LEGO Club

This past Saturday I had the privilege of holding my first LEGO Club meeting at the library!

The LEGO Club was actually started last spring by my predecessor. The club took a hiatus for the summer and met again for the first time a few days ago. The club is actually very informal. Basically I put out several buckets of LEGOs and let the kids go nuts. It's open to kids between the ages of 6-12, which is a pretty wide range but actually works pretty well for this event. We had several sibling pairs in attendance for our first meeting of the fall season. The kids started out working with their sibling(s), who they were the most comfortable with, and over the course of the hour slowly started intermingling and working with the other kids. That's one of the great things about this program: It really gives kids the chance to be creative and be social in a non-competitive environment. I didn't even really do anything to guide them - I just let the kids go to town and stood back to watch them have fun.

One thing I am going to change for next time is the length of the club's meeting. Past meetings were always an hour long, but I was met with loud groans when the hour was up. The kids were just getting into the swing of things! Next time we'll keep the doors open for a full hour and a half to give them some extra build time. I also need to see if I can buy a few extra pieces - big green boards are a must, as are more LEGO people.

This was such a great program and I'm excited to keep it going. I'm hoping that these kids will remain as enthusiastic about this even as I am!

Bink and Gollie

Bink and Gollie are great friends. The best of friends. Marvelous companions to the end, using their remarkable treehouse as a base for their adventures. But these two girls are vastly different too. Bink is short, impetuous and loves her brightly colored socks. Gollie is tall and a bit more serious but nonetheless has a flair for adventure. Though they do not always agree, the two girls share three delightful adventures - one involving Bink's socks, one with an adventure in the Andes, and another featuring a third marvelous companion - in this brilliant new book, Bink and Gollie, written by aclaimed authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee.

I have to say that this is one of the most brilliant books that I've seen this year. Not quite a picture book, not quite an easy reader, and not quite a chapter book, this is a piece of work that truly stands on its own and could appeal to a wide range of readers. The illustrations by Tony Fucile are vibrant and fun, with soft lines for the background and bright colors for the two girls. There are only a few sentences on each page, but the vocabulary features delightfully big words (including "spectacular" and "baffled") and a formalized tone that will make readers smile. This is a book that I truly envision being shared - parents reading with their children, and kids sharing with their friends. This deceptively and elegantly simple book begs to be read aloud and the characters beg to be loved - and with spunky and imaginative girls like Bink and Gollie readers will find both tasks easy.

Overall Grade: A+

Bulletin Boards

One of my responsibilities at my new job is to decorate the children's area. Spruce it up; make it special. One easy way to to that on on the two large bulletin boards in the hall that leads from the children's area to our meeting/programming room.

I have a few opinions about what makes a good bulletin board in the library. It should be fun. It should capture your attention. Color is a must. But I also really think that it should have something to do with the library itself. Somehow these spaces should promote what the library has to offer - a part of the collection, programs, or even reading/literacy as a whole. After all, I didn't get my MLS so that I could work as an interior decorator, so any decorating that I do is going to (generally) accomplish something.

Here's my first board, the larger of the two:


To help get geared up for fall I decided to do something seasonal. I immediately thought of trees and colorful leaves. The tree is pieced together from about 20 pieces of brown construction paper. I pinned the paper up to the board and then used a box cutter to trim the paper to the shape I wanted. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! The smaller leaves which fill in the space were left over from a past display and were done on a die-cut machine. For the larger leaves, the acorns, and the squirrels I actually found a box full of large outlined images (aprox. 9"x6") that seemed designed to be copied and used for classroom activities. I made photocopies of the shapes on colored paper, cut them out, and pinned them up.

This season also lends itself to a delightfully cheesy catch phrase: "Fall into a good book." I had hoped to actually print off cover art of several different books to put onto the falling leaves to go with this theme and promote these titles, but unfortunately the library does not have a color printer! Black and white images would not do. Perhaps in the coming days I'll make color copies of actual book jackets shrunk down to the appropriate size to suit this purpose.

Here is my second bulletin board:


This board is definitely more geared for parents, featuring descriptions of the six early literacy skills that experts believe that children need to master before they can become good readers (more on this later). Each sheet describes one skill and tells parents ways that they can help to encourage this skill at home. The building blocks along the bottom are there for visual interest and support the idea that these skills are, "the building blocks of reading." I like to talk about these skills during storytime whenever possible and having this information posted for parents to explore on their own - especially so near the room where storytime takes place - can only help to promote these ideas.

Another bonus - because this board isn't seasonal, I can leave it up as long as I need to!

Mockingjay

Good news: I'm safely moved and have survived the first two weeks at my new job! I'd say things are going well. My Internet access is still a tad shaky (trouble with wireless = not able to use laptop), but hopefully that'll be cleared up soon-ish so that I can get this blog rolling again.

Amidst all of this month's chaos, however, I did manage to read the book that I've been most looking forward to all year: Mockingjay!

As the final installment in the Hunger Games trilogy opens, Katniss finds herself in a difficult position. District 12 has been completely destroyed. Peeta is being held captive by the Capitol and is certain to face nothing but torture and death. And the rebels who lifted her from the arena desperately want Katniss to pose as a figurehead for the rebellion - their Mockingjay. Distraught by the violence around her but desperate for revenge, Katniss agrees. But will she simply become a pawn in another game - one perhaps even more dangerous than the Hunger Games?

Suzanne Collins has once again done what she is so great at: She has taken a piece of very challenging subject matter and tackled it from all sides. She has created dynamic and interesting characters who crawl under your skin and make you eager for more. The world building as readers explore the underground District 13 is superb. The writing continues to leave you breathless. In these respects, Collins is a crafter of stories like no other.

This book did not go the way I had expected. Mostly I actually think that this was a good thing as the surprises kept me on my toes. And just as in the final volumes of The Underland Chronicles, Mockingjay's exploration of war and violence leaves readers with much to think about as all sides of the argument are explored. Overall, this book is superb. But I can't help thinking of what I had hoped for that we didn't see. I had hoped for a tad more spark from Katniss. Not much, just a little. While Collins does not pull any punches in this action-packed volume, it seemed to me that the ending was a bit rushed. And I do kind of feel that Collins took the easy way out in regards to her expertly-created love triangle. Does it work? Absolutely. Is it great? Certainly. Was it perfect? Maybe, maybe not. Personally, this reader wants to tackle the book a second time to see how it resonates upon a slower, less ravenous reading.

Overall Grade: A-

SLP Challenges

I don't know that I spoken yet about the interesting predicament that my library found itself in this summer. On top of the usual chaos that comes with the Summer Reading Program, our Head of Youth Services gave birth to her first baby in early June - right before the chaos began. While we were all thrilled about the baby, the rest of us had to scramble a bit to figure out how summer was going to work. After all, it is our busiest time of year and we would be without the person in charge. What's a library to do?

Well, we all had to step it up a bit. The library director took responsibility for managing the children's department and making the big executive decisions. Myself and the other assistant kept most of the day-to-day stuff rolling along. Thankfully we've both been through SLP a few times so we knew pretty much what to expect. Programming was unfortunately cut back a little because we just didn't have the man-power to have so many events. We did hire some extra LTE (limited term employee) help, but given their position and lack of training they were mostly there to help with SLP check in and keeping the area clean. Mostly we learned flexibility and how to tackle problems as they come.

This summer was certainly challenging and contained some high and low points. Even though we had some leadership from the director, she also had her regular job duties and the rest of the library to worry about so she wasn't physically there to help at every moment when we would have liked. The LTEs proved to be more helpful than expected given their training and expectations. Our total number of participants was sadly down just a little bit from last summer, which we attribute to the fact that our HoYS was unable to do school visits. While some programs were cut from the summer schedule, the ones that were held proved to be huge hits.

One big lesson that I take from this experience is that it's so important to make sure that more than one person can do a given job. Under my library's current union contract, myself and the other assistant can only be given so much responsibility, so we weren't aloud to take on all of the HoYS' responsibilities when she was gone. If we had been able to take on some additional responsibilities (programming, decision making, etc.) then things might have been a lot easier. I also think that it's huge to have the entire staff involved at least in some aspect with planning. Because of the responsibility structure, the HoYS did all of the planning for SLP...and then wasn't there to see it though. Those of us who were there to implement the program weren't involved in the planning so there were a few holes in our understanding of how things were supposed to work. If everyone works together on all stages though, then it's easier for things to flow smoothly when something goes wrong.

Despite the challenges, SLP proved to be a major success. The kids all had a great time and it was fun to see so many faces at the library. Even if there were a few bumps along the way, nothing burned down so it couldn't have been that bad...right? ;)

New Blog Design!

I decided that this blog needed a bit of a face lift. Sort of a "new job, new color scheme" sort of thing. After all, the design templates on Blogger have grown to include a lot more designs and customization is easier than ever. What do you think?

I'd also like this opportunity to ask my readers (small in number though you may be) if there's anything in particular you'd like me to post about - a book, a particular library or literacy issue - whatever you're interested in along this general theme. Suggestions might keep me a bit more active during the coming weeks of madness.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Tommy is a kid with a problem. He needs to find out if his super-freak classmate, Dwight's, origami Yoda can really predict the future. He seems to have given excellent advice to other kids, but Tommy's friend Harvy insists that Yoda's wise powers can all be explained away. After all, it's Dwight who controls Yoda - what can this kid possibly know? But part of Tommy wonders - could origami Yoda be for real? He needs to know the answer ASAP because Yoda has given him some advice that he's terrified to follow. If Yoda is right, then everything will be perfect. But if he's wrong it will mean certain humiliation. What's a kid to do?

I have to say, this was one awesome little book. Middle-schoolers are a real challenge to capture correctly in books, and author Tom Angleberger does a great job of creating interesting, believable characters. Dwight, the dopy kid who creats Yoda, is especially well-drawn. He's a kid who's truly strange. Everyone knows it, everyone makes fun of it, and there's no denying even to the adult reader that this kid is weird. But you can't help but love him anyway, especially as the book goes on and you realize that not everyone will just write him off because of his eccentricities.

The hardest part of creating a great middle-grade novel is capturing the "in between-ness" of the middle-school mind. Some kids at this age think that they're on top of the world, while some are struggling to get by. Some are huge and/or hugely popular, and some flounder along at these other kids' mercy. It's sometimes tempting for authors to generalize and age middle-school kids either too much or too little - as either full-fledged grown-up teens or still little kids - but Angleberger has done a good job of finding the right balance between the two.

But enough critique. This book is a ton of fun to read. It's funny and it makes you think. It'll definitely put a smile on your face. Besides, who doesn't love Yoda? And who doesn't love a book about a good weird kid? After all Diary of a Wimpy Kid proved that millions of middle-grade readers love weird kids. Just like DoaWK, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda will find a readership with kids of various ages and genders who just want a good, fun story - no fuss, no muss - and it will keep readership because of it's awesome quality of writing and characterization.

Overall Grade: A+

Exciting Announcement!

It's been nearly two weeks since my last post and things are likely to be just as sporadic over the next month or so. Why? I got a new job! I've now officially graduated from Overqualified-Library-Assistant-Who-Nonetheless-Mostly-Loves-Her-Job to Full-Fledged Youth Services Librarian. Huzzah! I'm really excited about the new job. It seems like it will be a great opportunity and I'm totally excited to plan programs and order books for the kids and teens in my charming new community. While I don't start the new job until the end of August I am a bit distracted with trying to pack up my life and move to this new town, so my reading and blogging time may be cut short. But I'll do my best to keep you all entertained.

Meanwhile, Summer Reading Program is in full swing. I've talked to a couple hundred kids this summer about all of the books they've been working on. My favorite conversation thus far was with an eight-year-old boy who's been working his way through a series of biographies about all of the presidents. Wow! Here are just a few other books that I've seen pop up this summer:



















































What else have you all been reading this summer?

The Mysterious Howling

Penelope Lumbly is a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females seeking a position as a governess. After all, what else is there for a Poor Bright Female to do? Penny is lucky enough to get a job working at the Ashton household, but quickly discovers that her charges are far from ordinary. The three children, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia were all found living together in the woods, and they seem to have been raised by wolves. Instead of teaching them French and Latin, Penny quickly finds herself needing to teach the children to not chase squirrels and how to eat with a knife and fork. Things being even more complicated when Lady Constance Ashton announces that she will be holding a grand Christmas party that the children must attend. Will they be ready in time, or will they humiliate Lady Constance? Where did these children come from in the first place? And why does Penny keep hearing talk of a hunting party on Christmas?

The Mysterious Howling is the first in an expected series by author Maryrose Wood. In her first novel for younger readers (her previous books have been for teens) she brilliantly blends and old-fashioned type of story with perfectly paced humor that kept me laughing. Describing the style of this book is a challenge - the best I can do is to say that it's kind of like a bizarre blend of Jane Eyre, Mary Poppins, and Lemony Snicket. It all works very well. Very few of the questions and mysteries set up in this first volume are fully solved which will make readers eager to pick up the next volume, expected to be published in 2011. Some might find this wait frustrating, but the book is a light enough romp and the kids are such delightful characters that many will probably not mind the lack of true resolution. It's hard to say if this series is destined to be a favorite just yet, but I have a gut feeling that if the next book in the series is as fun and as funny as its predecessor then readers will be in for a real treat.

Overall Grade: A-/B+

The Cardturner

Alton's summer doesn't look exciting at first. His girlfriend dumped him for his best friend and his parents are forcing him to spend time with his elderly great-uncle at a bridge club acting as the blind man's cardturner. His whole life Alton's parents have forced him to kiss up to his "favorite uncle Lester" in the hopes of securing a significant inheritance, and they're sure that this quality time will secure their fortune. But things become much more interesting than Alton could have imagined. First off, he discovers that the game of bridge is much more interesting than he first thought, full of strategy and dynamic team play. He slowly begins to understand the great amount of skill that the game requires, especially for his uncle who can't see the cards and has to memorize his hand. And who knew that Uncle Lester, better known to his bridge club as simply Trap, was actually a nationally renowned bridge player? The only thing that Trap has yet to achieve is a national championship, something he hasn't even attempted in over thirty years. Slowly Alton uncovers the story of Trap's early bridge-playing days and the brilliantly human story of his former partner, Annabelle. The summer shapes up to be even more interesting when Alton begins to spend more time with Toni, Annabelle's pretty granddaughter, and the two find themselves trying to help Trap on the long road to the nationals.

Author Louis Sachar has created another brilliant gem for readers to enjoy. This is a book about the game of bridge, but it's about a lot more than that. It's about learning to not be manipulated and how to take chances. It's about starting over fresh. And I loved it. The characters are strong, expertly built and easy to love (or, in the case of Alton's parents, fun to dislike). They make it easy for readers to enjoy a book so wrapped around a game that most of them have likely never played. If you hesitate to grab this one because of the bridge stuff though, fear not - Sachar does a great job of explaining what you need to know about the game as you go. Older readers who loved Holes will likely enjoy Louis Sachar's newest book for its tone, its endearing characters, and bits of magical realism that make the story come full circle.

Overall Grade: A