Read up on Reptiles!

If the huge crowd we saw at our Snakes-n-Scales event is any indication, you guys LOVE reptiles!

Here are some great books to check out the next time you stop by:

*Mysteries of the Komodo dragon : the biggest, deadliest lizard gives up its secrets
          by Marty Crump

*Lizards by Ruth Bjorklund

*Snakes and other reptiles by Mary Pope Osborne
                

*Lizards by Nic Bishop

*Top 10 reptiles and amphibians for kids by Ann Gaines

*Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles by Jim Arnosky

*Amazing Reptiles and Amphibians by Brian Wilson

ENJOY!

Hugo Movie Trailer

Check out the trailer for Hugo, the film version of Brian Selznick's Caldecott winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. How well do you think it captures the images from the book?

Book Buzz August 2011

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
For years, Kate, Michael, and Emma have bounced from orphanage to orphanage, always sure that one day their parents would return for them. The discovery of an enchanted book at their latest “orphanage” pulls them into a magical world filled with vicious creatures, dwarfs and an evil countess. What is this book that allows them to travel through space and time and how can they keep it out of the hands of evil? This is a fantastical adventure (and the first of a projected trilogy) that will appeal to fans of the Harry Potter, Lightning Thief, and Artemis Fowl series.  I really enjoyed the audio version of this book, which is read by Jim Dale, award-winning narrator of the Harry Potter books. Meghan (J Fiction)

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

Milo Cruikshank is in a funk and he has to start at a new school this year -this will be his 5th school! Luckily for Milo, he meets the love of his life (Summer) in science class and a best friend (Marshall) on the bus. While things are going well at school he still has to deal with his always quiet father and his moody older sister at home. Life at home has not been the same since his mom passed away last year, and while he is always thinking about her and the way things used to be, it seems as if he is the only one. With the help of his new friends he goes on a mission to get the two things he wants most: the girl and to bring back the memory of his mother. Lindsey (J Fiction)

The Brooklyn Nine:  A Novel In Nine Innings by Alan Gratz

This book is divided into nine innings, not chapters. Starting in 1845, in the first inning, meet Felix Schneider, a 10 year-old immigrant from Germany in New York that spends any spare time he has watching and playing baseball.  In each successive inning, meet the next generation of baseball lover in Felix’s family.  Along the way you will also meet famous people in baseball history that help bring the story to life.  The story ends in 2002, where it starts, in Brooklyn, with Snider Flint and how he unearths baseball treasures and tries to learn their place in history.  Kristin (J Fiction)

Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
Now what could be better than being picked to be “Friend of the Week”?  You get to be the first in line that whole week.  You get to be the classroom helper for that week.  Your friends have to write nice things about you in a book that you get to keep.  What could possibly go wrong with a week like that?  If you have read any of the other Clementine books, you know that anything that could possibly go wrong does.  This 4^th addition to the Clementine series is by far my favorite.  I laughed out loud and cried.  What more could you ask for when reading a book?  Jacquie (J Fiction)

Book Buzz July 2011

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel
Those of you who are Bad Kitty fans know that kitty is not just a Bad Kitty. She is a very bad, bad, Bad Kitty. When last we saw her, she was tearing up the house because her owners left for a week and left Uncle Murray in charge. Could things get worse? Yes they could. Kitty finds out why the owners left for that week. They brought her back something special. Something that Kitty is not too sure about. So Kitty’s other friends come over and they try to welcome this new “thing” into the family. Will Kitty figure out what the baby is and when she does, will she like it? You will have to read it to find out!!! Get ready to chuckle in this newest Bad Kitty adventure. Jacquie (J Fiction)

The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
This is a wonderful tale of Princess Patricia Priscilla as she approaches her 16th birthday and the ball that her parents are throwing for her to find a suitor. She realizes she is bored by her everyday life and she doesn’t get to do anything interesting. She starts talking to her chambermaid, she finds out her name is Tess, and she sneaks off to attend school with the peasants. While at school she meets wonderful people and wants to do something nice for them. In the meantime, her suitors are preparing for the ball. You will find that each one is worse than the next. How will she ever choose?
Kristin (J Fiction)

Ben Franklin: His Wit and Wisdom From A-Z by Alan Schroeder
If you are fan of Ben Franklin, or a fan of history in general, this wonderful picture book is a must read!  Ben Franklin is known for many things.  Electricity, the Declaration of Independence, and the almanac.  But this book opens a whole world of knowledge.  Did you know that Mr. Franklin loved reading so much he started the first subscription library in America?  Did you also know that Mr. Franklin was the man who organized Philadelphia's first fire company?  This great non-fiction book is full of facts, anecdotes, and quotes, all about the great Ben Franklin.  Jacquie (J Biography)

The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter
When Jane Goodall was five years old she hid in the henhouse to watch how an egg comes out. Even then Jane was a great observer of animals. This simple biography tells the story of how little Jane from England became the voice of the chimps in Africa. Details from her life, from her years in the African forests of Gombe, Tanzania, to her worldwide crusade to save the primates who are now in danger of extinction, are accompanied by delightful illustrations. Young animal lovers will be inspired to become watchers like Jane. Alia (J Biography)

Pottermore: The Big Reveal...

What is Pottermore?

J.K. Rowling has just launched a new website called Pottermore, with no real hints as to what the site is going to be. Rowling has said that it won't be a new Harry Potter book but it could be ANYTHING else! What do you think it might be?  Whatever it is, Potter fans are bound to be happy about it!

Here's a little something to watch while we wait for Rowling's big reveal...The official site for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 in theaters July 15.

It's about to start....

Registration for our summer programs is now open. We are offering a lot of great programs for children this summer! But some of our programs do require you to sign up ahead of time. So don't be late! Sign up online here.