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HPL Kids

The Kidzone has programs galore as well as books, movies, and other cool stuff. Read our blog below for more information and check out our upcoming events to get an idea of what's happening at the Kidzone! Our main phone number is 205.444.7830.

Recent Book Reviews

Horten's Incredible Illusions: Magic, Mystery & Another Very Strange Adventure
Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom & the Challenges of Bad Hair
A Mutiny in Time
Starry River of the Sky
Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
Iron Hearted Violet
Jake and Lily
Paris Pan Takes the Dare
Me and the Pumpkin Queen
Read All About It!
The Boy on Cinnamon Street
Nerd Camp
The Classroom
Smells Like Dog
Mission Unstoppable
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
The Mark of Athena
A Whole Lot of Lucky
Alien on a Rampage
One for the Murphys

More of our favorite books on GoodReads »

Kidzone Blog

A.B.C. = August Book Challenge, Round Four

Beach Reads

The term beach read usually refers to a lighthearted paperback ficton book that is read while soaking up sun on a towel by the seashore.  But today's blog is taking a different approach.  These are informative books that give you the scoop on sand and surf before you hit the beach.  Of course, if you want to take it on your seaside vacation, I'm not going to stop you.  In fact, I strongly encourage it!  Just, pretty please, keep it dry!
All About Tide Pools by Monica Halpern
Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore by Jim Arnosky
Beaches by JoAnn Early Macken
Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach by Tish Rabe
Eyewitness Seashore by Steve Parker
Find It at the Beach by Dee Phillips
Following the Coast by Jim Arnosky
Ocean Soup: Tide Pool Poems by Stephen R. Swinburne
On the Beach by Alastair Smith
One Small Place by the Sea by Barbara Brenner
Sand by Kristin Ward
Sand on the Move: The Story of Dunes by Roy A. Gallant
Sea Shells by Shari Skeie
Seashells by the Seashore by Marianne Berkes
Seashore by Lucy Beckett-Bowman
Seashore Plants by Ernestine Giesecke
Watch Me Build a Sandcastle by Jack Otten
Who Eats Who at the Seashore? by Moira Butterfield

Take the Scenic Route

Take the scenic route . . . through the nonfiction shelves in the Kid Zone!  Make sure you make many stops along the way and take a closer look.  You'll find books about American landmarks, national parks, and national monuments.  Maybe they'll inspire you to take a real scenic route across the United States.
Americana Adventure by Michael Garland
America's Monuments by Lynn M. Stone
America's National Parks by Lynn M. Stone
Cape Hatteras National Seashore by Jennifer Reed
Discover National Monuments, National Parks, National Wonders by Cynthia Light Brown
Ellie's Long Walk: The True Story of Two Friends on the Appalachian Trail by Pam Flowers
The Empire State Building by Lisa Bullard
Everglades National Park by Susan Jankowski
The Gateway Arch by Julie Murray
The Golden Gate Bridge by Jeffrey Zuehlke
Grand Canyon by Patrick Cone
Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Mike Graf
The Liberty Bell by Debra Hess
The Lincoln Memorial by Karen Latchana Kenney
Mammoth Cave National Park by Mike Graf
National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.: The Most Amazing Sights, Scenes, & Cool Activities from Coast to Coast by Sarah Wassner Flynn
National Parks: A Kid's Guide to America's Parks, Monuments and Landmarks by Erin McHugh

Go Turbo!

This usually never, never, never, ever, ever, ever happens, but I went to the movies two days in a row.  I saw Monsters University on a Friday afternoon, then Man of Steel on the following Saturday afternoon.  I enjoyed both of them, but that is not the point.  The point is that both times I saw a preview for Turbo, a movie I had never heard of but now really want to see.  A snail miraculously attains the power of super-speed and pursues his impossible dream of racing in the Indy 500.  It looks funny and inspiring and neon-tastic!  And it zooms into theatres today, July 17, 2013.  Which means I need to rev my reading engines and race to the shelves for books about snails (Dewey Decimal number 594) and racing (Dewey Decimal number 796.7) to get in the right frame of mind.  Oh, I just had another great idea!  I could check out some older DreamWorks animated movies.  Let's see which ones we have here at Hoover Public Library.
1. Antz
2. Bee Movie (also on Blu-Ray)
3. Chicken Run
4. Flushed Away
5. How to Train Your Dragon (also on Blu-Ray)
6. Joseph, King of Dreams
7. Kung Fu Panda (also on Blu-Ray)
8. Kung Fu Panda 2 (also on Blu-Ray)
9. Madagascar (also on Blu-Ray)
10. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (also on Blu-Ray)
11. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (also on Blu-Ray)
12. Monsters Vs Aliens (also on Blu-Ray)
13. Over the Hedge
14. The Prince of Egypt
15. Rise of the Guardians (also on Blu-Ray)
16. The Road to El Dorado
17. Shark Tale
18. Shrek (also on Blu-Ray)
19. Shrek 2 (also on Blu-Ray)
20. Shrek the Third (also on Blu-Ray)
21. Shrek Forever After (also on Blu-Ray)
22. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
23. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Elsewhere

Have you ever felt like a painting was watching you?  Doesn't it feel creepy?  What if it was TRUE?  That's the premise of the series by Jacqueline West, The Books of Elsewhere.  The paintings aren't just wall art.  They are gateways to another world -- Elsewhere.  And, if you have the right eyewear, it's a world you can enter.  But beware!  It can be a hostile place.  If you're brave enough, try the first book in the series.  Once you've been sucked in, read the others.  The newest addition came out today, July 16, 2013.
1. The Shadows (also available as a book on CD, downloadable audiobook, and ebook)
2. Spellbound (also available as a book on CD and downloadable audiobook)
3. The Second Spy
4. The Strangers

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