Helen Hall Library Presents: Catch the Reading Express

Summer Reading Program facilitated by the Texas State Library

The summer reading program is a state-wide program that encourages children and teens to read or be read to by their parents. Prizes, certificates and other incentives are offered for the number of hours spent reading or being read to. Reading logs can be turned into the library for prizes any time the library is open. Helen Hall library cards are required for registration for reading clubs.

Growing Readers Club (babies to grade 2) is for listeners and beginning readers. Prizes are awarded after reading 20, 40, 60, and 80 books OR 5, 10, 15, or 20 hours.

Reading Club is for readers entering 3rd to 5th grades. Prizes are awarded after reading 10, 20, 30, and 40 hours.

For both of the above reading clubs, children will receive a reading certificate and a Super Readers Party invitation after completing the first log. Children may complete four logs for prizes. Each Monday there will be a raffle from all of the logs turned in the previous week for a special prize. The last day to turn in logs is Tuesday, August 3.

Teen Reading Club is for teens going into 6th grade and aged 11 to 18. Great prizes will be given at each level. Plus, there’s a party at the end of the summer for the select few who achieve the top level! The last day to turn in teen logs is Monday, August 2.

Coming Soon...

Helen Hall Library prints a list of newly released titles so that library patrons can place a hold on these items. For the first time we would like to publish that list here on our blog. Now you can find out from home what's Coming Soon. The list is alphabetical by author's last name.

Robert Barnard
A Stranger in the Family: a novel of suspense
Diane Chamberlain
The Lies We Told
Catherine Coulter
Whiplash
Clive Cussler & Justin Scott
The Spy
Jeffery Deaver
The Burning Wire: a Lincoln Rhyme novel
Alan Furst
Spies of the Balkans
Lisa Gardner
Live to tell: a detective D.D. Warren novel
W. E. B. Griffin
The Vigilantes
Linda Howard
Veil of Night
Faye Kellerman
Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus novel
Douglas Kennedy
Leaving the World
Stephen King
Blockade Billy
Karen Kingsbury
Take Four
Eric Lustbader
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective
Stephenie Meyer
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner An Eclipse Novella
Christopher Reich
Rules of Betrayal
Harry Turtledove
West and East: the war that came early
David Weber
A Mighty Fortress

Spend the Summer with Sharon Flake!

There is a great opportunity for 5-12th graders to win a school visit from author Sharon Flake.  We have four of Ms. Flake's books in the teen area, and one in juvenile fiction.  Be sure to stop by and pick up a book.  Remember reading the books can also count towards hours for your summer reading logs.

Win a chance to have Sharon Flake visit your school!

Read any or all of Sharon Flake's books from June 1st - August 13th, 2010.

Write a 500 word essay about how one of Flake's novels, short stories, or poems has affected your life or changed the way you look at your community.  This reading contest is open to students in grades 5-12 who live in the lower 48 states.  All essays are due by Friday, August 13, 2010.  Please email essays to flake.sharon@gmail.com

The winner will be announces on Tuesday, September 7, 2010.

For further contest details, check out the contest page:

http://www.sharongflake.com/4u/contests/

Prizes Include:
1. First place winner will receive a free school visit from Ms. Flake.
2. Second place winner will receive an autograph copy of one of Ms. Flake's books and one set of books for their English, Language Arts or Reading classroom.
3. Third place winner will receive an autograph copy of one of Ms. Flake's books and will receive one signed collection of all Ms. Flake's books for the school library.  

Bonnie's Favorite (this week)

It must be time to eat because the books I picked for this week both have to do with fixing dinner. Badger's Fancy Meal by Keiko Kasza is about a badger who is bored with his dinner plans and goes out to find something better with disastrous results. The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza is about a wolf who decides that stew would be perfect, but it would be better if the chicken were fatter. He starts baking things to fatten her up with very surprising results. Both books can be found in the picture book section of the library with the call number E KAS.

What to do in an airport (or anywhere else).

What do you do in an airport when you know there are going to be delays? You grab a book from your daughter's shelf. That is how I came to spend an afternoon reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It a mostly delightful book set in 1946 that is a series of letters between an author with residents of Guernsey Island. Through the correspondance, the author, Juliet, learns much about the German occupation of the British Channel Islands. She is so intrigued by the writers of the letters, she decides to write a book and visits the island with very surprising results. Although much of happened during the occupation was horrible, there were individuals whose humanity came through. - Once I got home, I had to finish the book before I could unpack.

Helen Hall Library has both the book (F SHAFFER), and the audio book (BCD F SHAFFER).

Book Sale!

Nothing is more worthy of buzz than a book sale. The Friends of the Helen Hall Library will hold their book sale this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 13, 14 & 15). The details are as follows;

Membership Drive
Thursday, May 13: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Present your Friends membership card
or join the Friends group to shop early.

General Sale
Friday, May 14: 10:00am - 5:30pm
Saturday, May 15: 10:00am - 2:00pm

We are still accepting donations of good condition books and DVDs. Questions? Please call Liz Hopkins at 281-554-1106. We hope to see you at the sale!

Bonnie's Favorite (this week)

Another favorite book of mine is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. This is the perfect story to lull a child to sleep at night. Reading it is a night time ritual with my grandchildren, who now recite it when it is read to them. Although written in 1942, Good Night Moon is a timeless classic that is a must for every child to hear.