Grab your favorite book and head for the kitchen!  In conjunction with the community reading event Grandville Reads, the Grandville branch is holding an Incredible Edible Book Challenge. 

What is an edible book?  An edible book can look like a book, pun on a title, refer to a character, or just have something to do with books — but it must be edible.

Everyone can participate:  the young, the old, the professional and non-professional, families, groups.  You can get ideas online by googling “edible books.”  The contest will be held on Saturday, March 17 at the Grandville branch.

• 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM:  Drop off edible book entries to library
• 12:00 – 4:00 PM:  Judging and viewing
• 4:00 – 5:00 PM:  Pick up entries

 Winners in 3 categories will receive a $20 gift card:

• Funniest
• Best connection to the featured book
• Originality/creativity

All details available at www.kdl.org/events/go/grandvillereads

Special thanks to our sponsor Family Fare Supermarkets.

Some boys are less motivated to read due to a lack of role models. They may think reading isn’t cool or is only for girls. Not true at KDL!

Meet Chuck, Chair of KDL’s Board of Trustees:

“Reading is cool and can be as addictive as Nintendo or Xbox. Once you are drawn into a new place
and begin to see the story unravel, you just want to keep reading until you finally get to know
how it all ends!”

Guys Read Recommendation: John Grisham’s youth series featuring Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer

Learn more about the exciting Guys Read initiative going on at KDL!

The Great Lakes State is pretty awesome, boasting sunsets, lakes, wildlife, lighthouses, sand dunes and snow flakes! This spring, kids are invited to come celebrate the state at our Explore the Mitten program taking place at many KDL branches. This family program will offer a roomful of fun activity stations including windmill and lighthouse crafts, a scavenger hunt, a Michigan teams tabletop game and much more. The program is for all ages, so don’t let your family miss out on all the fun!

Schedule
Thursday, March 8, 6:30 PM – Spencer Township branch
Tuesday, March 20, 6:30 PM – Englehardt branch
Saturday, March 24, 10:30 AM – Alpine Township branch
Saturday, March 24, 2:00 PM – Byron Township branch
Saturday, March 31, 1:30 PM – Sand Lake / Nelson Township branch
Saturday, March 31, 2:00 PM – Kentwood branch
Monday, April 2, 2:00 PM – Cascade Township branch
Wednesday, April 4, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch
Saturday, April 21, 2:00 PM – Comstock Park branch
Thursday, April 26, 7:00 PM – Caledonia Township branch
Saturday, April 28, 2:00 PM – Gaines Township branch
Saturday, May 5, 10:00 AM – Krause Memorial branch
Saturday, May 12, 10:30 AM – Alto branch
Saturday, May 12, 1:00 PM – Walker branch
Wednesday, May 16, 10:00 and 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – East Grand Rapids branch
Thursday, May 17, 10:00 and 11:00 AM – East Grand Rapids branch
Wednesday, May 23, 5:00 PM – Grandville branch

Author and Illustrator Mark Crilley will visit the Cascade Township and East Grand Rapids branches in March.  The Michigan author is the creator of Akiko, Miki Falls and other great books and graphic novels. 

Mark was raised in Detroit and while teaching English in Japan, he created Akiko in 1992. He went on to publish many Akiko comics and several novelizations of Akiko for young readers.  Mark has also published the Billy Clikk series, the Miki Falls manga series and the new graphic novel, Brody’s Ghost. 

Make sure to come see Mark Crilley at one of his two stops at KDL branches!

Cascade Township Branch: Thursday, March 8, 5:00 to 6:00 PM.  Mark will host an interactive program featuring his books for school-age and teen audiences. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cascade Library and Forest Hills Northern Trails School.

East Grand Rapids Branch: Monday, March 12, 3:30 to 4:30 PM.  Teens, come for a cartooning workshop with Mark!  Sponsored by EGR Middle School and the Friends of the EGR Library.

Kent District Library, times two!

We are thrilled to announce that our DWNLOAD THE LIBRARY! campaign won big at  this year’s Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance ADDY Awards, which took place last week. The campaign, by Lansing-based marketing firm Traction, won a Gold ADDY Award, as well as the big one – Best of Show in the print division.

In West Michigan, Kendall College of Art & Design student Anna Geurink took the student Best of Show category for a teen-focused ad campaign she designed for KDL (much to our happy surprise!). We’ll write more on this soon!

The ADDY Awards is an annual competition conducted by the American Advertising Federation and sponsored locally by the Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance, to honor student and professional excellence in advertising, design, marketing and other related fields.

The beloved children’s author of the Berenstain Bears died last week Friday.  Jan Berenstain along with her husband Stan, who died in 2005, wrote over 300 books featuring the bear family.  Their first book, The Big Honey Hunt, was published in 1962 with the guidance of editor Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss.  From that first book, the series expanded and went on to include TV specials, toys, games and much more.

Their writing technique was a true collaboration and the books are still popular today.  Mama Bear’s no-nonsense love and Papa Bear’s silly advice will ensure the books continued success.

We’ve heard your stories, you library lovers, you.

– “At most stores, when your child wants something, you sometimes have to say ‘No’… but at the library the answer can always be ‘Yes, as many as you want,’ ” said one KDL patron. 

– The Kentwood college student who grew up using the library for school, and still does.

– The first-time, self-published Tyrone Township author whose fist book-related appearance was at the branch.

Got a library story or anecdote of your own? Tell us by clicking here!
Those who share their library stories by February 29 will be entered for the chance to win a Sony eReader!

Good news for Harry Potter fans! All 7 of the titles in J.K. Rowling’s massively-popular series will soon be available from the library as eBooks and eAudiobooks! The series won’t officially be published in these formats until April 30, but you can place a hold now on our OverDrive site. They will be available in both MP3 audio and EPUB eBook, so click here to place your hold today!

UPDATE (3-20-12): OverDrive has temporarily removed the listings for the Harry Potter titles from our eBook site while they coordinate the official launch with Pottermore, but they have assured us that holds that were previously placed will be saved when the titles are released.

UPDATE (3-27-12): All of the Harry Potter titles are available for holds on our eBook site again, and OverDrive has announced that they will officially be “released” on Thursday, March 29!

The Spring 2012 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 winter programs and get some great information on library resources and staff recommendations.

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

The 2012 Oscars were announced last night. Probably the most interesting fact from this year’s list is that the Best Picture winner, “The Artist” (which is still running in the theater and is therefore not yet available for placing holds) is the first silent film to win best picture since, well, the silent picture era — 80 years ago, to be exact. To view the complete list, click here.

Although “The Artist” is not yet available for holds, all of the following winners are either already in our system (with a likely growing list of holds) or are “on order” and so can have a hold placed on them: (And we’ll be sure to get “The Artist” ordered as soon as it is available, so be on the lookout for it…)

Beginners (Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer)

The Descendants (Best Adapted Screenplay)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Best Film Editing)

The Help (Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer)

Hugo (Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects)

The Iron Lady (Best Actress Meryl Streep, Best Makeup)

Midnight in Paris (Best Original Screenplay)

The Muppets (Best Original Song)

Rango (Best Animated Feature Film)