On Our Shelves: Great New Books for Children and Teens

Every week I spend my off desk hours of work getting new books ready to go on our shelves in the children and teen areas of the library. Along the way I find ones I need to read, favorite authors I did not expect more from quite yet, and many great surprises. I know not everyone loves children’s or young adult literature, or has that same attachment to favorites (old and new) that I do, but for fellow fans and those looking to share recommendations with others I thought it was time to gather up another list of newcfoddnew books from this section of the library that I am excited about adding to our collection.

This is far from all of the great new selections, so feel free to come on in and browse our displays of new materials!

Children’s Fiction 

Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaronewcfsurvive

The Courage of Cat Campbell by Natasha Lowe

Magic Tree House Super Edition #1: Danger in the Darkest Hour by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal Murdocca

I Survived #11: I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 by Lauren Tarshis

The Only Game by Mike Lupica

newyadarkYoung Adult Fiction

The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines) by Richelle Mead

Fairest: Levana’s Story (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

When by Victoria Laurie

Embassy Row #1: All Fall Down by Ally Carternewyawhen

Frostfire (The Kanin Chronicles) by Amanda Hocking

Woven by Michael Jensen and David Powers King

Firefight (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

As always, there are many more great books entering the collection every day. Swing by the children’s and teen areas and browse the displays of new newyaplaylistmaterials for even more!

Book Club Picks – Fantasy

book clubIs your book club looking to escape the here and now?  Try reading a fantasy and discover a new dimension.

written in my ownWritten In My Own Heart’s Blood – Diana Gabaldon – After being presumed dead, Jamie Fraser returns to find that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitmate son has discovered who is father is, and his nephew has decided to marry a Quaker.bone clocks

The Bone Clocks – David Mitchell – Interweaves six narratives spanning the period between 1984 and the 2030s to chronicle a secret war between a cult of soul-decanters and a small group of vigilantes who would take them down.

the oceanThe Ocean At The End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman – Presents a modern fantasy about fear, love, magic, and sacrifice in the story of a family at the mercy of dark forces, whose only defense is the three women who live on a farm at the end of the lane.fool's assassin

Fool’s Assassin – Robin Hobb – llegitimate royal and former assassin FitzChivalry Farseer masquerades as a country squire with his beloved wife, but finds himself drawn back to his former life by old allegiances.

visionsVisions – Kelley Armstrong – Estranged from Gabriel when his past comes to light, Olivia Taylor-Jones receives a sinister warning in the form of a murder victim dressed to look like her and struggles to learn the truth about the victim, the role of her new home, and her susceptibility to old enemies.heavens rise

The Heavens Rise – Christopher Rice – When Niquette Delongpre is exposed to a small parasite deep in the swamps outside of New Orleans, she must come to grips with her mysterious and dangerous new powers to battle against a rising evil.

innocenceInnocence – Dean Koontz – Foraging for supplies by night in a beautiful but hostile urban world where strangers would kill him on sight, Addison endures a solitary existence before meeting a quicksilver girl engaged in a dangerous duel of wits with a malicious, well-placed enemy.witch's daughter

The Witch’s Daughter – Paula Brackston – Witnessing the death of her witch mother in the spring of 1628, Bess Hawksmith turns to secluded warlock Gideon Masters for protection and learns formidable powers, including immortality, skills she begins teaching to a new apprentice centuries later.

Did You Know That April is Lawn and Garden Month?

gardeningmanualNow that spring is under way you might be thinking about taking care of your lawn and garden. With April being National Lawn and Garden Month I know I am starting to gather my seeds to start indoors and planning just what I want to do in my yard this year. Whether a landscaping change is in your near future, you are plotting your garden, or you are just preparing for regular mowing, it is a perfect time to get the reading resources you need to do it right.

1. The Lawn & Garden Owner’s Manual: What to do and When to Do It by Lewis and Nancy Hillgardeningcompost

2. The Organic Lawn Care Manual: a Natural, Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn by Paul Tukey

3. The Complete Compost Gardening Guide: Banner Batches, Grow Heaps, Comforter Compost, and Other Amazing Techniques for Saving Time and Money, and Producing the Most Flavorful, Nutritious Vegetables Ever by Barbara Pleasant & Deborah L. Martingardenlawn2

4. All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! by Mel Bartholomew

5. Decoding Gardening Advice: the Science Behind the 100 Most Common Recommendations by Jeff Gillman & Meleah Maynard

6. The Lawn Bible: How to Keep it Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year by David R. Mellor

gardeningsolar7. Lawn Gone!: Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard by Pam Penick

8. Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables Year-Round the American Intensive Way by Leandre Poisson and Gretchen Vogel Poisson

9. The National Wildlife Federation’s Guide to Gardening for Wildlife: How to Create a Beautiful Backyard Habitat for Birds, Butterflies, and Other Wildlife by Craig Tufts and Peter Loewer

gardeningmini10. Gardening in Miniature: Create Your own Tiny Living World by Janit Calvo

This just scratches the surface for great lawn and garden books in our library. Some more of the best or most unique books I would recommend on the subject include: Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way: 18th-Century Methods for Today’s Organic Gardeners by Wesley Greene, 1,001 Ingenious Gardening Ideas: New, Fun, and Fabulous Tips That Will Change the Way you Garden-Forever! edited by Deborah L. Martin, Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening edited by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Ellen Phillips, Gardening Without a Garden by Gay Search, Water Gardening Basics by Helen Nash & Marilyn M. Cook, Taylor’s Master Guide to GardeningHeirloom Vegetable Gardening: a Master Gardener’s Guide to Planting, Growing, Seed Saving, and Cultural History. by William Woys Weaver, and Lawn Care for Dummies by Lance Walheim & the editors of the National Gardening Association.

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Love (or hate) gardening and want to get some kids involved? Well then don’t forget to check in the children’s room for: Kids’ Container Gardening: Year-Round Projects for Inside and Out  by Cindy Krezel, Gardening with Children by Monika Hannemann and others, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy, It’s Our Garden: from Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden by George Ancona, How Does Your Garden Grow?: Great Gardening for Green-Fingered Kids by Clare Matthews, or Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher.

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in April

April is typically a month of new beginnings. The snow is gone (we hope), the grass, leaves, and flowers are starting to grow, and plenty of new books are hitting the shelves.  Who knows, it may even get warm enough to read outside!

Every month, librarians from around the country pick the top ten new books they’d most like to share with readers. The results are published on LibraryReads.org. One of the goals of LibraryReads is to highlight the important role public libraries play in building buzz for new books and new authors. Click through to read more about what new and upcoming books librarians consider buzzworthy this month. The top ten titles for April are:

  1. At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
  2. The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
  3. A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley
  4. The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg
  5. Still the One by Jill Shalvis
  6. Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova
  7. House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy
  8. The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos
  9. The Bone Tree by Greg Iles
  10. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in April

Lots of great stuff happening at Cheshire Library this month, including a terrific schedule of programming for School Vacation Week, and at the end of the month, it’s BOOKSALE time!

Navigating Your Financial Landscape: The Basics

Thursday Apr 2, 2015, 7:00  –  8:00 PM

In your 20s and 30s and wondering how you’ll ever afford a house, your future kids’ college expenses, and retirement? Now is the perfect time to start planning your financial future! You’ll learn all about 401ks, investing, building and maintaining credit, and lending options. Presented by Jonathon Dibble of Morgan Stanley. Register on our website.

 

Cheshire Cats Classics Club- Ben-Hur

Monday Apr 6, 2015, 7:00  –  8:00 PM

The Cheshire Cats Classics Club meets once per month on a Monday evening.  Ben-Hur will be discussed at the April 6th meeting. Copies are available to check out from the library.

There is limited seating for this event.  For more information regarding this program, contact Jennifer Bartlett at jbartlett@cheshirelibrary.org.

 

Screen Shot 2015-03-23 at 2.13.35 PMWhere to Hike in Cheshire

Monday Apr 6, 2015, 7:00  –  8:00 PM

This program will introduce hiking opportunities located in Cheshire.  From meadows to Connecticut’s second largest waterfall, Cheshire has over 1,500 acres ready for exploration.  Free hiking maps, property descriptions and directions will be available.  The town website, a valuable resource for open space information, will be highlighted.   Seating for this event is limited.  Register on our website or call 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

 

Squishy Circuits

Monday Apr 13, 2015, 4:00  –  5:00 PM

Electricity + play-doh = lights? Awesome! Squishy Circuits are a great introduction to the fundamentals of electronics. We will use play-doh that can conduct electricity. Once you know the basics, you can plug in lights and motors to bring you already cool sculpture to new levels of awesome. Drop in anytime between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Ages 6 and up welcomed.  No registration required.

 

LEGO® Junior Maker

Tuesday Apr 14, 2015, 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Do you love building with LEGO® Blocks? Then LEGO® Junior Maker is perfect for you. We will start with a short storytime focused around building. Kids will then have opportunity to use their best creativity to design buildings, creatures, and more using Lego and Mega bloks. They can work alone, or in a team with peers. A theme will be given for kids to design around based on stories read. All ages welcomes. No registration required.

Rocks and Minerals

Tuesday Apr 14, 2015,  2 sessions: 1:00 PM and  2:15 PM

Local naturalist Eric Nelson will introduce children to the identification, characteristics, and historical use of rocks and minerals through fun hands-on activities and exciting demonstrations.  For ages 6 and up. Register on our website starting on April 1st.

 

Ctrl Alt Achieve: Float Your Boat

Wednesday Apr 15, 2015, 1:00 – 2:00 PM

As part of our Ctrl Alt Achieve series, kids can test their creativity and engineering skills at building a boat.  Kids will build boats using assorted materials and see how much weight they can hold. For grades Kindergarten – 2nd. No Registration Required.

 

Touch a Truck at Bartlem Park

Thursday Apr 16, 2015, 10:00 AM  –  12:00 PM

Come visit the children’s librarians at Bartlem Park for Touch a Truck.  We’ll be present with our book cart for kids to touch and have special prizes to give out. Please bring a nonperishable food item to be donated to the Cheshire Food Pantry.

Have you ever wanted to board one of those huge trucks?  Your chance has arrived! This event is made possible due to the generosity of local companies and Cheshire Town Agencies.  You may see fire trucks, garbage trucks, dump trucks, pay loader, rescue trucks, law enforcement vehicles and more.  There will be a free raffle of toy trucks.

Where:  Bartlem Park – 520 S. Main St, Cheshire

Open to All Ages

 

finchRobot Petting Zoo

Thursday Apr 16, 2015, 3:00  –  4:30 PM

The first ever CPL Robot Petting Zoo brings out friendly robots for kids & teens to touch, operate, and even program! Some robots follow a line and are programmed with color, some are controlled with apps on a smart phone or tablet. They can look like a ball, a cube, a bird, or even a race car! Come meet our many unusual robots and learn a bit about circuits and electronics at our Robot Petting Zoo. For grades 4—12. No registration required.

 

Edible Insects with Stamford Museum and Nature Center

Thursday Apr 16, 2015, 6:00 PM

Discover the who, what, where and why behind eating bugs.  From mealworm spaghetti to roasted tarantula, we’ll find out why people have been eating insects and invertebrates for hundreds of years.  We’ll meet some live bugs that might be on a menu somewhere as well as some animals that eat bugs.  Brave participants will also have a change to try an edible snack, if desired, at the end of the program. For ages 5 and up. Register on our website starting on April 1st.

 

Fab Films: Penguins of Madagascar

Saturday Apr 18, 2015, 2:00  –  4:00 PM

Come enjoy some great box office kids’ movies with Fab Film Saturdays at Cheshire Public Library!
Penguins of Madagascar (2014).  From the creators of Madagascar comes the funniest movie of 2014, starring your favorite penguins – Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private – in a spy-tacular new film!Running Time 1 hour, 32 minutes.  Rated PG. No registration required.  Feel free to bring your own snacks!

 

Sinatra and Me

Tuesday Apr 21, 2015, 7:00  –  8:00 PM

Join Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer Franz Douskey as he discusses his book Sinatra and Me: The Very Good Years, an intimate look at the legendary Frank Sinatra by one of his closest friends Tony Consiglio, as told to the author. Seating is limited, please register on our website.

Skype Video Chat with Friends and Family

Saturday Apr 25, 2015, 10:00 AM  –  1:00 PM

Here is your chance to “visit” that person who lives too far away to just drop in on! A member of the Rotary eClub of the Southwest will stop by the Cheshire Public Library on Saturday, April 25th, from 10:00am – 1:00pm to sit with you as you make a Skype video call from his computer to the computer of a friend or family member. The webcams and microphones on both computers will let you see and hear each other–almost like sitting in the same room together!
Register on our website, sign up slots will be 30 minutes in duration.

 

Friends of the Library Semi-Annual Book Sale

Thursday, April 30 – Saturday, May 2,  2015, 9:30AM – 8:00PM

 

PREVIEW FOR FRIENDS’ MEMBERS ONLY: Wednesday Apr 29, 2015, 6:30  –  8:30 PM