Spooky Chapter Books For Halloween Fun

October 29, 2013July 16, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Are you or your children getting excited for the spooky fun that comes along with the Halloween season or are you just not quite ready? Well, here are some children’s chapter books that might help you get into the Halloween spirit.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack-who has already killed Bod’s family.

Boo!: Halloween Poems and Limericks written by Patricia Hubbell and illustrated by Jeff Spackman.
A collection of limericks and other poems about Halloween, including “Halloween Scarecrow,” “There Once Was a Witch from North Dublin,” and “Pumpkin Surprise.”

Bunnicula, and the rest of the series, by James Howe.
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

Scary Godmother written and illustrated by Jill Thompson.
While trick-or-treating on Halloween night, Hannah Marie meets her Scary Godmother and a host of creepy creatures who make her welcome on the Fright Side on later Halloweens as well.

Zombie Kid by J. Scott Savage.
The Halloween plans of monster enthusiasts Nick, Carter, and Angelo are thrown into turmoil when a magical amulet acquired from Nick’s voodoo queen aunt turns Nick into a zombie and prompts an uproarious effort to break the curse.

You might also want to try Wait Till Helen Comes, The Doll in the Garden, and All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, The Witches by Roald Dahl, Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles, #1) by Joseph Delaney, The Monster’s Ring by Bruce Coville, Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret, Scary Stories for Halloween Nights by C.B. Colby, or any books in R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series or Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz.

Six Picks : Books to Read Now That ‘Breaking Bad’ is Over

October 27, 2013September 26, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Looking for something to fill the void now that ‘Breaking Bad‘ is over? Here are six titles that should keep you entertained.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the secluded island owned and inhabited by her powerful family, her uncle, convinced that she had been murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional clan, hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, an unconventional young hacker, to investigate.

Difficult Men : behind the scenes of a creative revolution : from the Sopranos and the Wire to Mad men and Breaking bad by Brett Martin. The new golden age of television drama—addictive, dark, suspenseful, complex, morally murky—is chronicled in Brett Martin’s Difficult Men. This group portrait of the guys who made The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men and Breaking Bad is a deeply reported, tough-minded, revelatory account of what goes on not just in the writers’ room but in the writer’s head—the thousand decisions fueled by genius, ego, instinct, and anger that lead to the making of a great TV show.

No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. One day, a good old boy named Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain.

Fight Club by Chuck Palanuik. The rise of a terrorist organization, led by a waiter who enjoys spitting in people’s soup. He starts a fighting club, where men bash each other, and the club quickly gains in popularity. It becomes the springboard for a movement devoted to destruction for destruction’s sake.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. Probably most famous for the gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Welsh’s controversial first novel focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use.

Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell. Ree Dolly’s father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn’t show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. As an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.

10 Picturebooks that Deal with Bullying

October 26, 2013June 6, 2014 / cheshirelib / 1 Comment

October is Anti-Bullying Month. While it’s unfortunate that there’s a need to devote a month to bullying awareness, on the positive side there are some really wonderful books for kids of all ages that have an anti-bullying message. For the youngest children, picturebooks and early readers can be a helpful way to open up a dialog with young children about bullying and resolving conflicts. Some of our recommendations:

Lucy and the Bully by Claire Alexander. When a mean classmate in preschool wrecks Lucy’s artwork, she discovers that they can be friends once he stops being jealous of her.
Bully Trouble by Joanna Cole. Arlo and Robby, finding themselves the victims of a neighborhood bully, work out a red-hot scheme for discouraging him.
The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby. When a new boy in his second grade class tries to get the other students to play a game that involves saying the meanest things possible to one another, Little Bill shows him a better way to make friends.
Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney. Following their teacher’s lead, Llama Llama speaks to Gilroy Goat and tells him he should not act like a bully on the playground.
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Chrysanthemum loves her name, until she starts going to school and the other children make fun of it.
Pinky and Rex and the Bully by James Howe. Pinky learns the importance of identity as he defends his favorite color, pink, and his friendship with a girl, Rex, from the neighborhood bully.
Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully by Audrey Penn. When Chester tells his mother about the school bully, she asks him to gather his friends to hear a story about getting along with people who are prickly.
Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Interacting with other animals in mean-spirited ways, a little bull calls names and behaves in an intimidating manner until his bullying behavior is brought to his attention.
Stop Picking on Me : a First Look at Bullying by Pat Thomas. This approachable picture book explores the difficult issue of bullying in reassuringly simple terms. The fears, worries, and questions surrounding this upsetting experience are made accessible to young children.
You’re Mean, Lily Jean! by Frieda Wishinsky. Sisters Carly and Sandy have always played together, but when Lily moves in next door she only wants to play with Sandy, and insists that if Carly joins them she must be a baby, or a cow, or a dog.

On Our Shelves: New Children’s Non-Fiction

October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

There have been some very interesting additions to our children’s non fiction section in the last few months; from cookbooks to get children more involved in the kitchen to interesting guides to specific areas of science. Here are some of the most intriguing titles that have been added to our children’s non fiction section in recent days.

Extreme Biology, created by Basher and written by Dan Green
This is one of a fantastic new series of non fiction books. This particular title features several bio-buddies who explain a complex area of science, taking your biological knowledge to a whole new level. For more books in the series look here.

Forensics: Uncover the Science and Technology of Crime Scene Investigation by Carla Mooney, illustrated by Samuel Caraugh
Presents an overview of forensic science and crime scene investigation, featuring projects in the areas of documenting a crime scene, identifying fingerprints, analyzing blood spatter, and extracting DNA.

Grandpa’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Cookbook written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett. Kids can learn how to make the food that fell from the sky in Cloudy with a chance of meatballs.

Whales and Dolphins by Anita Ganeri, illustrations by Peter Bull Art Studio
Describes the characteristics and behavior of dolphins and whales; looks at how they eat, live in groups, and raise their young; and explains why some species are now endangered.

ART2-D2’s Guide to Folding and Doodling by Tom Angleberger
To doodle like a Jedi you must learn! With this companion to the blockbuster bestselling Origami Yoda series, beloved author Tom Angleberger—with the help of the kids from McQuarrie Middle School—presents young Padawans with dozens of activities from the Star Wars universe.

Make a Movie! byJim Pipe
Making a film is creative, rewarding… and easier than you think. Why not give it a go? This book gives you all the advice and encouragement you need to take your first steps in the world of cinema.

You might want to take a look at; Robots by Chris Oxlade, Dinosaurs; The Bare Bones written by Dan Green, Jimmy the Joey : the True story of an Amazing Koala Rescue by Deborah Lee Rose and Susan Kelly, Magic Tricks from the Tree House: an Activity Companion to Magic Tree House #50: Hurry up, Houdini! by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce or, Elie Wiesel : Holocaust Survivor and Messenger for Humanity by Diane Dakers.

Romance Author Jill Shalvis Talks “Alpha Males”

October 19, 2013June 5, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Jill Shalvis

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Jill Shalvis is the award winning author of over four dozen romance novels, including her sexy contemporary and award winning Lucky Harbor series. Forever and a Day was one of Amazon’s Top Romances for 2012). She won a Rita for Simply Irresistible and is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner as well. She also has one of the best author websites that includes her wonderfully entertaining and hilarious blog. She posts everyday and it is well worth your time to check it out.

On October 16th, Ms. Shalvis was a guest contributor to the Huffington Post’s Book section with her list of her favorite “alpha males” in fiction. Of course her number one alpha male is her husband, but her list includes some good picks. How many do you agree with!

1. Roarke – From JD Robb’s In Death series