18 Branches Serving Kent County
At KDL, we are committed to providing the popular materials that you want to read, listen to, or view. Look what’s new this month:
Check one out today. Enjoy!
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month — a time when libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all. We at KDL want to get as many people as possible signed up for a KDL card so they can take advantage of all the fantastic services and resources the library has to offer.
The observance of Library Card Sign-Up Month was launched in 1987 to meet the challenge of then Secretary of Education William J. Bennett who said, “Let’s have a national campaign . . . every child should obtain a library card — and use it.” Since then, thousands of public and school libraries join each fall in a national effort to ensure every child does just that.
Libraries play an important role in the education and development of children. Studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for a Kent District Library card today!
Enjoy a delightful evening with David Baldacci, best-selling author and literacy advocate, as he speaks on the topic “Why Read?” Our second annual A Novel Experience event will take place at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 28 at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center. Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased online, at any KDL branch location or any Grand Rapids Schuler Books and Music location. Proceeds benefit KDL’s literacy programs for young children.
A book signing will take place after the program. David Baldacci’s books will be for sale.
We are also hosting an Author Reception at 5:30 pm at Watermark Country Club. Tickets are $60, which includes admission to the general event. They can be purchased online or at a KDL branch.
Buy your tickets today!
Looking for a good book but not sure where to start? Try KDL’s new Books & Authors online resource. This database helps answer the classic question, “What do I read next?” with book suggestions from experts, titles, biographies, and more.
Try the Who? What? When? Where? tool to browse by character, subject, location, and time period and get a visual representation of your matching books. Or use the Read-A-Like Wizard to receive a list of books similar to one that you’ve enjoyed in the past. You can even save reading lists in your own personal Reading Room.
This resource is free to KDL cardholders. Check it out today to find that next great read!
(This one is for anyone who has heard a friend say “I got it from Netflix” but had no idea what that meant.)
Netflix.com is an online video service. For a small monthly fee, you can download videos for viewing as well receive DVDs in the mail. Plus there are no late fees. I think a convenient feature is you can create a list of movies. So when a friend recommends a movie to you, just add it to your list. If you use the mail feature, you will have one DVD out at a time. When it is returned, you can select another from your list. The website says it usually takes about a day for most customers to receive their next selection.
Netflix could be a quick and easy solution for many who have had their local video store close or for when a video is not available at their local library.
Our new Kentwood branch is open! A Community Open House was held on Monday, which included a ribbon-cutting, refreshments, live music, activities for children, and much more. Over 2,300 people attended the event. A big thank you to everyone for coming and to those who helped make the open house such a success!
If you haven’t been to the beautiful new Kentwood branch, stop by soon. The library is located at 4950 Breton SE.
For the first time in history, all seven authors of the 39 Clues books will be in one place and ready to answer YOUR questions via WebCast! This awesome event will take place on Tuesday, August 31st at 4:00 pm. Click here to submit your video question, to vote for your favorite question, or just for more info. Haven’t read the books yet? Click on the image below to get started with 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones.
Kent District Library has a variety of video games in its collection. Until recently, these were available only as Express copies, meaning you had to visit your local branch and were limited to checking out only what was on shelf at that particular time. Good news! Kent District Library patrons can now place holds on some of our most popular Wii and Xbox games, and have them delivered to their local KDL branch for pick-up when available.
Some of the titles available to reserve are:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Lego Star Wars
Dora Saves the Snow Princess
Lego Rockband
Blur
Check out our complete list of titles available for holds (which will continue to grow), and reserve your copy today! You must have a KDL card in order to place holds.
Enjoy!
The wildly popular teen book series by Suzanne Collins called The Hunger Games has come to a satisfying end with the release of the third book, Mockingjay. The award-winning first and second books in the series are 2008’s The Hunger Games and 2009’s Catching Fire.
The series has been hailed as one of the best ever science fiction series for teens. If you are looking for something to tide you over while you wait for Mockingjay, or if you need something similar now that the series is over, check out the following list of readalikes.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Gone by Michale Grant
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
You might know Holly Black as the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles, but she is a bestselling author for teens as well. Her latest teen fiction series, The Curse Workers, starts with White Cat.
One of the most interesting and unique parts of this series is the type of magic that is used. Curse magic can only be done by a few people in society and gloves have become common to prevent a curse from being passed on. There are different types of curses and it is something you are born with rather than it being a learned magic. The main character, 17-year-old Cessel, believes he is the only one in his family unable to perform any type of Curse magic, a magic that makes his family a part of the criminal underworld. Cessel tries to distance himself from his family but everything starts to fall apart when he wakes up on the top of his dorm, not knowing how he got there or why he was there in the first place.
Holly Black has also contributed to a few compilations. Her most recent one stems from a debate among young adult authors over which is better, Zombies vs. Unicorns. This collection will be published in September, but KDL patrons can place a hold now!
Something to discuss:
What did you think about the entire world that Holly Black built in White Cat? The gloves, the curses? Can you imagine a world like this where an uncovered hand could be a dangerous weapon?
Which is better, Zombies or Unicorns? And why do you think so?
