch Youth Specialist Morgan Doane talk about our all the great Early Literacy resources KDL offers, including PLAY-GROW-READ!, KDLville and more.
Enjoy!
(photo courtesy of Shelley Irwin)
Endearing Audiobook Series for Teens
Sometimes a series comes along that just gets better with each book. The characters become friends and the next books feels like a reunion. The the audiobook version really draws the reader into the action!
For a great audiobook series the might have more appeal for girls (since the main character is a girl), try Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer. What really makes this series great is the reader of the audiobooks, Katherine Kellgren. The books just come alive because she vocalizes the songs and spunkiness of Jacky. This is a historical fiction series so Jacky has to disguise herself as a boy to join the British navy.
Audiobooks are a great way to enjoy books everywhere you go and can be shared with a friend!
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