Reading Recommendation: P.S. Be Eleven

source: ritawg.com

If you read (and liked) One Crazy Summer, which won the Newbery a couple of years ago, you may want to know that a sequel is now out. Called P.S. Be Eleven, it picks up right where the first one ended - like minutes later, on the plane ride home.

Even though it takes place more than 40 years ago, you'll be able to relate to Delphine, who is mortified by the dorky clothes her grandmother makes her wear and screams in delight when she sees pictures of the Jackson Five (kind of like the reaction of certain girls I know when they think about One Direction) and struggles with some of the changes happening in her family.

Public Library Fun This Week

It's almost August ... do you feel like you're running out of new and interesting things to do during your vacation? Why not check out some events at your local public library? Here's what's happening during the week of July 29:

Auburn Branch
Dig up some fun! Pirates! Drop by program - every day from 10-5
Malik the Magic Guy - Tuesday 3:00

Central Branch
Mad Science - Monday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)

source: CPL eventkeeper.com

Drawing Comics with Eric Fulford - Tuesday 2:00 (registration required - Grades 5 and up)
The Lorax movie - Tuesday 6:00 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
Sound Effects Workshop - Thursday 2:00 (registration required - Grades 5 and up)
Winnie the Pooh movie - Friday 10:00 (pick up tickets 1/2 hour in advance)
Mutti-i-grees in the Library: Create a Doggie Blanket - Friday 3:00 (Grades 4 and up)

Knightsville Branch
Pom Pom Turtles Drop by program - Tuesday 12-4
Creating Comics Performance by Eric Fulford - Wednesday 2:30

Oak Lawn Branch
Create-a-Craft - Friday 11-4
Meet a Caver - Friday 2:30 (Grades 3 and up)

William Hall Branch
RISEUP Paranormal Investigation - Tuesday 7:30 (registration required - Age 10 and up)
Malik the Magic Guy - Thursday 3:00

NPR Back Seat Book Club: Dork Diaries

source: npr.org

Do you love Dork Diaries?

National Public Radio (NPR) runs a virtual book club for kids, and the July pick is Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Fabulous Life.

As the NPR site says, this series "features a middle school protagonist who's a reluctant — but hilarious — diarist. Nikki J. Maxwell is the new girl at a fancy school (she has a scholarship because her dad is the school's exterminator). All she wants is to fit in with the cool girls ... Nikki tries to heed her grandmother's advice about how to face life's challenges — "You can be either a CHICKEN or a CHAMPION. The choice is YOURS!" — but it isn't easy. Nikki navigates the challenges of teenage life with sass and a sense of humor. Her sketches and doodles will keep kids turning pages and returning for more."

You can send in your questions for Rachel Renee Russell and her daughter (they work together creating the "Dork Diaries" series) by emailing backseatbookclub@npr.org, or tweeting them @nprbackseat. OR you can type them in below, and I can submit them on your behalf. NPR might ask your question during an interview!

Public Library Fun This Week

I hope some of you were able to hang out at your local branch library last week and take advantage of the AIR CONDITIONING while having fun. Don't forget that it's not too late to sign up for the Summer Reading Program at the public library and DIG INTO READING. Here are some events you can attend during the week of July 22:

Auburn Branch
Dig up some fun! Ancient Egypt! Drop by program - every day from 10-5
Rick Morin Rhythm Imaginarium! - Tuesday 3:00

Central Branch
Storyteller Carolyn Martino - Monday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
Ice Age: Continental Drift movie - Tuesday 6:30 (pick up tix 1/2 hour in advance)
To Sum It All Up Math Workshop - Wednesday 6:30 (registration required)
Beethoven's Fifth movie - Friday 10:00 (pick up tickets 1/2 hour in advance)

Knightsville Branch
Duct Tape Designs Drop by program - Tuesday 12-4

Oak Lawn Branch
Create-a-Craft - Friday 11-4
Animal World Experience: Can You Dig It? - Friday 2:30

William Hall Branch
Music: Rolie Polie Guacamole - Tuesday 6:30
Make a Pet Rock! - Wednesday 2-4
Library Kung Fu - Wednesday 6-7:30
Animal World Experiences: Dino Discovery - Thursday 3:00

source: CPL eventkeeper.com

Book Recommendation: Timmy Failure #1 - Mistakes Were Made

Oh, kids. Get ready for a new series that you will love. If you like Wimpy Kid and Big Nate, you need to check this one out of the public library NOW. I give you ...

Timmy Failure #1: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis

source: publishersweekly.com

“My name is Failure. Timmy Failure. I am the founder, President and CEO of the best detective agency in town, probably in the world. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is a historical record of my life as a detective. It has been rigorously fact-checked. All the drawings in here are by me. I tried to get my business partner to do the illustrations, but they were not good.”

Read the first four chapters online

Do all kinds of activities on the Timmy Failure web site.

If you read the book, please add a comment below ... I've already submitted my order for the year, but if enough of you clamor for Timmy Failure, I am willing to go buy it myself for the collection.