Katiem's blog

All you need is love . . . and a willingness to share that love with the young patients at Children's of Alabama.  Bring signed valentines to the desk in the picture book room February 1-11, 2013.  The cards can be handmade or storebought, but they must follow these guidelines:
1. NO candy, gum, or food
2. NO balloons, rubber bands, or tiny objects that a child could swallow
3. NO religious messages

In exchange for your generosity, you can choose one of these holiday treats: toad-ally sweet gummes, valentine monster pop-up, valentine disc shooter, heart-shaped candy jewelry, two-sided valentine stamper, or mini valentine rubber ducks.  In 2012, we collected 980 cards.  We would love to make it to 1,000 this year.  Share the love, and help us meet this goal.

I love Ally Carter, author of the Gallagher Girls series.  I usually know when she has a new book coming out, months before the release date.  But the third title in her Heist Society series snuck up on me.  It was a lovely surprise when I heard the news, but I refuse to let it happen again.  I like to be "in the know".  And I'm sure you do, too.  So mark your calendars -- Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter hits the shelves on Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

The popular I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis uses well-written, action-packed stories to get kids interested in historical events.  The latest, I Survived: The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863, came out this week.  Here's a full list of titles available.
I Survived The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
I Survived The Shark Attacks of 1916
I Survived The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
I Survived The Attacks of September 11, 2001
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Prepare yourself for action and laughs with your favorite principal-turned-superhero . . .

I'm super excited about two teen sequels that came out today, January 29, 2013.  Both have blue on their covers, hence the name of this blog post.  The first is The Prey by Andrew Fukuda, the sequel to The Hunt (which made our Best Teen Books of 2012 list).  The second is

January 29, 2013 is Amelia Bedelia Day.  It celebrates 50 years of her mixed-up antics.  And the best way to party with AB is to read some of her books.  There are the classic readers, located in our orange-stickered beginning reader section.  And there are the newer storybooks that feature a

First of all, congratulations This Just In reporters!  Several of the books you've read since the start of this group in September 2012 were just announced as major award winners.  Check out the It's Official! blog for details.  New year, new kids, new books -- This Just In's January 28 meeting had all three.
Ali = Always October by Bruce Coville

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a branch of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced the 2013 Youth Media Award winners.  The highlights are listed below.  See the full list here.  How many made the Hoover Public Library's best of lists?
Caldecott Medal
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Caldecott Honors
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, ilustrated by Jon Klassen
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small
Sleep Like a Tiger by Pamela Zagarenski

Newbery Medal
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Newbery Honors
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Prove you're ready for it by learning these fun facts:
#1 The average groundhog is 20 inches long and weighs 12-15 pounds.
#2 A baby groundhog is called a kit or a cub.
#3 A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed.
#4 The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
#5 Punxsutawney Phil first left his burrow on Gobbler's Knob on February 2, 1887.
#6 The Hoover Public Library is hosting a Groundhog Day party on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.   There will be a skit featuring the famous Punxsutawney Phil, followed by an animal shadow match game.  Party-goers will also make a Groundhog Day card and an official holiday top hat.  Groundhog punch will wet your whistle, and dirt cups will fill you up.  You no longer have to register for this event (ignore the PDF calendar).  Just follow the stars through the Kid Zone on Groundhog Day morning.

We had a nice turnout for our first Library Skills 101 class in September, so we're offering a repeat of the course on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.  Students will learn their way around the Hoover Public Library by embarking on a fun scavenger hunt.  There will also be a session on navigating the online catalog.  This class is geared for homeschoolers, grades 3-8.  There's no fee and no registration is required.  If you have any questions, contact our outreach librarian Katie Jane (that's me!) at 444-7839.