A Tale Dark & Grimm ... But Happy For You!

For all of you 5th (now 6th) graders who read A Tale Dark & Grimm last year, I need to tell you two things:

source: adamgidwitz.com

1. There is a companion book called In a Glass Grimmly, which follows the bloody adventures of Jack and Jill as they go on a quest. I just finished it today. And then, when I was looking for an image of the book cover to post in this entry, I JUST THIS MINUTE discovered that there is a final book coming out in October called The Grimm Conclusion that includes the "true" story of ... wait for it ... RUMPELSTILTSKIN!

2. The author, Adam Gidwitz, will be at the Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors on Saturday, October 19! This annual event takes place at the Lincoln School in Providence and costs only $5 to attend. (NOTE: If your family cannot afford admission, I may be able to get my hands on some free passes that I can raffle off.) If you attend, I bet you'll be able to buy a copy of the brand new book and have him SIGN it!!!!!! That's what I would be doing that day if I hadn't already been invited to a wedding.

Public Library Fun This Week

It's almost August ... do you feel like you're running out of new and interesting things to do during your vacation? Why not check out some events at your local public library? Here's what's happening during the week of July 29:

Auburn Branch
Dig up some fun! Pirates! Drop by program - every day from 10-5
Malik the Magic Guy - Tuesday 3:00

Central Branch
Mad Science - Monday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)

source: CPL eventkeeper.com

Drawing Comics with Eric Fulford - Tuesday 2:00 (registration required - Grades 5 and up)
The Lorax movie - Tuesday 6:00 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
Sound Effects Workshop - Thursday 2:00 (registration required - Grades 5 and up)
Winnie the Pooh movie - Friday 10:00 (pick up tickets 1/2 hour in advance)
Mutti-i-grees in the Library: Create a Doggie Blanket - Friday 3:00 (Grades 4 and up)

Knightsville Branch
Pom Pom Turtles Drop by program - Tuesday 12-4
Creating Comics Performance by Eric Fulford - Wednesday 2:30

Oak Lawn Branch
Create-a-Craft - Friday 11-4
Meet a Caver - Friday 2:30 (Grades 3 and up)

William Hall Branch
RISEUP Paranormal Investigation - Tuesday 7:30 (registration required - Age 10 and up)
Malik the Magic Guy - Thursday 3:00

NPR Back Seat Book Club: Dork Diaries

source: npr.org

Do you love Dork Diaries?

National Public Radio (NPR) runs a virtual book club for kids, and the July pick is Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Fabulous Life.

As the NPR site says, this series "features a middle school protagonist who's a reluctant — but hilarious — diarist. Nikki J. Maxwell is the new girl at a fancy school (she has a scholarship because her dad is the school's exterminator). All she wants is to fit in with the cool girls ... Nikki tries to heed her grandmother's advice about how to face life's challenges — "You can be either a CHICKEN or a CHAMPION. The choice is YOURS!" — but it isn't easy. Nikki navigates the challenges of teenage life with sass and a sense of humor. Her sketches and doodles will keep kids turning pages and returning for more."

You can send in your questions for Rachel Renee Russell and her daughter (they work together creating the "Dork Diaries" series) by emailing backseatbookclub@npr.org, or tweeting them @nprbackseat. OR you can type them in below, and I can submit them on your behalf. NPR might ask your question during an interview!

Note to 4th- (now 5th-) Graders

I finally uploaded your collective noun drawings!

Public Library Fun This Week

I hope some of you were able to hang out at your local branch library last week and take advantage of the AIR CONDITIONING while having fun. Don't forget that it's not too late to sign up for the Summer Reading Program at the public library and DIG INTO READING. Here are some events you can attend during the week of July 22:

Auburn Branch
Dig up some fun! Ancient Egypt! Drop by program - every day from 10-5
Rick Morin Rhythm Imaginarium! - Tuesday 3:00

Central Branch
Storyteller Carolyn Martino - Monday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
Ice Age: Continental Drift movie - Tuesday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
To Sum It All Up Math Workshop - Wednesday 6:30 (registration required)
Beethoven's Fifth movie - Friday 10:00 (pick up tickets 1/2 hour in advance)

Knightsville Branch
Duct Tape Designs Drop by program - Tuesday 12-4

Oak Lawn Branch
Create-a-Craft - Friday 11-4
Animal World Experience: Can You Dig It? - Friday 2:30

William Hall Branch
Music: Rolie Polie Guacamole - Tuesday 6:30
Make a Pet Rock! - Wednesday 2-4
Library Kung Fu - Wednesday 6-7:30
Animal World Experiences: Dino Discovery - Thursday 3:00

source: CPL eventkeeper.com

Book Recommendation: Timmy Failure #1 - Mistakes Were Made

Oh, kids. Get ready for a new series that you will love. If you like Wimpy Kid and Big Nate, you need to check this one out of the public library NOW. I give you ...

Timmy Failure #1: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis

source: publishersweekly.com

“My name is Failure. Timmy Failure. I am the founder, President and CEO of the best detective agency in town, probably in the world. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is a historical record of my life as a detective. It has been rigorously fact-checked. All the drawings in here are by me. I tried to get my business partner to do the illustrations, but they were not good.”

Read the first four chapters online

Do all kinds of activities on the Timmy Failure web site.

If you read the book, please add a comment below ... I've already submitted my order for the year, but if enough of you clamor for Timmy Failure, I am willing to go buy it myself for the collection.

Book Recommendation: A Tangle of Knots

As (most of) you know, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate won the 2013 Newbery Award. I sit on the Rhode Island Mock Newbery committee, and am using summer vacation as a chance to start reading the books that lots of other librarians are recommending as possible 2014 winners. When I read a good one, I'll let you all know to look for it at the public library (because I won't be able to buy new books for school until next June!).

So, here is my first recommendation:

source: lisagraff.com

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff. NOTE: She wrote Double Dog Dare, which is on the current RICBA list.

Here is the jacket copy:

"In a remarkable world where many people are blessed with a special Talent, 11-year-old Cady is an orphan with a phenomenal ability for cake baking ... and now idea of the journey that Fate set in place for her the moment she was born. But when Cady moves into an upstairs room in the town's Lost Luggage Emporium, she meets a curious cast of characters whose lives are tangled with her own in ways she never could have imagined. There's the ragtag group of siblings struggling to grow beyond their Talents, the woman without any words, and the devious thief on a single-minded mission. And the one thing that ties them all together just might lie inside a single powder-blue suitcase. In a story that falls into place like a magnificent puzzle, these encounters hold the key to unraveling the mystery of Cady's past."

I'm not big on "fate," but I love an intricate plot. See if YOU can figure out all of the connections before the ending!

Public Library Summer Reading Program

Hey, everyone! Hope you are having a GREAT summer vacation so far. It can be even more fun if you sign up for the Summer Reading Program at the public library and DIG INTO READING. Per the library web site, it's this easy:

Read for at least 20 minutes, three days a week. Listening to audiobooks or attending a library program counts as reading, too. Check into your library to claim your weekly prize. We’ll raffle off some larger prizes too – one lucky reader will win an iPad Mini at the end of the summer!

And there are a ton of events you can attend. Here are just a few happening the week of July 15:

Auburn Branch
Dig up some fun! Dinosaurs! Drop by program - every day from 10-5
Animal World Experience - Tuesday 3:00

Central Branch
Sarah Gardner interactive music program - Monday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
Talespinners - Wednesday 3:30 (registration required)
Alice in Wonderland movie - Friday 10:00 (pick up tickets 1/2 hour in advance)
Here's the Story Writing Workshop - Saturday 9:30 and 10:30 (registration required)

Knightsville Branch
Bingo Maker Art Drop by program - Tuesday 12-4

Oak Lawn Branch
Create-a-Craft - Friday 11-4
Malik the Magic Guy - Friday 2:30

William Hall Branch
Toe Jam Puppet Band - Tuesday 6:30
Storyteller Carolyn Martino - Thursday 3:00