RAPSHEET
Fall, 2008
Hello!
I’m Liz Burns, the new librarian for children and teenagers. Before coming to LBH I worked at Ocean County Library as a Children’s Librarian and Teen Librarian. I love books and technology. I read all types of books – picture books, mysteries, fantasy, just about anything! I love listening to audiobooks. I’m very excited about the new Digital Talking Book Player. Most of all, I like books. Sometimes people ask me what my favorite book is, and I cannot answer that. I like too many books!
If I haven’t had the chance to talk with you, please give me a call at 609 530 3251 or send me an email at: eburns@njstatelib.org - I love to talk books and am always looking for suggestions for what I should read next.
Summer Reading
This year’s summer reading theme was Catch the Reading Bug. Over 20 children and teens from 12 different counties in NJ read for over 200 hours.
For each week of the six-week long program, participants received a package in the mail with a letter from me and a reading incentive gift. The gifts were provided by the Friends of the Library.
It’s never too early too start thinking about summer reading; next year’s theme is Be Creative @ Your Library. Information will be mailed out in spring; be sure to join us next year!
Get Caught Reading!
Some of our summer reading club participants sent in photos of themselves reading their favorite book. You can find them on our website. Why don’t you “get caught reading” and send me a photo of you reading your favorite book in Braille, large print, or audio!
Vote
It’s an election year, and while you may be too young to vote in the November elections, you can vote for the Garden State Book Awards! Booklists for the Garden State Book Award and Garden State Teen Book Award are at our website. If you don’t have access to the Internet, call me and I’ll mail you a paper copy of the lists. Children and teens from all over New Jersey are reading the books on these lists and then voting for their favorite title. Send me your vote; I’ll announce which books got the most votes at LBH and your votes will be counted towards the GSBA and GSTBA Winners.
Digital Talking Books
The Library’s Insights Newsletter has details on the new Digital Talking Book Player. What do you need to know? The new machines are smaller, lighter, and easier to use than the cassette player. And, you will be able to download books using the Internet whenever you want! The players won’t be here until January, and we will have a limited supply. Do you want one? Then call or email me ASAP and I’ll add your name to the list!
BRAILLE READING PALS
The National Federation of the Blind is offering a pre-literacy Braille program for blind and low-vision children up to age 7, and children with developmental delays. This free program runs from November 1 to December 31. Email BrailleReadingPals@nfb.org for more information.
New Catalogs
I am in the process of updating our catalogs for Braille and Large Print.
Both paper copies and online copies will be available.
Parents & Teachers
Are you interested in a Newsletter from the Library just with information for parents and teachers? Please call me and let me know!
WHAT TO READ NEXT
I’m available by phone and email to talk about books! If you’re looking for suggestions of what to read next, check out the new “What to Read Next” feature on the children’s website. If you don’t have access to the Internet and want a paper copy of any booklist, please call me at 609 530 3251 or send me an email at eburns@njstatelib.org.
I’m always looking for suggestions for what book I should read next. Email me or call me – your suggestion may be in the next issue of Rapsheet or online at “What to Read Next”!
Here are some new books in the library that look interesting.
What do you think?
In Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (BR17035, RC63583), a lion visits the library. The librarian’s main concern is whether he is obeying the rules. All is well until an emergency arises, causing the lion to break the rule about silence. PRINT/BRAILLE. Grades K to 3.
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman (RC62685) is an easy chapter book with short stories about Cowgirl Kate and her chocolate-colored horse, Cocoa. Grades K to 3.
Find out what happens with toys when their children aren’t around in Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins (RC64692). Grades K to 3.
Ever wonder how people slept before beds were invented? Then read What You Never Knew about Beds, Bedrooms, and Pajamas by Patricia Lauber (RC64613), which traces the history of sleeping habits from Stone Age nights around an open fire and Egyptian, Greek, and Roman "day beds" to group sleeping arrangements of the Middle Ages and the concept of private bedrooms. Grades 2 to 4.
In the mood for a scary story? Coraline by Neil Gaiman (BR14469, LT23585, RC54845) is about a girl who explores her new home and finds a secret door to a dangerous world with an “other mother.” The “other mother” kidnaps Coraline’s real parents, and it’s up to Coraline to rescue them. Grades 4 to 7.
Looking for something real? Learn all about the American magician and escape artist Harry Houdini (1874-1926) in Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman (RC63340). Grades 5 to 8.
Rules by Cynthia Lord (RC62696, BR17108. LT26552). Sometimes twelve-year-old Catherine resents her autistic brother, David, who breaks rules and gets all her parents' attention. She meets Jason, a teenage nonverbal paraplegic, at David's therapy center. As the two become friends, Catherine realizes that accepting differences matters more than any rules. Grades 5 to 8.
If you love historical fiction, westerns, adventure stories, or stories about orphans, then Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (BR16934, RC64099, LT26824) is for you. It’s Montana, 1918. Orphan Hattie Inez Brooks, 16, arrives at the remote homestead claim she inherited from an unknown uncle. She expects hard work but does not anticipate the strong local anti-German prejudice directed at her good neighbors, the Muellers. Grades 6 to 9.
Like adventure stories with non stop action? Check out Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (LT24550, RC59792). Teenage Kate is a first-class passenger on the same airship where Matt is cabin boy. When the airship is captured by pirates then crashes on a remote island, Matt puts aside helping Kate search for legendary flying creatures to focus on survival. Grades 6 to 9.
Prefer the action of sports? Do you like mysteries? Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein (LT25286, RC60035) is about a mystery at the Final Four basketball tournament. After winning a basketball reporting contest, Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game. Grades 6 to 9.
What would happen if an asteroid hit the moon? Sixteen year old Miranda finds out in Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer. (RC65047) Miranda keeps a journal describing her family's struggle to survive after an asteroid hits the moon, causing disastrous climate changes on Earth. Junior and senior high readers.
New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center
P.O. Box 501
Trenton, NJ 08625-0501
FREE MATTER
FOR THE BLIND
OR HANDICAPPED