Scary Stories

Halloween is this weekend, and kids looking for a scary story should look no farther than the library! We have scary stories for kids of all ages. Even little ones will probably like the picture book Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka. In that story, several animals run and hide from a wolf, who stalks across the fields and into a house. It turns out that the animals were planning a surprise birthday party for the wolf, and the illustrations turn from dark and menacing to bright and cheery at the end.

Older kids can't go wrong with the classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Not only is that book (and its sequels) packed with ghostly tales for the elementary school set, but it's also graced with some of the creepiest illustrations I've ever seen. Great spooky fun.




Middle school kids will probably really like the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan, starting with Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare. Teenage Darren sneaks out of the house one night to go see a traveling freak show, and ends up becoming more involved with the performers than he ever thought he would be. The series is packed with creepy characters and has some blood and gore, but no sex or language, making it a pretty good choice for that age group.

Older teens can sink their teeth into the popular House of Night series by P.C. Cast once they're done with the Twilight books but want more vampire stories. In this series, starting with Marked, teen Zoe Redbird is marked as a vampire fledgling one day at school. She must go to live at the House of Night with other vampires and vampire fledglings, or else her body will reject the Change into a full vampire and she will die. And, as if starting out at a new school isn't stressful enough, Zoe starts to notice suspicious things at the House of Night.

We have all these books and more at the library, so come check them out!

Spotlight on Easy Readers

Learning how to read is an exciting adventure, and here at Allerton Library we are glad to make it as enjoyable as we can with a great selection of easy readers. Kids who are just starting out will probably enjoy the Fly Guy series, starting with Hi! Fly Guy, by Tedd Arnold. A boy named Buzz decides to keep a fly as a pet when the fly does all kinds of tricks for him, including saying Buzz's name. The words are large and easy to sound out, and the pictures are amusing.


Once kids have mastered those, they may want to try the Biscuit books by Alyssa Capucilli. They are all stories about a puppy named Biscuit. They are a little like the old Spot books, but a little more complex and much more cute and modern. The Elephant and Piggy books by Mo Willems are also a good bet. Starting with Today I Will Fly!, these books give the easy reader genre a nice graphic-novel spin, with all the text in speech bubbles.

The Henry and Mudge books by Cynthia Rylant are also definitely worth a look, once readers have grown tired of Biscuit, Elephant, and Piggy. This series is about a boy named Henry and his enormous, goofy dog Mudge. There is also a Puppy Mudge series for the Fly Guy crowd.



For more advanced readers who aren't yet ready for chapter books, you can't beat the classics like Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel and Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish. Funny and touching, these books have stood the test of time for a good reason.

We have all these and more at the library, in our special Easy Reader section behind the chapter books. Check them out!

Star Wars Party!

In about 3 weeks we will be having a Star Wars party here at the library for kids ages 5+. It will be on Sat. Nov. 7th at 2:30. Younger kids are also welcome but will need a caregiver's help. We'll be doing lots of cool stuff at the party, including:


Testing Jedi light saber skills
Designing droids
Building paper airplane X-Wing fighters
Asteroid hunt (Starburt candies)
Coloring pages
Book raffle
Snacks like Yoda Soda, Princess Leia Cinnamon Buns, and Moon Pies
Dress up as your favorite Star Wars character

Registration is required and closes on Nov. 5th. Please call the library or email me with any questions! And may the Force be with you!

Read-A-Likes

Problem: I read everything by my favorite author, and now I have nothing else to read!

Problem: I really like this series, but I can't remember the titles or the author... I just know the name of the series... or wait, I actually just know the plot and characters. I need the next book though!

Problem: The library is closed and I can't ask the librarian for recommendations!

Solution: There's a great database we have called NoveList that helps people who are trying to figure out what to read next. It's available online through our website 24/7, and all you need is an Allerton Library card number to get in. Once you're in, you can search for books by author, title, series name, or plot/characters. The database also has articles on certain authors and books, which include suggestions for other authors to try when you've run out of books by your favorite author. These are called Read-A-Likes in the library business.

There are two versions of NoveList: one for adults, and one for kids called NoveList K-8. Here's how you get to them:
1) Go to our library's website, www.monticellolibrary.org. Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Flash.
2) Click on Online Resources.
3) Click on NoveList.
4) Enter your 14 digit library card number. Only Allerton Library cards will work here.
5) Click either NoveList or NoveList K-8.

And now, in just 5 easy steps, you have a wealth of information at your fingertips. Enjoy, and call us if you have questions or problems.

Superheroes

What kid hasn't wished he or she had superpowers at one time or another? Well, with these books, kids can indulge their desires to fly around, striking fear into the hearts of evildoers.

A new picture book called Mighty Max by Harriet Ziefert caught my eye, and I really enjoyed reading it to one of my storytime groups. The story is about a boy named Max who runs around having fairly normal adventures, and when his dad yells, "You're not Superman, you know!" it makes Max imagine that his IS, in fact, Superman. The art is charming, looking very childlike with bold colors that pop off the page.

Elementary school kids who are reading chapter books might enjoy the Melvin Beederman: Superhero series by Greg Trine, which starts with The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich. Melvin Beederman, graduate of the Superhero School, is sent to Los Angeles to be their resident superhero. He isn't perfect, but does his best until he accidentally mixes up his cape with a costume belonging to a girl named Candace. They team up and defeat the bad guys, ready for the sequel. The text is full of action and humor, and will appeal to boys in grades 2-4 especially.

Middle school kids will probably like James Patterson's action packed Maximum Ride series, which starts with The Angel Experiment. Max is a genetically engineered human-bird hybrid teenager with wings, and in the first book she must rescue her kidnapped flock member, Angel, from the clutches of the evil School that created her and the rest of her flock. Max is a very likable heroine who can almost always muster up some sarcastic humor in the face of difficulty, making the books highly amusing.

So, if the mood strikes you, put on your masks and capes and head on over to the library!