2015 Summer Reading Games!!!

It's here, everyone!!! You can now officially enter the Summer Reading Games!!! Sign up at any of the MRL branches (Main, North River, Grottoes, Village, Elkton, Page, or Shenandoah). You'll get a...

1. Gameboard
   Keep track of your reading! Every two hours, you'll get a Hero Prize. At ten hours, you'll receive a Superhero Prize Pack. For every hour after that, you can enter the drawing for one of our awesome prizes. All prizes have been graciously donated by these fantastic sponsors.
2. Super Pool Pass
   Get into a local pool for free next week (June 7-13). Participating pools are listed here.
3. Free Friday Wristband
   You can visit a new place every Friday for free! All you need is your Free Friday Wristband! Here is the Free Friday schedule this year. 

We also have some exciting programs planned. Here's what's coming up this summer: 

Every Hero Has a Story (ages 0-10)

• Dome Theater @ YOUR Library
• Fancy Nancy: The Musical @ YOUR Library
• Stories from Aunt Nelly's Mountain Home @ YOUR Library
• Family Flicks @ Main Library
• Join us for a family friendly movie in the Community Youth Center in the Youth Services Department!
• Films and dates are listed here.
• Summer STEM: Heroes of Design @ North River Library
• On Saturday, June 6, and Saturday, June 11, drop in to the North River Library between 10:30 AM and 12 noon to celebrate a well known hero who has created designs that better lifestyles for humankind and complete a creative design challenge of your own!
• Mission Rescue: Dogs in Need of Forever Homes @ North River Library
• Come to North River Library Thursday, June 11 @ 2 PM to hear from Laura Burchfield, a local teen whose family has made it their mission to rescue stray dogs and foster them until they find a forever home.
• Everyday Heroes @ Main Library
• Kids Like You! Saturday, June 6 @ 1 PM - stories from local kids who we think are real heroes!
• Harrisonburg Police Department, Saturday, June 13 @ 1 PM - Police vehicle display including a cruiser, the DARE Mustang, a motorcycle, a bicycle, and possibly a command post truck! Plus more fun activities inside.
• Fire Department, Saturday, July 11 @ 1 PM - A fire truck to check out as well as other interaction with real-life firefighters!
• Job of a Firefighter @ North River Library
• Local firefighters will share their stories of why they decided on their job, how they became firefighters, and what it takes to continue in their job on Thursday, June 18 @ 2 PM.
• Read to the Rhythm with the Handley Puppeteers @ Village Library
• Stop by the Village Library Thursday, July 16 @ 2 PM and welcome the teen puppeteer troupe from Handley Library! They will present a puppet show set to music with zany antics and designed to promote reading.
• Read with... @ YOUR Library
• Andy the Armadillo, the Chick-fil-A Cow, Police Officer John, the Turks, and a Firefighter are coming for storytime! Dates and locations are listed here.
• Storytimes @ YOUR Library (storytime schedule is here)
• Hero Construction @ YOUR Library
• Kids in grades K-5, dig into craft conundrums and tunnel through intriguing books @ YOUR Library's Hero Construction craft time June 8-July 31. Dates and times are listed here.
• Lego Club @ YOUR Library
• Let your imagination go WILD! Create and build with Legos. Bigger blocks for smaller hands also available. Dates and times are listed here.
• Dogs 2 Read 2 @ YOUR Library
• Grab a book, get comfy & read to YOUR library's very own registered therapy dog. All reading levels are encouraged.
• North River: 4th Tuesdays @ 4 PM
• Main: Thursdays @ 2:30 PM

Unmask! (ages 11-17)

• Incredible Afternoon Movie @ Main Library
• Come out Saturday, June 20 @ 1 PM, watch a great movie, and grab a snack from our popcorn bar, courtesy of DuPont Community Credit Union
• Superhero Survival Skills @ Main Library
• Who doesn't need some great survival skills?
• June 10 @ 7 PM - First Aid
• June 24 @ 7 PM - Car Maintenance
• July 8 @ 7 PM - Managing Money
• July 22 @ 7 PM - Cooking (without a stove)
• Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! @ Main Library
• Celebrate this super wizard's birthday, Friday, July 31 @ 12:30 PM! We'll have potions, fortune telling, prizes, snacks and more! Don't forget to dress as your favorite character!
• After Hours Teen Lock-In @ Main Library
• Have you ever wanted to know what the library is like when it's empty? Saturday, August 15 @ 3:30-7 PM is your chance! We'll play the Awesome Library Race, decorate bookends, kind-bomb the library, eat pizza, and more! You'll even walk out of here with a free book. How cool is that?? Must register by August 8.

Escape the Ordinary (18+)

• Escape... @ Main Library
• Monday, June 1 @ 7 PM - Escape the Ordinary: In Search of the Paranormal 
• Monday, June 8 @ 1 PM - Escape the Ordinary with Local Hero & Founder of Our Community Place Ron Copeland
• Thursday, June 18 @ 7 PM - Escape Your Diet: The Gluten Lie
• Monday, June 29 @ 1 PM - Escape the Funny Pages with Cartoonist John Rose
• Monday, July 13 @ 1 PM - Escape the Ordinary Garden - Hobby Hydroponics: The Weedless Garden
• Thursday, July 23 @ 7 PM - Escape the Planet: Why Do We Explore Mars?
• Monday, July 27 @ 7 PM - Escape the City with Local Nature Photographers Ann & Rob Simpson
• Super Screenings @ Main Library
• Select Saturdays and Mondays in June and July, you can visit the Main branch of MRL for an awesome superhero movie! Look here for more info.

Whoa. That's a lot. Make sure you sign up for Summer Reading at any of the MRL branches to get started!

And finally, here are the hilarious videos the L.O.L. group made to promote the SRG. Hope you enjoy!

Guest Post // North River Library Neighborhood: Summertime

Welcome to the North River Library Neighborhood! Summer of 2014 has been a busy one as of today, we have registered 816 youth ages 0-17 in the Summer Reading Games here at NRL. Summer reading culminates on August 9. We have provided Crafty Kids on Wednesdays with stories and STEM activities. Legos Club on the second Tuesday of each month throughout the year continues to be a big hit for children in grades K-5. Story times on Thursday mornings for children ages 0-5 have grown to our largest two with 90 participants combined. For adolescent patrons, a local Girl Scout has created writers support groups for her Gold Award. Students have met several times to share and discuss their personal writing pieces. The adult book group read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and enjoyed a discussion of the questions the book raised regarding life and death. Ms. Moyes' most recent book, One Plus One, is on order to arrive at NRL in early August.

 

LAST TFIOS Movie Entry, Okay?? (...Okay.)

This is it, you guys. The TFIOS movie is coming out this week. My expectations are so high, they are going to come crashing to the ground if it isn't perfect. But as John Green said in his vlog, he doesn't get a cut from the movie, and if he didn't like it he would say so, and he loves it, so that's a good sign.

So to get you psyched for the premiere, here are some links you may want to check out:

• In case you're lucky enough to traverse far and wide, you can see TFIOS tonight instead of Friday! It's called The Night Before Our Stars, and it includes a simulcast with the cast/crew/author, live performances by Birdy and Nat & Alex Wolff, and gifts, such as a charm bracelet and poster. Attendees will also get to see John Green's cameo, which was famously cut from the film. (Or some theaters, like the Harrisonburg Regal 14, are doing "midnight" showings at around 9:00 PM, without all the fancy stuff. Still! The movie!)
• BuzzFeed has been obsessed with TFIOS. Here are 8 cool facts about the book/movie that you may not have known! (For example, did you know the "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once" line was inspired by Hemingway?)
• Ansel, Shai, and John drew what they thought love looked like, and the results are adorkable.



• John Green was recently featured in The New Yorker. The article is long because it follows him around as he does a lot of what he does in his life--and he has a lot going on, obviously--but if you read anything, skip to the bottom and read from the giant O to the end. It describes a video chat that John has with a group of kids who happen to have cancer. I don't want to tell you much about it, except that they have questions you might have about the book/movie and he answers them, so you might get some resolution (or not).
• This movie reviewer from the Chicago Sun-Times says Shailene Woodley should get an Oscar for TFIOS. Wow.
• Finally, after you watch TFIOS and want some more books to read this summer (because, you know, you need to get your hours in for the SUMMER READING GAMES), here's a suggested list of 17 books you may also like!

NPR's 100 Must-Read Books (Ages 9-14) + SUMMER READING PROGRAM!

It's almost that time! Are you ready? Are you stoked? Do you even know what I'm talking about?

It's almost time for the Summer Reading Program!

Here's more information about that, but let's just say it's totally awesome and if you participate you get free stuff just for reading. That's it. All you have to do is read. Ridiculous, right?

To give you inspiration for what to read, here's NPR's list of 100 books 9-14 year-olds should read. (Although honestly, anyone should read them! Some of them I want to check out again!) Here's the link, but I'm going to post the list in full, just to make it easy on you.

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
2. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
3. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
4. The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. A Long Way from Chicago series by Richard Peck
7. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
8. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
9. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
10. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
11. All-Of-A-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor
12. The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams
14. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
15. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
16. Poppy by Avi
17. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
18. Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
19. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe
20. The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
21. The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
22. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
23. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
24. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden and Garth Williams
25. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
26. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming
27. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
28. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman
29. Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - The World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Steinkin
30. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
31. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
32. Half Magic by Edward Eager
33. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
34. The Borrowers by Mary Norton
35. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
36. A Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket
37. Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
38. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
39. The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
40. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
41. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963: A Novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
42. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
43. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
44. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
45. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
46. The Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
47. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
48. The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander
49. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
50. The Oz series by L. Frank Baum
51. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
52. The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
53. The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards
54. The Earthsea Cycle series by Ursula K. Le Guin
55. The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
56. The Giver by Lois Lowry
57. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
58. His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
59. The Hobbit: Or There And Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
60. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger
61. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
62. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
63. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
64. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
65. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
66. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson
67. Holes by Louis Sachar
68. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
69. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
70. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
71. Matilda by Roald Dahl
72. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer
73. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
74. The Bone series by Jeff Smith
75. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
76. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
77. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
78. The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
79. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
80. The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick
81. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
82. The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
83. The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper
84. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
85. The Little Prince by Antoine de Sant-Exupery
86. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
87. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
88. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
89. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar
90. The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
91. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
92. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
93. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
94. A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle
95. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
96. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
97. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
98. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
99. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
100. The Twenty-one Balloons by William Pene Du Bois

We even have almost all of them at the library for you to check out! (All but one. We have 99 books on this list and The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar isn't one. But we have other fairy tales, so it's okay.)

What do you think of the list? Are there any books you would add? Comment with your suggestions!

Massanutten Regional Library Summer Reading Games 2013 - Promotional Film Starring MRL's own teen group--L.O.L., or, Leaders of the Library!!

Massanutten Regional Library 2013 Summer Reading Games Skit from Jon Hilbert on Vimeo.