Great Baseball Books

There are lots of sports books out there for the elementary school crowd, and recently I've read a couple that stand out. These books would be great for a rainy day when it's impossible to actually be at the ballpark.

The first one is Top of the Order by John Coy. Jackson, the main character, and his friend Gig are on a baseball team that needs another player for second base. When Gig's sister Sydney joins up, she quickly demonstrates how good she is at baseball, but Gig is furious. Jackson's not sure whether he should be supporting his friend or supporting Sydney, which is better for the team. There are enough descriptive baseball sequences in the story to keep ball fanatics interested, and the story moves along well.

Another one I read recently was Dan Gutman's Roberto and Me. This is the latest in his Baseball Card Adventures series, where Stosh, the main character, has the ability to travel through time using old baseball cards. In this one, he tries to go back in time to save Roberto Clemente, the famous baseball player and humanitarian, from dying in a tragic plane crash. There isn't as much action centered around the game of baseball itself, but the idea of traveling through space and time and meeting famous people will appeal to kids who used to be Magic Tree House fans but have grown out of that series.

Spiderwick Chronicles Party

Remember, you have one more week to sign up for our Spiderwick Chronicles party! It will be on Saturday, April 24 at 2:30 p.m., and registration closes on Thursday, April 22. At the party, kids will try Sprite Bowling, make anti-fairy charms and mermaid bracelets, and make their own seeing stones from clay. Snacks will be served and kids will be able to enter a drawing for Spiderwick books. Recommended for kids ages 5+.

Great Audiobooks for Kids

I have become completely addicted to listening to audiobooks in the car. I am enjoying myself so much that sometimes I'll arrive at my destination and just sit there in the car for a few more minutes, to hear what happens next.

The narrators make a huge difference in whether or not I'll like the story. And sometimes, the audiobooks are recorded with a full cast, with different people reading different characters' dialogue and a separate reader doing the narration. At first, I preferred the one-voice technique because that's how the Harry Potter books are done. But after listening to almost all of Kristin Cashore's Graceling, I'm starting to appreciate the full-cast method as well.

So far, in addition to Harry Potter and Graceling, I've listened to The Hunger Games, most of Fudge-A-Mania (scratched discs), and The Golden Compass. All of them are good, but my least favorite was The Hunger Games. I felt that the narrator's voice was too girly for Katniss, and that it probably would have benefited from a full-cast approach.

Thoughts on full-cast vs. single narrator? What are your favorite audiobooks?

This Year's Rebecca Caudill Books

I've been working my way through the 2011 Rebecca Caudill Master list, and so far I can't really say I've been enjoying myself. Does anyone else feel the same way or is it just me? Here's what I've read lately:

The Boy Who Dared. Very sad and tragic WWII story.
The Great Wide Sea. A grieving family sails around the Caribbean. Anger, misery, and tragedy abound.
The Mailbox. The kid's uncle dies at the beginning, and he doesn't want to tell anyone because he's afraid of ending up in an abusive foster home situation... again.
Scarlett. A girl's parents are divorced and she spends most of the novel angry, confused, and lashing out at people who try to help her.
Trouble. A boy's brother is severely injured in a car accident which brings racial tensions in his small town to a head. Tragedy, bigotry, guilt, and loss are the main themes.
Yellow Star. A harrowing story of how one girl survived the Lodz ghetto.

You see? None of these books were badly written; on the contrary, all of the authors are very skilled storytellers. But I have not been enjoying myself at all! I can hardly wait to be done with this batch, and I think I'll have a hard time when kids ask for recommendations from this year's list.

Junie B. Jones Party and More

This Saturday at 2:30 we're having a Junie B. Jones party for kids ages 3+. At the party, the kids will make stupid smelly buses, play carnival and field day games like the penny toss and hoop jump, do Junie B. coloring pages, and enter a drawing for Junie B.'s books. Please register by the end of today (March 25) if you are interested.

Next month, on Saturday April 24, we're having a Spiderwick Chronicles party at 2:30 for kids ages 5+. There will be crafts and games relating to the popular Spiderwick Chronicles books and movie. Please register by April 23 if you are interested.

In May, you can expect to see another Library Luau, and I am busy planning out the summer reading program activities for June and July. The theme for the summer is "Scare Up a Good Book," so expect some spooky fun!

Library Closing This Week

The library will be closed this week from tomorrow (Tuesday March 16) through Thursday (March 18). We are having new furniture delivered and installed, and the electrician and computer tech guys have to come and reconfigure outlets and cables and such. It will be a big undertaking but it'll be wonderful when it's done. So stock up today on books and movies, and come back Friday or next week to see our new stuff!

Cynthia Lord's New Book

Does everyone remember when Cynthia Lord, Newbery Honor-winning author of Rules, came to Monticello? I sure do! It was a great day, full of school visits, restaurant meals, and presentations. I got to drive a Newbery author around in my car!!

Anyway, she has just come out with a new picture book called Hot Rod Hamster. We have two copies here at the library, and one of them is signed--both by Cynthia and by the illustrator, Derek Anderson. (Derek does illustrations for Lauren Thompson's Little Quack books too.) Derek even drew a little hamster doodle next to his signature. The book itself is wonderful, and invites the children listening to participate in the story, which also makes it a great choice for storytime. You'll be hearing it at the library this spring!

In September, her new book for middle grades will be out. The title of that one is Touch Blue, and a large part of it is based on the superstition, "Touch blue and your wish will come true." I can't wait to read it!

You can visit Cynthia's blog here to get updates on her writing and other school visits, signings, and presentations, plus a really interesting window into her life. I like to visit every day.