Kent District Library - Information. Ideas. Excitement!

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!

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?

The Fall 2010 issue of the KDL Kaleidoscope is now available at your local branch library. Or check it out online. You’ll find all you need to know about fall programs and get some great information on library resources and staff recommendations.

It’s sure to be an exciting fall at KDL, and you don’t want to miss a thing. Check out the KDL Kaleidoscope today!

With KDL’s Summer Reading Club now over, it’s a great time to reflect on the amazing accomplishments of this year’s participants.  Over 20,600 children and teens read their way through the summer months in order to accomplish their reading goals. During that time, new worlds were explored and new discoveries were made through the power of books and reading. In addition to that, young minds were kept active and sharp by engaging in the process of reading. Studies have consistently shown that children who do not read during the summer typically score lower on tests at the end of summer than they did at the beginning.

In addition to these benefits, did you also know that:

• Summer programs that involve some form of parental involvement produce larger, positive effects than programs without this component?

• Summer reading setback is one of the important factors contributing to the reading achievement gap between rich and poor children?

So, although Summer Reading Club is certainly a great way to have fun and win prizes, the benefits go far beyond that. We’re also proud to highlight that, as published by the Public Library Association, successful summer reading clubs are defined as those that reach more than 8% of the total school-age child population, and the Kent District Library reached 18% this year!

KDL would like to thank and congratulate all of this year’s Summer Reading Club participants and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

We’d love to hear about your favorite Summer Reading Club book or activity. And if you’re a parent, let us know how your child may have benefitted from their participation. Please leave your feedback in the comments section below. Thanks!

A popular summertime excursion is the famed road trip, a chance to hang out with friends and see where the road leads, even if it isn’t on Route 66.  But if that isn’t in the cards for you this summer, there are a few great books that could get you dreaming and planning what NOT to do!

John Green’s Paper Towns brings the reader along for the ride with Quentin as he chases down leads following the disappearance of his next door neighbor and secret crush Margo.  Quentin discovers something about himself along the way but an impromptu road trip with a few friends, skipping out on graduation, rounds out Quentin’s journey.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray, winner of the 2010 Printz award, tells the story of Cameron’s quest, or hallucination, after he contracts Creutzfeldt-Jacob or “mad cow” disease.  His faithful companions includes a Mexican-American dwarf and a garden gnome who is actually a Viking god.  Readers will be guessing until the end, and beyond, about what is actually real.

And finally, Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray takes readers across to England for the journey of three best friends who “kidnap” the ashes of their best friend.  Furious by the funeral, they decide to give their friend Ross the tribute he would really enjoy and a trip that will change their friendships forever.

Get ready for an afternoon of fun next week Monday, August 23, from 12pm-4pm for a special Open House event to celebrate the Kent District Library’s new Kentwood branch! The event will feature live music, refreshments, prizes, activities for children and more. Katie L., Clifford and other popular children’s characters will also be stopping by.

Join us as we begin a new chapter at the Kentwood branch, located at 4950 Breton SE, Kentwood. Note: Regular branch hours will begin on Tuesday the 24th.

Hope to see you there!

Tickets for our August 13 Eat, Pray, Love VIP Premiere Party at Celebration Cinema South are sold out; however, for those that would like to join in the fun, Celebration Cinema is offering a special non-VIP package for $15 that includes a movie ticket, pop and popcorn, 2 free spins on the prize wheel, and reserved seating. $5 of each sale will be donated to the KDL Fund, supporting literacy programs for young children. Like the VIP package, this $15 package won’t last long, so reserve yours today or come early to purchase.

We hope to see you at Celebration Cinema South on August 13 at 6:30pm
for the premiere of Eat, Pray, Love.

The Kentwood branch will be closed for two weeks, August 8 – 23, to move to the new library building, located at 4950 Breton SE.  A Community Open House will take place at the new library on Monday, August 23 from noon – 4:00 PM, and normal hours will resume on Tuesday, August 24.

While we are closed…

Returns:
• Materials checked out at the Kentwood branch that become due while we are closed will be due back on our first day at the new building, August 24.
• Returns will not be accepted at the old library after 5:00 PM on Saturday, August 7.
• Returns will be accepted at the new library starting Monday, August 23.
• KDL items may be returned to any KDL branch during the two weeks that we are closed. 

Holds:
• If you receive a hold notice, please pick up your hold before we close on Saturday, August 7.
• We will keep holds set to expire between August 9 and August 23 at our new location until Tuesday, August 31.