Diary of a Wimpy Kid Party

Join us for a Diary of a Wimpy Kid party this Saturday the 30th at 2:30 for kids ages 5+! Kids will play a Cheese Touch game, answer trivia questions for Mom Bucks, do milk jug weight lifting, make their own comics, and make their own journals. There will be snacks, and Wimpy Kid books will be raffled off. If you are interested, please register by Jan. 28.

Award-Winning Books

The American Library Association has just announced the 2010 Newbery and Caldecott award winners. You can see the entire list here. The winner of the Newbery Medal is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I read it a few months ago and thought it was quite good.




The Caldecott Medal (for illustrations) went to Jerry Pinkney's book The Lion and the Mouse. The Geisel award (for beginning readers) went to Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes. The Seibert Medal (for nonfiction) went to Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone.


We own copies of all of these books at the library, but they're being scooped up fast, so you should reserve a copy if you want to read any of them in the near future!

Homework Help

Face it--some questions just can't be answered by Google. So that's when you need to visit your library! We have lots of great help available for any homework assignment. We have fairly large nonfiction sections for both kids and adults, and a good reference section that can be used while the library is open. We also have some online databases for people who are doing research, and one of them, Grolier Online, is especially for kids. Grolier Online ties together lots of different resources, like America the Beautiful (for those ever-present state reports), Encyclopedia Americana, Lands & Peoples, and more. Older kids and adults may want to look at the Gale Virtual Reference Library, which provides access to hundreds of books, encyclopedias, and journal/magazine articles.

If you have Internet access at home, logging on is easy. Just go to our homepage at www.monticellolibrary.org, click on Online Resources (in the upper right corner) and then click on Grolier Online (or Cengage Learning if you want the Gale Virtual Reference Library). Type in your Allerton library card number and you're in!

And, if you are stuck, or aren't sure where to start, ask a librarian! We are always glad to help people with research or homework questions. Don't be afraid of interrupting us--we'd much rather be helping you than stamping cards or typing on the computer.

Some things to remember:
1. Sometimes research takes time! If you wait until the last minute to do your assignment, we might not be able to get the stuff you need before your due date or deadline.
2. Always have your library card with you. If you don't like to carry it around with you, memorize your number. We can only do so much for you without a card!
3. In addition to your library card, it's a good idea to bring change for photocopies and printouts. They cost 15 cents a page.

Looking Ahead to 2010

There will be some exciting activities at the library in 2010! First, on Jan. 2, we will do a Max & Ruby themed storytime at 10 a.m. Later that month, on Saturday the 30th, there will be a Diary of a Wimpy Kid party at 2:30. Call us or drop by if you'd like to sign up for either of these programs.

Later in the spring, I'm planning on offering a Percy Jackson & the Olympians program (Percy is the main character in the award-winning book The Lightning Thief), a Junie B. Jones program, and a Spiderwick Chronicles program. 2010 is gonna be a great year!

Best Books of 2009

People are already starting to compile end-of-the-year "best" lists, and I thought everyone here might be interested.

The New York Times has a list of the 10 best illustrated children's books of 2009, as seen here. We have almost all of these in our library.

Publisher's Weekly put out a more extensive list, with a wider range of books for all ages, illustrated and not. It can be seen here.

Booklist Online also made a list, seen here.

The ALA also put out its 2009 Teen's Top Ten list. This list was voted on by teens, not librarians or other adults. I find it particularly illuminated for that reason. It can be viewed here.

Take a look. See what you think. Were you surprised by any of the choices? Is there a title you think should have been included that was instead passed over?

Holiday Books

What better way to get into the spirit of the season than to read some nice, heartwarming holiday stories? This librarian says, "Of course, there IS no better way!" :P

I was utterly charmed when I first read Jane O'Connor's most recent offering, Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas. Nancy is as winning as ever as she enthusiastically helps her family prepare for Christmas. But an accident involving a tree topper threatens to ruin the holiday. Can Nancy bounce back? The illustrations by Robin Glaser are stunning in their beautiful, whimsical detail as well. You might want to go out and purchase a copy, because kids are going to want to look at this one again and again.

Elementary school age kids will love Barbara Robinson's classic The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It tells the story of how the neighborhood misfits, the Herdman children, manage to land starring roles in the church's Christmas pageant. Their humorous and sometimes poignant reactions to the story of Christmas, which they have never heard before, will make kids and adults alike laugh and ponder the true meaning of the holiday. Plus, it includes one of the best quotes ever: "HEY! Unto you a child is born!"

Thoughtful older readers may appreciate Jacqueline Woodson's Newbery Honor book Feathers. Frannie, a sixth-grader in an all-black school in 1971, is startled with the rest of her class when a boy with white skin joins their class. The boy is almost immediately nicknamed Jesus Boy. Also, her friend Samantha is becoming more and more religious. Frannie has a lot to think about as the Christmas season approaches.


Also, if you are thinking about buying some books as presents, the Center for Children's Books at the University of Illinois has recently published its 2009 Guide Book to Gift Books, available here.

Christmas Events

Join us for Christmas events at the library! On Saturday, December 5th, there will be a Christmas storytime and craft for kids ages 3-6 at 10 a.m. We will hear Christmas stories and make candy cane Christmas ornaments to go with the parade's candy cane theme. There is limited space for this, so if you are interested you MUST register.

Santa will also be visiting the library on Monday, December 7th at 11 a.m. We will hear Christmas stories and all the kids will receive candy canes. Parents, bring your cameras! Registration isn't necessary for this one.