"Departments" Under Construction

photo of construction site
The sidebar has a new feature under construction: Departments. Clicking on a Department will take you to a separate page containing all the posts related to that topic. The current list of Departments includes:

As new content is posted to the site, it will be added to the appropriate Department as well. Old posts will not be sorted into Departments at this time.

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this new feature, click on "comments" below, or e-mail me at the bottom of the sidebar.

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Power Outage Sends Everyone Home

After the lights flickered a few times, the power finally went out here at the library about 2:40 p.m. PSNH reported there were widespread outages throughout the state, due to high winds, and the damage was being assessed. For a while, we found things to do in the dwindling light, but when Ann joked she could hold a flashlight so Cheryl could see to work in the stacks, we decided it was time to go home. Staff left the building at 3:55, leaving a sign on the door to inform patrons that "The Library is CLOSED due to Power Outage."

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New Poll Question

graphic of a question mark
In honor of Banned Books Week, our new poll question is:

Which Sinclair Lewis book was banned by Boston authorities in 1927 for being obscene? Babbitt, Elmer Gantry, or Main Street?

Please scroll down and vote in the sidebar to the left of this post!

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The Changing Colors of Autumn

graphic of autumn leavesWhile reading School Library Journal, I came across a great website for fall. The Miracle of Fall has something for everyone. From an explanation about why leaves change color, to games and activities, to live foliage cameras, to hiking and driving guides--you can't go wrong. Be sure to study up using the foliage guide so you'll be ready to play Leaf Invaders, where you rack up points for correctly identifying leaves before they hit the ground. Then jump into more fall fun with an autumn wallpaper or screen saver for your computer, and take advantage of their fall gardening tips. Finally, map out your fall foliage driving tour of New England, or if you prefer, stay home with a scenic drive in New Hampshire. Whatever you decide to do, you're to learn something and have fun along the way.

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Be a Rebel — Read a Banned Book

Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has reminded us that while not every book is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to read, listen to, or view. In support of this right, the American Library Association (ALA), libraries, and bookstores across the nation are celebrating Banned Books Week September 24 - October 1, 2005. This annual event celebrates our right to access books without censorship.

banned books week banner According to the ALA website:

"Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met."

Those who challenge books, i.e. attempt to remove or restrict the use of a material, usually do so with the very best of intentions. They are trying to protect others from information that goes against their personal beliefs, and they feel is harmful.

You may be wondering what books have been challenged and why. The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books includes an interesting collection of titles and authors that may surprise you. In fact the Top 10 Most Challenged Authors of 2004 include Barbara Park (Junie B. Jones), J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter), and John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men). The books on the top 100 list were challenged for a number of reasons including: sexual content, offensive language, occult themes, violence, and the promotion of homosexuality, or a religious viewpoint. Due to the commitment of people who believe free people read freely, most challenges are unsuccessful.

This year's observance is themed "Celebrating the Freedom to Read," commemorating the most basic freedom in a democratic society—the freedom to read freely—and encourages us not to take this freedom for granted. Join the celebration and read a banned book.


"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us." - Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.

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Help Narrate an Audiobook

Ever hear of LibriVox? I hadn’t until today while reading Blogger Buzz. According to Grahm at Blogger, “LibriVox is a project that ‘harnesses the power of the many to record audio versions of books in the public domain, and 'free' them in podcast form.’ Volunteers can claim chapters, record them, and send them in to be added to the site's podcast, where anyone can listen to them for free.” The LibriVox blog is currently accepting volunteer readers for Tolstoy’s Childhood, and Jack London’s Call of the Wild. Sound interesting? Check them out.

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This Week @ the Library...

magic school bus
Bring the kids in to pick up the Magic School Bus Take 'n Make! Packets are available Tuesday - Saturday while supplies last.

Then let us know what you like about the new school year.


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How's The New School Year?

We hope everyone is off to a great start in 2005-2006 school year! But hoping isn't the same as hearing, so we'd like to hear from you. Children, parents, and teachers are invited to fill out the form below. Your responses may be posted to the blog.


What do you like the most about the new school year?



First Name:











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All Booked Up in October

The Book Borrower cover art
October's book club selection is The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison. The group will meet Wednesday, October 5th, at 6:30 p.m. A limited number of copies are available at the library.

Book Description: On the first page of The Book Borrower, Toby Ruben and Deborah Laidlaw meet in 1975 in a New York City playground, where the two women are looking after their babies. Deborah lends Toby a book, Trolley Girl,--a memoir about a long ago trolley strike and three Jewish sisters, one a fiery revolutionary--that will disappear and reappear throughout the twenty-two years these women are friends.
Through two decades Deborah and Toby raise their children, embark on teaching careers, and argue about politics, education, and their own lives. One day during a hike, they have an argument that cannot be resolved--and the two women take different, permanent paths--but it is ultimately the borrowed book that will bring them back together. With sensitivity and grace, Alice Mattison shows how books can rescue us from our deepest sorrows; how the events of the outside world play into our private lives; and how the bonds between women are enduring, mysterious, and laced with surprise. (Read the first page.)


Coming in November: Lorna Landvik's Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. Said Landvik, "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons was inspired by my many visits to book clubs. I wanted to write about a group of women whose monthly book discussions blossomed into deep friendship and all that entails. (Birth, divorce, death, pot-smoking while discussing, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but were afraid to ask.) This book spans a couple of decades; starting in the swinging sixties (yay hotpants!) and ending in the 1990s. I've visited many bookclubs who've discussed this book and a common question they ask each other is "Which character did you most identify with?" It's funny how many of them say Audrey, who's the neighborhood sex symbol." © Copyright 2005, Lorna Landvik.

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It's Library Card Sign-Up Month!

library card logoSeptember is Library Card Sign-Up Month--a time when libraries across the nation remind parents that the most important school supply of all is a library card. We think first grade is a great time to make sure your child has a library card, so applications are being sent home with all GMS first graders next week. New cards will be distributed in early October, and the classroom with the greatest number of library card holders by September 30th will receive a special prize from Miss Carrie-Anne!




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24/7 Porch Sale

floating books
The Friends of the Library will hold their 24/7 Porch Sale beginning this Saturday, September 17th, through October 15th. The sale will feature fiction, non-fiction, and videos for adults, teens, and children at unbelievably low prices:

paperbacks--25 cents or 5/$1
hardcover--50 cents or 5/$2
videos--50 cents or 5/$2

Payment can be made at the circulation desk during library hours. After hours, payments can be left, using the envelopes provided, in the audio/video return box at the back door. Additional materials will be added to the sale as space becomes available, so be sure to shop the porch more than once and stock up on some great reads!

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Check Out "Store Wars" For a Chuckle

What do you get when you cross Star Wars with Veggie Tales? A fun little movie called Store Wars. All your favorite characters are there in hybrid form. Under the guidance of Obi Wan Cannoli (my personal favorite), Cuke Skywalker battles Darth Tater to rescue Princess Lettuce. Chew Broccoli, C3 Peanuts, and Tofu D2 are all there too.

While being entertained, viewers are given a short message about why they should purchase organically grown foods, as opposed to the non-organic foods grown on the "dark side of the farm." I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and "may the farm be with you."

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Truly A-Mazing

maze, http://www.arundelhigh.org/media/
Looking for a little entertainment to keep the kids busy? Visit MazeWorks to find loads of games, including mazes, sliders, peg solitaire, chess problems, and more, that are sure to keep their attention.

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Chapter-A-Day Book Clubs

penicl, http://www.huntergrafx.net/
The Friends of the Library would like your help. They are thinking about sponsoring the Chapter-A-Day Online Book Clubs for the library and need to know if you would be interested in joining any of the 11 clubs that are offered.

Here's how it works: Each day you are e-mailed a 5-minute portion of a book. During the week you can read 2-3 chapters and decide if you want to check the book out of the library. Every Monday a new book is started. The 11 available clubs include:
  • fiction
  • nonfiction
  • mystery
  • romance
  • teen
  • business
  • horror
  • good news
  • audio books
  • pre-publication
  • science fiction

You could join 1 club or all 11!

A number of New Hampshire libraries offer this service to their patrons, including the Amherst, Merrimack, and Portsmouth Public Libraries. Give it a once over on Amherst's website, then weigh in using the poll question in the sidebar. Please e-mail this post to any friends you think might be interested in giving their opinion by clicking on the envelope icon below.

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The Latest Vote Is In!

spelling bee logo, TimesDispatch.com
"Who would win in a spelling bee?" 60% of you voted for Alex Cross (James Patterson's police psychologist); 20% voted for Miss Jane Marple (Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth); 20% voted for Spenser (Robert B. Parker's priviate investigator(; and 0% voted for Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich's bungling bounty hunter).

Be sure to give us your opinion in the newest poll concerning Chapter-A-Day Online Book Clubs!

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Coming Soon!
Magic School Bus Take 'n Make

magic school bus
September's Take 'n Make features Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus! Children of all ages are welcome to stop in September 20 - 24 to pick up kit to take home.

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Thanks to Our Summer Reading Club Sponsors!

We'd like to express our heartfelt thanks to the following businesses for donating gift certificates, merchandise, or money to our summer reading clubs this year:

Boucher's Greenhouse
Build-a-Bear Workshop
Canobie Lake Park
Christmas Tree Shops
Flowers on the Hill
Friends of the Library
Greenfield's Restaurant
Jolt Electric
McDonald's of Hudson
Nashua Pride
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
O'Neil Cinemas
Pantry Pride
Papa Ginos
Pizza Man
Professor's Pizza
Tee Off at Mel's
Tim's Turf
Wal-Mart
Wilson Farms

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Instant Poetry: Just Add Words

dog
Dog at School
I came across a dog
On the way to school
His tail were very long
And his nose was very cool
I hid him in my locker
So that teacher would not see
He stayed there very quietly
Until frightened by a flea

I created this noteworthy poem using an Instant Poetry Form. Choose from well over 50 topics to create fun poetry of your own.

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Camp Wannaread Top Participants

Four children in the Camp Wannaread summer reading club were awarded the status of Top Participants by earning the maximum points possible. This means they participated in every single Challenge--there were no blanks on their point logs. That's quite a feat! In honor of their accomplishments, a book has been placed in the library collection with a bookplate bearing their name. Congratulations to Amanda Doucette (Gnat Stokes and the Foggy Bottom Swamp Queen by Sally M. Keehn), Evan Mun (The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper), Rebecca Landrau (Hoofbeats: Lara and the Gray Mare by Kathleen Duey), and Roberto Landrau (Too Many Frogs! by Sandy Asher). Each child also had the opportunity to be the first person to borrow their respective books.

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Remember to READ 4 THe FuN oF iT @ Aaron Cutler Memorial Library!

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