Middle School Mysteries

If you're looking for a fun mystery series for middle schoolers, check out the following:

Chasing Vermeer
By Blue Balliett
Illustrated by Brett Helquist

When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings sixth graders Petra and Calder together, strange things start to happen: Seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one is spared from suspicion. But tracking down the Vermeer isn’t easy, as Calder and Petra try to figure out what a set of pentominos (mathematical puzzle pieces), a mysterious book about unexplainable phenomena and their nervous teacher have to do with a centuries old artwork. Can they solve a crime that has stumped even the FBI?
Sometime called The DaVinci Code for kids, Chasing Vermeer will have middle grade readers scrutinizing art books as they try to solve the mystery along with Calder and Petra. In an added bonus, artist Brett Helquist has also hidden a secret pentomino message in several of the book’s illustrations for readers to decode.

SEQUEL TO CHASING VERMEER:
The Wright 3
By Blue Balliett
Illustrated by Brett Helquist

Spring semester at the Lab School in Hyde Park finds Petra and Calder drawn into another mystery when unexplainable accidents and ghostly happenings throw a spotlight on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's up to the two young sleuths to piece together the clues. They become tangled in a dangerous web thanks to the return of Calder's friend Tommy, H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man, 3-D pentominoes, and the hunt for a coded message left behind by Wright.

SEQUEL TO THE WRIGHT 3:
The Calder Game
By Blue Balliett
Illustrated by Brett Helquist

When Calder Pillay travels with his father to a remote village in England, he finds mazes and mystery, including an unexpected Alexander Calder sculpture in the town square. Calder is strangely drawn to the sculpture, while other people have less-than-friendly feelings towards it. Both the boy and the sculpture seem to be out of place…and then, on the same night, they disappear! Calder's friends Petra and Tommy must fly out to help his father find him. But this mystery has many twists and turns that will keep readers guessing!

Award Nomination - I Love My Librarian!

Have you been impressed by a librarian in your community? Now's your chance to nominate that person for a special award! The "I Love My Librarian" award is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times. Nominations close Oct. 9, 2009. Winners will be announced in early November.

According to the American Library Association, librarians in our country’s 123,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day. On the nomination form, you can explain why your librarian should receive this prestigious honor.

Each of the up to ten librarians selected will receive $5,000 and will be recognized at a special awards ceremony. Nominations are being accepted in three categories: public librarians, school media specialists, and college, community college and university librarians.

To access the nomination form, click on this link: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/public.cfm.

Chester County Library Fall Storytime Registration

Registration for Chester County Library's Fall Storytimes is on Tuesday, September 1st, at 9:30 am. You may register for one five-week session, and you must register IN PERSON. Children must be the required age when the session begins. Check out our web site at http://www.ccls.org/ for more information and for storytimes at other CCLS libraries!

Get Ready for Kindergarten - Book List

With my daughter’s PreK graduation a few weeks away, we have been getting excited for kindergarten! I have been bringing home a lot of picture books to share with her to ease those jitters. Here is a list of “Get Ready for Kindergarten” books. Share them all summer long so you and your little one will be ready for September, too!

Who Will Go to Kindergarten Today? by Karl Ruhmann
The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
Tiptoe Into Kindergarten by Jacqueline Rogers
Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee
Kindergarten Kids by Ellen B. Senisi
Kindergarten Rocks by Katie Davis
Kindergarten Countdown by Anna Jane Hays
Little Bear Goes to Kindergarten by Jutta Langreuter
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson
Ms. Bitsy Bat’s Kindergarten by Pamela Duncan Edwards
Off to Kindergarten by Tony Johnston
A Place Called Kindergarten by Jessica Harper
Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell
Kindergarten ABC by Jacqueline Rogers
Tom Goes to Kindergarten by Margaret Wild
My First Day of School by Nancy J. Skarmeas
Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
A Pocket Full of Kisses by Audrey Penn
I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas
The Berenstain Bears Go To School by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Suzanne M., Spring City Public Library

World Premiere of EGGS

Are you a fan of Jerry Spinelli? You can see the world premiere of Eggs (based on Spinelli's novel) at People's Light & Theatre in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Here is a brief synopsis of the story:

Nine-year-old David and 13-year-old Primrose are both pretty unhappy with life at home. David is sent to live with his grandmother after the death of his mother, and Primrose's mom is a fortune teller who barely notices when Primrose moves into the van parked outside their house. Their unlikely friendship includes midnight trash-picking, bickering over gulps of Mango Madness, and hanging out with Refrigerator John, the local refrigerator repairman. They set off on an unexpected journey that leads to self-discovery and new perspectives on friendship and family.

The play runs from April 23-May 24, 2009. Tickets start at $20. For more information, you can call 610-644-3500 or see their web site at www.peopleslight.org.

Staff Picks -- Favorite Read-Alouds

Whether it is at home reading to my kids or conducting a library story time, these are some of the books that I love reading out loud. From stubborn pigs to grumpy fish, they are fun for audiences of all ages!

Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rudd
By Lynn Plourde
Pigs are blocking the road and no one can make them shoo—not brother, sister, father, or mother. Looks like it is up to Grandma to save the day!

Llama, Llama Red Pajama
By Anna Dewdney
Little Llama should be asleep but he wants his mama. Where is she? Parents will especially relate to all the “llama drama” at bedtime!

The Pout-Pout Fish
By Deborah Diesen
Grumpy Mr. Fish spreads his “dreary wearies” all over the ocean. The other fish try to cheer him up, but Mr. Fish is destined to be glum…..or is he?

A Visitor for Bear
By Bonnie Becker
A persistent mouse tries to befriend a cranky old bear. Will he succeed? And will you succeed in reading this book without giving mouse a British accent?

“Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!”
By Patricia Thomas
Oh no—elephant is going to sneeze! All the animals remember what happened last time elephant sneezed. Now the monkeys and leopards and zebras are scared!

Jump, Frog, Jump!
By Robert Kalan
Will frog get away or will he be caught? This cumulative story will have little ones warning “Jump, frog, jump!” Great for interaction!

Suzanne M., Spring City Public Library

Where the Wild Things Are -- Movie

Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, Where the Wild Things Are, is being made into a movie! The story is about Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, who creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures who crown Max as their ruler.

Voices for the characters are provided by Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Dano and Lauren Ambrose. The scheduled release date is October 16, 2009. Can't wait to see this one!