Summer Reading Winners

For some kids, summer is the best time to dig into reading. There's long lazy days, sipping lemonade while reading a favorite novel. Or sneaking a flashlight under a blanket to finish a story.

During this summer's reading program, participants filled out a ticket for every book they read. Then they dropped their tickets in a can. On August 19, the winners were chosen - not by "who read the most books", but by random drawing. Though if you know anything about probability you know that those who read the most books got the most tickets.

So, the winners - who each get a bookstore gift card:

Owen Huizinga for the Beginning Reader crowd
Kadrianna Foster for the 3rd - 6th grade group
Ethan Howe for the teen reads group

Congratulations to all our summer reading participants. And thank you to all the children and teens who made books happy by reading them.

New to our Shelves

Before showing you the cool new books, a REMINDER about the ongoing Scavenger Hunt.

The August "Explore the Village" Scavenger Hunt features architecture and other tidbits found in the Village of Candor. You may pick up a sheet of photos at the library, or download photos from the blog here. Then just take a walk down Main Street (and maybe the school and park) and see if you can find everything.

While you're at it, take a photo or two of something interesting you see, and post it on the library bulletin board. If you don't have a camera, the library has some kid-friendly digital cameras for loan.

And now, check out some of these fun new titles that have been added to our shelves - for children of all ages!

UnderGround is just plain fun reading - and a perfect book for this summer's theme: "Dig into Reading". If you have a kid who likes to dig in the garden (or anywhere, for that matter) then this is the book to read. Simple rhyming text and awesome illustrations.

"Are the Dinosaurs Dead, Dad?" The title of this book becomes a Very Important Question as this boy and his father explore a natural history museum. Because, if the dinosaurs are dead, why does that one want the kid's lunch?

 Got a kid interested in construction? There's a whole series of books perfect for the future architect: Building a Bridge, Building a House, Building a Road, and Building a Skyscraper. 
On the other hand, maybe your child is more interested in breaking rocks and digging tunnels. There's a few perfect for her, too: Digging Tunnels, Demolition, and Construction Tools.

 The Eye of the Whale is a true story of a rescue operation. A whale, tangled in fishing lines, will die if the divers can't free her. But how does a person help an animal so huge? This is a wonderful, engaging story that even older children (and maybe some adults) will enjoy.

As Fast as Words Could Fly won the "New Voices" award this year. Emerging author Pamela Tuck crafts a wonderful narrative about growing up during the Civil Rights movement. The story, while fiction, is based on a true family story. Book review and interview with the author here.

Did you know that a turtle shell is made up of 60 different bones? A Place for Turtles is jam-packed with useful information about these slow-moving, but important, animals that live in the ponds and streams around us. The illustrations are field-guide quality. You can read a book review and interview with the illustrator here.

Libraries for Beach Reading

The cool thing about summer reading is that it can happen anywhere: swinging in a hammock strung between two trees in your backyard; in a cozy tent during a summer rainstorm; and at the beach. Some libraries have gone so far as to create beach-branches for their patrons. Here are some examples:

If beach-goers in Bulgaria forget to lug a tote-bag full of summer reading to their favorite seaside spot, no worry - the local library has seaside shelves.

The Pacific Beach Library in San Diego has an eco-friendly beach bookmobile that gets books into reader's hands.

Vancouver Island (British Columbia) has a different sort of lending library.

Have you seen any interesting libraries in your summer travels? If so, send us a photo to post at candorwriter (at) yahoo (dot) com.

August Scavenger Hunt: Explore the Village

You might walk to school, or stroll around town for an evening's exercise. But how well do you know the Village of Candor?

See if you can find the items pictured below. You can print off these photos or pick up a check-list at the library. Make sure to note the addresses where you find each thing.

AND - if you find something cool that we forgot to put in the scavenger hunt, take a photo. Print it off and bring it in to hang on the bulletin board, or email it to candorwriter(at)yahoo(dot)com to post on the blog.

Where in the Village can you See: