Award Season is Just Around the Corner

Get ready for award season hype!

Not the Oscars, not the Grammys – but the Newbery!

Mockingbird vs. The Night Fairy

The Newbery Medal is awarded every year by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children’s book published in the previous year; winners are announced in January of the New Year. In 1922, when the first Newbery medal was awarded, the purpose of the award was “to encourage original creative work in the field of books for children.” Each year, librarians read, select and debate children’s books, and select a winner, and a few “runner’s up”, called Newbery Honor Books. Members of the Newbery committee must consider all types of literature, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, even plays. View the full list of Newbery Award and Honor Books, from 1922-Present.

Check out some of the books we think are Newbery contenders:

She's voting for One Crazy Summer

Countdown

Forge

How I Nicky Flynn Finally Got a Life (And a Dog)

Keeper

Mockingbird

The Night Fairy

One Crazy Summer

Out of My Mind

Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schultz

Turtle in Paradise

Have a Newbery assignment coming up? View our Newbery Bibliography here, it highlights some of our favorites!

Monster Mania!

Roar!

Halloween is right around the corner and it's that time of year when it's fun to get a little scare or laugh a bit about a silly monster or creature! The days are shorter and cooler and it's a good idea to snuggle up with somebody and enjoy a book or two!

Here are some of our favorites...

Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett

Bump in the Night by Edward Hemingway

Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug! by Ed Emberley

There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligot

The Monster Trap by Dean Morrissey

Goodnight Goon: a Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex

Jumpy Jack and Googily by Meg Rosoff

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Lima Bean Monster by Dan Yaccarino



Scary...but cute!

Good Reads: 13 Treasures

Of course fairies exists, but there are good ones and evil ones! It seems as though thirteen-year-old Tanya is the only one that can see them! Though her mother cannot see the evil fairies that rouse Tanya from her sleep, torturing her at the slightest mention of their existence, they are as real to the thirteen-year-old as anything she's ever known. If she could wish them away, she would, but instead she is sent away to live at her grandmother's secluded countryside manor...

There is much to explore and even more to fear in the woods surrounding the estate. But the forest isn't the only source of dark secrets and Tanya soon finds herself entangled in a mystery that could trap her in the fairy realm forever.

Check out 13 Treasures and read this intriguing book which blends mystery and fantasy together!

LEGO Club Has Begun!

Children, no matter what gender they are, love to build things with LEGOs, it is not just for boys! Building is not just fun, it serves a purpose in your child's development. This month, when LEGO club started, many of the kids came in with ideas of what to build that they had been thinking about all summer! Check out some of these awesome creations that they are currently working on! Registration for Nesconset's November sessions start Tuesday the 19th or sign-up for King's Park Saturday session!

You Can't Beat Sesame Street!

Q: What do Ice-T, Barbara Bush, Matt Lauer, Spike Lee, Ziggy Marley, Michelle Obama and R2-D2 all have in common?

A: They all have appeared on Sesame Street!

Sesame Street is one children’s show that never seems to go out of style. Have you checked out Grover spoofing an Old Spice commercial? It’s great for kids and parents alike.

Do you have an Elmo, Zoe or Abby fan at home?

Check out some of these books, movies and CDs.

Abby in Wonderland

The Monster at the End of this Book

Elmo and the Bookaneers

Sesame Street  20 Years…And Still Counting

Sesame Street: Silly Songs

Sesame Street: C is for Cooking: Recipes from the Street

Grover’s Guide to Good Eating

Also, visit http://pbskids.org/sesame/ for print outs, games and much more.

Keeping the Peace

The back to school season brings many new situations for children, waiting at the bus stop, recess and meeting new people. As parents and caregivers, we are always concerned with physical and emotional well being of the children in our lives.

October is Bully Prevention Month. To spread awareness, the Smithtown Library is offering several different informational programs for children and their parents and caregivers.

Stranger Danger and Bully Busting -Empire State Karate School will be here to give you the 411 on being safe on the playground, in your school and around the neighborhood. Using role playing techniques and audience participation students will learn to identify potentially sticky situations and how to resolve issues peacefully and with confidence. This program will meet at the Nesconset Branch, Thursday, October 14 at 4:30pm. Register your 4-7 year old here.

How to Zap a Bully - News headlines have been filled with stories about bullying and its sometimes tragic circumstances. Whether it's bullying or cyber-bullying, Dr. Jackie Humans, author of 15 Ways to Zap a Bully!, brings her expertise in this area to provide parents with ways they can help their children stop the bullying. She will also address how to recognize bullying behavior in your own child and what to do about it. This a program exclusively for parents and caregivers, meeting on Tuesday, October 19 at 6:45pm at the Main Branch, register here.

Storytime with Cheryl: Anti Bullying - Join author/illustrator Cheryl Taborsky, for an anti-bullying storytime adventure. Learn about feelings and needs with Fang, the bullying dragon at the Main Branch on Monday, November 15 at 7:00pm. Register your student in grades K-2 here.

Can’t make it to a program? Check out our extensive bullying bibliography, including books on bully busting, self esteem, strangers, play ground and school safety etiquette and internet resources.

"Good-bye summer! Hello fall!"

Can I join you?

 Knuffle Bunny has been spotted! On one my trips over to Fire Island I had the opportunity to meet Knuffle Bunny! Turns out, like me, he was celebrating one of the last warm weekends by the sea. So, as we say "good-bye" to summer and "hello fall"...I wonder, where Knuffle Bunny will turn up next??

Good Reads: It's Raining Cupcakes

The remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole have left Long Island with a ton of rain, bummer! The best thing to do on a rainy day is to curl up with a good book. Our new favorite is It’s Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder.

Twelve-year-old Isabel dreams of seeing the world, but has never left her home in Oregon. A cupcake recipe is the ticket to her dreams, when her contest winning recipe takes her on a trip to New York City. However, when she is so far from home she learns what is really important. Not only is this a sweet story about a middle grade girl, it includes delicious recipes, so you can make some the confectionaries mentioned in this book.

Have you or your child read It’s Raining Cupcakes? If so, drop us a comment and let us know what you thought.

Looking for more books like It’s Raining Cupcakes? Try some of these:

Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day
How to Steal a Dog
Liberty Porter, First Daughter
Lynn Visible
Millicent Min, Girl Genius

My Life in Pink and Green

Shug

The Wedding Planner’s Daughter

Umbrella Summer