 |
| The Street Sweeper |
 |
| Letters from Home |
 |
| Stand Up: The Story of Minnesota's Protest Tradition |
PLEASE VISIT THE LITCHFIELD LIBRARY WEBSITE. THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER UPDATED AS OF JUNE 2020. Visit www.litchfield.lib.mn.us for library news and links.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Calling All Book Reviewers!
By Jan Pease
Guest book reviewers Nick, Jennah and Natalie have made my job so much easier this week. I love to receive book reviews, and hope that more readers will turn in their thoughts before the end of August.
Nick, who is 11, almost 12, read “Ghost Detectors book 2: I’m Gonna Get You!” He says this book deserves five stars because “ the author puts humor, mystery, and adventure together in one book.” The “Ghost Detectors” is a series by Dotti Enderle. Copies are available in Litchfield, and they look like a great fit for someone about Nick’s age.
Natalie, age 12, read “Small Persons With Wings,” by Ellen Booraem. She says that the book deserves five stars. In Natalie’s words, “You would think that a 12-year-old would not like a book about “small persons with wings” (fairies), but this book turned out to be a treasure. The “fairy parts” are very good and as realistic as fairies can be; the fairies had normal emotions and even cliques. This book also deeply explores the feelings of a typical 13-year-old girl through the main character, Mellie Turpin. I feel like I can relate to her feelings. The next time I’m asked for a book suggestion for a family read aloud, I’m going to recommend “Small Persons with Wings.”
Jennah, age 13, reviewed two more books. The first, “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X,” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, deserves five stars because “the book is full of adventure, mystery, some unique magic, and a sarcastic wit. James Patterson has again created a series, with help, full of all those traits that will capture any reader’s attention.
Jennah also read “Heart to Heart,” by Lurlene McDaniel. Jennah says the book deserves five stars, because “the book is very inspirational and tells about things that happen that most people couldn’t even begin to describe. It tells of friends, severed by death, but reunited partially through the girl who got a heart.” Lurlene McDaniel writes about teens and their families who are facing some kind of tragedy. In “Heart to Heart,” she tackles the issue of heart transplants, hinting at the concept of cellular memory. Does some part of the donor live on in the recipient of a heart? Interesting question.
Guest book reviewers Nick, Jennah and Natalie have made my job so much easier this week. I love to receive book reviews, and hope that more readers will turn in their thoughts before the end of August.
Nick, who is 11, almost 12, read “Ghost Detectors book 2: I’m Gonna Get You!” He says this book deserves five stars because “ the author puts humor, mystery, and adventure together in one book.” The “Ghost Detectors” is a series by Dotti Enderle. Copies are available in Litchfield, and they look like a great fit for someone about Nick’s age.
Natalie, age 12, read “Small Persons With Wings,” by Ellen Booraem. She says that the book deserves five stars. In Natalie’s words, “You would think that a 12-year-old would not like a book about “small persons with wings” (fairies), but this book turned out to be a treasure. The “fairy parts” are very good and as realistic as fairies can be; the fairies had normal emotions and even cliques. This book also deeply explores the feelings of a typical 13-year-old girl through the main character, Mellie Turpin. I feel like I can relate to her feelings. The next time I’m asked for a book suggestion for a family read aloud, I’m going to recommend “Small Persons with Wings.”
Jennah, age 13, reviewed two more books. The first, “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X,” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, deserves five stars because “the book is full of adventure, mystery, some unique magic, and a sarcastic wit. James Patterson has again created a series, with help, full of all those traits that will capture any reader’s attention.
Jennah also read “Heart to Heart,” by Lurlene McDaniel. Jennah says the book deserves five stars, because “the book is very inspirational and tells about things that happen that most people couldn’t even begin to describe. It tells of friends, severed by death, but reunited partially through the girl who got a heart.” Lurlene McDaniel writes about teens and their families who are facing some kind of tragedy. In “Heart to Heart,” she tackles the issue of heart transplants, hinting at the concept of cellular memory. Does some part of the donor live on in the recipient of a heart? Interesting question.
Finally, the High School Book Club, which will meet at 3 p.m. on August 28, is reading “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, “ by Ransom Riggs, a book that has generated a lot of interest. It was chosen by amazon.com as one of the best books of 2011. The book is filled with strange vintage photographs from various collections, so I expected a creepy horror story. Instead, it’s a combination of fantasy and adventure that I really enjoyed. I hope the high school readers like it as much as I did. The only drawback is that I read it on my Nook, so the pictures and hand written letters were hard to decipher.
Read a book and tell someone about it. You’ll be glad you did. See you at the library!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Thank You,Thank You, Thank You!
By Jan Pease
August 2, 2012
Miss Manners wrote, in her column that runs in the Star Tribune, that it really isn’t difficult to write thank you notes. Well, this is a gigantic thank you note to some of the people who have helped make this one of the most amazing summers in my years at Litchfield Library.
Many dedicated parents have brought children weekly to library programs. Reading calendars are coming in so fast I’ve lost count. We have to put them in a box because my cute little basket filled so quickly. 299 young people, preschool through teens, have signed up to participate in reading throughout the summer. Thanks to all of the families who have encouraged their children to keep reading through the summer. I haven’t added up our total attendance at library programs, but attendance has remained steady throughout the summer.
Our Monday trips to Cosmos for our “Little Bit of Library” will end with a party in the Cosmos Park, at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, August 6th. I plan to be there at about 6, and hope for a slightly cooler evening than the past few Mondays. Peace Lutheran Church graciously extended their hospitality to us, and the cool building was a life saver. They have really cold water, too. Thank you so much, Pastor Marlaine and congregation.
The WonderWeavers, Tina Rhode and Colleen Shaskin, ventured all the way to Cosmos and were, well, wonderful. I asked the children what professional storytellers do. Tina and Colleen kept the children and parents involved and entertained, and afterward the children said, “They tell stories!” Tina and Colleen tell some of the best.
Thanks to the Litchfield office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for providing wildlife experts who brought excellent programs to Cosmos and Litchfield. I just couldn’t get the Litchfield kids excited about the word “crepuscular,” but will keep trying.( By the way, mosquitoes are crepuscular insects.) Thanks again to the Wildlife Wizard and to Bridget for telling us about the work that you do.
The Willmar Stingers came to visit, charming our story time kids and thrilling the baseball fans who attended that day. The PAK parents presented their program “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,” inspiring us all to be more aware of our carbon footprint. The “Tomato Story Time,” presented by Joan Olson of the “One Vegetable One Community” project was really entertaining. I’ve probably left out someone, so if I have, please consider yourself thanked.
Story times are not offered in August. Book clubs will meet on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Tuesdays, as usual. On August 23 at 3 p.m., the library will host Professor Marvel’s Dream Machines. Magician Robert Halbrook designs a new show every year for the Cooperative Summer Reading Program. He always amazes, and always encourages kids to enjoy reading.
Reading Records can be turned in through the end of August, and certificates will be available at the children’s desk for everyone who participated. Thanks for a great summer!
August 2, 2012
Miss Manners wrote, in her column that runs in the Star Tribune, that it really isn’t difficult to write thank you notes. Well, this is a gigantic thank you note to some of the people who have helped make this one of the most amazing summers in my years at Litchfield Library.
Many dedicated parents have brought children weekly to library programs. Reading calendars are coming in so fast I’ve lost count. We have to put them in a box because my cute little basket filled so quickly. 299 young people, preschool through teens, have signed up to participate in reading throughout the summer. Thanks to all of the families who have encouraged their children to keep reading through the summer. I haven’t added up our total attendance at library programs, but attendance has remained steady throughout the summer.
Our Monday trips to Cosmos for our “Little Bit of Library” will end with a party in the Cosmos Park, at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, August 6th. I plan to be there at about 6, and hope for a slightly cooler evening than the past few Mondays. Peace Lutheran Church graciously extended their hospitality to us, and the cool building was a life saver. They have really cold water, too. Thank you so much, Pastor Marlaine and congregation.
The WonderWeavers, Tina Rhode and Colleen Shaskin, ventured all the way to Cosmos and were, well, wonderful. I asked the children what professional storytellers do. Tina and Colleen kept the children and parents involved and entertained, and afterward the children said, “They tell stories!” Tina and Colleen tell some of the best.
Thanks to the Litchfield office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for providing wildlife experts who brought excellent programs to Cosmos and Litchfield. I just couldn’t get the Litchfield kids excited about the word “crepuscular,” but will keep trying.( By the way, mosquitoes are crepuscular insects.) Thanks again to the Wildlife Wizard and to Bridget for telling us about the work that you do.
The Willmar Stingers came to visit, charming our story time kids and thrilling the baseball fans who attended that day. The PAK parents presented their program “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,” inspiring us all to be more aware of our carbon footprint. The “Tomato Story Time,” presented by Joan Olson of the “One Vegetable One Community” project was really entertaining. I’ve probably left out someone, so if I have, please consider yourself thanked.
Story times are not offered in August. Book clubs will meet on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Tuesdays, as usual. On August 23 at 3 p.m., the library will host Professor Marvel’s Dream Machines. Magician Robert Halbrook designs a new show every year for the Cooperative Summer Reading Program. He always amazes, and always encourages kids to enjoy reading.
Reading Records can be turned in through the end of August, and certificates will be available at the children’s desk for everyone who participated. Thanks for a great summer!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Fun and History in Walnut Grove
by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian
On Saturday, July 7th, I led a group of people from Dassel, Litchfield, and Grove City to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Pioneerland Library System collaborated with Plum Creek Library System to our south to bring busloads of library patrons from our region to the pageant. This was sponsored in part by Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, as well as by the pageant itself.
Our group went early enough to take in some of the other Ingalls attractions in Walnut Grove. We visited the dugout site, where the Ingalls lived during the book On the Banks of Plum Creek. It’s a privately-owned farm where the family allows tourists to visit for a small fee. The dugout itself collapsed long ago, but the sunken spot is there to see. The Ingalls family certainly lived in small houses for most of their lives.
I’m a lifelong fan of the Little House books, so it was exciting for me to stand in that place described so carefully by Laura. It looks like so many other places around Minnesota, but it’s been immortalized by being included in a classic children’s book.
After leaving the dugout site, I set our group free in the town of Walnut Grove to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum or to go to the Family Festival taking place that afternoon. I toured the museum, which is a group of small buildings. They include a schoolhouse, a dugout, a chapel, and some old-fashioned houses, and they house the museum’s collections. This museum has little that belonged to the Ingalls, but it teaches visitors about her life and times and her books, as well as the television series that was based loosely on the books.
In the evening we all boarded the bus for the pageant, which takes place a short distance outside of town. The chairs are on a hillside, with general seating open on either side for people who bring blankets or lawn chairs. The stage area includes a permanent dugout and a pioneer town backdrop. The production itself was impressive. It’s community theater that’s perfected by performing the show every year. The Ingalls family rides onto the stage area in a covered wagon pulled by a team of horses. The church is a massive set piece that’s put up by the cast and crew when the congregation builds a church in the story. The prairie fire is real fire, and really exciting. The “social” is a big dance number that is a showstopper. When Mary loses her sight, it’s very sad. Nellie and Willie are appropriately obnoxious. The play is funny, it’s touching, and it shows the immense difficulties that Minnesota settlers faced in the 19th century.
Our group enjoyed the trip very much. The participants ranged in age from 8 to senior citizen. They gave the program high marks for being very enjoyable, and some said they could not have had this experience without the library-sponsored trip. If you are a Little House fan who hasn’t been to the pageant, I recommend it to you as a great arts and history program that celebrates one of our most famous Minnesota authors.
Visitors can wade in Plum Creek just like Laura, Mary, and Nellie did. Several people in our group went in. Luckily no one encountered leeches or a “crab” (I would imagine it was really a crayfish) in the stream, which Laura and Nellie did in the book.
Friday, August 3, 2012
A sample of today's new books
There are many more in today, but here are just a few of today's new books:
 |
| The Whites of Their Eyes |
 |
| Guilt by Association (audiobook) |
 |
| The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)