Happy Birthday America!

 

Our minds have already moved into July and all three of us are looking forward to a long 4^th of July weekend. We wish all of you a festive weekend as well as we celebrate the 245^th birthday of our nation. I think that we will try to catch some of the fireworks at Stinson Lake on the 3^rd.

What's Happening This Week (June 21-26 2021)

This Week marks the start of our Summer Reading Challenge for adults and young adults and will end with a drawing at 11am on Old Home Day for a $25.00 VISA gift certificate. 

Each time you finish a book, you are invited to fill out a simple rating slip and you will then be entered into our contest. You may read as many books as you like and, please know, that we have lots of new books just waiting for you. Happy Reading

 

Congratulations Louise Erdrich for her Pulitzer win for The Night Watchman!

Louise Erdrich has just been selected as the Pulizer Prize winner for fiction for 2021 for her book The Night Watchman. Ms. Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, has drawn upon her background and blended the traditions of oral and written storytelling in her writing. She based The Night Watchman on the life of her maternal grandfather, a night watchman whose reservation in rural North Dakota was threatened in the 1950s by congressional legislation. Pulitzer judges called called Erdrich's novel "a majestic, polyphonic novel about a community's efforts to halt the proposed displacement and elimination of several Native American tribes".

This is the first Pulitzer for Erdrich who turned 67 this week and has been a published author for more than 40 years. Her previous honors include a National Book Award for The Round House and the National Book Critics Circle prize for LaRose.

At last... June! Updated 6/15/21

 

School will soon be out which means it is time for our Summer Reading Program 2021 to get underway… Tails and Tales will run from June 21^st to July 31^st and will certainly spice up your summer days. We encourage you to visit the library each week for a variety of activities… Weekly Guessing Jar with prizes, activity sheets and scavenger hunts, a Library Fitness Challenge, a Story Walk on the Common, Nature Activity Back Packs to check out and a party at the end to celebrate all we have done! What have I forgotten?? Books… New books are arriving all the time to supplement the wonderful collection we already have… We will be encouraging the children to track their reading with prizes being offered at the end.

Outside Story Time will continue each Monday morning at 10 am - next time June 21st rain or shine - through the end of June. We will meet on the front steps, enjoy a story, and then have time for the children to play outside and come into the library to check out books.

Our Beach Book Read for the adults starts on June 16^th with a lot of new books exactly right for the crazy, hazy days of summer… For me, summer is all about finding the perfect book… One that will take me away for hours at a time, whether I am at the beach, by the pool, or just enjoying a lazy afternoon on my porch. Genres can vary if I am reading an absorbing story with compelling characters and great dialogue. Next week we will be adding a list of some super reads!

 

May is flying by, the leaves are beginning to appear, and we are all anxious to get outside and get moving... With that in mind, we invite you to participate in our Library Fitness Challenge!!!

This is a come anytime event for the whole family to test (and improve!!) your physical fitness. When you come to the library go to the left and follow the signs posted in the lower windows around the outside of the building.

You can come as often as you like, bring a friend, and have some fun. You may see some improvement in your stamina and balance each time as you go the course. 

Keep Jane posted on your participation!  jkelso@rumneylibrary.org

Calling All Kids - New Books!

 

Calling all kids! Here is a sampling of the newest, latest, greatest books in our collections. There is something for everyone. To see our complete list of books on the website click on Books to the left and select for the age on the drop down menu.

 

New Picture Books

 

Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabot

Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith. Sometimes you might fall down, down, down, before you learn to fly up,up,up

 

 

 

Little Wolf’s First Howling by Laura McGee Kvasnosky 

Little Wolf can hardly wait. Tonight he will howl at the moon to the top of the sky. First, Big Wolf demonstrates traditional howling form: AAAAAAAAAAOOOOOooooooooo. Then it’s Little Wolf’s turn. He’s sure he is ready, but when the big moment comes, something happens. Something unexpected, something wild, something unbe-beep-bop-believable! 

 

 

 

Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket by Sue Fliess

Sadie Sprocket is ready to soar! Sadie Sprocket is a girl with a big dream―to go to Mars! She learns everything she can about the planet and space, then assembles her crew of trusty stuffed animals. Together they build a rocket and prepare for the historic journey. And then finally―blastoff! With cheery rhyming text and quirky artwork, this is a story about dreaming big and reaching for the stars. The book includes facts about Mars and women in space to inspire budding explorers everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Poetry Month

 

 

Runny Babbit- a Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein

Runny Babbit is Shel Silverstein's hilarious book of spoonerisms—words or phrases with letters or syllables swapped: bunny rabbit becomes Runny Babbit. Welcome to the world of Runny Babbit and his friends Toe Jurtle, Skertie Gunk, Rirty Dat, Dungry Hog, Snerry Jake, and many others who speak a topsy-turvy language all their own.

 

When the Moon is Full by Mary Azarian

A beautiful collection of poems that gives the name of the twelve full moons according to Native American tradition.   June is the Strawberry Moon, when "We feast all night in moon's spotlight…”

Beautifully illustrated with detailed hand-colored woodcuts.

 

 

 

 

J Fiction

 

Amari and the Night Brothers, by B.B. Alston

 Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. When she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she is certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real. A magical and high-flying fantasy!

 

The Wizards of Once Series, by Cressida Cowell

From the author of How to Train Your Dragon comes a new four book series full of new adventure, wizards, witches, and warriors, “Once there was Magic. It was a long, long time ago, in the British Isles so old it did not know it was the British Isles yet, and the Magic lived in the dark forests.” For all lovers of Wings of Fire and Harry Potter.

 

 

 

YA Fiction

 

Check out our new YA Graphic fiction section. Our newest additions are

 

Oliver Twist, by Dan Johnson (Charles Dickens)

Oliver has spent his first nine years struggling to survive in a world that has little pity for a poor orphan. After Oliver gets involved with the nefarious Fagin and the sinister Bill Sikes, he is wounded during a burglary. Oliver is rescued by Sikes's intended victims. At last, the boy finds a home and people who care for him.

 

Call of the Wild, by Jack London

Buck is a four year old shepherd dog living a pampered life as an estate dog. His life changes when he is suddenly kidnapped and sold into service during the Klondike gold rush and made to haul heavy sleds through the deep snow. He learns not only to survive, but also flourishes in it.

Jack London's The Call of the Wild is a masterpiece - a story for all ages.

April 2021...a whole new season at Byron G Merrill Library!

 

Congratulations to Rainey Durham!    Rainey, an excellent guesser, was able to correctly identify how many gold coins our Irish leprechaun placed in our library. Good going Rainey! Hope you enjoy your special prizes.

 

National Library Week – April 4^th – 10^th 2021 – Welcome to Your Library!

    Join us as we celebrate Byron G Merrill Library’s 107^th year. This year’s theme, “Welcome to Your Library,” promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building – and that everyone is welcome to use their services. During the pandemic libraries have been going above and beyond to adapt to our changing world by expanding their resources and continuing to meet the needs of their users. Whether people visit in person or virtually, libraries offer opportunities for everyone to explore new worlds and become their best selves through access to technology, multimedia content, and educational programs.

          Throughout the month of April, we will be welcoming patrons old and new. You are invited to apply for borrowing privileges, renew your card (cards expire at the end of 3 years), sign up for “downloadable” eBooks and audios, peruse our Book Sale offerings, and, of course, check out books! We look forward to seeing you in person or “on-line”!

Story Time and Other Fun Things... Each week we post a new story time for our 2 - 7  year age youngsters. Take a look and let us know if there is a special story you would like us to add to our collection. (Click on Story Time over to the left and select a story. You will, from time to time also see some book reviews.)

Book Review and a Special Treat…     On a mountain somewhere above treeline, in some of the coldest and worst winter conditions imaginable, two men lie unconscious in the snow as explosive winds batter the nearby summits.

          In The Last Traverse: Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites, New Hampshire author, Ty Gagne, masterfully lays out the events that led up to an epic and legendary rescue attempt in severe and dangerous winter conditions in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. More than a cautionary tale, it is a tribute to all the volunteers and professionals who willingly put themselves in harm’s way to save lives. This is a must read for anyway who hikes the Whites.

      And now for the special surprise! We have been invited to join Gilford Public Library’s Author Series – Wednesday, April 7^th at 5 PM  – a discussion and presentation with author Ty Gagne. It will be on Zoom and all you need to do is register. Click here to register

:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkc-itqjIiHNZ0qYeVhQuY1L01iOcZminB

National Poetry Month…

          National Poetry Month is a literary celebration which is celebrated all over the world by millions of people. The purpose of this holiday is to mark the importance of poetry in our lives and to remember the great poets who created this poetry. We all have great memories of hearing and learning special poems throughout the years. I still remember, as a fourth grader, memorizing The Children’s Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. That same year, my dear aunts, took me to visit his home on Brattle Street in Cambridge and we share the same birthday! In 2019. our granddaughter participated in Poetry Out Loud at the NH State House in Concord. How exciting it was to listen to these talented high school finalists from around the state and how proud we were of our Cate.

          How do you plan to celebrate this special month. Of course we have a few suggestions!

·         * Write a haiku about the library and share it with us
 * Check out one of poetry collections
*  Read a poem by a New Hampshire author…. Just look in the NH section
 * Go to Play Store and download a ‘Poem a Day’ app on your phone

Awesome Book Sale in Progress...    We have several bookcases in the lower lobby packed full with wonderful books looking for a new home. Sheila has everything tidy with fiction books arranged in order alphabetically by author. We also have a large nonfiction area with all sorts of offerings. We are constantly receiving donations so our sale always has something new!  As usual, we ask that you make a donation to help with our library projects.

Wishing everyone a wonderful April…. www.rumneylibrary.org for the latest updates!