System Upgrade Update

The replacement of the Library server and upgrades to the circulation system are going well. Thank you to everyone who has made sure to bring their Library card, and for being so understanding about the usual services we cannot provide these two days, such as placing holds and searching the catalog for you. No one has complained that we cannot take fine money either. We hope to be back to normal on Thursday.

Beat the Doldrums @ Your Library

School is over, the nice weather is finally here, and the kids are already complaining about being bored! There have been teens wandering through the Teen Loft book stacks, but they don't know what to read. Well we have taken the guess work out of finding a good book to read. There are 38 (yes 38!) suggested reading bookmarks available, in the Teen Loft, with suggestions for:

**Humor
**Eco-fiction
**If you liked Twilight, Gossip Girls, or Cirque du Freak.
**Supense/Thrillers
**Vampires
**Sports, etc.

There also suggested reading bookmarks available for younger kids and adults. If all those fail just ask a staff member for help.

The Time Traveler's Wife Comes to the Silver Screen

Many readers were captivated by the story of "Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap". The movie trailer has just been released and it looks as involving as the novel it was developed from.

The Best 100 Picture Books Poll

School Library Journal conducted a poll of its readers to determine what the best 100 picture books are, by popular vote. The number one book is one that has been mentioned on this blog several times, it is one of my favorites. You will remember reading some of these books as a kid, others you have probably read to your kids. If not, it's is a good list of what to read to your kids!

There are links at the bottom of the page to lead you to the number 2 book, number 3 etc.

What do you think of the choices? Did they miss your favorite picture book, or put it too low on the list?

New Cochecho Readers' Award Nominees

The new list of nominees for the Cochecho Readers' Award is ready-- just in time for summer reading!

The Cochecho Readers' Award is sponsored by the Children's Librarians of Dover, New Hampshire. The award is named after the Cochecho River which runs through the heart of Dover. This award is given each year to an author whose book receives the most votes from third and fourth graders in Dover. We have chosen 20 titles published within the last three years. The criteria for selection are quality of writing and child appeal. Children are required to read or listen to at least three of the titles on the list in order to vote. The voting will take place in the school libraries in the Spring.

Click here for the new 2009-10 nominees list and start reading!

Your Library Card is Essential Next Week

The Library’s CIRCULATION SYSTEM & ONLINE CATALOG will be DOWN Tuesday & Wednesday June 30 & July 1 for server replacement and program upgrades. You MUST SHOW A DOVER LIBRARY CARD to have any materials checked out during this time.
We will be unable to:
**Look up your barcode
**Check in returned items (no fines for these 2 days)
**Place holds
**Search the Library Catalog
**Register new patrons
**Collect fine payments
The LIBRARY CATALOG will also be unavailable on our website.

We Must All Be Rain Gods

All this damp weather keeps reminding me of a character in Douglas Adams' book So Long And Thanks For all the Fish. Read the excerpt below and see why I feel like Rob Mckeena.

It wasn't that he was naturally predisposed to be so surly, at least he hoped not. It was just the rain which got him down, always the rain.

It was raining now, just for a change.
It was a particular type of rain he particularly disliked, particularly when he was driving. He had a number for it. It was rain type 17.
He had read somewhere that the Eskimos had over two hundred different words for snow, without which their conversation would probably have got very monotonous. So they would distinguish between thin snow and thick snow, light snow and heavy snow, sludgy snow, brittle snow, snow that came in flurries, snow that came in drifts, snow that came in on the bottom of your neighbour's boots all over your nice clean igloo floor, the snows of winter, the snows of spring, the snows you remember from your childhood that were so much better than any of your modern snow, fine snow, feathery snow, hill snow, valley snow, snow that falls in the morning, snow that falls at night, snow that falls all of a sudden just when you were going out fishing, and snow that despite all your efforts to train them, the huskies have pissed on.
Rob McKeena had two hundred and thirty-one different types of rain entered in his little book, and he didn't like any of them.
He shifted down another gear and the lorry heaved its revs up. It grumbled in a comfortable sort of way about all the Danish thermostatic radiator controls it was carrying.
Since he had left Denmark the previous afternoon, he had been through types 33 (light pricking drizzle which made the roads slippery), 39 ( heavy spotting), 47 to 51 (vertical light drizzle through to sharply slanting light to moderate drizzle freshening), 87 and 88 (two finely distinguished varieties of vertical torrential downpour), 100 (post-downpour squalling, cold), all the seastorm types between 192 and 213 at once, 123, 124, 126, 127 (mild and intermediate cold gusting, regular and syncopated cab-drumming), 11 (breezy droplets), and now his least favourite of all, 17.
Rain type 17 was a dirty blatter battering against his windscreen so hard that it didn't make much odds whether he had his wipers on or off.
He tested this theory by turning them off briefly, but as it turned out the visibility did get quite a lot worse. It just failed to get better again when he turned them back on.
In fact one of the wiper blades began to flap off.
Swish swish swish flop swish flop swish swish flop swish flop swish flop flop flop scrape.
He pounded his steering wheel, kicked the floor, thumped his cassette player till it suddenly started playing Barry Manilow, thumped it again till it stopped, and swore and swore and swore and swore and swore.
It was at the very moment that his fury was peaking that there loomed swimmingly in his headlights, hardly visible through the blatter, a figure by the roadside.
A poor bedraggled figure, strangely attired, wetter than an otter in a washing machine, and hitching.
"Poor miserable sod," thought Rob McKeena to himself, realizing that here was somebody with a better right to feel hard done by than himself, "must be chilled to the bone. Stupid to be out hitching on a filthy night like this. All you get is cold, wet, and lorries driving through puddles at you."
He shook his head grimly, heaved another sigh, gave the wheel a turn and hit a large sheet of water square on.
"See what I mean?" he thought to himself as he ploughed swiftly through it. "You get some right bastards on the road."
Splattered in his rear mirror a couple of seconds later was the reflection of the hitch-hiker, drenched by the roadside.
For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night.
At least it made up for having been finally overtaken by that Porsche he had been diligently blocking for the last twenty miles.

And as he drove on, the rainclouds dragged down the sky after him, for, though he did not know it, Rob McKeena was a Rain God. All he knew was that his working days were miserable and he had a succession of lousy holidays. All the clouds knew was that they loved him and wanted to be near him, to cherish him, and to water him.

Libraries Lend a Helping Hand

The Today Show did an interesting segment on how the recession is impacting libraries. They talked to a Maryland Public Library director and the President of the New York Public Library. They are seeing the same things we have experienced in Dover: smaller budgets and increased demand. People are lined up for Internet computers, they need help with resumes, families are coming here for free entertainment, whether it is a library program, story hour, or DVDs and CDs. Overall usage has sky-rocketed. Watch this short video segment and see what libraries across America are experiencing.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Go Green @ Your Library

Finally the library is hip! You might say "It's Hip to be Square". I have been waiting for this for a very long time. Librarians have know it all along, but finally the rest of the world is stepping in line, and realizing the benefits of their local libraries. Because of our sagging economy, and the increased interest in reducing our carbon footprint, the library is making many top 10 lists. As one list put it "Who does not love the smell of weathered pages in age-old books? Save money and the forests by visiting your local library instead of buying new books." I would also add to this that you can borrow DVDs, music CDs, books on CD, download audio books from our web site... If you haven't visited your local library lately maybe you should.

Listening With Teens

If you have a road trip planned for your summer vacation and are dreading listening to the music your teen will insist on playing, you should pick up a copy of Listen To These Teen Reads. In celebration of National Audiobook Month, we have put together a list of our books on CD that teens might enjoy. They range in topic from time traveling thieves, teenage BFFs, and the Twilight vampires to an adventure fantasy with floating air ships, mysterious cloud creatures and dastardly pirates. I can highly recommend The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It portrays a futuristic society in which towns are required to send a boy and a girl each year to compete in a deadly game of survival, kind of like Survivor, only using real weapons. This book is quickly turning into a cult favorite. With intriguing books like these to listen to, everyone in the car should be happy!

100 Essential New England Books

The Boston Globe has compiled a list of their picks of the 100 best books with a New England tie. The New England tie can include the author residing in New England, the book taking place in New England, or the more tenuous link, in my opinion, of the author having attended a New England college or university. Regardless, the list is fun to look at. You can sort the list by author, title, or most read. If you sort by most read #1 is Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey and #2 is Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.

Listen Up!

June is National Audiobook Month. You can celebrate by downloading some of these new audiobooks.

New MP3 Titles (these will play on an iPod) Title Author 1906 Dalessandro, James A Darker Crimson Jewel, Carolyn Absolute Certainty Connors, Rose All the Sad Young Literary Men Gessen, Keith American Pastoral Roth, Philip Arnie the Doughnut Keller, Laurie As Simple as Snow Galloway, Gregory Blackman’s Coffin Castrique, Mark de Borrower of the Night Peters, Elizabeth City of Thieves Benioff, David Claimed by Shadow Chance, Karen Cod Kurlansky, Mark Crimson Rogue Maverick, Liz Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's Cerami, Charles Effective Networking Nour, David Embrace the Night Chance, Karen Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches Stanek, Robert Losing It Bertinelli, Valerie Master and Commander O'Brian, Patrick Nailing the Job Interview Leahy, M.A. ABS, Susan Post Captain O'Brian, Patrick Seduced By Crimson Lee, Jade Shards of Crimson Maverick, Liz Stone Cold Parker, Robert B. Survivor Palahniuk, Chuck The Camelot Caper Peters, Elizabeth The Defection of A. J. Lewinter Littell, Robert The Dolomite Solution Scott, Trevor The Friday Night Knitting Club Jacobs, Kate The Halloween Tree Bradbury, Ray The Levity Effect Gostick, Adrian The Once and Future Spy Littell, Robert The Soloist Lopez, Steve Through a Crimson Veil O'Shea, Patti Tunnel Vision Paretsky, Sara What I Was Rosoff, Meg

New WMA Titles

Title	Author
About Face	Leon, Donna
Angels in the Gloom	Perry, Anne
At Last Comes Love	Balogh, Mary
At Some Disputed Barricade	Perry, Anne
Bloodhound	Pierce, Tamora
Brazen Careerist	Trunk, Penelope
Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends	Guarnere, William "Wild Bill"
Bury the Lead	Rosenfelt, David
Carpe Diem	Mount, Harry
Cemetary Dance	Preston, Douglas
Columbine	Cullen, Dave
Dark Places	Flynn, Gillian
Darling Jim	Moerk, Christian
Dead Sleep	Iles, Greg
Deadlock	Johansen, Iris
Discordia	Salmon, Dena K.
Down River	Hart, John
Eat the Dark	Schreiber, Joe
Ecological Intelligence	Goleman, Daniel
Encore	Freedman, Marc
Eon	Goodman, Alison
Etta	Kolpan, Gerald
Factory Girls	Chang, Leslie T.
First Family	Baldacci, David
Hannahs Dream	Hammond, Diane
Horse Soldiers	Stanton, Doug
House of Cards	Author
How To Handle The Toughest Job Interview Questions You'll Ever Get	Portney, David R.
Hungry Girl: The Official Survival Guides	Lillien, Lisa
Hunting Season	Deutermann, P. T.
If I Stay	Forman, Gayle
Impossible	Werlin, Nancy
Little Bee	Cleave, Chris
Loitering With Intent	Woods, Stuart
Look Again	Scottoline, Lisa
Lords of Finance	Ahamed, Liaquat
Malice	Jackson, Lisa
Neil Armstrong is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me	Marino, Nan
No Graves As Yet	Perry, Anne
Nudge	Thaler, Richard
Outcast	Allston, Aaron
Prayers for Sale	Dallas, Sandra
Private Scandals	Roberts, Nora
Rapt	Gallagher, Winifred
Red Glass	Resau, Laura
Resilience	Edwards, Elizabeth
Rogue Forces	Brown, Dale
Sag Harbor	Whitehead, Colson
Sarek	Crispin, A. C.
Science Fair	Barry, Dave
Shoulder the Sky	Perry, Anne
Skinned	Wasserman, Robin
Soul Enchilada	Gill, David Macinnis
Sudden Death	Rosenfelt, David
The 19th Wife	Ebershoff, David
The 8th Confession	Patterson, James
The Age of the Unthinkable	Ramo, Joshua
The Art of Woo	Shell, G. Richard
The Highest Tide	Lynch, Jim
The Lake House	Patterson, James
The Last Book in the Universe	Philbrick, Rodman
The Last Olympian	Riordan, Rick
The Moonpool	Deutermann, P. T.
The Perfect Poison	Quick, Amanda
The Poet	Connelly, Michael
The Reformed Vampire Support Group	Jinks, Catherine
The Richest Man in Babylon	Clason, George S.
The Soldiers of Halla	MacHale, D. J.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie	Bradley, Alan
The Unforgiving Minute	Mullaney, Craig M.
The Widow Clicquot	Mazzeo, Tilar J.
Touch the Dark	Chance, Karen
Uranium	Zoellner, Tom
Vision in White	Roberts, Nora
Walking in Circles Before Lying Down	Markoe, Merrill
Wesley the Owl	O'Brien, Stacey
What Happened to Anna K.	Reyn, Irina
Who	Smart, Geoff
Zero Option	Deutermann, P. T.

A New Look at Wild Things

This blog has a fascinating look at how Where the Wild Things Are would look had it been illustrated by a different artist. Personally, I love Maurice Sendak's illustrations, in all of his books, so I think it is almost impossible to improve upon them. However, a few artists have at least equaled the master, as you can see below. What do you think; do you like the originals best or the paintings inspired by this childhood classic?

These Books Are Delicious

I stumbled across an amusing blog the other day called Cake Wrecks. I was delighted to find a post on cakes that celebrate children's books. There are some very clever cake decorators out there. The very hungry caterpillar cake made out of cupcakes is so cute you have to see it! What children's book would you like to see turned into a cake? I think I would like to see a Narnian cake... or maybe a Willy Wonka cake.

And The Winner Is....

The Audies, which are like Oscars for the Audiobook Industry, were awarded May 29. The audiobook of the year is Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. This charming book about Nobody Owens, an orphaned boy who is raised by ghosts in a Victorian graveyard, is intended for teens but has plenty to interest children and adults too. Intrigued? You can watch a Graveyard Book trailer, like a movie trailer, its chilling!

If you want to know what the winners of the other Audie catagories are, click here. You will find a review, and can even listen to a sample of the audiobook! The Library owns many of the Audie Award winners so you are in for a summer of great listening.

Summer Reading

According to an article that appeared on Twin Cities.com,"It's shocking what happens over the summer when children don't read," says Maurna Rome, the K-3 literacy coordinator at Ogilvie and the president of the Minnesota Reading Association. "This year, in our fourth grade, every single student went down in reading fluency (after summer vacation). We tested them at the end of the school year, and we checked again in the fall. And it didn't matter whether they are the top reader or the bottom — everyone went down. The fourth grade is notorious for something called 'The Fourth Grade Slump,' but it's still shocking that of the 30-some kids in our small school, they all lost ground over the summer.Why? They just don't read. We live in a day and age of video games and TV."

Make sure your child doesn't lose ground over the summer; you can enroll him or her in the Children's Room Summer Reading program, or the Teen Reading Program, both of which start July 6th. Don't neglect your own summer reading, grab some recommended reads bookmarks, or ask us what we have enjoyed reading lately.