Adventure/Thriller Picks

Be careful picking up one of these books- you may find yourself reading into the small hours of the morning to finish them!  If you like stories with non-stop action and plenty of twists and turns, check out any of the following titles.  Tip: if your library's copy isn't on the shelf, ask the front desk librarian to fill out a request slip for you, and we'll have it sent from another one of our libraries.



Cover images
from Goodreads.

Keep reading!


Shaen

Picture Book Picks

The following titles, with minimal text and vibrant illustrations, are great ones to either read to a child or for a child to practice reading with.  And if The House in the Night looks familiar... well, it only won the most prestigious picture book award available in the nation in 2009 :-)

Tip: if your library's copy isn't on the shelf, ask the front desk librarian to fill out a request slip for you, and we'll have it sent from another one of our libraries.

Cover images
from Goodreads.

Keep reading!

Shaen

Historical Fiction Picks

Get lost in a different time with these historical fiction titles at Ozark Regional Library.  Tip: if your library's copy isn't on the shelf, ask the front desk librarian to fill out a request slip for you, and we'll have it sent from another one of our libraries.

Cover images
from Goodreads.

Keep reading!

Fantasy Picks

Looking for some good books to do book reports on (or just something to read for fun?)?  Check out these fantastic fantasy titles in stock at Ozark Regional.  Tip: if your library's copy isn't on the shelf, ask the front desk librarian to fill out a request slip for you, and we'll have it sent from another one of our libraries! 



Cover images
from Goodreads.

  Keep reading!

Shaen

Outreach Story Time Sessions

Did you know that the library provides a limited number of outreach story time sessions to local daycares and Head Start groups?  If your childcare group can't get to the library, we will pack up our materials and bring an hour's worth of themed stories, games, songs, activities, and crafts to you! 

Please call your local library (or email me at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com) at least two weeks in advance to book one of these fun and free traveling story times.  We may not be able to meet every request, either due to resources or scheduling conflicts, but we will try our very best to bring story time to you if you can't meet us at the library.

And in the meantime... keep reading!

Shaen

Terrible Yellow Eyes

Book cover image from Amazon.

Where the Wild Things Are is a classic book for good reason.  The story is imaginative and adventurous, the artwork is eye-catching, and the premise probably resonates with a lot of kids who dream of escaping into some magical land where, instead of being too young or too little, they could be king (or queen) of a pretty fierce clan of followers. 

So here's a fun take-home story time activity for you to do.  First, read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  Even if you've already read it fifty thousand times.  Even if you've already seen the movie.  Even if you don't have a copy (you can borrow one from the library). 

And then, after you get done reading and soaking up the experience, check out this cool site that features nothing but post after post of amazing artwork inspired by Max's story. 

Keep reading!

Shaen

Quotability #2

"Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes." -John LeCarre

Tons of children's and teen books have been made into movies over the years.  Recent adaptations that spring to mind are the contemporized Mr. Popper's Penguins and the sweetly nostalgic Winnie the Pooh.  And don't forget the second installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the Smurfs and their blue village- in 3-D!

Book cover image from
Goodreads.

LeCarre may be right; some books just don't translate well to the silver screen.  But others are great and may even enrich our experiences with a storyline.  What's your favorite book-to-movie pick?  Which one could you just not stand (anybody else thinking of Inkheart?)?

Go watch a movie, and then... keep reading ;-)

Shaen

The Son of Neptune

Book cover image from Amazon.


Anybody a fan of Rick Riordan's books- you know, the Percy Jackson series, the Kane Chronicles, mythology-meets-nonstop-can't-put-this-book-down-adventure?  His books are a sure bet here at the Ironton library; they fly off the shelves quicker than we can keep them in stock!

Well, for all you fans, Riordan has a new book coming out, the second in the Heroes of Olympus series, called The Son of Neptune.  And even though the book doesn't come out until October, guess what?  You can still get a sneak peek and read the first chapter here, or watch an awesome book trailer here.

What's your favorite Riordan book so far?  You can leave a message by clicking "Comments".

Keep reading!

Shaen

July Contest Winners!

A great big "Huzzah!" (that's an archaic word for hooray!) to all of our July contest winners.  We had a lot of great entries for both the coloring contest and the "My Favorite Book" contest, so it was difficult to choose our final prize-winners.  Prizes for the coloring contest included a tri-colored telescope, a giant jigsaw puzzle, and a globe punch ball; prizes for the "My Favorite Book" contest included a tennis shoe keychain, an Earth-shaped pencil sharpener, and a nylon drawstring backpack.


Bulletin board announcing Coloring
Contest winners at Ironton.

Winners will be featured in an upcoming edition of the local newspaper, so keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks.

Here are some pictures of our winning coloring contest entries from our Ironton Headquarters.  Thanks again to all who entered the contests!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Followup on EMAA School Fair

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the library booth at the EMAA Back-to-School Fair in Fredericktown yesterday afternoon!  We're grateful to EMAA for letting us host a table again this year and for providing all those lovely donation books we were able to give away to families. 

And here are a couple of pictures to share:



The library's table.



Close-up of materials.



A total of 68 new patrons signed up for library cards.

 Keep reading!

Shaen

Back-to-School Fair at Fredericktown

East Missouri Action Agency of Fredericktown is hosting a back-to-school fair tomorrow, August 9, at the United Methodist Church at 216 South Main Street.  The library will have a booth from 12:30- 5 pm, and I'll be registering Fredericktown families for library cards.  Stop by to pick up some free loot, like giveaway books, bookmarks, and pencils, and learn about upcoming programming, like fall story time!

See you then, and keep reading!

Shaen

Summer, Spring, Fall, Winter... The Four Seasons!

Yep, it's that time again.  Summer programming may be over, but all the fall fun is just getting started!  Join us at the library for ten weeks of toddler/preschool story time.  This year's theme is The Four Seasons, and each week, we'll explore a different season through stories, songs, games, interactive activities, science experiments, and crafts.  This year, highlights include painting with colored ice cubes and making gumdrop sculptures!

Check out the complete schedule of events at http://ozarkregionallibrary.lib.mo.us/ under the "Programs and Events" tab, or stop by your local library to request a brochure. 

Keep reading!

Shaen

Quotability #1

"Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread.  ~François Mauriac

So, here's a quote for the day for you to mull over.  It got me thinking about those books I consider literary comfort food and come back to on rainy days: Anne of the Island, Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet, the Oz books, among others.  These novels delighted me as a kid for the fresh, new worlds they created in my mind, and today, I find myself enjoying them just as much for their great writing and universal themes. 

What books do you find yourself coming back to again and again?  What do you love (or just find fascinating) about these stories?  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Search for WondLa

Book cover image from Amazon.


I recently read an amazing book that I've been recommending to practically every patron who walks in the door.  The Search for WondLa by Toni DiTerlizzi is the first in a projected trilogy, which reads like a sci-fi Wizard of Oz. 

The story introduces us to twelve-year-old Eva Nine, with her futuristic braids and cell-phone-like Omnipod, who is forced to flee her underground sanctuary and robot Muthr after an intruder attacks.  All she takes with her are meager supplies and a question: What is the meaning of "WondLa", and how did the letters find their way into her sanctuary's secret tunnel?

Eva lives in a world strangely distorted from our own, with oddly exotic plants, talking animals, and mechanical marvels, and her unintended journey onto the surface of her planet leads her to meet new friends, including the tender-hearted Rovender Kitt and the elephantine flying beast, Otto, as well as discover the dark origins of her home and perhaps, her true purpose. 

DiTerlizzi's tale feels wonderfully nostalgic, and like classic kids' novels of yesteryear, is sprinkled liberally with pages of olive-tinted illustrations drawn by the author.  You can check out DiTerlizzi's website for some behind-the-scenes info on WondLa (and some neat glimpses of forthcoming book illustrations).  If you have a chance to stop by the library and pick up one last book for vacation reading, I highly recommend this one.  The only thing you'll be disappointed in?  That you have to wait for the sequel. 

Keep reading!

Shaen