Stay cozy this winter and read along with ACPL to earn awesome prizes!

From January 1st to January 31st, the Allen County Public Library will participate in the inaugural nationwide Winter Reading Challenge. We challenge everyone to read at least 10 hours during the month and keep track of their reading on our Beanstack site at www.acpl.info/spark.

Over 100 libraries and schools across the nation will encourage their communities to read a target number of minutes and books. If we reach the nationwide goal, "Shark Tank" investor Mark Cuban will donate $25,000 to the organization "First Book," which provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need.

ACPL readers who log 5 hours and 10 hours of reading on our site will be entered to win a variety of excellent prizes! Signing up is free and easy. Visit www.acpl.info/spark to get started!

Share your progress on social media using #WinterRead2018 and visit any ACPL branch for a bookmark to track your reading hours. Follow the Allen County Public Library on Facebook and Instagram all month long for exclusive prize announcements!

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017
269 pages

Imagine. An island with only 9 people on it, all kids. Enough food, shelter, and clothing is available for all. And each year, a boat arrives with a new child and the oldest child on the island is taken away. Why? Well, because, as the rhyme they all know says “Nine on an island, orphans all, / Any more, the sky might fall.”

Fascinating premise, yes?

But how did this island come to be? And where do the children come from? And where do they go to? And what’s up with the strange fog that surrounds the island? And what would happen if the rhyme was questioned? What if one year, the oldest child refuses to be taken away?

The story opens with the arrival through a heavy mist of the green boat. Everyone knows the boat will contain a child and will take away Deen, the oldest of the current island inhabitants. This will leave Jinny, as the new oldest, the responsibility of teaching Ess, her new Care, everything she needs to know about the island… like how to swim, how to read, and how to eat. The characters—including the character of the island itself – are well-developed and grow throughout the story lending credibility to the plot even while (often unanswered) questions are raised.

This is a book that would be even more fun to read if someone you know has also read it because it elicits so many questions which you NEED to discuss with someone. Go grab this book. And then grab another copy for a friend to read.

I can't wait to talk about this book at our Mock Newbery discussion which will be held on February 3rd, 2018 at the Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne, IN. Or add your comments below!  We'd love to know what YOU thought of this title.

Each week, beginning the first week of November 2017 through the last week of January 2018, we will be discussing one (or more) of the titles on our 2018 Mock Newbery list. (The complete list of titles we'll be discussing can be found here.)

Before the 2018 new books start arriving, here's a tool to help you catch up on the best of 2017. National Public Radio staff put together a list of their favorite 350 books published over the past year, and then someone created this search tool for you to match them with your own interests: 

It's quite elegant. Click on a type of book among the categories on the left side. Then click on another one to narrow your search to just those two categories. Keep on going until you have what you want, or click on a minus sign to remove a filter or click on Clear filters and start over. Or, if you are truly behind on your reading, go deeper by clicking on an earlier year to see older NPR staff favorites. The interactive format only goes back to 2013, but there are lists from five years before that.

After you have made your own list, of course, then switch to our catalog and start finding the titles in the library. As always, if you have trouble finding something, call us at 260-421-1215 or write to us at ask@acpl.info and we'll pursue it for you.  



Evan - Married, three children, two grandchildren, formerly a newspaper journalist, now a public librarian, at all times a board game nut.

The books listed here are more new teen romance novels to read during winter's break...

 

Scott M, Editor - Scott is known around Shawnee Branch and about town as the “Library Dude” and is kind of squirrelly!  His favorite short story is Leaf by Niggle written by JRR Tolkien and he also works for chocolate brownies and Rice-Crispy treats!

 

When My Sister Started Kissing by Helen Frost
Margaret Ferguson Books, 2017
193 pages

Let me just start by saying I love the work of Helen Frost. I eagerly anticipate her newest works and always enjoy the craft of her novels in verse. At times her poetry begs to be read aloud; at other times it whispers the need to be devoured quietly and carefully considered. I love her work.

When My Sister Started Kissing, a novel in verse, is a summer story of two sisters. Claire and Abi are 10 and 13, and they have always spent summers at their cabin on the lake with their family. But this summer is different. Dad has a new (pregnant) wife and Abi is suddenly more interested in boys than in her sister. This is a lovely family story about growing up, told from three different viewpoints, each using their own style of poems, as Claire, Abi, and the lake itself all share their feelings and their unique perspectives about a very special summer as a family relationship – and a relationship between sisters specifically – grows and changes and strengthens.

I can't wait to talk about this book at our Mock Newbery discussion which will be held on February 3rd, 2018 at the Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne, IN. Or add your comments below!  We'd love to know what YOU thought of this title.

Each week, beginning the first week of November 2017 through the last week of January 2018, we will be discussing one (or more) of the titles on our 2018 Mock Newbery list. (The complete list of titles we'll be discussing can be found here.)

Ready to ring in the new year? Come celebrate a day early at the Aboite Branch's Noon Year's Eve Eve Party! The party is from 11am-1pm on Saturday, December 30th. We will have refreshments, a selfie station, and make-a-resolution cards. The party will culminate with a countdown to noon and sparkling juice toast. This event is open to all ages, so gather your friends and family and come to the Aboite Branch to get your 2018 started out right!

Ready to ring in the new year? Come celebrate a day early at the Aboite Branch's Noon Year's Eve Eve Party! The party is from 11am-1pm on Saturday, December 30th. We will have refreshments, a selfie station, and make-a-resolution cards. The party will culminate with a countdown to noon and sparkling juice toast. This event is open to all ages, so gather your friends and family and come to the Aboite Branch to get your 2018 started out right!

All locations of the Allen County Public Library have fun activities planned the next few weeks. Here are just a few:

Star Wars Fest at Tecumseh Branch Library
--Try something Star Wars themed every day we're open during winter break.

Winter Break Fun at Pontiac Branch Library
--If you're bored on winter break, come hang out with friends at the library and do crafts, play board games, build with a variety of blocks and Legos, and more. If weather permits, we just might build a snowman! A different fun option each day.

Can You Escape? at New Haven Branch Library
--Can you escape the room before time runs out?


For a complete list visit our online calendar, select the dates and locations you're interested in then click search.   

Don't forget, all ACPL locations will be closed December 24, 25, 26 & January 1.

The books listed here are new teen romance novels to cuddle up to on a cold winter's night...

 

Scott M, Editor - Scott is known around Shawnee Branch and about town as the “Library Dude” and is kind of squirrelly!  His favorite short story is Leaf by Niggle written by JRR Tolkien and he also works for chocolate brownies and Rice-Crispy treats!

 

Looking for something a little different to read this holiday season?  We offer you tales of Christmas in the future, in space, and on other planets.  Bonus: most of these recommendations are short story collections, perfect for break-sized reading!


A Cosmic Christmas to You (stories)
This creative and sprightly Christmas science fiction anthology spins in some surprising directions.  Joe Haldeman's "Angel of Light," is about a father trying to sell a scandalous ancient book to buy Christmas presents, Connie Willis's "Christmas Card" features aliens competing to think up the best not-gifts, and Tee Morris's steampunk "In the Spirit of Christmas" introduces us to a Scrooge who summons Eliza and Wellington from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences to rid him of some ghosts.  9 additional tales celebrate Christmas in off-beat ways.


To Follow A Star (stories)
Christmas on Ganymede by Isaac Asimov is a humorous tale in which the Ossies, Ganymede's native race, refuse to work until the get a visit from Santa.  The Star by Arthur C. Clarke considers the origin of the star that led the wise men to Bethlehem.  Other stories include: Santa Claus Planet by Frank M. Robinson, The Christmas Present by Gordon R. Dickson, Christmas Treason by James White,The New Father Christmas by Brian W. Aldiss, and La Befana by Gene Wolfe.



Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (stories)
The holidays can bring out the beast in anyone. They are particularly hard for lycanthropes. Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner have harvested the scariest, funniest, and saddest werewolf tales by an outstanding pack of authors, best read by the light of a full moon with a silver bullet close at hand. Whether wolfing down a holiday feast (use your imagination) or craving some hair of the dog on New Year's morning, the werewolves in these frighteningly original stories will surprise, delight, amuse, and scare the pants off readers who love a little wolfsbane with their mistletoe.


 Christmas Forever (stories)
A legendary birth is given a new twist in Roger Zelazny's "Prince of the Powers of This World"; a grieving friend finds the true magic of Christmas in Charles de Lint's "Pal O' Mine"; Sarah Smith's "Christmas at the Edge" evokes the best of the Christmas spirit in a near-future Boston that's sinking below sea level; and three unusual creatures discover a common bond in Alan Dean Foster's "We Three Kings." These, and 24 other original stories by a stellar group of authors, provide unique and sometimes disturbing interpretations of the holiday season. *You might also like Christmas Magic and Christmas Stars.


Hiddensee by Gregory Maquire
Hiddensee imagines the backstory of the Nutcracker, revealing how this entrancing creature came to be carved and how he guided an ailing girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a Christmas Eve. At the heart of Hoffmann's mysterious tale hovers Godfather Drosselmeier -- the ominous, canny, one-eyed toy maker made immortal by Petipa and Tchaikovsky's fairy tale ballet -- who presents the once and future Nutcracker to Klara, his goddaughter.


Hogfather by Terry Pratchett.

It's that time of year again. Hogswatchnight. 'Tis the season when the Hogfather himself dons his red suit and climbs in his sleigh pulled by -- of course! -- eight hogs and brings gifts to all the boys and girls of Discworld.

But this year, there's a problem. A stranger has taken the place of the Hogfather. Well, not exactly a stranger. He's actually pretty well known. He carries a scythe along with his bag of toys, and he's going to SLEIGH everyone he sees tonight.  Ho ho ho.

A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis.
The winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, Connie Willis offers an expanded, updated edition of her previously published Miracle and Other Christmas Stories.  "All Seated on the Ground" imagines a first contact with aliens in which carols are the keys to communication. The Holy Family appear via time travel or dimensional warping to be initially unwelcome again in "Inn," and modern-day magi travel from the East in "Epiphany." 8 other speculative stories round out this wry collection.


A Yuletide Universe (stories)
Editor Thomsen pulls together Christmas tales by mostly sf and fantasy authors, although stories by mystery authors Donald E. Westlake and James Powell, Oz-inventor L. Frank Baum, and western writer Bret Harte appear, too.  In a "A Proper Santa Claus" by Anne McCaffrey, young Jeffrey has the ability to paint things and make them real -- he decides to create the perfect Santa.  Neil Gaiman offers a very short story "Nicholas Was" -- rumor has it he wrote it for a Christmas card for his friends.  14 other tales round out this unique collection.



What types of books do you love to read this time of year?

It may not be the most revolutionary thing to say that you’re not excited for the holiday season, but I feel as though it still needs to be remembered that not everyone is on board for the yearly high-strung antics at the end of the year.   I feel like this fits in well with those who happen to swing more towards introversion, but I’m sure there is a large portion of extroverts who some years find it more than a bit hard to swallow everything that goes on with the holiday season.  With that in mind, I started to wonder – what movies would I recommend to people who would love to really make it a point to think outside of the box of traditional holiday movie fare this season?  Maybe a little anti-holiday, while we’re at it?

Even if you don’t have a problem with the festivities, it’s nice to have a palate cleanser from It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story (both of which I honestly do love).  If you happen to feel the same way, check out the list below for some ideas of what to watch to commemorate our cultural obsession with materialism and nostalgic family values.

The Ice Harvest – A cynical noir that literally murders and cheats the whole ideal of peace on Earth or goodwill to mankind.  The dream of getting out of a dead-end town during Christmas Eve for two men is turned into a scheme to steal a fortune that they’ve embezzled.  In short order, everything that could go wrong on Christmas Eve does. It’s a criminally underrated gem of black comedy from the late great Harold Ramis, a definite must-have especially for fans of the equally as cynical In Bruges. 

Bad Santa – Believe it or not, this movie is a less of a cynical razing of Christmas values and traditions and more of what feels like a cathartic destruction of all of the materialist fakeness that has become synonymous with the holiday.  It has a good heart.  You know, beneath the layers of dark, dark and downright disgusting humor.   This movie is equal parts heist, shock value drunken antics, and a strangely humanistic message.  And boy do I love it.


Gremlins – Recently, I’ve come to see this movie as one that is about a symbolic destruction of traditional upper-middle class small town Americana during the most Americana of all holidays.  And it’s still an absolute blast, decades (!) later.   A small town apocalypse not from a Blob or zombies, but from reptilian Furby-like monsters whose existence is due to the mishandling of a pet treated like an early Christmas present.   And don’t let anyone tell you that the sequel, while a different beast all its own, isn’t fun either!

Die Hard – A retired police detective finds that the reunion he planned with his estranged wife has been turned into a terrorist hostage situation, during which he is left to try to save the day with his wits and steely, working-class manly-manliness.  There’s a lot of gun fire and a whole lot of glass embedded in shoeless feet, as well as an Alan Rickman performance with a kinda-sorta Russian(?) accent at work that I just love.  What’s not to love with this rightful classic?  Oh, it all happens to also take place in a giant office building during Christmas.  Ho ho ho. 


Krampus – This movie feels like it was ripped from the eighties, when hardcore nightmare material was given to kids freely, complete with a PG rating slapped on it (see the above Gremlins recommendation).  The sound design and the practical effects are on point, and Krampus – the shadow of Santa Claus – appears in this dark twist on the holiday's mascot.  If you’re wanting something on the same level of quality as what Trick r Treat or Creepshow would do with a Christmas monster mash, then this is the movie for you.  Merciless and nihilistic as it casts a dark and demented shadow over twinkling Christmas lights, Krampus might be the hardcore horror fan’s answer for what to watch during the holidays.

Tokyo Godfathers – If I had to pick a Christmas movie that’s not about crime, blood, or monsters – one that is genuinely a mostly uplifting tale about the tenacity of the human spirit – this is the one.  Yes, an anime captures the spirit of Christmas in a way that barely nothing else ever has for me.   The master of Japanese animation, Satoshi Kon, created a spin on the idea of the three wise men with this movie.   Only, our “three wise men” take the form of an alcoholic homeless man, a transgender woman, and a teenaged runaway. They find themselves fighting to find a safe place for a baby found in garbage while struggling with their own personal demons.  It’s gorgeous, emotional, and manages to not be offensively patronizing while still giving a message of hope and determination to not give up.

Kayla loves all things weird, wonderful, and macabre. Her soul’s in writing, and her hobbies include gaming, watching movies and television shows, and reading anything and everything. Her black cat’s TOTALLY, 100%, not evil.

I'm going to blame myself.
I have read to my kids since before they were born so my kids have heard a lot of stories. Now my first grader is learning to read on his own and most any time he comes to a word he doesn't know he just makes something up. He knows how stories work in general, and how a particular story is unfolding as he reads it, so he just says something that would go along with what he's just read.


As a former reading teacher I know he's using context cues as opposed to visual cues in reading when he gets stuck. If he were using visual cues then he'd look at the first letter of the mystery word and try to sound out the parts he sees. But nope, he just picks a word that makes sense in the story regardless of how it matches with the word on the page.

There are lots of ways to help him pay closer attention to the words in a book. I'm working to teach him that he has to read what he sees. He can't just make stuff up.


This book by Mo Willems was a fun read last week because it helped direct his eyes to the words. The little chicks in That is Not a Good Idea warn the characters over and over about impending doom. Each time they are more urgent and each time the reader has to make sure to read the right number of really-s. It's a simple but spot-on practice tool for a 1st grader and it's an extra silly book. That's a win for me and a win for my new reader.

Let your librarian know if you're looking for books for your new reader. We love helping find just the right books for fun and practice!

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Greenwillow Books, 2017

313 pages

 

It’s not every day that a middle grade book tackles a concept as poignant as fate, but in Hello, Universe, four kids discover that fate has plans for them.

 

Virgil: Virgil wants nothing more than to be the hero of his own story. He wants to stand up to bullies, be accepted by his family, and even just say hello to his crush. However, his shyness keeps getting in the way.

 

Valencia: Valencia is convinced that she doesn’t need friends. All she needs is her zoological diary and the great outdoors. While she may not need friends, she would like someone to explain the weird dream that she’s been having.

 

Kaori: Kaori is a psychic and a proud Gemini, she also runs a small business in which she reads other peoples’ fates. But when a friend goes missing, Kaori will need the universe’s help in finding him.

 

Gen: Gen is Kaori’s little sister. She often helps with her older sister’s psychic readings and tends to carry around a pink jump rope.

 

When a bully throws Virgil’s pet guinea pig into a dried up well, Virgil climbs down and ends up getting stuck. When he doesn’t show up to his scheduled psychic reading, Kaori enlists the help of Valencia and Gen to find him.

 

Eloquent writing and strong themes of friendship and acceptance makes this book a page turner that is hard to put down. Is it good enough to win the Newbery? We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

I can't wait to talk about this book at our Mock Newbery discussion which will be held on February 3rd, 2018 at the Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne, IN. Or add your comments below!  We'd love to know what YOU thought of this title.

---

 

Each week, beginning the first week of November 2017 through the last week of January 2018, we will be discussing one (or more) of the titles on our 2018 Mock Newbery list. (The complete list of titles we'll be discussing can be found here.)

Social Science Sleuths is a free class for home-schooled middle and high school students. This winter's Social Science Sleuth's topic will be Econ Recon: An Overview of Economics.

This class meets Monday mornings beginning January 8, at 10:30 am at our Hessen Cassel branch, 3030 E Paulding Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46816. The final class of this session will be on April 2.

What is Econ Recon? To do reconnaissance is: "a mission to obtain information by observation or other detection methods, about the activities, resources and characteristics of a particular area. " We will be surveying broad areas in the field of economics to get an idea of what it means, how it works and why we should all know something about it. 

For more information please email or call Karen Nesius Roeger at knesiusroeger@acpl.info or 421-1330. There is no charge for this library program.

Please don't worry; it is just for a few days. The Early Learning Center at the Main Library will be closed Monday, December 18, through Wednesday, December 20, so some maintenance can be done. Thanks for your understanding.

Photo by Stin Shen, via Instagram

Terraforming Mars is the hot thing at the intersection of science geekdom and board game geekdom. It's a prime example of how while you won't earn a PhD playing a board game, you -- or your kids -- may pick up key science ideas and start looking for more.

This superb game was designed by a Swedish science teacher, Jacob Fryxelius, It has a learning curve and takes a few hours to play, but it fulfills the promise so many games fail to do -- it plays out in very different ways each time. The main science lessons are a big reason for that. Players pretend to be corporations competing to turn Mars into a habitable world. That means making it warmer, getting oxygen into the atmosphere and creating oceans. With hundreds of science-rich cards in play, the paths to those three goals vary widely.

The game excited one player enough to write an essay about its clever science lessons. That writer thinks the game shows how "phenomenally stupid" it would be to try to  change a whole planet, but, of course, others think it can be done. Among the recent books we have on that are Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet by journalist Leonard David and Mars One, Humanity's Next Great Adventure: Inside the First Human Settlement on Mars by Norbert Kraft, a physician who helps select possible Mars pioneers.

Evolution is a popular topic for science games. One gamer put a recent game of that title on top of his list of accurate science games. I've played Evolution a few times, and it does show how survival depends on adapting to changing conditions -- which includes evolving competitors. If my animal eats all the available plants before my wife's can eat, well, too bad for her, but if her animal evolves into a predator, too bad for me. At least until I evolve horns, etc. 

Sure, science games are simplistic compared to a textbook, but so are history games, business games and the rest. The point is to teach themes and inspire curiosity, not prepare for a career. And, if the game is good, to have fun.

And speaking of fun, one more plug. If you are into heavy board games and like a science theme, look into Dominant Species. It's about species migrating to find resources as the Ice Age advances. Everybody's competing to flourish the most on different terrains with different food sources. It's an engrossing mish-mash of scientific concepts. Just beware of the spiders. 


Evan - Married, three children, two grandchildren, formerly a newspaper journalist, now a public librarian, at all times a board game nut.

Today is the day the Jewish Festival of Lights begins! Here are just some of the hundreds of Hanukkah items we have to borrow at the library. In addition to great print and audio items in our buildings we have hundreds of downloadable items on Hoopla and Overdrive and Freegal.

music CD	musical score	activity book
non-fiction book	non-fiction book	non-fiction book
story book	story book	story book

A few years ago (okay, quite a few years ago) I was in Nashville, TN drinking my morning POM and a friend of mine was drinking a Red Bull.  I said to my friend, “Friend, I’m gonna live longer.”  And Friend said to me, “Craig, I’m gonna live faster.”  I guess it’s all in what your goal-set is.  Anyway, I listened to Hank Williams III’s Greatest Hits and it closely reminded me of the above conversation.  To Hank’s credit, I guess he can play just as fast as he’s living.

Suggested Use: The cautionary part of me wants to say, listen to this album and learn from it what you need to avoid if you want a good chance of making it to retirement.  Another part of me wants to say, listen to this album and learn from it how to make your own luck.  I think I will end up simply saying, though, that track 2, "Country Heroes," is quite charming and worth a listen ... or two, and the breadth of experience it encompasses is sure to be illuminating, no matter what your goal-set happens to be.

Did you know that the sun will set at 5:15 pm on December 21st making that day the darkest/shortest day of the entire year? On that day the sun will be so far away from the earth that its light can only reach us for a total of nine hours!

That means we've all got an extra excuse to grab a blanket, a shiny flashlight, and a great book or two!

Join us at the Main Library in the Children's Services department at 6:30 pm on December 21st as we settle in and celebrate the winter solstice with an especially cozy evening storytime. Who knows?! We might even build a blanket fort or two!

In the meantime, check out some of these great wintry, solstice-y books from an ACPL library location near you!

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer

Winter Moon Song by Martha Brooks

Winter Friends by Mary Quattlebaum

A Solstice Tree for Jenny by Karen Shragg

How do librarians know what titles are coming out when?  How do we decide which of those titles we'll purchase for the collection?  We have several sources, but Publishers Weekly (PW) is one of my personal favorites.  PW reviews around 9,000 books a year. 

For this month's post, I've taken the liberty of going through the October issues of Publishers Weekly (PW) and sharing the upcoming releases their reviewers are most excited about.  Each of these titles received a starred review.  We don't have all of these titles in the collection yet -- most are due to hit the shelves in bookstores and libraries next month -- but you can place a hold on your copy now.  Or, if you're like me, and you're typically at the 5 holds per person max, you can keep tabs on your picks a couple of ways.

My favorite way to keep track of books I want to read is through ACPL's catalog.  Heather wrote an excellent post on how to do this -- click here for the details.  Goodreads and LibraryThing are also options.

Which of these catches your eye? 


Fiction coming to the collection December 2017



Nonfiction coming to the collection December 2017


Click here to see previous Coming soon to a bookshelf near you posts.

Becky likes to read … A LOT. When she’s not reading, she likes to pretend that she can garden. Her favorite books are The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz and The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman..