Fall into Learning

School is in! School's been in! Have you fallen into the spirit yet?

Fall is finally here. School buses are roaring down the highway, cars are whizzing to and from schools, and leaves are changing colors! All the while, students are at school learning a load of exciting new things, the Children's Services Assistant is here at Armstrong library and in the community interacting and reading about new, exciting things!

We hold story time here at the Library every Wednsday beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 10:30 a.m. We are available for special story time on most any day. Many teachers take advantage of this opportunity, using it as a learning experience for children who don't know much about a library and the neat things it has to offer.

We are also available for events offered in the community where one might need to read a selection of books, teach about the library, or encourage parents to sign their children up for library cards. The Pumpkin Patch this October 27th at the First Church (Penicostal) located on Highway 61 South is somewhere you can catch us in action doing three things that come naturally to us: serving the public, encouraging children to read, and demonstrating our love for books!

If information is needed, please contact the Children's Services Assistant at your local Library. Hope to see you there!

Teen Read Week Is October 16 - 22

What is Teen Read Week? It is the initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Teen Read Week started in 1998. This year's theme is Picture It @ Your Library, which encourages teens to read graphic novels and other illustrated materials. During this week librarians are encouraging teens to seek out creative books, or imagine the world through literature, just for the fun of it. Libraries across the world celebrate Teen Read Week with a variety of events and programs aimed at encouraging teens to read for pleasure and to visit their libraries for free reading materials.

Why is it important to celebrate Teen Read week? There are many reasons! Teens have so many options for entertainment that it's important to remind them of the simple pleasures of falling into a good book and spend some time just reading for the pure pleasure of it; it's free, fun, and can be done anywhere. Research has shown that teens with strong reading skills have better test scores in school and are more likely to suceed in the workforce. Teen Read Week also provides opportunities for both the school and public libraries to get the local community involved and see the importance of teen services. It also allows teens to see the possibilities that exist within the library as well as in the pages of our books.

The teen librarian has been busy working on program ideas for the week long celebration. Check out the Armstrong Library Teen Zone Facebook page or the Teen page on our website for upcoming details about our plans for Teen Read Week!

New Books for September

FICTION

Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson & Marshall Karp. When a young man finds a bag of diamonds, he gets the attention of the major assassin, the Ghost, and a rival assassin who wants the Ghost gone forever.

Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs. A turbocharged case unfolds for the forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan in the series behind the show Bones.

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer. The first volume of the Clifton Chronicles tells the story of one family across generations and oceans.

The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind. A return to the lives of Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell, in a tale of a new threat to their world.

Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. Devastated by the murder of his wife, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast seeks retribution.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. A woman's gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles with her own past.

NONFICTION

In My Time by Dick Cheney & Liz Cheney. The former vice president opens up about his life and nearly four decades at the core of American politics.

1493 by Charles C. Mann. Picking up where 1491 left off, the author says that ecological encounters since Columbus have affected much of subsequent human history.




TEENS

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  When Clay Jenkins receives a box containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends the night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente.  Twelve year old September’s ordinary life in Omaha turns to adventure when a Green Wind takes her to Fairyland to retrieve a talisman, the new and fickle Marguess from the enchanted woods.

Penalty by Mal Peet.  Paul Faustino, known as the best soccer journalist in the business, reluctantly investigates the disappearance of eighteen year old Ricardo, a soccer prodigy known as El Brujito, while in alternate chapters a slave in old San Juan becomes a powerful voodoo priest.

CHILDREN

The Ugly Duckling Dinosaur by Cheryl Bardoe.  In this take on The Ugly Duckling, a tyrannosaurus rex is hatched in a nest of ducklings. Includes facts about dinosaurs.

Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano.  Madeline and the other orphans of the vine covered house in Paris spend Easter at the White House visiting with the President's daughter.

Judy Moody, Girl Detective by Megan McDonald.  When a puppy, who is being trained as a police dog, goes missing, third grader Judy forms a detective agency to solve the mystery, imitating her literary heroine, Nancy Drew.

Meet Marie Grace by Sarah Masters Buckey.  Marie Grace Gardner, a doctor's daughter who has just returned to her native New Orleans in 1853, makes friends with Cécile Rey, whose prosperous family are free people of color, and is persuaded to change places with her at separate Mardi Gras balls.

Out with the old, in with the new...Well, not literally!

I'm sure all of us remember classics like Ms Nelson is Missing, Green Eggs and Ham, The Foot Book, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even the American Girl series. I, for a fact, grew up on these selections, I LIVED for these! But then again, everyone has their own taste.

The Children's department, located on the second floor of the Armstrong library, is a great place to bring your kids for books of all kinds! We are forever expanding our book selections to fit the needs of every patron. Each month we add new easy readers, juvenile fiction, and juvenile nonfiction books to our collection. These books, similar to the set up located downstairs for the new Adult Fiction books, have their own designated place in the library. They are swapped out each month to make way for newer, fresher reads.

You can also catch new books on the display shelves located on either side on the double doors leading into the children's department, and on the glass display right inside the doors. New books will not have a new sticker on them.

Another thing that the books here at our library offer is the AR level and points for each book. This bit of information is located on the inside of the book, most of the time in the right hand corner. This information is good for both the parent, who wants to insure that their child is fact reading on their level, and the child, who will want to read something fun and rack up those points! Remember, not all books are AR books!

I look forward to seeing you and your children in the Library soon!

A Gathering of Friends

You really ought to join the Friends of the Armstrong Library. It is a private nonprofit 501(c)3 organization of enthusiastic library supporters who believe in the importance of libraries and are dedicated to the support of the Armstrong Library through fundraising and advocacy. Not only would you be helping your Library, but you'd meet some great people and have a lot of fun.

You can see what I mean by coming to the annual Gathering of Friends. This serves as their annual meeting, but it's not a meeting at all - it's a party with good food and drink - always held at the home of one of their members. This year it's being held on Tuesday, September 12, 5 - 7 pm at the home of Bradley, Genny, and Christi Harrison at 708 Orleans Street. Please join us - and bring your friends.

And mark your calendars. The annual Christmas Tour of Homes is always on the first Sunday of December, which is December 4 this year.