Congrats! You did it!

Congrats, Upper School Readers!!!

Thanks for an amazing summer!  We've enjoyed reading all of your great posts, hearing about the books you've been reading, and all of the fun things you've been doing!

We hope you will join us at the ICE CREAM PARTY next week - here's the info you need to know:

Thursday September 1
2:30-3:30 pm
Cambridge Public Library - 449 Broadway St. - Community Room (That's on floor L2)

We will draw prizes for: gift certificates from JP Licks, Kindle Fires, and of course, reveal the winning team of the GOLDEN BOOK US READING TROPHY (pictured below)!!!

We hope to see you there!

-Clara, O'Neill branch

We're close to the end!

You have until the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, August 26th, to get your reviews counted!


-Amanda, Central  Square Branch Library

THIS IS IT! WEEK 10!

You have until Friday, August 26 to submit your posts! If you just have one or two books left to finish the series you've been gobbling up all summer, find a cool spot and go for it! If you had a book you were supposed to read for school and you've been putting it off, now's the time. (You might even like it!)

And hey, it’s looking pretty close between the sixth and seventh graders for the trophy. Gather your friends, have a reading and posting marathon! Eighth graders—you need to have a BIG reading and posting party, but you can still surprise us all!

If you want to read for this week's challenge, your parents were around your age probably in the 1980s or 1990s. You don’t have a lot of time for this last challenge, so here are a few books you should be able to get through pretty quickly. They’re all under 200 pages. Some are totally fun and easy; others are more thoughtful.

The Babysitters Club books by Ann Martin got started in 1986
The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine started 1992
The Choose Your Own Adventure series by various authors started in 1979
Hoops by Walter Dean Myers (1981)
War Horse by Michael Morpugo (1982)
Bright Shadow by Avi (1985)
The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop (1985)
A Rat’s Tale by Tor Seidler (1986)
So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkin (1986)
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989)
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli 1990)
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1991)
The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman (1995)

Enjoy the last weeks of summer!

-Amanda, Central Square Branch

Welcome to week 9!

Hi Readers!


We're coming into the home stretch, we've reached week 9. It's time to start dreaming about ice cream parties and us,reading trophies.  Don't forget to put the grade that you will be in September, right now the 6th graders are in the lead but that could change any minute!

This week's challenge is to read a book written by someone born before the 20th century.

My favorite books by someone born before the 20th century are the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963). The most famous book from the series is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which is the book when Lucy Pevensie and her older siblings first go to the land of Narnia to meet Aslan, a talking lion, and get caught up in the battle to save Narnia from the evil White Witch. When I was little, my parents read me these books and I loved them so much that I still reread at least some of the series every year and am now reading them out loud to my own kids.

If you like books like Harry Potter, Gregor the Overlander or the Hobbit, I highly recommend you give the Narnia books a try.

Happy reading!

Liz, O'Connell Branch

Do you use Scratch?

You all probably know about Scratch, but I just learned how to use it (a little bit) this week, and it is amazing! Scratch is a program that lets you create your own games, make animations, music videos, interactive art, or almost anything else you can imagine...and best of all, it's free! Check it out at https://scratch.mit.edu/ or watch one of the YouTube tutorials.

-Librarian Christy

Should adults read kids' books?

Some adults (besides children's librarians!) enjoy reading all kinds children's and young adult books.  Parents share picture books, then chapter with their children, some adults learn basic information on a variety of subjects in a wide range of kid's non-fiction and others are looking for a good story.  There are even book groups where adults read kid's books--and as a result these grown-ups have gained a new respect and appreciation of what kids are dealing with today--and also of  kids' maturity, sensitivity and intelligence. 




Some parents don't want their kids to read adult books "too soon" or "before they're ready"--but how do you feel about adults reading kids' books?

What's your favorite place to read?

1) A hammock in a beautiful, quiet spot?

Image (c) Flickr user S.M. Bush

2) The majestic Reading Room at the Library of Congress?

Image (c) Flickr user josullivan.59

3) Or standing in front of a sink full of dirty dishes?

Your actual chores may vary.

Believe it or not, one of my favorite places to read is at my kitchen sink. Or in front of a giant pile of unfolded laundry. Or when I'm walking back to the grocery store for the second time in one day because someone finished the milk and did not put it on the grocery list, even though the list is sitting right there with a pencil next to it.

How is this possible? Through the magic of audiobooks.

If you're not already hooked on audiobooks, let me tell you: they can make time spent doing tedious tasks (looking at you, making the beds) fly by. And if you're in the middle of an amazing story, you don't have to stop reading when you would normally have to put your book down (like when you're crossing the street).

You can borrow audiobooks from the library in three ways: CDs, Playaway devices (just add headphones and a battery) or you can download them onto a computer, tablet or phone through an app called Overdrive. Stop by and we'll show you how. And if you're looking for some great titles, check out our newest lists of recommendations.

--Jennifer, Main Library

New Books for Summer - plus a note from the librarian!

Wow, it's been just a week of US, Reading, and you guys are reading off the charts!!!

It looks like lately the 6th graders have been edging out the 7th graders...stay tuned for the next team standings update on Thursday!  Don't forget, select the grade you are *GOING INTO* in the fall, not the one you've completed.  8th graders, where are you?!?!  I know you're reading this summer too!!!


Check out this week's challenge (it changes every week!): Read a book that takes place (or is about) where you're vacationing this summer.  Should make for some interesting reads!

Summer is a good time to catch up on to-read lists and re-read old favorites, but also a time when lots of great new books come out! Here are some of my most-anticipated books this summer (all descriptions come from the publisher- with commentary from me!)


Flying by Carrie Jones (July 2016)

"People have always treated seventeen-year-old Mana as someone in need of protection. She's used to being coddled, being an only child, but it's hard to imagine anything could ever happen in her small-town, normal life. As her mother's babying gets more stifling than ever, she's looking forward to cheering at the big game and getting out of the house for a while. But that night, Mana's life goes haywire. It turns out, Mana's frumpy, timid mom is actually an alien hunter, and now she's missing. Now, on her own for the first time, Mana will have to find a way to save her mother--and maybe the world--and hope she's up to the challenge."
Cheerleaders vs. aliens?  Count me in!!!

Towers Falling by  Jewel Parker Rhodes (July 2016)

"When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?"

I loved Ninth Ward by Jewel Parker Rhodes, and I can't wait to read this one!  She writes so well about tragedy and family.

Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah (July 2016)

"Dara is a born actress, or so she thinks - but when she doesn't get any part in the school play, she begins to think it's because she doesn't look like the other girls in her class. She was adopted as a baby from Cambodia. So irrepressible Dara comes up with a plan, and is determined to change not just the school, but the whole world too."

Realistic fiction is one of my favorite genres- this sounds like it will have an interesting and original plot, and I can't wait to see what happens in the end!

Not as We Know It by Tom Avery (August 2016)

"Twins Jamie and Ned do everything together, from watching their favorite show, "Star Trek," to riding their bikes, to beachcombing after a storm. But Ned is sick with cystic fibrosis, and he may someday leave Jamie behind. One day the boys find a strange animal on the beach: smooth flesh on one end, scales at the other, and short arms and legs with long webbed fingers and toes. Could it be a merman, like in the old stories Granddad tells?"

This book sounds very sad and very creepy...two excellent qualities in a summer read!

Full of Beans by Jennifer Holm (August 2016)

"Ten-year-old Beans Curry, a member of the Keepsies, the best marble playing gang in Depression-era Key West, Florida, engages in various schemes to earn money while "New Dealers" from Washington, D.C., arrive to turn run down Key West into a tourist resort."

Jennifer Holms is super-author of graphic novels such as the Babymouse series and Sunny Side Up, plus current MCBA nominee The Fourteenth Goldfish, and many many more!!!

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (August 2016)

"Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves."

Sports stories are usually fast-paced and action packed, and Jason Reynolds is a fantastic author!  This will be a win all around.




What books are you looking forward to reading when they come out?


-Clara
O'Neill Branch

From the Librarians!

Awesome start to the blog!!! There are so many fabulous book recommendations already: my To Read pile for the summer is growing by the minute... :)

One reminder that we (librarians) may have forgotten to tell you when we visited your schools or told you about the blog when you visited the library:

DO NOT PANIC IF YOUR POST DOESN'T APPEAR IMMEDIATELY!

Each blog post has to be reviewed and approved (to make sure it's appropriate, isn't plagiarized, etc.), and it can sometimes take a day or two to catch up when a bunch of posts all come in at the same time (like they did today). Please keep posting and checking back! We promise your wonderful posts will appear soon.

Happy reading and blogging!

- Emily, Main Library