2014 Summer Reading Program 2014

SHORELINES
NEWSLETTER
Published by the Friends of the Library
Summer 2014
Summer Reading Program 2014
Our 2014 BSDL Summer Reading Program began on June 14! This year we are asking each summer
reader to read for a total of 12 hours and for every 2 hours completed the child can claim a prize from each of
six participating local businesses which include: The Cool Spot, The Corner Toy Store, Frankfort Tackle Box,
The Garden Theater, Kilwin’s, and L’Chayim Delicatessen. Each reader will have to come to the library for a
stamp and then show their stamped log to each business in order to claim their prize. We sincerely appreciate
the generosity of our Summer Reading Program sponsors.
Very special family events are planned for this summer! June 20th brings “Michigan’s Family Funnyman”™ Joel Tacey and on July 23rd at 7 p.m., Lori Fithian of Drummunity will be here. Drummunity is a
great program for all ages. In addition, our weekly events for children include: Circle Time with Miss Char on
Mondays at 10 a.m., and on Thursdays at 10 a.m., the always popular Story Hour with Miss Julie.
The children’s area of the library offers thousands of books on every level including board books for babies, non-fiction titles, chapter books and many more. This year, we added many new children’s DVDs,
audiobooks and books.
We have many new books that go along with the Fizz Boom Read theme. MEET EINSTEIN by Mariela
Kleiner is a lovely introduction to Albert Einstein– a scientist who loved to study light and gravity. This book
will show children the joys of making scientific connections every day in the world around them, and to teach
them that they are already scientists! Several new non-fiction titles by Usborne: FIRST ILLUSTRATED
MATH DICTIONARY, ILLUSTRATED SCIENCE DICTIONARY, the USBORNE ILLUSTRATED BOOK
OF CHEMISTRY (for older children) and 100 SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS are wonderful selections for those
interested in learning new concepts during the summer months.
We anticipate another fun summer at BSDL and look forward to seeing many eager readers from near and
far!
Summer Reading Program
June 14 - Aug 9
2014
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Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines
Save the Date!
Summer Reading Programs
Joel Tacey
“Michigan’s Family
Funnyman”™
Friday, June 20th
2:00 p.m.
Drummunity
with Lori Fithian
Wednesday, July 23rd 20th
7:00 p.m.
Presentation and book
signing with YA Author
Julia Gibson
Saturday, July 26th
3:00 p.m.
Story Hour
Circle Time
Thursday’s 10 - 11 a.m.
Monday’s 10 - 11 a.m.
On Thursdays at 10:00 a.m., (June
19 – August 7) it’s time to....FIZZ!
BOOM!! READ!!! Our summer
theme highlights all things science:
Einstein and other incredible scientists, robots, the wonder of flight,
the motion of the ocean, color
and wild weather! Come and discover some of the wonders of nature and the world of
technology through books, songs,
crafts and puppet shows with our
very own puppet host, Albert
Einstein!
We look forward to
happy gatherings in the
children’s area on
Monday mornings with
Miss Char Taber. This is a
program rich with rhythm
and rhyme, great fun
and very beneficial for
an audience of infants
and toddlers who
participate with a parent
or caregiver.
It is So Nice
To Be Loved!
April 15th was National Library Workers Day. We were
surprised with a still warm pan of brownies from Judy
Murray. Chocolate never goes unappreciated with this
staff!
In May, Paige Willman showed her library appreciation by
bringing the staff a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Such a
wonderful gesture from a very special patron.
Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines
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Technology Updates
In April the Friends provided new computers for the public. We also
have a new computer management system which will help us serve the public
a little easier. The new management system simplifies computer printing and
waiting lists. Patrons love the faster speed of the new computers.
In addition to internet access, the new computers have Microsoft
Word, Excel, Power Point, and Publisher. Watching videos and working on
documents is easier with the new 21.5” monitors.
New public computers were installed in April.
We take security seriously. The hard
drives of all old equipment are
removed and smashed. This is a really
fun job if you’re 12.
Keeping things warm & bright!
Two major projects were completed on the library building. The heating/
cooling system was replaced with a new, efficient system. What a perfect winter
to have steady, reliable heat!!!
All of the library’s lighting ballasts and fluorescent lights were replaced with
energy efficient bulbs. In addition to record snowfall this winter, it felt like we
never saw the sun. The new lighting has made things much brighter in the library. The workers all did a great job and the projects went well.
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Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines
MEMORABLE SUMMER READING
By Library Staff
Cathy’s
Well, it is impossible to choose the best summer book but for me a very memorable summer read was WAR AND PEACE
by Tolstoy which I read in June and July the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. I waited tables in the
evenings, so my days were relatively free to read on the beach. I’d haul that book and a towel down the steps at Nippising and
read and read. To tell the truth I remember so little about the book that my main memory of it is just being on the beach and
having such a big book to read. I thought I should read it because it was a classic, a challenge and it looked romantic and
tragic. It was all of those things. I remember being frustrated by all of the Russian names. On one page a character was called
one name and on the next he was called another name. It seemed to me that the book was way more about war than peace. I
was disappointed that I didn’t have anyone to talk to about the book. Although I was in a family of readers, no one had read it
and I didn’t know anyone outside my family who had read it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve met that many people in my whole life
who have read War and Peace, which is just as well because I would have to invest another summer in reading it again in order
to have a conversation about it!
Although WAR AND PEACE was not my best summer read ever, I do know what my best summer books
ever were. I discovered a Janet Lambert book at the library when I was between 7th and 8th grade and couldn’t believe how wonderful it was. The best news was that it was part of a series and that she had written more
than one series! Hooray!! The books, written in the 1940s-1960s, were romantic and sad, but had happy endings. The stories were all about families and friends whose lives were so different than mine. I read all of
them and laughed and cried and could not put them down. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but when I
read those, I fell in love with reading and knew that reading was a great passion to have.
However, I would have to say that one of my best ‘grown up’ summer reads was Paul Scott’s THE RAJ
QUARTET. The entire plot of these books was unleashed by one event. The writing was mesmerizing and
the characters memorable and tragic. It is wonderful, but like WAR AND PEACE and THE LUMINARIES
by Eleanor Catton (another great summer read), it is a book that is best read if you have leisure time. Another favorite summer
read that requires quite an investment of time was MIDDLEMARCH by George Elliot. It is so fun to read a book that can take
you to a different time and place during the leisure of a long summer.
Interestingly, we have patrons who every June check out a book that, to them, signals the start of summer. I’ve noticed that for several patrons, it is Bruce Catton’s WAITING FOR THE MORNING TRAIN. THE ADVENTURES OF
HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain is another one that seems to set the right tone and state of mind for summer. For others, especially children, there is often a picture book that they read when they were little and want to make sure it is still here.
Some of the most fun reads for summer are those we find serendipitously by browsing the library’s collection. If you
need help finding a good book to read, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the staff. Suggesting books and talking about what
you have read or like to read are the most fun things we do! Besides suggesting books that we have read, we have a lot of tools
to help us find the right book for your mood and interests.
Stacy’s
While growing up, I had a maple tree in my front yard up in which I spent a great deal of time
reading. When I think of “summer books”, I don’t necessarily think of books that take place in summertime. I think of the books that I read in that tree during my tween years. I read ANNE OF GREEN
GABLES and loved every page. I think I read THE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS by Doddie
Smith at least a dozen times. I found a copy of the COMPLETE WORKS OF LEWIS CARROLL at a used
book sale that I still treasure to this day. And, of course, no childhood summer reading list of mine would
be complete without a few issues of MAD magazine. Who am I kidding? My current summer reading list
includes MAD magazine.
Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines
MEMORABLE SUMMER READING
(continued)
Julie’s
I remember reading, THE BUSHBABY by William Stevenson, when I was about twelve. I carried
my paperback copy around with me—to the beach, etc., and even reread it on a camping trip to Canada
with my grandparents later that same summer. The book tells the story of Jackie, a young girl living with
her family in Kenya, who keeps a bushbaby as a pet. There were many humorous descriptions of the
bushbaby’s antics as well as a little suspense when Jackie and her African friend are chased by manhunters. The book totally captured my imagination and it’s come to mind many times over the years. (I just
found a copy on MelCat!).
Cindy’s
Minnesota Summers: Read-along 45 rpm records (Bozo under the Sea [turn the
page when you hear the bubbles); Picture books (Blueberries for Sal, Little Black
Sambo, Story of Ferdinand, Make way for Ducklings, Story about Ping) ; Comic books
traded among neighborhood kids (Archie comics, Superman, Batman and Robin, Donald Duck, Tarzan, Little Lulu, Richie Rich, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Tales from
the Crypt, lots of Illustrated Classics) ; Magazines (Readers Digest, Life, Mad) Books
from magical bookmobile, library, trades, and gifts ((Illustrated Bible Stories, Heidi,
Bobbsey Twins, Aesops Fables, Lassie Come Home, Lad a Dog, Black Beauty, My
Friend Flicka, Paul Bunyan, Paddle to the Sea, Minn of the Mississippi, Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, How Green was my Valley(!!), Clara Barton, Caddie
Woodlawn, Wheel on the School, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, Witch of Blackbird Pond, Secret Garden, Sue Barton nurse series, Daniel Boone, Jane Adams, Clara
Barton, Helen Keller, Nancy Drew, some Hardy Boys, Little Women, Little Men, A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Diary of a Young Girl, Jane Eyre, Grapes of Wrath, Great
Expectations; many more over several years, to one wonderful, California summer before becoming a mother reading The Hobbit- “The road goes ever on and on”
Hilary’s
The DARING BOOK FOR GIRLS by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
was recently gifted to each of my daughters. At ages 12 and 7, with markedly different personalities and interests, each has found this book to be fascinating (and so have I). My 7
year old is a beginning reader so she has followed the illustrated step-by-step instructions
for things like, “How to put your hair up with a pencil” which she proudly does! There are
Rules of the Game for basketball, softball, darts and more; Spanish and French phrases, and
Greek and Latin root words. There are instructions for building a campfire, card games and
karate moves and “How to be a spy”. There is also a section about “Books that will change
your life”. This book is fun and not instructional. It’s a great summer book because it can
be picked up and put down periodically and there truly is something in it for everyone and
for all ages. There is also THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS by Conn and Hal Iggulden which was the inspiration for THE DARING BOOK FOR GIRLS.
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Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines
SPRINGTIME AT
THE LIBRARY
We didn’t let the existing snow dampen our spring spirits. Our children’s area was alive with singing
and flowers (paper). In April, Penny Herd led our story hour with songs and dancing for our active Monday
morning babies and toddler’s group. Rain, sleet, snow, or hail (and we’ve had all the last 6 months)– nothing
keeps the dedicated bunch of Monday morning parents, caregivers and toddlers from going to the library.
Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines
Spotlight on Science Fiction
The library has a core of dedicated science fiction readers, but, generally speaking, the science fiction genre is
just not as popular as mystery and fiction. It is a challenge to get mainstream readers to try science fiction or fantasy. After reading several amazing science fiction books, my son, Jackson, decided to read the top 100 science fiction books. He started telling me some of the titles and I was surprised because I had read all of them. I read a variety of genres, but didn’t really consider myself a science fiction reader. Whoa, was I wrong. I took a look at the list
and I had read nine of the top ten books.
When I saw the titles, I realized l love science fiction and fantasy. Recently, a new heading has been given to
the genre. In many cases it is now referred to as “speculative fiction” which is a much better description of the
genre. Speculative fiction is definitely about escapism on the one hand, but it is also about
pondering our place in the universe and envisioning what the future may have in store for
us as a planet and as a people. It questions everything and causes the reader to look at the
world in new ways.
Science fiction and fantasy are very popular among young readers. Several series
such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Starcatcher and many others may
get kids hooked so that they continue to read it as they grow up. The popularity of young
adult dystopian stories such as HUNGER GAMES, MAZE RUNNER, WIZARD HEIR,
and DIVERGENT are fantasy ways of dealing with feelings of being an outsider, being
under the authority of adults and coming of age.
Many people have read speculative fiction without even realizing it. For instance, the
romance OUTLANDER by Gabaldon uses time travel as a plot device. If you liked it, you
might like to leap into fantasy with MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley, an
exciting take on the King Arthur legend. It is a page turner, for sure. One of my all time
favorite fantasy books is NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss. If you enjoyed the
GAME OF THRONES mini-series or books, you should not miss the Rothfuss books, or try TALES OF THE
OTORI SERIES by Lian Hearn.
Another way to make the leap to a new genre is if you enjoy reading about a particular character and would
like to find books with a similar character. For example, if you found the main character, Jack Reacher, of the Lee
Child mysteries compelling, you might like Jim Butcher’s Dresden File series. These are
definitely science fiction/fantasy books, but Harry Dresden, the main character, solves mysteries and is every bit as interesting and tough as Jack Reacher, but with understated humor.
Reading authors of horror books such as Stephen King or reading a book such as
INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE is a natural bridge to science fiction. Are you a fan of
military fiction? Try the sf authors Taylor Anderson or David Weber. If historical fiction is
your preference, try Eric Flint’s 1632 series. Interestingly enough, some readers will try
science fiction if it is set in our world, but don’t enjoy books set in other worlds or alternative universes. Some of the military science fiction is set in this world.
If you read mainstream books, try The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell or one of Ray
Bradbury’s short stories. A really fun book is Terry Pratchett’s GOING POSTAL in which
the punishment for a thief is to run a post office in a land not so different from ours (except
for trolls, etc). For fast paced adventure, good books to try are READY PLAYER ONE and
SNOWCRASH. Science fiction writer David Drake writes space adventure books that are
full of war and humor, so if you like some laughs with your adventures, Drake is a good
author to try. Another Sci Fi author who will make you laugh is Douglas Adams. If you
enjoy reading series, a great one to try is Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Adventure.
Perhaps you won’t like a steady diet of science fiction, but after you read one, you may want to google “100 top
science fiction books” and get an historical perspective on the genre. Or, better yet, ask a librarian for a good book!
Page 8
Is your Spanish a little rusty? Are you
interested in improving your conversational
Spanish? On the fourth Tuesday of every
month from 7-8 pm a group of interested
participants gather to converse in Spanish
with Spanish speakers from Latin America. If you speak Spanish or are learning to
speak Spanish, please join us for a delightful learning experience.
(the third Wednesday
of the month)
President:
Vice-President:
Treasurer:
Secretary:
Trustees:
Joseph P. Hommel
Mary Lou Wichert
Gloria S. Boyd
Carol Edmonds
Don Ruff
Janet Robb
Jim Mackenzie
Jane Comings
630 MAIN STREET
FRANKFORT, MI 49635-0631
(231) 352-4671
www.benzieshoreslibrary.org
BENZIE SHORES
DISTRICT LIBRARY
Jon Armstrong
Jennie Schmitt
Virginia Freeman
Pam Radabaugh
Sharyn Bower
Jonathan Hawley
Patricia Laarman
Friends of the Library Board
Cathy Carter
Stacy Pasche
Julie Morris
Cindy Collier
Hilary Turner
President:
Vice-President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Trustees:
The program lasts approximately
one hour. During that time each
person takes a turn talking about
their books. Attending Book
Share group is a great way to hear
about books you might not hear of
otherwise
Library Director:
Assistant Director:
Children’s Librarian:
Tech Services:
Library Assistant:
Benzie Shores
District Library Board
June18, July 16,
& August 20th at 9:00 am
Hours:
Your membership is important.
Please take time to join the
Friends so we can keep helping
the Library stay the great
facility we all love.
Book Share Group
Monday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closed Sunday
The Friends of BSDL provide an
important service for the Library
by supporting projects and
programs that are outside of the
Library’s budget. For example,
the Friends provided funds to
replace the Library’s public
computers that had seen many
years of long and hard use. It is
projects like this that your dues
and contributions make possible.
Spanish Conversation
Group
Please contact the library at
bsdl@benzieshoreslibrary.org
if you’d like to receive our
online newsletters.
Join the Friends
Benzie Shores District Library Shorelines