Newark Library Blog


Feng Shui Workshop by Kat Blair
Thursday, December 30, 2010, 10:25 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

Are you pleased with what your home says about who you are? Are your relationships, finances, health, career, children and family doing well? Where are they represented in your home and how can you improve them? Does your home help or hinder you in achieving your goals?

Our living and working environments reflect our inner environment. Learn how to enhance your life. Take advantage of the New Year’s fresh energy flow, assess and adjust your life.

Bring: An open heart, fresh eyes, and a floor plan of your home or business and lot on January 8th, 2011 from 1-3 p.m. to the Newark Library.

Registration is required. Sign up at the Information Desk at Newark Library in Newark, California, call Barbara at (510) 795-2627 x20 or email btelford-ishida@aclibrary.org .



Children’s Book Reviews by Kat Blair
Thursday, December 23, 2010, 2:03 pm
Filed under: Book Review, children

World’s End by Jake Halpern

The second book of the Dormia series resumes the adventures of Alfonso Perplexon, Great Sleeper and now fifteen, who has been sleeping normally until he goes on a school field trip to the catacombs of Paris. There he falls asleep and finds himself in the midst of another quest. This time it is visions of his presumed-dead father and a strange hexagonal hole in the ground that spur him on to return to Dormia. Back in the company of his uncle Hill, Bilblox and his seeing-eye-wolf, and a now-beautiful Resuza, Alfonso is plunged into a mysterious journey on the underground Fault Roads in an attempt to find the Dormian city of Jasber on the trail of both the escaped Kiril and perhaps his father, Leif Perplexon. But as the friends near Jasber, they are separated. All find themselves in dire straits as the story closes.

Little Wolf’s Song  by Boxer Books Limited

Every night Little Wolf’s family howls a beautiful song, combining his mother’s warm voice, his father’s deep one, his sister’s sweet one, and his brothers’ “happy, yappy” sound. To his distress, Little Wolf can only squeak, though his parents reassure him that his howl will come in time.

Big Nate Strikes Again  by Lincoln Peirce

Peirce’s second book about Big Nate is clever and funny. For Mrs. Godfrey’s newest special project, a research assignment on a great American, the sixth grader gets paired with the perfect A-plus student, Gina. Horrible as this seems, something great also occurs—Nate is picked as a Fleeceball team captain and has a chance to win the coveted Spoffy (Sports Played Only for Fun) trophy. Unfortunately, he is late to the gym when players are chosen, and Gina is on his team. The pacing of the text and the black-and-white comic-book illustrations give the story a fun and carefree rhythm.

New Book Alerts – Children’s Books 

New Book Alerts is a free online service that showcases the newest titles purchased by Alameda County Library. You can select to receive alerts via email and/or RSS feeds. If you see a new title that you are interested in, just click “borrow” to place a hold on the item right away.



Music by Eric and Suzy Thompson by Kat Blair
Thursday, December 16, 2010, 11:46 am
Filed under: Events, Libraries, Newark | Tags:

These virtuoso roots musicians specialize in the down-home sounds of the American South. Their musical palette includes Appalachian story-songs and bluegrass breakdowns, classic country blues, Louisiana Cajun dance music, and paso dobles from Puerto Rico.

Thanks to Newark Library League for making this holiday concert a free event for you! No pre-registration is needed, just show up at 2 p.m.

Here’s a little bit of Eric and Suzy’s music (from previous CDs), so make yourself at home!
   
MP3
 
Stop and Listen
 
Llevame Al Cielo
 
Three In One Twostep
 
When I Get Home


CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEWS by Kat Blair
Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 11:00 am
Filed under: Book Review, children, Libraries, Newark

 

Lullaby Moon by Rosie Reeve

“Slowly we wander home, too tired to play, / Sun-kissed and happy from our lovely day.”

After a day full of excitement, a parent and child mouse head home, knowing that the lullaby moon will shine down on them all through the night.

With lyrical text and cuddly pastel illustrations, this is the coziest way to ease into bedtime.[JPB REEVE]

Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas

“The day before her first day in middle school, Griffin Penshine is tricked into accepting a box of lucky pennies from a mysterious old woman. A note in the box explains that the coins are all wishes stolen from a fountain more than 70 years ago. Griffin is now unwillingly a Wish Stealer, and in order to avoid the fate that accompanies that title, she must return the pennies to the original owners or to someone who has a similar desire.”                            [J TRIVAS]

  Paper Airplanes: Copilot, Level 2   

“Do you have a few flight miles under your wings? Are you looking to test your folding skills on airplanes that will wow your friends? If so, join the ranks in Paper Airplanes, Co-pilot Level 2. From the Air Shark to the Nighthawk, the models in this book will send you soaring to new heights.”    



CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEWS by Kat Blair
Saturday, December 11, 2010, 10:26 am
Filed under: Book Review, children, Libraries, Newark

The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr

“Imagination is at the heart of this book as two sisters set out to camp in their backyard. Their red tent becomes a royal shelter, the wading pool a lake, and the sandbox is the desert they toil across. The princess is stalwart, but her little sister, the panther, is unnerved when night falls. After one too many scares by neighborhood animals, the girls do not predictably retreat into the safety of the house but, instead, stand up to the night and are brave—both of them. The final spread shows that all is well in the tent, with a bright moon shining and the sisters contentedly asleep.”                                  [JPB ORR]

Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley   The Invisible Order Book One

“Emily Snow is twelve years old, supporting herself and her younger brother on the streets of Victorian England by selling watercress. One early winter morning on her way to buy supplies, she encounters a piskie — a small but very sarcastic fey creature that has been cornered by a group of the Black Sidhe, piskies from an opposing clan. She rescues him and unknowingly becomes involved in a war between the Seelie and the Unseelie, two opposing factions of fairies that have been battling each other throughout the long centuries of human history, with London — and England itself — as the ultimate prize.

“When the Invisible Order — a centuries-old secret society of humans that has protected mankind from the fey’s interference — gets involved, things really start to get complicated.”                           [J CRILLEY]

Trains on the Move by Willow Clark

“Trains are some of the fastest and most useful vehicles in the world. Readers will learn all about the different types of trains, how they work, and how important they are in this exciting book.”                [J625.1 CLARK]



Origami by MaryA
Friday, December 10, 2010, 10:00 am
Filed under: children, Events, Libraries, Newark, teen | Tags: , , ,

Ignatius Hoh returns with another wonderful origami class! He will show us how to make ornaments in time for the holiday. He has five-point or eight-point stars for us to try out. No registration needed, just drop in!

Saturday, December 18th, 12-2 pm.



Card Class this weekend by MaryA
Thursday, December 2, 2010, 10:00 am
Filed under: Events, Libraries, Newark, senior | Tags: , ,

If you are interested in learning how to make several types of greeting cards, this is the class for you! We are offering a free, two-hour class on Saturday, December 4th from 10 am -12 pm. Registration is limited to 20 people so please call or email (mcayers@aclibrary.org – 510.795.2627 ext 15) to reserve a spot. We will make either 4 or 5 cards depending on time. All supplies will be provided. We will focus on making the cards themselves – you can take the original designs home and use them to make as many more variations as you like.