Thursday, July 16, 2015

La Salle Academy Summer Children's Theatre

The La Salle kids stopped by to delight audiences with a play about believing in yourself called I Think I Can. Oh, and did we mention it's also a MUSICAL? Everyone loves a musical and if you think you don't, we dare you to check out the video below and not sing along.


Rising Sun Jiu-Jitsu

Dean Watts made a great demonstration of basic self-defense moves and strategies for our elementary schoolers! Whether it's dealing with bullies on the playground or protecting yourself against potential dangers, the kids learned how to avoid a fight while standing up for themselves and getting help.

 
















Monday, July 13, 2015

New J and YA Series Recommendations

Do you ever feel like you're the last one to know about a cool new book series? Are you halfway through book one while your friends are already finished with book three? Never fear, we've got a list of hot new series to check out - find out all about them before your friends!

Elementary Age:

"As a troll, Zarf Belford is at the bottom of the social ladder at Cotswin Middle School, but when the king goes missing and his insufferable son takes control, Zarf leads his friends Kevin and Chester on a rescue mission."

"Ten-year-old Teddy Mars seeks to stand apart from his six siblings, none of whom could be called 'normal,' by earning a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records."

Seaborne: The Lost Prince by Matt Myklusch
"When thirteen-year-old Dean Seaborne's latest spy mission for the Pirate King takes him to the mythical island of Zenhala, his life changes as he fights to prove that he is the island's long-lost prince."

The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence by Stan Lee and Stuart Moore
"Follows the experiences of a Chinese-American teen who is thrown into the middle of an epic global chase involving the release of twelve magical superpowers."

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen
"When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds himself in possession of an ancient amulet filled with magic once reserved for the Gods, and becomes the center of a conspiracy to overthrow the empire and destroy Rome."

Teen:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
"Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from stories, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries."

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
"In a world divided by blood -- those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities -- seventeen-year-old Mare, a Red, discovers she has an ability of her own."

The Young Elites by Marie Lu
"Adelina Amouteru survived the blood fever, a deadly illness that killed many, but left others with strange markings and supernatural powers."

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
"When sixteen-year-old Avery West learns her family is part of a powerful and dangerous secret society, and that her own life is in danger, she must follow a trail of clues across Europe."

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
"Laia is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire...Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire's greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help save her brother from execution."

Fun and Gaming

At the moment, the Hall computers don't have any pre-loaded games, but that doesn't mean you can't have some serious fun on library computers. Below is a list of free, online gaming websites you can access via the library computers.

Pre-School Friendly:

Disney Junior - The game section of the Disney Junior website, featuring Doc McStuffins, Sofia, Mickey, and all of your favorite characters!

Fisher-Price Online Games - Counting, colors, and opposites! Learning is the name of the game on this gaming website, run by the Fisher-Price Company.

PBS Kids Games - Play games with PBS characters, like Arthur, Buster, and Elmo.

Sesame Street Games - If Sesame Street is more your thing, there's a website devoted entirely to games from that program.

Nick Jr. Games - Play games online with Dora, Paw Patrol, and more!

Elementary Age:

American Girl - This is the game section of the American Girl website, with games as unique as the characters that inspired them.

Cartoon Network Games - It's impossible to list all the games on this site, just click the link and be dazzled.

Discovery Kids - Feeling a little sciency? Then the Discovery Channel's games will be right up your alley. The build a rollercoaster game looks extra promising.

Lego Games - It's LEGO gone virtual

Minecraft Demo - Create an account and play Minecraft for free online.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Hero Con

Hero Con was a blast! We had a visit both Iron Patriot, from the Marvel Universe, and the 501st New England Garrison, our own group of rebels, storm troopers, and other citizens of the galactic Empire (oh my!). A good time was had by all our participants, here are some highlights:


We ARE a library and it is all about the books - comic books, that is. Needless to say, our comic book give-away table was very popular.


The guys from Game Stop dropped by to let participants sample the new fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us - there was an epic battle between Batman and the Joker and we're sorry to report that Batman lost.


And here are some of our volunteers posed with our heroes!

Reading in the Hall - July 2015

Art imitates life, imitates art, imitates...actually, this book is pretty original. Told in alternating perspectives by two twins, Noah and Jude, I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is an exploration of family, love, loss, betrayal, and (of course) art. This will be the book up for discussion on Wednesday, July 22nd at 6:30PM, call us and reserve a copy today!