Great Stone Face Booktalk #11

Malcom at Midnight
by
W. H. Beck

Imagine being a rat.  Not just any rat but one that became the class pet because the teacher thought the class was getting a mouse!  That is how Malcolm came to be the class pet under false pretenses…. but it wasn’t his fault.  When Malcolm discovers the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets at McKenna School, he also discovers he must keep his identity secret.  After all, who trusts a rat?  When strange events occur and the Academy’s leader, the iguana, disappears, Malcolm is determined to prove his innocence and prove even rats can be good guys.  Or can they?
 (Booktalk by Catherine Ryan, GSF Committee )

2014 Award Winners

The American Library Association announced the winners of the John Newbery, the Randolph Caldecott Medals and the Michael L. Printz Award this morning. And the winners are:

The John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

Flora &Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
by Kate DiCamillo

Newbery Honor Books:
Doll Bones by Holly Black
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
Paperboy by Vince Vawter

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children:
 

Locomotive
by Brian Floca

 Caldecott Honor Books:
Journey written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
Flora and the Flamingo written and illustrated by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Wiesner

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

Midwinterblood
by Marcus Sedgwick

Prinz Honor Books:
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool


For a complete listing of 2014 Youth Media Award announcements click here

Great Stone Face "Booktalk" #10

Members of the Great Stone Face (GSF) Committee have written "booktalks" to spark interest in reading all 20 titles on this year's list of nominees.  I have been posting these booktalks (one every week) so that all 20 will be posted by the end of March--just in time for voting during National Library Week in April.  We are halfway there!

Here is "GSF Booktalk" #10:

Little Dog Lost

by

Marion Dane Bauer

"Once there was a small black dog named Buddy. She had brown paws and a brown mask, and a sweet ruffle of brown fur on her bum. She had ears like airplane wings that dropped just at the tips. She also had a boy. At least she had a boy until his family had to move away."

This is the story of Buddy told in immensely appealing free verse.  She needs to find a new boy. It's also the story of a boy, Mark, who wants and needs a dog but his mom doesn't want him to have one. Buddy takes herself on an adventure to find a new boy and she finds the unexpected. In the course of a crazy summer night, Mark finds an unexpected solution to his problem, too. This is a book that will have you rooting for Buddy and Mark because there's nothing like the friendship between a boy and his dog!
(Booktalk written by Sara Zoe Patterson-GSF Committee/ New Franklin School)

A Little Bit of Dover History Comes to Light

This has been a great month for historical photos at the library. Not only did we discover the mill machinery photos but a relative of Edward Lord sent us photographs and information on a project the Lord & Keenan Company undertook during the 1940s. During World War ll the Office of Civilian Defense was concerned about conflagrations caused by air strikes. Lord & Keenan, Dover fuel oil dealers, developed a way to convert oil trucks into water tankers to fires for $10 - $15. Once their discovery was published in an industry magazine, fuel oil dealers from around the country sent telegrams and letters inquiring as to how they could convert their own tankers for the war effort. Lord & Keenan also received letters and thanks from the Office of Petroleum Coordinator for War. These photographs are from a demonstration of the converted fuel oil tankers. Cinematographers from the major studios such as Paramount, Fox and Pathe News came to film the event for newsreels to be shown before a feature film.

 

Postponed to new date: Jan 28 come and hear Ken Gloss!

Due to the impending snowstorm, Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of the internationally known Brattle Book Shop in Boston, has kindly rescheduled his free program, “Is There Value in Your Old and Rare Books?” at the Dover Public Library. The new date will be Tuesday January 28 at 7pm. Following his talk and a question-and-answer session, Gloss will offer free verbal appraisals of all books and documents that attendees have brought with them, or will do so anytime at his 9 West Street emporium in downtown Boston.

The Brattle Book Shop is one of America’s oldest and largest antiquarian bookstores and has been the recipient of several “Best of Boston” awards in the categories of Best Book Shop or Best Antiquarian Book Shop, and named as one of North America’s best bookstores. 2014 is the 65^th year of Gloss family ownership.

Gloss will bring several examples of notable books, magazines and ephemera from the store's private collection, such as a 1912 World Series scorecard and examples of iconic LIFE Magazines. He also will show a sales brochure for the Titanic. "New England homes are treasure-troves for old and rare books that have increased in value over the years," says Gloss.

Kenneth Gloss is a member is the Antiquarian Booksellers Association, the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, the New England Antiquarian Booksellers of America, and the Boston Society. He also is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society as well as serving on the Board of Overseers of the USS Constitution Museum.

He has been a guest appraiser on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow numerous times since 2000 and has been a popular guest on WBZ Radio as well as other radio, TV, and cable stations. His articles appear in antique journals and in print and online publications. Mr. Gloss’s appearance is sponsored by the Friends of the Dover Public Library. For further information about this talk, or directions to the library, please call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050. For more information about book-collecting, appraisals, and future free talks, please call the Brattle Book Shop at 1-800-447-9595 or visit their website, www.brattlebookshop.com.