This Week @ NLPL

Here's what's happening this week at New Lenox Public Library!

Monday:
Wiggle Worms @ 10:30 a.m. for babies (pre-walkers)
Movers & Shakers @ 11:15 a.m. for babies (walkers)
Treasure Hunters @ 1 p.m. for ages 3 1/2 to 5 years
Family Bingo @ 4:30 p.m. for all ages

Tuesday:
Itsy Bitsy Toddler @ 10:30 a.m. for toddlers between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years
Pajamapalooza @ 6:30 p.m. for ages 6 & up (registration required)

Wednesday:
Simply Silly Storytime @ 10:30 a.m. for all ages
WordPlay @ 4:30 p.m. for grades 3-8 (registration required)
Happy Books, Happy Cooks @ 7:00 p.m. for ages 3 and up (registration required)

Thursday:
Tales & Tunes @ 10:30 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. for ages 2 to 3 1/2 years
Book Adventures @ 4:30 p.m. for grades 1-8 (registration required)

To register for programs, stop by the library or call 815.485.2605.

Novel Ideas: The Graveyard Book

It's Monday, and that means ... Novel Ideas! Every Monday, we take a look at a juvenile fiction/chapter book. They won't always be brand-new books - sometimes we'll take a look at old favorites. Looking for a good read? Check out our Novel Ideas posts. Have a suggestion for a great book to review? Let us know!

This week's found novel is:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

New Lenox Library Call Number: J GAI

Nobody (Bod for short) is not like a lot of other kids. For one thing, he is the sole survivor of a murder plot that took his parents. But Bod's new caregivers aren't the typical foster parents - they're ghosts.

Bod ended up toddling into a graveyard on the night of his parents' murder. Only 18 months old, the inhabitants of the graveyard took pity on the child and decided to raise him as one of their own. Bod gets food, shelter, clothing and all the useful information his new "family" can give him. He lives a happy life, until his parents' murder shows up again...

This book is a great twist on the traditional orphan story, with spooky, funny and mysterious elements. Sometimes the story is a bit dark - it does start with Bod's family being murdered - but there are uplifting moments as well. It's fun to see what all the different ghosts have to say about Bod's education. This is a great read for anyone who liked Neil Gaiman's Coraline, or who are looking for something a bit different to read.

MLK Monday

Across the country, people are celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. today. Here's a look at some books to grab if you want to know more about this insightful leader's life:

March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World by Christine King Farris and London Ladd
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J 323.092 FAR

As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J 323.092 MIC

Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Trudi Strain Trueit
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: E 394.261 TRU

Martin Luther King Jr.: Preacher, Freedom Fighter, Peacemaker by Pamela Hill Nettleton
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: E B KIN

Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Leader and Nobel Prize Winner by Andrew Santella
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J B KIN

I Have a Dream: The Story Behind Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Most Famous Speech by Kerry A. Graves
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J 323 GRA

Newbery/Caldecott Winners Announced

The award-winning books for 2010 are:

Newbery Award:
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J STE

Newbery Honor Books:
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J KEL
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J LIN
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: J PHI
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Available through Inter-Library Loan

Caldecott Award:
The Lion & the Mouse illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: E PIN

Caldecott Honor Books:
All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee and written by Liz Garton Scanlon
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: E 811.6 SCA
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Joyce Sidman
New Lenox Public Library Call Number: E SID

For a list of more award winners, or for more information about the Caldecott and Newbery Awards, visit the American Library Association's Web site at www.ala.org.

This Week @ NLPL

Here's what's happening this week at New Lenox Public Library!

Monday:
Wiggle Worms @ 10:30 a.m. for babies (pre-walkers)
Movers & Shakers @ 11:15 a.m. for babies (walkers)
Treasure Hunters @ 1 p.m. for ages 3 1/2 to 5 years
Art Club @ 4:30 p.m. for grades 1-8 (registration required)

Tuesday:
Itsy Bitsy Toddler @ 10:30 a.m. for toddlers between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years
Pajamapalooza @ 6:30 p.m. for ages 6 & up (registration required)

Wednesday:
Simply Silly Storytime @ 10:30 a.m. for all ages
WordPlay @ 4:30 p.m. for grades 3-8 (registration required)
Happy Books, Happy Cooks @ 7:00 p.m. for ages 3 and up (registration required)

Thursday:
Tales & Tunes @ 10:30 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. for ages 2 to 3 1/2 years

Saturday:
Crazy Carnival Games @ 10:30 a.m. for all ages (registration is required)

To register for programs, stop by the library or call 815.485.2605.

Monday Means ... Novel Ideas!

It's Monday, and that means ... Novel Ideas! Every Monday, we take a look at a juvenile fiction/chapter book. They won't always be brand-new books - sometimes we'll take a look at old favorites. Looking for a good read? Check out our Novel Ideas posts. Have a suggestion for a great book to review? Let us know!

This week's found novel is:
Wild Things by Clay Carmichael
New Lenox Library Call Number: J CAR

Eleven-year-old Zoe doesn't get attached to grownups. In her life, they have just been temporary blips on her radar. When her mentally ill mother dies, Zoe is sent to live with her only remaining relative, her reclusive uncle Henry. Henry was once a world-class doctor, but traded medicine for art. Henry is a loner like Zoe, and the two of them have a hard time adjusting to life together.
While staying with Uncle Henry, Zoe meets - and begins to care for - a strange cast of characters, including a wild cat and a boy who seemingly lives in the woods. Zoe's beliefs about loyalty and family are turned upside down, and soon she has to decide what matters most.

This Week @ NLPL

Here's what's happening this week at New Lenox Public Library!

Monday:
Wiggle Worms @ 10:30 a.m. for babies (pre-walkers)
Movers & Shakers @ 11:15 a.m. for babies (walkers)
Treasure Hunters @ 1 p.m. for ages 3 1/2 to 5 years

Tuesday:
Itsy Bitsy Toddler @ 10:30 a.m. for toddlers between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years
Pajamapalooza @ 6:30 p.m. for ages 6 & up (registration required)

Wednesday:
Simply Silly Storytime @ 10:30 a.m. for all ages
World Explorers @ 4:30 p.m. for grades 1-8 (registration required)
Happy Books, Happy Cooks @ 7:00 p.m. for ages 3 and up (registration required)

Thursday:
Tales & Tunes @ 10:30 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. for ages 2 to 3 1/2 years

To register for programs, stop by the library or call 815.485.2605.

Winter Programming

It may be cold outside, but things are heating up at New Lenox Library!

Regular programming starts again next week for the six-week winter session.

Stop in to pick up a program guide, or check it out online at http://newlenoxlibrary.org/youthprograms.pdf.

Best Book of 2009: Vote!

Since November, the nominees for Best Book of 2009 have been on display at the New Lenox Library. We've reviewed some of them for the blog, and they've been flying off the shelf!

Even though all the books are contenders for the top spot, there can only be one winner, and you get to help us pick! Anyone who has read three or more of the nominees can vote for the Best Book of 2009. Not only will your vote count in our final tally, but all voters are entered in a raffle to win a bookstore gift card!

You get until Jan. 13 to cast your vote. Remember, you have to have read at least three of the nominees to vote!

Winter Reading Program: Pennies for Peace

When it's cold outside, there's really nothing better than settling in with a good book. And what if you could help underprivileged kids at the same time?

Starting today, kids can register for the New Lenox Library's Winter Reading Program. Now in its second year, the reading program gives kids a chance to change the world, one book at a time. Last year, readers raised money for the pups and cats at TLC Animal Shelter in Homer Glen.
This year, the charity of choice is Pennies for Peace, an organization founded by Greg Mortenson (humanitarian and author of the Three Cups of Tea books). Pennies for Peace is a global charity that promotes education, literacy and tolerance.

To register, participants just come into the library and donate one non-perishable food item. They are given a sheet of peace circles to track their reading time. For each 15 minutes they read, the participants fill in one of the peace signs on the peace circle. Each circle adds up to 2 hours, and when the circle is filled, kids can drop them off to be eligible for a weekly raffle.

In addition to the non-perishable food donation, we are asking that kids donate their pennies, too. It's suggested that for each 15 minutes they read, participants donate 15 pennies. These pennies will go to help students in underprivileged schools buy much needed supplies. But how can just pennies pay for anything? As little as one penny can buy a pencil, 15 pennies can buy a notebook, and only $20 is one child's school supplies for the entire year!

But what about the prizes?
The purpose of the winter reading program is to raise awareness for causes both local and international. Though we will offer bookmarks, weekly raffle prizes and certificates for those who finish, the program is more about teaching kids the small ways they can make a difference, while promoting literacy.

The program goes through February 27. For more information about the Pennies for Peace charity, visit www.penniesforpeace.org. To register, or with questions about the reading program, stop by the Children's Reference Desk.