Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) was formed in 1996 by Paul O'Neill. The music genre is traditionally rock opera, but recently they invented rock theater.  There are 34 members in the band. They are best known for their Christmas music. You can check out their CD The Lost Christmas Eve, which was the last installment in the trilogy, from the library.

They started touring in 1999, and in fact they have two shows coming up on Thursday, December 15th at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. One is at 4 pm and the other is at 8 pm. I've seen them twice in concert and they are amazing! They have an awesome laser and fire show to go along with their excellent music and story!

If you haven't heard of them, check them out at their website: http://trans-siberian.com.  Or click here to place a hold on one of their cds. 

12 Days of Christmas

I recently saw a USA Today article that showed the purchasing all of the items in the Twelve Days of Christmas song it would cost you over $100,000 this year.  In the spirit of saving you money, I have listed twelve wonderful children's books that you could purchase instead of things like drummers drumming or lords a-leaping.  Give the gift of reading this year for the bargain price of $134.21 (prices from Amazon.com).  Or better yet, stop in for a library card.  They're free. 

Picture Books:

Press Here by Herve Tullet ($8.99)

Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle ($10.79)

Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney ($10.79)

Silverlicious by Victoria Kann ($9.89)

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
by Sherri Duskey Rinker (10.08)

Chapter and Non-fiction books:

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick ($15.99)

Darth Paper Strickes Back by Tom Angleberger ($8.44)

Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein ($11.98)

Star Wars Character Encyclopedia by DK Publishing ($11.38)

Books for Teens:

Divergent by Veronica Roth ($10.79)

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini ($15.10)

97 Things to do Before You Finish High School by Erica Stalder ($9.99)

Lost and Found Items

Have you ever misplaced something and just couldn't figure out where it went?  It might be in the library's lost and found!  Here are a few items currently in our lost and found:

5 sets of keys
4 electronic items
3 hoodies
2 baby dolls
and a hat with a white dollar sign
(Can be sung to the tune 12 Days of Christmas if the mood strikes you.)

If any of these items look familar, stop in and ask at the circulation desk and we would love for these items to find their way home before the holidays.

South of Superior Review

If you enjoy reading books about the area in which we live and play (northern Wisconsin/the Upper Peninsula of Michigan), you might enjoy Ellen Airgood’s South of Superior.  In fact, if you’ve travelled in the UP at all, you may have met the author!  She’s the owner of the  West Bay Diner in Grand Marais, MI. 

The book’s setting is the UP, and even if you’ve never been there, Airgood paints a vivid picture of the environment, which plays a significant role in the novel.  In fact, I found it one of the best features of the book.

Madeline Stone, the central character, walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior with the idea that she might just discover the reason her grandfather refused to have anything to do with her once her mother abandoned her as a child in Chicago.  Madeline only knows the circumstances surrounding her abandonment and the kindness of Emily, a total stranger who ends up raising her and giving her the love she so desperately needs.   She really has no idea how much her life is going to change when she decides to make this move.  What follows is a novel which explores the deep reward in caring for and coming to love others in spite of differences. 

Airgood's depiction of poverty, loneliness, frustration and anger as well as loyalty, friendship and community became tangible things for me.  The line between having no money and then having enough money to spend on even partially renovating the hotel became a little fuzzy, however.  But I could set that aside enough to just enjoy the situation. 

This was the author’s first novel, so it will be fun to watch her develop her craft.  I will definitely watch for her next book. 

I should also add that the Waterford Book Club has selected this novel for its August 2012 meeting.  It should be an interesting discussion. 

Packers vs. Lions

It is Green Bay Packer football season in Wisconsin!

Check out the wide variety of Packer books at the Waterford Public Library.  There are Packer books for adults and children.  If you don’t understand football, Holly Robinson Peete has written a guide for women. 

The Green Bay Packers have 10 wins and no losses this season.  It’s always fun when the home team is winning so sit back, relax  and watch the Packers beat the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Feet 2!

Did you know that Emperor Penguins are the largest of all the penguins?  The average height of one is 45 inches tall and can weigh up to 88 pounds!  Happy Feet 2 is out in theaters!  One of the species of penguins featured in this movie is the Emperor penguin, click here to learn more about them...

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/emperor-penguin/

Dance on into the library to check out the first movie and enjoy the second in theaters!  Happy Weekend!

National Book Award Winners

Established in 1950, the National Book Award is an American literary prize given to writers by writers and administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization.  Four awards are given each year, one in each of four categories - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and literature for young people.  This year's winners are:

Jesmyn Ward for Salvage the Bones



Stephen Greenblatt for Swerve: How the World Became Modern

Nikky Finney for Head Off and Split

Thanhha Lai for Inside Out and Back Again

Congrats to all of this year's winners!  Check them out today!

Brrrr.....

Now that nights are colder and darker, you may want to take time to enjoy sharing books with your child. There are so many wonderful read alouds for the four to eight year olds including some written by favorite authors of mine--Kevin Henkes, Cynthia Rylant, and Dav Pilkey. One very engaging series perfect for cozy evening reads is the Mercy Watson books written by Kate DiCamillo. Mercy is a lovable pig who becomes involved in hilarious adventures in pursuit of hot buttered toast. There are six books in the series and they all can be found in the EZ section of the library. Also check out Mercy's website www.mercywatson.com for games, puzzles, and parent tips to make the experience more enjoyable. Hot buttered toast anyone?

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Debuting in theatres on March 2, 2012 will be a famous story written by Dr. Seuss “The Lorax”.



Some of Dr. Seuss’s more famous books include The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Over his career he wrote more than 40 books. His full name was Theodore Seuss Geisel born in 1904. He also wrote Wacky Wednesday and the Tooth Book under the pen name Theo Le Sieg.

Some of his less familiar work include Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? And Hooper Humperdink, Not Him! His imagination and playfulness has entertained children for over 100 years. Each year we celebrate Read around America on Dr. Seuss’s birthday March 2nd.

More information on the Lorax project can be found @ www.seusville.com/loraxproject. There you will find activities and can take the Lorax pledge to be a friend to the environment and help the Lorax.

Forty Days and Counting...

Forty days from now will be Christmas Day.  There's still time to browse through our vast selection of crafts and recipes that would enable you to create the most cherished items of all -- gifts from the heart.

Christmas

Veteran's Day Thank You

Today, Veterans Day (known as Armistice Day, prior to WW II) is celebrated every year on the eleventh hour of November 11. This is because in 1918 World War I ended on that day. Similar celebrations take place around the world, all to honor and thank those who have served in the military.   For all veterans I am truly thankful.

Thanksgiving Book Display

 

Check out the new book display in the adult area just past the new books. Each staff member selected either authors or titles that we are thankful for and shared our reasons why. It was really fun to see what books/authors have impressed others and very gratifying to see some of our own titles being included by others.

On the display, you will find a supply of author or title leaves for you to add to this interactive display. Tell us which authors or titles you are thankful for, and check out one of the books displayed to try for yourself.

Thoughts on The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill

Looking for a novel wonderfully written incorporating mystery, love, relationship issues, intriguing plots, revenge - difficult to put down? The Woodcutter has it all! 
Editorial comments include:
"There is something of a fairy tale about the Woodcutter..."
"His storytelling is always bewitching, his turn-of-phrase wonderful."
"Hills' plotting is brilliant, the jokes first-rate..."
Comments from members of a local bookclub:
"...it's a book you cannot scan.  Every word needs to be read."
"...the main character, not a hero and not always nice, draws you in and makes you root for him."
Check it out today!

Celebrate National Young Reader's Day

This celebration is meant to be a reminder of the benefits and rewards of reading.  National Young Readers Day is a day that was created by Pizza Hut and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in 1989 as a way to celebrate literacy in schools. Celebrate at home by reading a book together as a family.

Wisconsin Library Association Conference and Tad Hills

The WLA Conference has been this week (Nov. 1- Nov 4). At the conference this year, Tad Hills was there and gave a lecture on how he gets his ideas and how he does his books. He writes and illustrates the Duck & Goose books. He also just came out with the book How Rocket Learned to Read. These are picture books, so they're engaging for children. He uses a lot of color and has fun story lines for his characters to follow. Aside from his books being awesome, he is absolutely hilarious!

Badger Boneyards: The Eternal Rest of the Story

The bodies are buried, but the stories are not.  From the ornate tombs of Milwaukee beer barons to displaced Chippewa graves and miniscule family plots, Badger Boneyards: The Eternal Rest of the Story unearths the stories of Wisconsin.  Football great John Heisman is buried here, as is the state's smallest man, a woman whose tombstone names her murderer, and the boy who would not tell a lie and paid the price.

Author, Dennis McCann will be at the Waterford Library on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30 p.m. to share some of what he has discovered in his research for this book. Books will be available for purchase and signing.  There is no charge for this presentation, but registration is required.

Christmas Card Class

The deadline to sign up for Chistmas Card making has been extended to Friday!  Sign up today to have fun creating hand-made Christmas cards to share with family. 

Audio Books

Busy days seem to be the norm.  Schedules are full, and finding time to read that new book everyone is talking about can be a challenge.  Audio books are a wonderful solution. The library carries a new type of audio book called "Play Away".  Just insert your own ear-buds into this compact, ready to use recorder, press the on button and begin listening.  "Play Aways" are located just past the library's front desk and in the juvenile section.  Look for them the next time you visit the library.