It’s Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be With You!

May 4, 2014June 3, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

May 4 is unofficially “Star Wars Day.” It’s the one day a year when Star Wars fans are encouraged to REALLY let their devotion to all things Star Wars out to play. Cheshire Library has got you covered, young Jedis – we have Star Wars items in just about every section of our collection. Here’s a very small taste of what you can find in our corner of the galaxy:

ADULT SCIENCE FICTION:

Star Wars, Episode I : The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn
I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole

TEENS:

Star Wars: the Radio Drama by Brain Daley (audiobook )
Star Wars: Zam Wesell by Ron Marz (graphic novel)

CHILDREN’S FICTION:

Star Wars, The Movie Storybook by Alice Alfonsi
Star Wars, Episode I, Journal : Anakin Skywalker by Todd Strasser
Star Wars, Jedi Apprentice : The Rising Force by Dave Wolverton
The Shattered Peace by Jude Watson

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EASY READERS:

What is a Wookie? by Laura Buller
The Story of Darth Vader (DK Reader)
Star Wars, the Clone Wars: Forces of Darkness by Heather Scott

NON-FICTION:

Star Wars, The Visual Dictionary by David West Reynolds
The Star Wars Party Book : Recipes and Ideas for Galactic Occasions by Mikyla Bruder
Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary by Simon Beecroft
Star Wars Science Fair Book by Samantha Margles
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars : Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher

DVD:

Nominees for the 2015 Nutmeg Awards Announced!

May 3, 2014June 9, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

The Nutmeg Children’s Book Award is the “Children’s Choice” Award for Connecticut. The goal of the committee is to encourage children in grades two through twelve to read quality literature. This Year there is a new category for the Nutmeg Awards, bring the total of categories to four, all grouped by age. The categories are now for Grades 2-4, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-8, and Grades 9-12. Here is a listing of the nominees. the library has purchased and cataloged multiple copies of each book. There might be a waiting list for the book(s) you are interested in most, but if you place a hold on the item we will contact you when it is your turn.

Grades 2-4

1. Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 by Eric Wight
2. Zita the Space Girl: Far from Home by Ben Hatke
3. Balloons Over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet
4. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
5. Stay: the True Story of Ten Dogs by Michaela Muntean
6. Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelt
7. Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett
8. The Secret of the Stone Frog: a Toon Graphic Novel by David Nytra
9. Lulu and the Dog from the Sea by Hilary McKay
10. Sidney and Sydney Book One: Third Grade Mix-Up by Michele Jakubowski
11. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
12. Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci
13. Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball by David Kelly
14. Locomotive by Brian Floca
15. The Trouble with Chickens: a J.J. Tully Mystery by Doreen Cronin

Grades 4-6

1. Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry
2. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
3. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
4. Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods
5. King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke
6. Joshua Dread by Lee Bacon
7. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
8. White Fur Flying by Patricia Maclachlan
9. Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
10. Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

Grades 7-8

1. Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
2. The Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
3. The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
4. The Final Four by Paul Volponi
5. Guitar Notes by Mary Amato
6. Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
7. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
8. One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
9. The Raft by S.A. Bodeen
10. See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Grades 9-12

1. Boy21 by Matthew Quick
2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
3. The Diviners by Libba Bray
4. Every Day by David Levithan
5. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
6. My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt
7. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
8. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
9. The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
10. The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Quell the Science Fair Fear with Books for Inspiration!

April 29, 2014June 9, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Is it Science Fair season or do you have a child in the house that simply loves science and conducting experiments? Regardless of whether the science project is assigned or done for fun, it can be scary supervising a science experiment! It can be even worse if you never enjoyed science. However, it is important to help encourage the curiosity and interest of our children in all sorts of subjects, so we all keep trying to quell the fear and support their work. Here are some great books to help pick a project and that offer instructions that make the whole process much more enjoyable, and less stressful, for everyone involved.

1. Last-Minute Science Fair Projects: When your Bunsen’s not Burning but the Clock’s Really Ticking by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2. Weather Projects for Young Scientists: Experiments and Science Fair Ideas by Mary Kay Carson

3. The Kid’s Book of Simple Everyday Science by Kelly Doudna

4. First Place Science Fair Projects for Inquisitive Kids by Elizabeth Snoke Harris

5. Water: Green Science Projects for a Sustainable Planet by Robert Gardner

6. Electricity and Magnetism Science Fair Projects: Using Batteries, Balloons, and other Hair-Raising Stuff by Robert Gardner

7. MythBusters Science Fair Book by Samantha Margles

8. Championship Science Fair Projects: 100 Sure-to-Win Experiments by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

9. Goal!: Science Projects with Soccer by Madeline Goodstein

10. Super Sensational Science Fair Projects by Michael A. Dispezio; illustrated by Derek Toye

Did you think I could really stop there? There are plenty of great books to help students, parents, and everyone involved, pick a science experiment or project and get started. Here are some more of the best books on the topic in our collection.

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You might want to check out: Star Wars: Science Fair Book by Samantha Margles, Energy: Green Science Projects About Solar, Wind, and Water Power by Robert Gardner, Science Fair Winners: Crime Scene Science: 20 Projects and Experiments about Clues, Crimes, Criminals, and other Mysterious Things by Karen Romano Young; illustrations by David Goldin, Janice VanCleave’s Machines: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn into Science Fair Projects, The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects by Julianne Blair Bochinski; illustrations by Judy J. Bochinski-DiBiase, Super Science Projects about Earth’s Soil and Water by Robert Gardner; illustrations by Tom Labaff, Bug Science: 20 Projects and Experiments about Arthropods: Insects, Arachnids, Algae, Worms, and Other Small Creatures by Karen Romano Young, Far-Out Science Projects about Earth’s Sun and Moon by Robert Gardner; illustrations by Tom LaBaff, Ace Your Ecology and Environmental Science Project: Great Science Fair Ideas by Robert Gardner, Phyllis J. Perry, and Salvatore Tocci, Yikes! Wow! Yuck!: Fun Experiments for your First Science Fair by Elizabeth Snoke Harris; illustrated by Nora Thompson, Sure-to-Win Science Fair Projects by Joe Rhatigan with Heather Smith, The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity- Challenge the World Around You! by Tom Robinson, and 100 First-Prize Make-it-Yourself Science Fair Projects by Glen Vecchione.

Doing Time Waiting for Season 2 of “Orange Is The New Black”? Try These Books About Life Behind Bars

April 26, 2014June 4, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

Are you a fan of the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Orange Is The New Black? You may know that it is based on the memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Orange Is the New Black offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison, why it is we lock so many away, and what happens to them when they’re there.

If you like Orange Is The New Black, try some of these other “prison reads” while you’re waiting for Season 2 to be released in June.

Non-Fiction:

Couldn’t Keep it to Myself : Testimonies From Our Imprisoned Sisters by Wally Lamb.

I’ll Fly Away : Further Testimonies From the Women of York Prison by Wally Lamb.

Captive in Iran : a Remarkable True Story of Hope and Triumph Amid the Horror of Tehran’s Brutal Evin Prison by Maryam Rostampour

Prison Baby : a Memoir by Deborah Stein

Women Behind Bars : The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System by Silja J. A. Talvi

A Prison Diary by Jeffrey Archer

Fiction:

The Session by Judith Kelman

End of Story by Peter Abrahams

Love Her Madly by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Pen Pals by Olivia Goldsmith

Want to Try A Greener Spring Cleaning?

April 24, 2014June 12, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Are you suffering from Spring Fever? Looking to clean house and purge your closets and cupboards while opening windows and letting the fresh air in? While the cleaning part might not be my favorite, I certainly enjoy the fresh, clean feel of my house when everything is spic and span. I feel even better when I get all that cleaning done without the use of the chemicals found in many commercial cleaners, which can also cost a small fortune.

The smell of a clean house that smells more like citrus and lavender is much more fun than one that smells like chemicals. It also feels a little safer to me when I know I am not using toxic chemicals around my children or pets, or on the things we all touch on a regular basis. If you are getting set to start your spring cleaning marathon, and want to do so a bit greener this year, here are some books that can offer ideas, recipes, and solutions for a greener clean this Spring.