Us, Reading Ends This Friday!

Just a friendly reminder from your local librarians that the us, reading program is ending THIS Friday, August 24th. Don't forget to submit your reviews before Saturday morning! We love reading all of your awesome reviews, and we hope you've found some great books to add to your to-read lists this summer.

Our celebratory JP Licks ice cream party will be next Thursday, August 30th, from 3:00-4:00 in the Community Room at the Main Library. We'll announce our six grand prize winners and the reading challenge winner and raffle off a few surprise gift cards. And we'll eat lots and lots of delicious ice cream. Hope to see you there!

- Emily, librarian at the Main Library

Quiz: Characters who write diaries!

Can you match these characters to their books?

1) Derek Fallon

2) Genevieve "Ginny" Davis

3) Greg Heffley

4) Jamie Kelly

5) Nikki Maxwell

6) Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison

7) Rafe Khatchadorian


A: Dear Dumb Diary, by Jim Benton

B: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney

C: Dork Diaries, by Rachel Renee Russell

D: From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, by Meg Cabot

E: Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf, by Jennifer L. Holm

F: Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life!, by James Patterson

G: My Life as a Book, by Janet and Jake Tashjian



--Librarian Christy

What the librarian is reading!

Hi US Readers!

Wow, you all are on fire! I'm loving reading all your posts and hearing about what you are reading and doing this summer.  Here are some of the books I've been enjoying recently - check them out at your local branch!

All We Can Do is Wait by Richard Lawson

Five teens meet in a hospital waiting room following a disaster in which their loved ones were involved. As you read more of each backstory, surprise twists are revealed! If you like suspenseful, riveting realistic fiction, this one is for you! A bonus is that it takes place in Boston.








Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Jerome is dead. He is a ghost, and the only person who can see him is the daughter of the person who shot him. As his story unfolds, so does the story of Emmett Till, a 14-year old boy who was killed in 1955 for the color of his skin. Will Jerome find peace? Will his family get justice?










The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

This dystopian book is unlike any other you've read. A teenage boy is near death as he attempts to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness. Then he finds a makeshift "family" of other First Nations people who are also fleeing from the government who would have their bodies harvested for their ability to dream. Super creepy and action-packed!








Clara - Librarian @ the O'Neill Branch in North Cambridge

Librarian Post

Hi Us Readers! 

Can you believe we are already halfway through our Us Reading program for 2018?  Your reviews are still flowing in every day.  We love to see what you're reading and hear what else is new.  Keep up the great work! 

This summer, I've most enjoyed reading outside in the shade during my lunch breaks.  Being at the Collins Branch every day, I've made plenty of good use of our umbrella in the backyard.  Visit us at 64 Aberdeen Ave to share in our slice of paradise.  Where is your favorite place to read?

Librarian Margaret

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Us, Reading 2017 is now officially over. We want to thank you all for being a part of Us, Reading this summer! Don't forget to join us on Thursday August 31st at the main library on L2 from 3-4pm for our ice cream party. We'll be enjoying delicious ice cream from our friends at JP Licks and will also be announcing our grand prize winners (you don't need to be present to win).

Hope to see you there!
The CPL Librarians

Hello, voracious us-readers!

Today is the final day to post on the blog about books you've read over the summer! The 6th graders have a pretty commanding lead in the grade level challenge, but it's not over yet... Keep reading and writing awesome reviews and comments for your fellow Cambridge upper school readers.

Don't forget about our end-of-summer ice cream party next Thursday, 8/31, from 3:00-4:00 at the Main Library on L2. We will reveal the grand prize winners (although you do not need to be present to win), unveil the trophy for the grade winner, and eat lots of delicious J.P. Licks ice cream. Hope to see you there!

- Librarian Emily

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel/illustrated by Jon Klassen

I don't normally read chapter books with pictures (weekly challenge: new formats!), but this weekend I read The Nest and it was...TERRIFYING.


If you have not read it, the basic plot is that the narrator's baby brother is very sick, and these strange wasps start talking to him in his dreams about how they're going to fix the baby, and then an enormous wasp nest appears at the boy's house and it keeps growing bigger and bigger and things keep getting stranger and stranger and then--I don't want to ruin the ending, but the book felt creepy and unsettling in ways I didn't expect, and it was very spooky and otherworldly, and also very good. Jon Klassen's illustrations made it even more ominous.


I would definitely recommend this book, particularly if you're participating in the Massachusetts Children's Book Awards!




-Librarian Kelsey

Weekly Challenge: The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau

Greetings Upper Schoolers and welcome to August!  This week's special challenge is to read a book about a character who doesn't look like you or live like you.  Some of you have already contributed great reviews of fantasies, realistic fiction and superhero stories.  I have a suggestion of my own to add: The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau.  This historical fiction novel is set in Mexico and tells the story of two friends from different cultures.  Teo, a rural Mixtec boy from the Hill of Dust, meets Esma, a gypsy girl whose caravan rolls into town.  A fortune teller traveling with Esma says the two will be friends for life, but their community does not approve of her mingling with "non-Roms".  Despite their cultural differences, the two create a bond and hope to fulfill their destinies.  This story features a bit of magic and I found it very interesting to read about two characters who didn't look or live like me.

- Librarian Margaret

Little Free Libraries - The Other Libraries in Cambridge

Hey us, readers!

Did you know that in addition to the CPL and our branches there are at least twelve more places in Cambridge where you can get free books?  Maybe your local library has closed for the day, or you just really want something to read that you don't have to bring back before summer's over.  Our city's Little Free Libraries have got you covered!

Here's the deal: 

Little Free Libraries are all over Cambridge (and all over the world!) and they are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! You can find one near you by entering your zip code or city on this map.  Take any book you want from a Little Free Library, and if you love it, you can keep it forever.  If not, pass it on to a friend, return it to the same Little Free Library, or donate it to a different one.  You can also drop off any books from home that you don't want any more - Little Free Libraries love donations!  

-Librarian Jamie

Welcome to Us, Reading 2017!

Hi everyone!
Welcome to us, reading! I can't wait to see all the great books that you are reading this summer. One of the fun parts of this blog is the competition between the grades to see who posts the most reviews. So, when you're writing a review, make sure you pick the grade you will be in in fall 2017.
Also, if you want to participate in the raffles, you MUST provide an email address and/or phone number so that we can contact you if you win a prize.
Happy reading!
Librarian Liz