Award Winners Announced!

The American Library Association recently announced the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Awards. Here are the 2010 winners:

John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children's literature:
**Winner**When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
* Newbery Honor Books*
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children:
**Winner**The Lion and the Mouse illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
*Caldecott Honor Books*
All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:
**Winner**Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Charles and Emma: Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman (on order)
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes

Wish You Were Here....

I am still cataloging the album full of Dover photos and postcards that came in last month. I am working on a postcard that made me stop and wonder about the sender when I read the inscription he wrote.2-24-15 Lots of exciting events, man stabbed and robbed on Court St back of the Sawyer Farm. Another fellow fell off a team got cut up, took him to hospital hour later he jumped out on them. 9:30 last night another lady had her hand bag snatched from her at Washington and Myrtle St. Matt Towle died last evening. Got up on time, it is lonesome around here. Nibs.

I am looking forward to finding more cheery postcards from Nibs.

Take the Guesswork Out of Charity Giving

When a disaster strikes, such as the earthquake in Haiti, many peoples' first thought is "How can I help?" For many the help comes in the form of a financial contribution, but where is the best place to donate? What organization will make the best use of your money? The following is a list of web sites that take the guesswork out of charity donations. These web sites allow you to look up a charity to make sure it is legitimate, find out what their mission is, find out how much money goes toward administrative costs, etc. Many of these web sites also currently have a list of charities helping in the Haitian relief effort.

Charity Navigator: Your Guide to Intelligent Giving

GuideStar

Just Give

Network for Good

Bon Appetit!

I can't believe it has been 5 years since I read (actually listened to the book on CD) of Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. For anyone who isn't familiar with the book, or now the movie, Julie Powell took on the yearlong task of cooking every recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She chronicled this journey on her blog, and she quickly became an Internet celebrity. The book was hilarious--though I did feel like I gained 10 pounds just listening to the descriptions of meals which all seemed to be dripping in butter. The movie, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, is now out on DVD and we will be screening it for our matinee this Sat., Jan. 16th at 2:00pm in the Library Lecture Hall. As always our movies are free and open to the public. Bon appetit!

Harry Potter™: The Exhibition

Hedwig is delivering this message:

You are invited to experience the magic of Harry Potter™: The Exhibition at the Museum of Science in Boston (the only place in New England to host the exhibition and the second place to do so worldwide) at a discounted rate when using the library's museum pass.

This exhibit features more than 200 authentic props and costumes from the Harry Potter films, all displayed in settings inspired by the film sets -- including the Great Hall, Hagrid's hut and the Gryffindor™ common room. See Harry's glasses, his original wand, the Marauder's Map, and Hermione's Yule Ball gown or try pulling a screeching Mandrake from its pot and tossing a "Quaffle."

The library pass entitles up to 4 people admittance to the museum's general exhibit halls for $5 each. For library pass holders, tickets to this special exhibit will be an additional $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and $13 for children 3-11 years old (with a maximum purchase of 4 tickets per library pass). This is a savings of $10 per person off the regular ticket price.

For more information or to reserve the Museum of Science Library Pass, stop by the Children's Room or call 516-6052.

Don't "Do It Yourself" with these books!

Publisher Oxmoor House has recalled 951,000 home improvement books because of errors. Faulty instructions in the books could lead to shocks or fire hazards for those installing or repairing their electrical wiring. The books were published over three decades from 1975 through 2009. Here are the nine titles:

• AmeriSpec Home Repair Handbook


• Lowe's Complete Home Improvement & Repair


• Lowe's Complete Home Wiring


• Sunset Basic Home Repairs


• Sunset Complete Home Wiring


• Sunset Complete Patio Book


• Sunset Home Repair Handbook


• Sunset Water Gardens


• Sunset You Can Build---Wiring

The Library had two of these titles and we've since withdrawn them from our collection!

"Dover Reads" 2010

"Dover Reads" is a citywide reading project, sponsored by the Dover School District Community Involvement Committee, which encourages everyone to read the same book to promote a sense of community and the joy of reading. This year, the committee has chosen Zachary's Ball by Matt Tavaras. In the story, Zachary goes to his first Boston Red Sox game with his Dad where they catch a ball and something magical happens.

Join us for a fun-filled kick-off bookfair celebration at Barnes and Noble in Newington, NH on Friday, January 22, from 4:00-8:00 pm. No purchase is necessary to attend but a portion of all sales (with voucher you may pick up in the Children's Room) will go to support Dover Reads 2010. This is a great time to use those holiday Barnes & Noble gift cards!

The schedule of events is:
4-8 pm---Meet Matt Tavares, author and illustrator of Zachary's Ball
4-5 pm---Listen to barbershop quartet sing old time tunes
4-8 pm---Kids' crafts (make and take a baseball pennant!)
6 pm---Story time (hear the author read his books, Zachary's Ball and Henry Aaron's Dream)

The Dover Reads Committee has donated 10 copies of Zachary's Ball to the library. All copies will be available for check-out by January 22. Reserve your copy today!

If You Need a Laugh

Who doesn't need a good laugh this time of year? Craig Ferguson's American on Purpose is just the ticket. You know you are in for an amusing, irreverent ride when the book begins by describing the sighting of Laura Bush's underpants at an official function. "Mrs. Bush was wearing an elegant silky frock, but when she stood with the light behind her you could see her undies. Big comfortable knickers, what are known in enlightened circles as passion killers, in what looked like a floral pattern. Ideal for a long night of smiling and nodding and being a good sport at the annual press, showbiz, and politics bunfight that is the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner." Imagine this all being discussed with a Scottish accent. Craig Ferguson narrates his book on CD and it completely makes the story.

Its not all fun and games in this book. It is the story of Ferguson's life, beginning in a poor and violent neighborhood in Scotland. There are lots of drugs, alcohol, failed relationships, and salty language. You wouldn't want to listen to this with your kids in the car. Ferguson has a knack for making the diffcult circumstances in which he finds himself funny, and always interesting. I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I am tracking down the films he made. I highly recomend it!

It's Raining Meatballs at the Library!

Or it will be on Saturday, Jan. 9th for our matinee--Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. All of our movies are FREE and open to the public. This is an animated family adventure where a scientist tries to solve world hunger only to see things go awry as food falls from the sky in abundance.

Worried About Your Carbon Footprint?

Don't forget about our two-part series on Alternative Energy--the first workshop is scheduled for this Monday, January 11th, and will focus on Solar Hot Water & Why Everyone Should Consider It. Learn about type of collectors, storage options, and back-up heat sources. Workshops will be conducted by Jack Bingham, owner of Seacoast Energy Alternatives Inc. There are many reasons why you should consider alternative energy and here are just a few:

• Reduce your carbon footprint
  


• Fix a portion of your energy costs for the next 20-30 years



• Increase the value of your home
  

Hope to see you there!

Books on My iPod

A couple of the librarians are giving themselves a Christmas gift of the latest iPod Touch so there has been a lot of excited chatter at the desk lately about the cool things this new toy can do. In addition to the obvious ability to play music, the Touch has wi-fi capability so you can connect to the Library catalog and look library materials up while you are browsing the stacks! I plan on downloading audio books through the library on to mine. I found out you can download Kindle e-books onto the iPod Touch, even more exciting was hearing that there is a website that allows you to download free e-books. Manybooks.Net allows you to choose from over 25,000 public domain titles. I can't wait to start reading and listening to books on my iPod!

Our Very Own Best of 2009 List

Each year we compile the Librarians' Choice; a list of the Dover Public Library staff's favorite books and DVDs. We had so many favorites this year that we could barely squeeze them onto one bookmark. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we did!

Librarians’ Choice 2009

Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan C. Bradley
Honolulu by Alan Brennert
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Lovers by John Connelly
Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Bodies Left Behind by Jeffrey Deaver
Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron
One Second After by William Forstchen
The Burying Place by Brian Freeman
The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
The Night Villa by Carol Goodman
East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah
The Séance by John Harwood
The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill
Trust No One by Gregg Hurwitz
Garlands of Gold by Rosalind Laker
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A Proper Education for Girls by Elaine di Rollo
Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Rough Country by John Sandford
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Cooking Dirty by Jason Sheehan
Grace Hammer by Sara Stockbridge
The Leper by Steve Thayer
Stopover in Venice by Kathryn Walker
Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The House on Tradd Street by Karen White
The Second Time around by Marcia Willett

My Life in Ruins DVD
Changeling DVD
Michael Clayton DVD
Appaloosa DVD
State of Play DVD

Children’s Books
Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem
The Blue Shoe: a tale of thievery, villainy, sorcery and shoes by Rod Townley
My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
The Roar by Emma Clayton
Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise
Family Reminders by Julie Danneberg
Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers
Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara

Did You Spend Too Much Money Over the Holidays?

Do you want to make a New Year's resolution to budget better for next holiday season, and throughout the year? If so, join us on Monday, January 4th at 6:00pm in the Library Lecture Hall for the first in a series of lectures titled Money Matters. The first lecture will cover Budgeting After the Holidays, and will be presented by Ellen Rondina, Extension Educator with UNH Cooperative Extension. This series is brought to you by the UNH Cooperative Extension, the Cash Campaign of Southeast NH, and the Dover Public Library. This is a great way to start the new year off right!

Carpeting Again! And New Storytime Sessions!

Please bear with us once more as our library carpeting project starts up again after a holiday respite! Due to some adjustments that need to be made to the carpeting tiles installed in the Children's Room, the Children's Room will need to be closed on January 4 & 5 while the re-work is done. We will still have Story Hour Sign-Ups as scheduled on Monday, Janaury 4 at 9am for preschool story times and at 6pm for toddler story times. If you're a Dover resident and would like to register your 2-5 year old child, here's the scoop:

Six story time sessions (3 for preschoolers and 3 for toddlers) will begin the week of January 11 and run through through February 12. Enrollment is limited to Dover children.
Sign-up begins at 9am for the Monday (1:30pm), Monday Bedtime (7pm), and Tuesday (9:30am) groups for 3-6 year olds. Phone call registration (516-6052) begins at 9:15am. These 45-minute preschool programs (attended by the children only) include stories, finger plays, songs and puppets. A themed craft or film is also offered during each weekly session. Sign-up begins at 6pm on January 4 for the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Toddler groups (9:30am) for 2 year-olds. Phone call registration (516-6052) begins at 6:15pm. Toddler programs (attended by the child plus their parent or care-giver) include stories, finger plays and songs specially selected for the developmental level of 2 year-olds. Although the Children’s Room will be closed on January 4th & 5th for carpeting adjustments, Story Time sign-ups will still take place in person and by phone. For more information, please call the Children’s Room.

Back to the carpet...the rest of the library (stacks, mezzanine, staircase and addition) will be completed during the week of January 11, 2010. We're really looking forward to having it all done!

Happy Holidays to All

Our holidays hours are as follows:

Thursday, Dec. 24: 9am - 12pm
Friday & Saturday, Dec. 25 & 26: Closed
Thursday, Dec. 31: 9am - 4pm
Friday, Jan. 1: Closed

We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

The Cliquetionary is Here, The Cliquetionary is Here!

The Clique series by Lisi Harrison is a teen book series that is similar to Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar (yes the one that the TV show is based on). Well, we just received the book Cliquetionary: the Wit and Wisdom of the Clique, and let me tell you it is amusing. It actually has one of those word wheels on the cover and helps you understand what sayings like EW (eternal wannabe) and GLU (girls like us) mean. The word that always comes to mind when I see this series is SNARKY. I can understand why the series is so popular because it is pretty funny and clever, but I do hope most things in the books are fiction and there aren't really girls in the world who say things like "No ones loves inner beauty more than unattractive wannabes"--one can only hope.

Ladybug Picture Book Award Results

During the month of November, 20,441 New Hampshire children from preschoolers to those in third grade voted for their favorite book from the 2009 list of Ladybug Picture Book Award nominees.

And the winner is...Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox (receiving 3,467votes!).

This award, designed to promote early literacy and honor the best in recent children's picture books, is a project of the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library. Click here to see the complete voting results.

Nearly Half a Century at the Top of Her Game

Driving into work this morning I heard P.D. James being interviewed on NPR--I couldn't believe that her first detective novel, Cover Her Face, came out in 1962! I am a big fan of her Adam Dalgliesh series, and so it was interesting to hear her talk about the character, her take on what makes a good mystery novel, and authors who have influenced her. She believes the the "golden age" of detective fiction was in the time between the World Wars. She mentions four authors, who wrote during this "golden age", who she believes helped to "[lift] a rather despised genre into a form which could be taken seriously": Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. She has just released a book Talking About Detective Fiction that examines the craft of the genre from top to bottom. If you have any interest in writing detective fiction this book would definitely be worth a look.

City Hall Burns Down

Actually, I should be more specific since three of Dover's City Halls have burned down. I am referring to the City Hall Opera House which burned in 1933. The Opera House was a grand structure which could seat 1800 people. It had a floor capable of raising and lowering, three tiered balconies with brass and velvet trim, and a chandelier with 95 electric light bulbs.

One of the exciting finds in the photo album that was donated to us this month was several never before seen photos of the 1933 fire. Take a look.

New Use for Your iPhone

My niece told me she scanned her library card barcode into her iPhone and presents her iPhone at the Library to check out books. She doesn't always have her library card with her but she always has that phone on her! I thought that was a pretty creative use of an iPhone, and pretty cool that her Library's barcode scanners could read the image on her iPhone.
Has anyone else heard of this being done?