Another Book List And A Mystery

Horn Book has released their Best of 2011 list, which can be seen here. I agree with: Swirl by Swirl, Balloons Over Broadway, and Where's Walrus?. I'm not as enthusiastic about The Scorpio Races, Chime, and The Money We'll Save. What do you think?

I've also been trying to read more chapter book mysteries and thought I'd mention one I finished today called Floors by Patrick Carman, who is famous for his Skeleton Creek books. Floors is completely different from Skeleton Creek. It's about this boy who helps his father take care of a wacky hotel reminiscent of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The boy, named Leo, finds a box with his name on it which contains a riddle to solve, which leads him to another box, and so on. Kids will like this one not just for the mystery and puzzle-solving, but also because the sheer inventiveness and huge scope of wackiness in the hotel is fabulous. Give it a try!

Best of 2011 Lists

The Best Books of 2011 lists are starting to come out! So if you're looking for gift ideas and want to go beyond Amazon's recommended list, you should probably take a look at these lists.

Kirkus's list for children

Kirkus's list for teens

School Library Journal's list

Personally, I'm keeping an eye on these lists for a couple of reasons: first, I want Allerton Library's collection to be the best it can be, and second, next year's Newbery, Caldecott, and Rebecca Caudill books might very well be on those lists. Let me know what you think of them!

Music for Kids

I recently listened to a few new children's CDs we purchased for the library. They were Wake Up Clarinet by Oran Etkin, Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants, and Flying! by Recess Monkey. Flying! was by far my favorite. I loved the musical style, which evoked the 90s alternative rock I grew up with. It also featured some great lyrics and song subjects, one of which was "Your Favorite Book." I also enjoyed some of the songs in Here Comes Science, especially "I Am A Paleontologist" and "Why Does the Sun Shine?" I was kind of hoping their song "Particle Man" would be included, but it wasn't.

Wake Up Clarinet wasn't bad at all, but it was very jazzy and had lots of dialogue between the songs. It might be nice for listening to as an individual or in a small group, but it would be drowned out during one of my programs.

The (Final?) Update on the Champaign Situation

On Saturday I saw an article in the News-Gazette saying that the Champaign library board has decided to rescind the Mahomet/Tolono fee policy. Instead, they will limit all non-resident patrons (except for Urbana) to 2 items at a time.

You can see the article here. What does everyone think? Will this make you less likely to use the Champaign library? As always, let me know if you have questions and I will do my best to answer them for you.

All Books, All the Time

I know some people are frustrated by not being able to use the Champaign or Urbana libraries this month. It might help to know that we just got a big shipment of brand-new children's books in this week, and we have lots of new titles and series like Happy Pig Day! (the newest Elephant and Piggie) and You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown. We also got the new Lego Ideas Book for all those Legomaniacs out there.

Also, I'm always willing to take suggestions. I'm very interested in what Monticello patrons are reading and what they want to read, so please let me know if there's something you want that we don't have! I will do my best to get it, budget allowing.

Today I've been super busy getting ready for the Star Wars party on Saturday. Be sure to sign up if you're interested in testing your light saber skills, designing a droid, or making paper airplanes. Kids can also dress up if they want to. Call us at the library for more details. May the Force be with you!

Star Wars Party & Teen's Top Ten

Join us on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. for a Star Wars party for kids ages 3 and older. At the party, kids will test their Jedi light saber skills, make & fly paper airplanes, design droids, and enjoy snacks like Yoda Soda and Princess Leia Cinnamon Buns. Kids can come in costume if they want to. Please register by Nov. 17 if you're interested.


I've been working on getting all the books on the Teen's Top Ten list read... except for Angel by James Patterson. I decided a while ago that I was done with that series, because it just lost focus and I stopped enjoying it. So far I haven't encountered anything I hated, but nothing I was crazy about either (that I hadn't already read when the list came out).

The Plot Thickens

Last week I posted about big changes coming to the library system. You can see that if you scroll down or by clicking here.

Now it seems that the Champaign Public Library could lose its membership in the Illinois Heartland system altogether. This is the direct result of Champaign's policy of charging Mahomet and Tolono patrons $200/year if they want to use the Champaign library. I posted a blog about that back when it happened - you can see that here. The News-Gazette has the story about the suspension here. The suspension will have several effects on Champaign library patrons, all of which are outlined on the Illinois Heartland FAQ page seen here.

What does everyone think? Will the Champaign library board cave and drop the policy? Or will they decide to strike out on their own?