Open a Door, Open a Book, Open a World of Reading

Let’s take a short day trip to 214 Main Street, Chatham, New Jersey.  We’ll open the building's wide welcoming doors, stroll through the cool comfortable interior,  and discover… One World, Many Stories!  The Library of the Chatham’s annual reading club adventure begins today and continues throughout the summer, offering excellent prizes, exciting programs, and a grand finale picnic on August 18^th.  Click on the red-highlighted words and then on the For Children tab to learn all about the club and to view a list of events.

Summer Reading at the Library by Lauren H.

Reading Road Tripper Lauren H. has big plans for summer reading at the Library of the Chathams-- and beyond.  She enthusiastically proclaims, “I’m going to read a lot… I love reading!  I’m going to read more than I did last summer!” Let’s join her in exploring One World, Many Stories.  It all begins at the library....

At the Lafayette LMC and at the Library of the Chathams, we always find good, friendly, and  helpful staff.  But what if the world is turned upside down on the pages of a book?  What if the local librarians are not so good?  Not so friendly?  Not so helpful?  What if they want to take over the world?  Sounds like a great summer read!

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.

Scholastic, 2007.  308 pages.  RL 5.6.

On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry receives a bag of sand—a strange gift which is immediately stolen by a secret network of Evil Librarians who are trying to take over the world.  Alcatraz plunges into an action-packed adventure.  Along the way, he meets his grandfather, discovers a talent for clumsiness, and realizes that he must use his special abilities to save civilization as we know it.

Alcatraz by Bobby B.

Reading Road Tripper Riley F. highly recommends Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, particularly to “fourth through sixth grade boys.”  Both Riley and Bobby B. enjoy the non-stop action, humor, and suspense of this zany fantasy.

Speaking of libraries and zaniness, let's check out The Dewey Decimal Rap:

Now that we’ve brushed up on the Dewey decimal system, let’s do some more Dewey with The Dewey Deception: The First Adventure from the Biblio Files by Ralph Raab (Ages 9-12). Twin siblings Tom and Becky Biblio find a mysterious white card in a library copy of Charlotte’s Web and embark on a summer-long adventure, using the Dewey decimal system and other resources to solve puzzles that take them from their hometown to the Morgan Library in New York City. 

Melvil Dewey

Reading Road Tripper Christian C. recommends The Dewey Deception to readers who like mystery and detective stories and to friends who enjoy cracking codes and unscrambling ciphers.  He observes, “Every time they solve a puzzle, a puzzle that’s even harder comes up!”  Christian relates to the character Tom Biblio, a reluctant puzzle solver who is "a little lazy like me.”

Whodunit in The Garden State? Author Ralph Raab lives with his wife and daughters in New Jersey.  He has taught music, computer science, and study skills for many years.  He insists that his illustrious writing career began at the age of ten, when exasperated teachers encouraged him to write things one hundred times after school.

And by the way… we’re not sure about the laziness, Christian.  Your book review of The Dewey Deception is industrious and energetic!