Drum roll please!
Check out this summer's winners here.
We had lots of great readers. In fact, 563 people registered! That was a lot of necklaces and beads we went through. You were all so excited about the dog tags and beads that we will do it again next summer. That's right, we're already thinking about summer 2020. Next years theme is "Imagine Your Story" (its fairy tales/Mythology and fantasy).

There was a total of 209,440‬ minutes that you've read! That's "increadible" ... yes I'm a goofball.

So now we're looking into fall.  One of the things I'm most excited about are our new programs for parents. Here they are (click on the links to register and learn more):

SIP, SWAP, AND SHARE
For adults 18 and up. Do you have diapers, clothes, or toys your kids have outgrown? This program is a chance to meet and chat with other parents, have a cup of coffee or tea, and swap unneeded children’s items! We will have a different swap theme each month. Please feel free to attend even if you aren’t participating in that month’s swap! No registration required. Meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm:
                  September 3—Diaper Swap
October 1—Clothes Swap
November 5—Toy Swap
December 3—Book Swap
 
THE FACTS OF LICE
Saturday, September 14 at 2pm. For adults 18 and up.
Worried about what to do when your kids come home from school with pests? Come to our informational session presented by the Lice Clinics of America. They will share lice myths, what’s old information, what works to get rid of them, treatments, advice for the home, and most importantly, how not to panic! Registration begins August 31.
 
HEALTHY LUNCHTIME SNACKS WITH THE STORYBOOK COOK
Wednesday, September 18 at 7pm. For adults 18 and up.
Join us as we welcome Liz Bauld, The Storybook Cook, to our library. She will show us how to make some easy, fun, and delicious snacks to add to school lunches. The snacks will be healthier than what comes out of a bag, but still appeal to adults and children alike. Generous food samples will be provided...so come hungry! Registration is required and begins September 4.
 
PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, October 29 from 6:30-8:30pm. For parents and caregivers.
Stop in and check out some of our local preschools. It's a chance to ask questions, get information, and discover what makes each school stand out from the rest. No registration required.
 
HAIR HELPERS
Saturday, November 23 at 2pm. For all ages and families.
If you have ever struggled with styling your child’s hair, this is the program for you! Come learn the basics of a few simple hairstyles to keep the bedhead at bay. We will have a mini hair supply kit for each participant! Please register both parent and child for this program. Registration begins November 9.
 

Week 6 is a mystery ... SERIOUSLY! Its a mystery! Read something mysterious to get the special bead, which is a totally fabulous one. Some mysterious things to try out.

Before I tell you what to read, let me tell you what programs to go to! Unfortunately, you may have missed out on our big end of the summer blow out, Tie Dye. We had an amazing time this morning and afternoon, and although it was pretty messy for the staff, we had an amazing time.
Tonight (Monday) at 6pm we have Minecraft. Bring in your tablet/laptop or come and borrow ours.
Wednesday at 10am we will be showing a movie about a yellow detective. Curious and want to learn more? Call and ask!
Thursday at 10am is Simply Stories with Pockets the Kangaroo from our local dentist, Dr Shea.
Thursday at 2:30pm we have KidsFit Conditioning, where we will be getting a great workout for our hearts! Interested? Register here.

Onto the book recommendations!

Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard is a fun mystery picture book. The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute. They decide to figure out how to get Miss Nelson back!

Cam Jansen, by David Adler is one of my favorites! She has photographic memory, but every time she is trying to remember something important related to the mystery she's going to solve, she says "CLICK", just like an old school camera.

Nate the Great, by Marjorie Sharmat is a great series for younger, beginning readers. You can get introduced to the detective mystery and problem-solve with Nate!

For you older people, check out Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. It is a great and silly mystery that will keep you on your toes the whole time.
When Kyle learns that the world's most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town's new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he's determined to be there But the tricky part isn't getting into the library--it's getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route.

This week we're reading SILLY and HUMOROUS books!

One of my favorites is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems, especially when he starts screaming "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!" and he gets crazy eyes. :)
If you love the pigeon, there's a whole series to love.

For beginning readers, we have Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish. This series is about a quirky and confused maid named Amelia Bedelia. She's constantly doing things in her own way, which is usually different from how anyone else in the world would do things.

For you older people, check out Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Lois Sachar. The school was built ... you guessed it ... sideways, so instead of 30 classrooms long, its 30 classrooms high. This is about the class in room 13 who are delightfully eccentric and unusually gifted. This is a brilliant story of a very mixed-up and crazy school where only strange things happen.

Tuesday at 2pm we have five seats left for Kids Crafternoon.
You can register here.
Wednesday at 10am we are showing a movie about an elephant with big special ears. :) Hope you know what I'm talking about. If not, come in and ask!
Thursday at 2pm we have 20 seats left for our 4H group. This week we'll be doing fun things with plants!
You can register here.
Finally on Friday at 3pm, we have “Out of this World Etiquette... In a Galaxy Far, Far Away” you can learn mealtime manners, with Star Wars themed cupcakes and galaxy punch. Feel free to come dressed as your favorite character, if you wish, and get ready to explore, soar and discover etiquette & manners.
You can register here.

 I'm okay with this national holiday! Lasagna is one of our family favorites. Probably not during the summer, when its too hot to use the oven, but hey, I don't care if I'm at a restaurant. :)
Onto some of our fun stuff this week...
This Tween Crafternoon on Wednesday, July 31 at 3pm we will be making Starry Windchimes. Sounds like fun! (Registration Required)
The Lunar Lander has been at the Rochester Museum and Science Center and the man (Barry Nobles) bringing it is a wealth of knowledge. He'll be here on Wednesday too from 6-8pm. You can't miss it!
Our favorite dance instructor, Rosalind Walker, is back and this time we will be dancing our hearts out! We'll be meeting on Thursday, August 1 at 2:30pm. (Registration Required)
Our annual Teddy Bear Sleepover is back as well. Come and join me and Miss Jill as we tell lots of sleepy stories as you cuddle up with your favorite friends. Join us Thursday at 7:15pm after Lego Club, which is at 6pm. (Registration Required)
Finally, if you're a teen, we our ending our week with an Ice Cream Social like no other! That's Friday, August 2nd at 3pm. (Registration Required)

This week if you want to get your special bead, you need to read some historical fiction.
Some of our random favorites:
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Patricia Polacco
American Girl
Dear America

Today is also National Hammock Day! A little too cool and rainy to enjoy your hammock today, but maybe later in the week you could do a little of your 20 minute reading/listening on the hammock and pretend you did it today! 

So if you have entered summer reading already, this week is the PINK ticket. What that means is that this week you should add AUDIO BOOKS to your library bag! Remember that if you listen to an audio book, you will get a special bead that proves that you are an amazing listener.

Have smart phone or tablet?
Check out our Overdrive kids audio books that are available now.
​Check out our Overdrive teen audio books that are available now.
​
Other things that we have going on this week:
This evening from 6-7pm we have Cathy's Creativity Club, where we will make "puppets" (not especially difficult puppets, but fun anyways) and then create a story using special dice to help us. Then, depending on how long it takes, we will perform our play in front of the green screen. Should it take longer than anticipated, our green screen will be waiting for us next month too (on August 19). 
If this isn't your cup of tea, tonight we will also have Chess Club tonight from 6-7pm. 

Wednesday we'll be having Movie Morning at 10am. Be ready to eat popcorn and watch the third movie in a series where best friends (who just happen to be a cowboy and a spaceman) take on the world!
Wednesday afternoon at 3pm, if you happen to be between 8-12 you can make Galaxy watercolors that will take you to a place far, far away. (You have to register)

Thursday is CRAZY!
Simply Stories is at 10am: We'll be reading books about colors with Mr Dunning.
We will be HULA HOOPING like crazy at 2:30. This one there is registration since, in case of rain, we will be hula hooping indoors.
Then we end the day with Elephant and Piggie! Our favorite of all time. Elephant and Piggie (from the Mo Willems series) will be visiting us as we tell stories about them.

We will end the week on Friday with our annual Chalkathon at 10am which will happen RAIN OR SHINE!

And teens, we have not forgotten about you. Promise. We will be doing nail art at 3:30pm. We have a million different colors of nail polish, so registration is NOT required! ​

We started the summer off quietly but then added a nice huge BEEP!

FOR THE KIDS:​
It’s time for summer and we’d love if you celebrate a “Universe of Stories” with us. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing our theme this summer is all around space.
In light of that, some of our summer reading prizes for kids ages 0-12 are space themed: a telescope, a globe night light, as well tickets to the Rochester Museum and Science center. How do you possibly win these prizes you ask? ​
First you register for the summer reading program. When you register, you will receive your summer reading dog chain and all six of your raffle tickets. Then you read 20 minutes a day and read our topic of the week. Each week you come in bring in your chain and your raffle ticket. You can enter the raffle, you get a free book and you will receive a bead to go on your chain for each 20 minutes. If you read the topic of the week you get a special bead of the week. 
FOR THE TEENS:
Are you slightly older? If you are between the ages of 13-18 (or you are 10-12 and the prizes are too baby-ish) you can enter the teen summer reading program. Each time you read or come to the library, you can enter our weekly summer reading raffles.
​Plus we have something new this summer! We have stamp cards where every time you come to the library you get a stamp. After a certain amount of stamps you get a gift card! What could be better? Not much!
FOR THE ADULTS:
As always, its easy peasy for the adults! 
​All you need to do is read and enter for our weekly prizes!

Tonight from 6-7 pm, if you are between the ages 8-12 please join us for our reader's theater event, also known as "Cathy's Creativity Club". We're going to take some classic fairy tales and twist them up to make them our own. Then we'll act it out, either with puppets or with ourselves! Join me, its not too late!
If we actually get a video of it on the green screen I might have to put it up on the website. :)

Summer is almost here, and with summer comes school visits. WOW! So much energy! Its crazy! I am in awe of the teachers and how they can handle all the enthusiasm all day. WOW and DOUBLE WOW!
This morning we were at Chestnut Ridge and got to see the K-1 and the 3-4 grades in an auditorium setting. There were at least 50 kids if not more each time and they were so enthusiastic.
It was great because I was thrilled that they were so excited to hear all the things that we were doing, but I was also bummed because they probably didn't hear half of what we were saying. 
Luckily we made sure to have brochures that the kids could take home. Hopefully their enthusiasm continues throughout the day and until they get home so that they can tell you all the exciting things they learned.
Some of the exciting things to note:
They get raffle tickets that have blocks for them to fill in. They read 20 minutes a day and each twenty minutes they get a special bead to put on their necklace (that they get when they register). There is also a special bead that they can get for reading their special topic of the week.
Each week bring in their raffle ticket book and they get a bead for each 20 minutes read. Plus they get a special bead for reading the special topic. Then they put their raffle ticket in the box they want (we're giving away books, Rochester Museum and Science Center tickets, a telescope, gift cards and everyone's favorite BIKES!) and at the end of our six weeks, we draw the winners! Yippee!
​Any questions, just let me know!