Katiem's blog

Don't question it! Experience it! Rats, Bats and Roaches is an event for rising 4th-6th graders on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  It takes you on a journey into the Underland with Gregor the Overlander.  All the fun is based on this popular book series by Suzanne Collins.  There will be sword forging and echolocation sword training.  Take part in both bat bonding and cockroach races.  Escape a giant spider web maze then reward yourself with heroic snacks.  Register online or by phone (444-7830).  If you haven't read the series, you will still have tons of fun.  But, seriously, READ THE SERIES!
1. Gregor the Overlander
2. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
3. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods
4. Gregor and the Marks of Secret
5. Gregor and the Code of Claw

If you've read all the Gregor books and want something similar, try one of these series.
By Jeanne DuPrau
1. City of Ember
2. The People of Sparks
3. The Prophet of Yonwood
4. The Diamond of Darkhold
By Kenneth Oppel
1. Silverwing
2. Sunwing
3. Firewing
4. Darkwing
By Hilary Wagner
1. Nightshade City
2. The White Assassin
 

Okay, this kid is sporting more than a little dirt.  He's gone overboard to prove that Dirt Don't Hurt.  Find out for yourself at our event on Monday, June 24, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  Rising 1st-3rd graders will be transformed into garden gnomes, complete with hats and beards.  They will play some garden games -- gnome bowling and mushroom ring toss -- and craft a Creature Cottage.  Chocolate-lovers will eat dirt cups, but sand cups will be available for anyone with allergies.  And there will be WORM RACES!  (Interesting fact: Worm racing was the first summer reading event at the Hoover Public Library almost 30 years ago.)  There are only a handful of spots left, so register online or call 444-7830. 

If you can't make the event, you can still discover the joy of dirt with these books.  But, remember, make sure you wash your hands before handling them.
Andrew Lost: In the Garden by J. C. Greenburg
Charlotte the Sunflower Fairy by Daisy Meadows
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Dirt by Steve Tomecek
Dirt Movers by Bobbie Kalman
Dirty Gert by Tedd Arnold
Giant in the Garden by Candice Ransom
A Handful of Dirt by Raymond Bial
Inch and Roly and the Very Small Hiding Place by Melissa Wiley
Jackson Jones and Mission Greentop by Mary Quattlebaum
Junior Scientists Experiment with Soil by Vicky Franchino
Lily's Pesky Plant by Kirsten Larsen
Magic Pickle and the Garden of Evil by Scott Morse
Micro Life in Soil by Natalie Hyde
Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Soil by Robin Nelson
We Love the Dirt by Tony Johnston
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Yucky Worms by Vivian French

I feel the earth move under my feet.  I'm all shook up.  No, I'm not just quoting old Carole King and Elvis Presley songs.  I'm referring to this week's nonfiction list.  It's devoted to earthquakes and volcanoes.  Prepare to be in awe of their destructive power.  Click on the blue title to see if the book you want to read is available.  Click here for a printable list complete with call numbers.
1. Anatomy of an Earthquake by Renée C. Rebman
2. Anatomy of a Volcano by Mary Lindeen
3. Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano by Kenneth Mallory
4. Earthquakes by Franklyn M. Branley
5. Earthquakes by S. L. Hamilton
6. Earthquakes by Ker Than
7. Earthquakes: Earth's Mightiest Moments by David L. Harrison
8. Earthquakes: Witness to Disaster by Judy & Dennis Fradin
9. I Didn't Know That Mountains Gush Lava and Ash by Clare Oliver
10. Inside Earthquakes by Melissa Stewart
11. Investigating Volcanic Eruptions by Ellen René
12. Look Inside Volcano by Fleur Star
13. A Project Guide to Volcanoes by Claire O'Neal
14. Visiting Volcanoes with a Scientist by Catherine McGlone
15. Volcanoes by Helen Dwyer
16. Volcanoes! by Anne Schreiber

Monsters University, the newest Disney Pixar animated film, opens in theaters on Friday, June 21, 2013.  It is a prequel to Monsters Inc.  Take one look at the official website, and you know it will have plenty of laughs and thrills for both kids and adults.  The Hoover Public Library will bring the animated fun to monster-size life when we open our Monsters U on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.   Coursework at our monster college will include Decontamination 101, Scare-O-Meter testing in the field, and a Scare Tactics Obstacle Course (includes important monster skills -- hiding under the bed, making scary faces, the art of camouflage).  Of course, we won't just focus on the academics.  Student life is also important at Monsters U!  That's why we'll also offer an opportunity to support our team with pennants and honor some former graduates with mask and puppet creations.  Both are perfect for on-campus parties.  And don't forget to stop by the Commons Cafeteria for Monster Claws, Mike Punch, Sully Fur, and Monster Eyeballs.  All applicants are accepted, so take advantage of this free learning opportunity!

Further your monster studies with these picture books!
Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere
Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
Hungry Monster ABC by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
I Loathe You by David Slonim
Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
Monster Mess by Margery Cuyler
Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks
Monsters Love Colors! by Mike Austin
No Such Thing by Jackie French Koller
The Perfect Little Monster by Judy Hindley
When a Monster Is Born by Sean Taylor
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak


 

Excuse me, cutie, but where do you think you're going?  Summer reading for babies is this way!  What?  You didn't know that babies could be part of Dig Into Reading at Hoover Public Library?  Well, they can!  Sign up at either Kid Zone desk, then write down every book that is shared with baby.  Write down the number of pages too.  Earn a ticket for every 100 pages you read together.  Exchange the tickets for age-appropriate prizes and books.  There are also two special events just for babies (birth-12 months).  We will have a Come Back, Babies! storytime on Friday, June 21, 2013 at 10 and 11 a.m. and again on Friday, July 26, 2013 at 10 and 11 a.m.  Get ready to giggle with Miss Polly, books, dinosaurs, and co

Lee Bryan is back again this summer! And this time he's Dr. Dinosaur! He'll lead you on an exciting expedition of prehistoric proportions. You'll learn about paleontologists, how they examine the bones and other fossils left behind by dinosaurs. You'll find out about adaptation, flying reptiles, and extinction. You'll even get to witness a Dinosaur Death Match between Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor. For more information about the show, check out the official That Puppet Guy website. For more information about the subject matter, take a look at the official Teacher Guide. And make sure you stop by the Kid Zone before or after the show to pick up books about dinosaurs. Look for Dewey Decimal number 567.9.
That Puppet Guy presents Dr. Dinosaur!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 6:30 pm
Wednesday, June 19 2013 at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm
Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm

Another reminder about this year's seating guidelines for the Summer Reading Library Theatre shows:
1. Per the fire code, program attendance will be limited to the seats we have in The Library Theatre.
2. All seats will be available on a first come, first served basis.  We do not register for Library Theatre programs to ensure a full house and to allow the largest attendance possible.
3. We have added two new program times, so that each program is repeated seven times.
4. Please limit yourself to one theatre program per week.
5. We will not be able to save seats.  All members of your party must be there in order to be seated together.
6. Each attendee will have a ticket, which will be required for re-entry to the programs.

If you're hunting for zombies, you have a few options.  You can tune in to The Walking Dead on your television.  You can read one of the books featured on our October 26th Brains!!!! blog post.  Starting Friday, June 21, 2013, you can also catch World War Z at the movie theater.  All of these options are good, but the next option is even better.  The Teen Spot is hosting a Zombie Ball on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to come in their best zombie wear (formal attire encouraged) for a night of bloody fun.  Update your look with a zombie makeup artist.  Get your groove on with the Thriller dance game on the Wii.  Make some zombie guts, or just throw some body parts around.  And, if you still manage to have an appetite among the gore, chow down on some snacks.  No RSVP needed.  Just shuffle, lurch, and moan your way to the Program Room.

ZOMBIE NEWS FLASH!
Charleis Higson's new book, The Sacrifice, debuted yesterday, June 11, 2013.  It's number four in a series.  Find all four at Hoover Public Library.
1. The Enemy
2. The Dead
3. The Fear
4. The Sacrifice

Wendy Mass is one of our favorite authors . . . ever!  Her books, regardless of length or theme, are amazing.  Plus, she uses her local library!  Read this excerpt from an interview: "Once I find the topic that I want to write about, I go to the library and find every book or magazine on the subject.  I start in the children's room with the simplest books . . . . Then once I understand the basics, I'll dive deeper into the subject."  Her newest book, Pi in the Sky, came out today, June 11, 2013.  I wonder what library books she read before she came up with such an out-of-this-world plot?

Joss is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe.  This means that his older brothers took all the really cool jobs before he was born.  All Joss gets to do is deliver pies.  That's right: pies.  Of course these pies actually hold the secrets of the universe between their buttery crusts, but they're still pies.  Joss is happy to let his older brothers shine.  He has plenty to keep his hands full: trying to improve his bowling score, listening to his best friend Kal try (and fail) to play the drums, and exploring his ever-changing home: The Realms.  But when Earth suddenly disappears, Joss is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of bringing it back.  With the help of an outspoken Earth girl named Annika, he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime and learns that the universe is an even stranger place than he'd imagined.

Explore more Wendy Mass worlds.

Get ready for some heavy duty nonfiction reading this week.  All the books on this list focus on the machines that help us little humans get BIG construction jobs done.  Click on the blue title to see if the book you want is available.  Click here for a printable list complete with call numbers.
1. 5 Steps to Drawing Machines at Work by Susan Kesselring
2. Bulldozers in Action by Peter Brady
3. Construction Countdown by K. C. Olson
4. Cool Construction Vehicles by Kelley MacAulay
5. Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo
6. Diggers by Amanda Askew
7. Diggers by David & Penny Glover
8. Earth Movers by M. T. Martin
9. Heavy Equipment Up Close by Andra Serlin Abramson
10. How Machines Work: Construction Vehicles by Terry Jennings
11. I Drive a Backhoe by Sarah Bridges
12. Machines Go to Work in the City by William Low
13. Mega Trucks: The Biggest, Toughest Trucks in the World! by Deborah Jane Murrell
14. Tonka Trucks by Val Staples
15. What Does It Do?: Dump Truck by Jennifer Zeiger
16. A Year at a Construction Site by Nicholas Harris
 

In the ancient Greek myth, Pandora opened a box and unleashed Evils into the world.  In present day Alabama, you opened the first book in Carolyn Hennesy's Mythic Misadventures series and began a reading quest.  I have good news/bad news.  That quest is coming to an end.  Book seven in the series, Pandora Gets Frightened, brings the adventure to an exciting conclusion on Tuesday, June 11, 2013.  Will Pandora be able to locate all the Evils she released?  Will she defeat Hera once and for all?
1. Pandora Gets Jealous
2. Pandora Gets Vain
3. Pandora Gets Lazy
4. Pandora Gets Heart
5. Pandora Gets Angry
6. Pandora Gets Greedy
7. Pandora Gets Frightened