First Line Friday

KIDS BOOK: 
"If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all." -Wonder by R.J. Palacio

August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

TEEN BOOK:
"Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death." - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green


Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

ADULT BOOK:
"The dying actress arrived to his village the only way one could come directly -in a boat that motored into the cove, lurched past the rock jetty, and bumped against the end of the pier." - Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.  And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot—searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

If you would like to put any of these titles on hold, just click on the title above and you will be re-directed to the library catalog listing for the book. Or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you!

Summer Reading Program - Halfway Point!

It is hard to believe, but we are already at the halfway point in our summer reading program. Today starts the second half of the program. So if your kids haven't signed up yet, they still have time. And we still have lots of fun programs lined up for the summer! For a schedule of upcoming events, check out our online calendar and select "Pinelands Library" for the location.

Let's take a quick look at how things are going so far:

On June 25th, we kicked off the Summer Reading Program. This summer's theme is: Dream Big, Read!

This year, we have a new Early Literacy Program
for kids between the ages of 0-3 years old.

The Summer Reading Program is for
kids between the ages of 3-12 years old.

One of our first programs was the summer Lego Club event! This month we decided to "Dream Big" and build whatever our imaginations could come up with! Check out these creative masterpieces:

At storytime, we read these fun books about stars and the nighttime sky, and then made our very own shooting star!

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray

Papa, please get the moon for me by Eric Carle

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

We had some intense games of Book Cover Bingo:

Last week, we were visited by a Singing Cowboy, who had the kids hopping around to the tune of his banjo:

The Singing Cowboy and his pal, Amy Oakleaf.

And last but not least, our newest program, Reading Buddies, has been a big hit! Kids (Pre-K -- 3rd Grade) get paired up with a teen buddy. It is great for building self esteem and reading skills! Look how much fun they are having:

Nora read with her buddy, Kyra

while her brother, Nathaniel,
read with his buddy Isaac.

Another Nora read "The Lightning Thief" with her buddy

while her sister, Claudia, read Spot.

If you are interested in signing your kids up for the Summer Reading Program, simply stop by the library at any time and pick up a summer reading supply bag. It has everything they need to get started - a reading log, a bookmark, stickers, prize slips, and more! Speaking of prize slips, don't forget to turn in the prize slips so that your kids earn cool rewards for all of the reading they do this summer. We have everything from free books to fun toys to free Rita's water ice coupons. The more reading they do, the more fun stuff they earn. And we even have a weekly raffle for a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card. Don't forget, there are still 4 weeks left to participate!

First Line Friday

KIDS BOOK: 
"OMG! I have never been so EMBARRASSED in my entire life!!" -Dork Diaries 4: Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess by Rachel Russell 

Nikki Maxwell isn’t at all surprised to find out that her crush Brandon volunteers at a local animal shelter. He’s such a sweet guy—of course he wants to help those adorable puppies! Then Brandon tells her that the shelter is in danger of closing, and Nikki knows she can’t let that happen.


TEEN BOOK:
"I've lived with the pretense of perfection for seventeen years.  Give my room a cursory inspection, you'd think I have OCD."- Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.  Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

ADULT BOOK:
"We arrived in an undignified heap of witch and vampire." -Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

If you would like to put any of these titles on hold, just click on the title above and you will be re-directed to the library catalog listing for the book. Or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you!

First Line Friday

KIDS BOOK:
"Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory.  Her head is like a video camera that is always recording.  Always." - Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow.

TEEN BOOK:
"The servants called them malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke's house like giggling phantoms."- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protege of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.

ADULT BOOK:
"In Paris, the evenings of September are sometimes warm, excessively gentle, and, in the magic particular to that city, irresistibly seductive."-Mission to Paris by Alan Furst

It is the late summer of 1938, Europe is about to explode, the Hollywood film star Fredric Stahl is on his way to Paris to make a movie for Paramount France. The Nazis know he’s coming—a secret bureau within the Reich Foreign Ministry has for years been waging political warfare against France, using bribery, intimidation, and corrupt newspapers to weaken French morale and degrade France’s will to defend herself.

 If you would like to put any of these titles on hold, just click on the title above and you will be re-directed to the library catalog listing for the book. Or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you!

First Line Friday

KIDS BOOK:
"Although I'd realized six or eight weeks ago that I was crazy about Tina Zabinski and that I wanted to go on a date with her the same way I want to keep converting oxygen into carbon-dioxide, I'd been playing it cool, taking it slow."- Crush by Gary Paulsen

Readers met the comical Kevin in Liar, Liar and Flat Broke.  Kevin gets serious about Tina Zabinski, the Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Finally, finally, he's worked up his courage—he's going to ask her out. Or will his trademark scheming get in his way?

TEEN BOOK:
"All the kids had nightmares.  It would have been crazy if they didn't.  They'd seen so many strange and terrible things, after all."- The Fear by Charlie Higson

The sickness struck everyone sixteen and over. Mothers and fathers, older brothers, sisters, and best friends. No one escaped its touch. And now children across London are being hunted by ferocious grown-ups who are hungry, bloodthirsty, and not giving up. DogNut and the rest of his crew, in search of the friends they lost during the fire, set off on a deadly mission from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace and beyond, as the sickos lie in wait. But who are their friends and who is the enemy in this changed world?

ADULT BOOK:
"When I think of my wife, I always think of her head.  The shape of it, to begin with."-Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

  On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge.

If you would like to put any of these titles on hold, just click on the title above and you will be re-directed to the library catalog listing for the book. Or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you!  

First Line Friday

KIDS BOOK:
"Well who'd have thought so much could change in one summer?" - Middle School: Get Me out of Here! by James Patterson

After sixth grade, the very worst year of his life, Rafe Khatchadorian thinks he has it made in seventh grade. He's been accepted to art school in the big city and imagines a math-and-history-free fun zone.Wrong! It's more competitive than Rafe ever expected, and to score big in class, he needs to find a way to turn his boring life into the inspiration for a work of art.


TEEN BOOK:
"I am legend. There was a time when I said that death had no claim over me, that illness could not touch me.  That is no longer true." - The Enchantress by Michael Scott

The twins of prophecy have been split. Nicholas Flamel is near death. John Dee has the swords of power.  And Danu Talis has yet to fall.  The future of the human race lies in the balance-how will the legend end?



ADULT BOOK:
"The sun is always about to rise. Mercury rotates so slowly that you can walk fast enough over its rocky surface to stay ahead of the dawn; and so many people do." - 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

If you would like to put any of these titles on hold, just click on the title above and you will be re-directed to the library catalog listing for the book. Or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you!

We got a facelift!

http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/

Have you seen our new website? We just went live with our new, updated website this morning!

It may look a little different, but don't worry, you can still search for books and ebooks, manage your account online, and access the same great databases as before.

If you have any questions about navigating the new site, just stop by the Reference Desk for a virtual tour or call us at 609-654-6113.

Listen up Lemony Snicket fans!

Lemony Snicket has a new series coming out this Fall. It is a prequel of sorts for his "Series of Unfortunate Events". But rather than tell the story of the Baudelaires before we met them in The Bad Beginning, this series is the autobiographical tale of our snarky narrator, Mr. Snicket himself.

The series is called "All the Wrong Questions" and the first book Who Could That Be at This Hour? is due out on October 23, 2012.

For a limited time, the first chapter of the book is available to read online. After that, you can sign up for Lemony Snicket's newsletter to find out more about the new series!

Coming this Fall!

If you want to catch up on the "Series of Unfortunate Events" before October, start back at The Bad Beginning. Stop in the library to pick it up or give us a call and we can put it on hold for you!

We have an app for that!

Download the app today!

We are excited to announce that we have launched a BCLS app for various devices. Search for our library on Google Play (previously known as Android Market) or in the iOS App Store. The BCLS app is also available for the Kindle Fire and Blackberry.

You can now stay connected with the library from your mobile phone or tablet. Look for items in our collection, place holds and access your account. You can also download books from our digital library, check our calendar of events or locate any of BCLS location with turn-by-turn directions. Wherever you are, your library goes with you!

 

Book Trailer Tuesday

KIDS BOOK: Another Brother by Matthew Cordell
Davy the sheep wishes he had time alone with his parents, as he did before his twelve brothers came along and started imitating his every move, but when his wish comes true Davy misses playing with the youngsters.

TEEN BOOK: The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

ADULT BOOK: Room by Emma Donoghue
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

* You can request any of these books by clicking on the title above to find it in our catalog or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you.

HAPPY NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK!

To celebrate National Library Week, Miss Danielle is having a book giveaway bonanza! To enter, kids just have to tell her why they love the library.

She has already gotten some great responses. Check them out below. Tomorrow is your last day to enter. Winners will be announced next week. Good luck!






"I love your puzzles." - James, age 2

"It has awesome, cool, super, fantastic, terrific, and LOADS of books I want to read!!!" - Christian, age 7

"Because it has lots of library programs." - Tyler, age 7

"I love the library because they have so many good books and almost every kind of genre a kid like me would like." - Danny, age 8

"Because whatever books or movies you need, they are free and even if they don't have it, somehow you'll get it." - Jessica, age 9

"I love the library because it's a place where you can discover new things and learn new things!" - Bridget, age 9

Thanks kids!!!

Book News for Kids!

It's official - book #7 in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will be published on November 13, 2012. And rumor has it, this book will include a love interest. What color do you think the cover will be for this one?! Miss Danielle guesses PINK!

Another book coming out in 2012 is the third book in the Origami Yoda series. Click here to take a poll on which Star Wars character will get folded in the next book. Will it be Wicket the Ewok, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, or R2D2? Good luck guessing. May the Force be with you! The real star will be announced on March 29th.

Spring has Sprung!

Spring officially started this week and the weather has us ready to head outdoors. If you are in need of some outdoor activity inspiration, here are some books to get you started:

i love dirt! 52 activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature by Jennifer Ward

This book presents 52 open-ended activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors. No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder.


The Bumper Book of Nature: A User's Guide to the Great Outdoors by Stephen Moss

When was the last time you climbed a tree? Picked blackberries? Held a snail race? Made maple syrup candy, an old-fashioned quill pen from a bird feather you found, or a plaster cast of an animal track?  If the ­answer is "can't remember" or quite possibly ­"never," The Bumper Book of Nature will inspire you to get outdoors and enjoy the very best kind of free entertainment for you and your family.

Sugar Snaps & Strawberries: Simple Solutions for Creating Your Own Small-Space Edible Garden by Andrea Bellamy

Imagine savoring fresh-picked strawberries on a weekend morning, plucking plump figs from your mini-orchard to quarter and serve at a farm-to-table meal with friends, or harvesting and sautéing the edible stalks of garlic bulbs. If the size of your space is bringing you back to reality, here’s the best part: you don’t need a big backyard to grow your own food. In fact, you don’t need a yard at all.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.


If you would like to put any of these titles on hold, just click on the title above and you will be re-directed to the library catalog listing for the book. Or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you!