WordWeaver's blog

......to share with you. There are three good ones for you to enjoy. Two of them are a little bit scary and the third is just for fun.

The first is THE SEER OF SHADOWS by Avi. It is a ghost story set in New York City in 1872. Fourteen-year-old Horace is a photographer's apprentice whose employer embarks on a scheme to trick a rich family out of money by placing an image of their dead daughter in a photograph taken of the mother. Little does Horace expect that somehow he makes the ghost come alive in the photograph and that the ghost is out for revenge! Ages 10 and up.

I came across a really wonderful and fun website from Ben & Jerry's "in the magazine, "Library Sparks", Oct., 2008. I had to tear myself away from it in order to write this to share with you. Kids, grownups, everyone will have a ball with this website which celebrates the season.

Get on the bandwagon! Voting is a very special privilege that Americans have. Even if you are too young to vote in this election, you'll learn lots about the democratic process that is our government and relates to the freedom we all enjoy by going to these websites courtesy of "School Library Journal", September, 2008. The Democracy Project.PBSKIDSDEMOCRACYPROJECT Grades 3 - 6 - Interactive features incorporate kids' own interests and issues as they learn about democracy in a virtual voting booth; investigate the functions of government by clicking civic buildings; and explore trivia, photos and facts while acting as "President for a Day." Election Connection 2008.ELECTIONCONNECTION2008 Grades 3 - 6 - This kids' guide to the current election provides basic information in an easy-to-navigate format. Brief candidate biographies, neatly supplemented by a general comparison of their positions on major issues, make a good starting point for elementary school students.

a really neat list of new books for ages 9 and up. Just follow this link to see it. Click on the spotlight icon.

There's a great website list provided by the American Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children. It includes grade
levels and covers websites from Animals, the Arts, Literature, Mathmatics & Computers to History & Biography, Reference, the Sciences and Social Sciences.
These will be a great help in doing research for homework and for just exploring and learning fantastic facts. The link is.........

I look forward to seeing you this summer when hopefully you'll have more time to read. I've got tons of new books available and lists galore. We have lists available here in the library and will have some posted on our kids web page so keep checking.

To start you off, try reading WAY DOWN DEEP by Ruth White. It is part mystery and part fable and will make you want to live in this very special town with the orphan Ruby June and the wonderful people who surround her. Where did she come from? Ages 9 and up.

WordWeaver.  Read THE CANDY SHOP WARS by Brandon Mull and you'll never take candy from strangers.

First, a new candy store in town; then the nice, grandmotherly owner gives four friends some magical candy samples.

Happy Spring! It's great to get outside and smell the flowers now. On those drippy, dreary, rainy days,check out our upcoming children's dvds coming out soon. VEGGIE TALES: LESSONS FROM THE SOCK DRAWER due out 5/6. NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS due out 5/20. GO DIEGO GO! GREAT GORILLA! due out 6/3. NAKED BROTHERS BAND: POLAR BEARS due out 6/17. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES due out 6/24. THE BACKYARDIGANS: MIGHTY MATCH UP! due out 7/8. HANNAH MONTANA AND MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH due out 8/19. HAPPY VIEWING!   (Posted 4/24/08).

at these new nonfiction books for ages 9 and up. They look really interesting.
REAL PRINCESSES: AN INSIDE LOOK AT ROYAL LIFE by Valerie Wilding. From the late, Princess Diana to the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, you'll get a glimpse into the lives of real princesses. There are great photos and lots of fascinating facts. Enjoy!

while listening to the new podcasts on our website.
Did you know you can click on audio which is listed on the lefthand
side of the webpage and go to a listing of podcasts done
by our Westlake Youth Services Librarians?

Or you can look on the righthand side of the kids pages on
our website and discover a frog who will welcome you to
Storynory Audio for kids. This is a widget from the UK
with podcast stories recorded for kids that you can access