Month: June 2017

If you dream about visiting France, this is the next best thing to being there – reading about it. Nina George writes of a bored German housewife, Marianne, who is bullied by her boorish husband, Lothar. The name aptly fits the man, he has cheated on Marianne many times, and treats her horribly. So one day Marianne decides that she can no longer take her life, and attempts suicide from the Pont Neuf while in Paris. But she is rescued by a homeless man, and that day becomes the first day of her new life. Marianne boards a train and travels to a little seaside town, Kendruc, and proceeds to re-invent herself. This was a wonderful story that illustrates the point that it is never too late to start your life over if you don’t like the way it is going…

If you are like me and remember “where you were” when you read Harry Potter for the first time (3rd grade, in the bathtub) and are filled with a sense of joy then are you are not alone.

 

If you are like me and realize that the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 and is now celebrating its 20 Year anniversary this summer are are filled with dreadful feelings of being old – then you are also not alone.

 

 

It is hard to believe that Harry Potter has been around for 20 years but not when you take into account the literary and cultural phenomena that it has become with seven novels, many smaller books and guides, a website, a play, blockbuster movies, and many many many toy wands and booger-flavored jelly beans for sale.

Today I am reflecting back on what Harry Potter means to me today and the sense of wonderment that I felt while reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (I had the British version of The Sorcerer’s Stone although I have NO idea why) as I read the entire thing in the tub even though the water had long grown cold. I re-read the entire series once every two years or so and I will admit that as I am now reminded of the 20 year mark, I think that will be my Summer goal.

🙂 Happy Reading.

If you are looking for more titles to suggest to children and tweens, ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) offers reading lists for various ages: birth to Preschool, Kindergarten to 2nd, 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th grades. You also can find them all here.

             

The time has come! Registration for Teen Summer Reading (students entering the 6th grade-12th grade) is open! Come on into the Library to register and check out our upcoming programs.

The Grand Prize is two four-day passes to the 2017 NY Comic-Con. If you’re going to be reading anyway this Summer you might as well sign up!

Recently on June 19th, the British children’s CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards were announced.  For the first time ever, two Americans won both the Carnegie and Greenaway medals. Ruth Septys’ historical fiction novel “Salt to the Sea” won the CILIP Carnegie. Lane Smith’s “Tribe of Kids” won the Greenaway picture book award.  This is the 80th year of the awards which is judged by librarians.