Genre Spotlight: Christmas Books

Okay, "Christmas books" isn't really a genre, but we just can't resist. We have Christmas romances, Christmas mysteries, Christmas adventures, and Christmas comedies, all on display this month. Come have a seat by our "fire" and try one out.

Christmas books are available by the front desk.

Plan your holiday menus using one of our cookbooks. While you're at it, take a look at librarian Cheri's impressive Depression Glass collection.

Our "fire" may not be warm, but it is cozy!

Event Report: Barnes and Noble Bookfair 2013

On Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, Barnes and Noble at Bradley Fair hosted a book fair to benefit the Andover Public Library. Here is Librarian Cheri greeting people at the door. 

Several books we wanted for the library collection were on display near the entrance. Thanks to the generosity of our patrons, we will be able to acquire $1000 worth of free books for our library.

Teachers from Primrose Academy hosted a face painting table. They also painted hands.

Thank you, Primrose Academy, for helping with our book fair.

The Prairie Creek Panthers elementary school choir performed a selection of holiday songs for a large crowd.

The choir's performance could be seen from the café . 

Costumed Star Wars characters promoted our event and posed for pictures with customers. Here we have librarian Tiffany (right) posing with Aayla Secura (left).

Library director Tom (center front) poses with two imperial gunners and Han Solo (in his cold-weather Hoth gear, center back).

In the afternoon, the Corry Academy of Irish Dancers showcased their award-winning dancers of all ages and all levels.

Just look at those lovely, traditional Irish dancing costumes! Thank you, Corry Academy, for a wonderful performance!

In Our Gallery: Connor Sharrock

From now through December, the library is pleased to host the artistic creations of Connor Sharrock. A resident of Andover, Connor is a self-taught artist who began painting less than two years ago. This is his first show.

Haley's Children's Book Reviews

Do you like to collect things?  Well Professor Wormbog collects beasties.   In fact, he has all the beasties starting with the letters A to Y.  The only one he is missing starts with the letter Z.   Read Professor Wormbog In Search For The Zipperump-A-Zoo by Mercer Mayer and join the professor on his grand adventure as he searches for the Zipperump-A-Zoo.

Lulu and her dog, Bingo, are excited when they look outside and see the yard is covered in snow.  Lulu bundles up in all her warm clothes followed by her Ladybug costume.  Now she is Ladybug Girl and Ladybug Girl can do anything!   Ladybug Girl And The Big Snow written by David Soman and Jacky Davis will get kids excited for winter and the first day they look outside and see their yard covered in snow.

Bang by Leo Timmers is the perfect book for kids who like to use their imagination and make up their own story.  The fun colorful pictures help inspire the imagination!

APL's Barnes and Noble Bookfair

Support your local library while you get your Christmas shopping done with Andover Public Library's Barnes and Noble Bookfair. This Saturday at the Bradley Fair Barnes and Noble, Andover Library patrons can do both by having a percentage of their total sale contributed to the library. Simply present a bookfair voucher to cashiers (like the one you can print from here) or tell them our Bookfair ID number (#11207412).

Although our ID number is also good both online and in stores from November 23 through November 28 (shop online through BN.com/bookfairs), we are hosting several fun events at the Bradley Fair store on Saturday from 12:00-4:00.

We will have face painting provided by Primrose Academy as well as costumed Star Wars characters available for photographs from 12:00-4:00. At 1:30, Prairie Creek Elementary Choir will be performing in the store for about an hour. At 3:00, the Corry Academy of Irish Dance will perform. Additionally, APL librarians will be available periodically throughout the day to help shoppers select books for that special, hard-to-shop-for loved one on your list.

It's going to be a fun event and we hope to see you there!

Children's Story Times

Encourage your children to read at a young age by bringing them to story time. Our talented children's librarian, Cathy Catt, makes reading fun by presenting the best picture books with enthusiasm and style. We have three types of story time to choose from:

Baby & Me
This story time is designed for children aged 0-24 months. Children and caregivers can have fun with rhymes, songs, puppets and book time (children hold their own board books). This early literacy program lasts 15-20 minutes followed by a play time for "social skills" practice. Registration is required for each 8-week session, with groups meeting Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays at 9:30 AM. Register in person or by phone, 558-3500.

Twos Time
This early literacy program is especially designed for two-year-olds. Fun activities include rhymes, songs, puppets, action activities and stories. The 20 minute program is followed by a craft time with simple projects. Twos Time meets Mondays at 10:30 AM. Registration is not required.

Preschool Story Time
Preschoolers can exercise their imaginations and get ready for reading with fun rhymes, songs, puppets, movement activities and stories. The 30 minute program is followed by a craft time that coordinates with the weekly theme. For children ages 3 - 5, on Tuesdays and Wednesday at 10:30 AM and Thursdays at 1:30 PM. Registration is not required.

Need a magazine?

If ever you need a quick read, why not try a magazine from our periodical collection? Our magazines check out for one week. We have back issues (which are kept in a compartment behind the current issue) going back up to one year for most titles. With topics ranging from cooking to crafts to celebrity gossip, we have something for every taste.

Try "Threads" or "Scraps and Stamps" if you need craft ideas. Both magazines feature patterns and examples, with lists of sources for the craft supplies needed and articles on technique from experts.

For recipes, try "Weight Watchers", "Taste of Home", "Better Homes and Gardens" or "Everyday with Rachel Ray". All of these include ideas for special occasions, and themed recipes for parties and holidays.

For the physically active (or those who aspire to be), we have "Women's Health", "Men's Health", "Sports Illustrated", and "Sports Illustrated for Kids".

If you love the outdoors, check out "Field and Stream", "Birds and Blooms", or "Ranger Rick", but if you love the indoors, we also have "People", "US Weekly", or "Entertainment Weekly".

Families with young children might enjoy the activities and games from "Homeschool Enrichment", "Family Fun", or "Highlights".

Have magazines at home that you've already read? Consider bringing them to the library! We accept current magazine donations on our magazine exchange rack (just off the lobby, across from the public restrooms). Patrons can donate up to ten magazines at time if they were printed in the past twelve months. Feel free to grab a magazine or two on your next library visit and keep them as long as you want.

Meet the Librarian: Tom, Library Director

Do you ever wonder about the people running your library? In this new blog post series, we'll highlight a different staff member each month. First, we'd like to introduce our new director, Tom Taylor, who only recently started working here at APL and does not yet know what he's got himself into.

Name: Tom Taylor

Position at the library: Director

1. How long have you been at APL?  1 week

2. What’s your favorite thing about APL? It's an exciting opportunity for me because this is a fantastic institution.

3. What is your favorite book and why? That's a tough question. Who has just one? I suppose it depends on when you ask. Right now, it's Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. I first read that as a college student in Greece so it has personal meaning to me.

4. Do you have any other book or author recommendations? For a living author, I recommend Neil Gaiman. he has a wonderful, vivid imagination, rooted in literature and folklore. Otherwise, I recommend Fyodor Dostoevsky, for the great dialogue and the cerebral nature of his works. 

5. Do you have any hobbies (besides reading)? I enjoy following certain sports. I like IndyCar racing and I'm a big Kansas City Chiefs fan. I also enjoy college sports (though I won't say which teams... yet). And I have two young boys, so they take up most of my time.

6. If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be? Definitely a teacher. History, at the middle school or high school level.

7. What’s your favorite food? Coconut. I like coconut anything: coconut treats, coconut desserts, coconut water... I cook with coconut oil. I love coconut.

8. How did you end up in the library field? My mom was the librarian at McPherson College, so I grew up around libraries, using libraries, but it still never occurred to me that I might go into the library field. Then, in grad school for history, I realized I enjoyed the research and the teaching, but I hated the writing. That eventually led to reference librarianship. Then I got a job at Newton Public Library. 

9. What does your dream library look like? Spacious, modern, clean, and busy.

10. Talk about other stuff you like (movies, TV, music, games, etc.) I like Doctor Who - I grew up on it, so I like the older stuff, but I've seen some of the new stuff as well. I like travel, learning. I used to enjoy video games, strategy games, and board games, but I don't have much time for that now. 

Welcome to the library, Tom!

Library Buzz: Welcome to my Spaceship!

(Originally published in the Butler County Times Gazette 11/7/13. "Library Buzz" is written by Toria Hamilton.)

At the library we’ve recently installed a set of automatic sliding doors. It’s like I’m working aboard the Starship Enterprise and (along with the new “Ender’s Game” movie,) it’s put me in a science fiction mood. Of course, my scifi tastes may be too fluffy for some – I tend to ignore petty details like the laws of physics – but I think I’ve picked a little something for everyone… unless you’re an alien. I don’t know what sort of books appeal to aliens. Keep that in mind.

A great introduction to science fiction is Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, arguably one of the funniest books ever written in any genre. Many fans are unaware that there is a sixth book in the five-book trilogy, “And Another Thing…” written by Eoin Colfer with the blessing of Adams’ estate.

If you’re anxiously awaiting BBC’s Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special later this month, consider Stephen Baxter’s “The Wheel of Ice”, a Doctor Who novel featuring the Second Doctor as he investigates a hole in time near a mining base orbiting Saturn. Long-term Whovians will enjoy the many references to classic Who episodes peppered throughout the book.

In another Stephen Baxter title, “The Long Earth”, co-written with Sir Terry Pratchett, a simple invention grants mankind the ability to “step” between realities. As adventurous individuals set out to colonize these new frontiers, one man scouts the new worlds with the help of a sentient super-computer, but what they find in the Earths far from our own is not what they expected.

Teens and adults both will enjoy the new young adult title “The 5th Wave” by Rick Yancey. Starring a strong female main character in a gritty post-apocalyptic struggle for survival when the world has been devastated by wave after wave of alien attack, this book will appeal to fans of “The Hunger Games” and “Maze Runner”, as well as adults who like to pretend they’re too old for teen books.

We also have science fiction titles for older elementary- and middle-school-aged children. I recommend “Other Worlds” by Jon Scieszka, part of his wonderful “Guys Read” anthology series which is targeted to young boys who don’t like to read, featuring short stories by Rick Riordan, Tom Angleberger, and Ray Bradbury.

Need more suggestions? Come by the library and ask a librarian. Better yet, ask for Tom, our new director. Word on the street is he’s a science fiction fan. Drop in and say hello.

Until next month, may the force be with you.

Now beam me up, Scotty.

Join the Friends!

If you would like to contribute to the betterment of the Andover Public Library, consider joining the Friends. The Friends group is a nonprofit organization that contributes to library programs both financially and through volunteer work. Membership costs $25 annually and covers up to four family members who live in the same house. This tax-deductible membership fee, along with money raised by the Friends' Used Book Sales in the spring and fall, funds a variety of library events and programs such as the summer reading prizes for children, summer art camps, Ballet in the Park, and many more. Additionally, Friends volunteers help the library by planning and running special events (like these: click here, here, or here) and providing additional staffing around the library. The Library couldn't function without the wonderful volunteers in our Friends of the Library organization. Visit the APL Friends page on the Library website for more information or to join.

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Kids will enjoy using their imaginations along with Joe Kulka in Vacation’s Over! Return Of The Dinosaurs.   Imagine what it would be like if dinosaurs weren’t extinct but had just been on an extended vacation to outer space.   As kids read this book it will help them think about some of the changes dinosaurs would find if they came back from vacation today and would the world as we know it be able to handle the return of dinosaurs?

Past Events: Star Wars Day, November 2011

As part of our Andover Caring and Sharing Toy Drive, we invited costumed Star Wars re-enactors from the 149th War Wolves of Kansas to spend the day at the library.

The War Wolves posed for pictures with patrons and throughout the library all day.

We featured a variety of Star Wars memorabilia in our display cases to help set the mood.

Even the librarians wore costumes.

Darth Vader returns his books on time. Do you?

Teen Reads: Wilderness Survival

Whether you enjoy spending time outdoors or prefer to read about it from the comfort of your air-conditioned home, these survival books are sure to keep you entertained. Bonus: All of these titles are great for boys who don't care for reading.

1. Life of Pi by Yan Martell
A young boy from India knows his life is changing forever when his zookeeper father announces that the family is moving to Canada, but when the ship transporting Pi’s family and all of the zoo animals sinks, the only survivors are Pi and a ferocious tiger. A great book for older teens, with philosophical themes covering religion, destiny, and the wonders of nature.

2. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Sam runs away to his great grandfather’s land in the mountains. With limited supplies, he lives off the land, makes a house out of a tree, and contends with local wildlife, all the while worried that he’ll be discovered by the authorities and sent home to the crowded apartment he shared with his large family. The book has two sequels and two related picture books.

3. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
When the pilot of a small, two-seater airplane dies of a heart attack, Brian, the passenger, makes an emergency landing on a lake in the woods. Now stranded, Brian must learn to survive with nothing but a hatchet as he waits for rescue. A Newbury Honor book with four sequels.

4. Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare
Waiting at a newly built frontier cabin for his father to return with the rest of the family, Matt befriends Attean, a Native American from the local tribe. As months pass with no sign of his family, Matt must decide if he will continue to wait for them or join Attean’s tribe, which will soon migrate to new lands.

5. Nation by Terry Pratchett
After surviving a tsunami by clinging to a small canoe, islander Mau returns to the site of his village and finds only death. In his dreams, he hears the voices of his ancestors: “You have to survive because you are the only one left. You are the Nation.” Soon, Mau meets survivors from other nearby islands and they must all work together to prepare the village before the terrifying Raiders come.

6. Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
This well-researched biographical novel chronicles the life of Genghis Khan from his childhood – scraping by with his mother and brothers on the plains after being exiled from their tribe – to his teenage years when he won his first battles. Other books in the series follow his growth as a leader and warlord. Great for older teens.