I always love to hear about library programs of all sorts! We can all strive to have a mix of programs that might reach out to different members of our communities – or maybe give them a few new ideas to consider. (Being in the information business, that is pretty much Job One for us!)
“JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska public library hosted its first-ever Drag Queen Story Hour.
Gigi Monroe read children’s classics to more than 100 adults, teenagers and children June 14 at the Douglas Public Library in Juneau.
Monroe, covered in ruffles, rhinestones and glitter, is the creation of James Hoagland, a professional wig designer and producer of Juneau Pride’s sold out drag revue, Glitz. Hoagland said the experience provides youth with a real life example of self-expression, so they may feel freer to express themselves.
the first book in the increasingly-inaccurately-named trilogy of (at last count) six books
In honor of this special day – Day 42 of the Summer Library Tour – the focus really has to be on Douglas Adams!
Not familiar with why this number is forever associated with Douglas Adams? You can read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to find out (which I, of course, recommend in any case!). Or, you can watch a clip from the movie:
Description of the book:
“Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide (“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have”) and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox—the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod’s girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.
Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don’t forget to bring a towel!”
Have you asked Google “What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?” Not only does it know, it will happily tell you!
Keep up your celebration of all things Douglas Adams, and celebrate Towel Day! “Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, fans around the universe carry a towel in his honour. “
Here are 75 books chosen by the ALA-CBC (American Library Association & Children’s Book Council) Joint Committee to provide guidance to parents, caregivers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and anyone interested in discovering books for children who read at an advanced level and are seeking more challenging, but still age-appropriate, books.
Reading Beyond downloadable handout with full annotations
“The READING BEYOND lists celebrate the power of books to lift and expand children’s minds, providing reading experiences beyond levels and limits.” —Susan Polos and Janet Wong, co-chairs of the ALA-CBC Joint Committee
The READING BEYOND book lists are comprised of 25 titles in each of three age categories. These books were chosen from over 600 submitted for evaluation by the ALA member librarians of the committee and were chosen for their content, quality, and variety of genre and format. All the book annotations in the handouts available below are original descriptions written by librarians.
The full list of the 75 books are available three ways: as a downloadable handout with full annotations, individual bi-fold handouts (one per category), and a title and author listing by category (below).
[Mary’s note: I immediately remembered reading the entire Dark Forces series as a kid as soon as I saw these photos! I had forgotten them, but remembered reading all these fun books, with some mild scariness, that I grabbed from the library!]
“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE BOOKS we read as kids that stick with us, regardless of whether they were particularly good. These days, I couldn’t tell you what was important about most of the canonical texts I read freshman year of college, let alone the plot of the light-read detective novel I picked up last summer at the beach. But somehow I can recall, with vivid detail, scenes from nearly every trashy preteen book series I devoured in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
Yes, that includes The Nancy Drew Files and Sweet Valley High and The Baby-Sitters Club, all of which no doubt many women my age remember with a fierce fondness. But it also includes Sharon Dennis Wyeth’s short-lived Pen Pals series, about a quartet of roommates at an all-girls boarding school who strike up a correspondence with a group of boys, and Eve Becker’s fantasy-driven Abracadabra books, which chronicle the adventures of Dawn, a 13-year-old who suddenly gains magical powers. In particular, my drug of choice one long, hot summer were the Dark Forces books, a packaged series of occult-based young-adult horror that made me feel—crucially, at the age of 11—like I was getting away with something naughty.
Left to right: “Abracadabra #4: The Sneezing Spell” by Eve Becker; “Dark Forces: Beat the Devil” by Scott Siegel; “Pen Pals #7: Handle With Care” by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. BANTAM SKYLARK/BANTAM BOOKS/DELL YEARLING
I’m certain I don’t remember these long out-of-print series so well because they were works of genius. To the contrary, the storylines and writing were of relatively low nutritional value, as these things go.
Once again we are passing on a book request from a library person. I have no idea what this might be, but if it sounds familiar to you – post it in the comments or send us an email and I’ll pass it on!
“I have a patron who is looking for a collection of short stories she read as a child.
Publication is somewhere between the 70’s and 80’s
She believes there is a lizard on the cover
One story is about a blue squirrel who visits a dying girl
Another story is about a boy, a lizard and a caregiver by the name of Cora and the story revolves around a voice recording.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.”
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