'Show Off' This Summer!

Mon, 07/28/2014 - 11:10am by krayla

Are you bored? Need something fun to do this summer that doesn't involve sleeping? Then check out Show Off: How to Do Absolutely Everything One Step at a Time by Sarah Hines Stephensand Bethany Mann! Both kids and adults will find something to love in this book of explosive fun. Inside you will find stunts, tricks, pranks, experiments, projects, recipes, games, and more! Maybe you've always wanted to spin a basketball on your fingertip, astounding your friends. Or perhaps you wish you could move on the dance floor like a worm, baffling your enemies into silence. Your bucket list will be cheering you on as you cross off item by item! Many of the activities in this book suggest grown up supervision, but you can rest assured that you can definitely "try this at home!" Check out this book. Your ego will thank you.

Kid Bits - I CAN PLAY IT SAFE

Mon, 07/21/2014 - 2:41pm by ryanikoglu

Ann Arbor Rec & Ed is running ">SAFETY TOWN CAMP 2014 for all children entering Kindergarten in the Fall.

Here is a LIBRARY LIST of titles to teach safety with elementary school children.
The following topics are especially included:
BICYCLE SAFETY
Stranger Safety SAY NO And GO: Stranger Safety
Animal Safety MAY I PET YOUR DOG?
Getting Lost I LOST MY DAD
Fire Safety IF THERE IS A FIRE
Personal Boundaries BECAUSE IT'S MY BODY

Brainfuse: Live Tutoring & Homework Help

Mon, 07/07/2014 - 12:59pm by Beth Manuel

Have you forgotten everything you learned in school already? Don't despair! You can log on to Brainfuse. Their live Homework Help is available from 2:00PM-11:00PM every day, even in summer! The interactive Study Suite is accessible anytime with your AADL account log in information. For more details about the amazing facets of Brainfuse read these FAQs. Using Brainfuse can make learning fun for parents & kids! College students and adult learners can benefit from it, too! Give it a try and you can re-learn the stuff you thought you forgot.

Scary Murder Mystery – With Ghosts!

Thu, 07/03/2014 - 5:19pm by skcramer

In the mood for something spooky this summer? Then give The Screaming Staircase by a try.

This unusual murder mystery is set in an alternative England where ghosts have grown more and more active in the last few decades and Psychic Detection Agencies like Lockwood & Co. employ talented young agents to track down and destroy the sources of these hauntings. When Lucy and her fellow Lockwood & Co. agents uncover an unsolved murder while searching for the source of a haunting, they decide to solve the mystery with the help of the victim’s locket…but someone is out to make sure they never solve this case.

Full of adventure and genuinely scary encounters with ghosts, this story may be written for children but it is not for the faint of heart. Recommended for fans of Alvin Schwartz’s scary stories or older readers who enjoyed Libba Bray’s The Diviners.

Audiobook fans may also wish to check out the audiobook of The Screaming Staircase, which was named one of ALA’s Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2014.

Hogwarts for Fairy Tales

Tue, 06/24/2014 - 4:55pm by skcramer

School may be out for the summer, but this summer is the perfect time to discover The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani.

At this school, students learn how to be fairy-tale heroes and villains, with good students (known as Evers) attending classes like princess etiquette and animal communication and evil students (known as Nevers) tackling subjects like uglification and henchman training. The story focuses on two new students, best friends Sophie and Agatha, who seem to have been mixed up in the wrong schools. As golden-haired Sophie struggles in the School for Evil, trying to convince everyone she really belongs in the School for Good, foul-tempered Agatha just wants to escape the School for Good and return home.

Fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy this new twist on a magical boarding school, complete with its own annual traditions, mythical creatures and unusual headmaster, while fans of ’s A Tale Dark and Grimm will appreciate its exploration of the darker side of fairy tales.

Books & Other Fun Stuff that AADL Staff Promoted During our Annual K-12 School Visits!

Fri, 06/06/2014 - 2:49pm by erin

If during May and June your child or teen came home from school pumped up about the Summer Game and talked about the many books, programs, events and unusual stuff at the library they were lucky enough to see one of the lively presentations our staff do annually. Each May and early June staff visit elementary, middle and high schools to promote the summer game, summer programs and the unusual variety of stuff that we check out at the library! Please find the complete lists of ALL of the books, music tools, science tools and MORE our staff shared during their school visits.

Kayla visited Bryant, Allen, Mitchell, Bach and Carpenter - find her Grade K-2 List and her Grade 3-5 List.

Laura visited Northside, Wines, Hebrew Day School, Burns Park and Dicken - find her Grade K-2 list and her Grade 3-5 list.

Amanda went to Logan, St. Paul Lutheran, King, St. Thomas Catholic and Thurston - find her Grade K-2 list and her Grade 3-5 list.

Mariah visited E. Washtenaw Multicultural Academy, Lakewood, Open and Pattengill. Find her Grade K-2 list and her Grade 3-5 list.

Rachel visited Haisley, Abbot, MI Islamic Academy and Eberwhite. Find her Grade K-1 list, her Grade 2-3 list and her Grade 4-5 list.

Lastly, Erin visited Tappan, Forsythe, Scarlett, Community and St. Thomas Catholic. Find her Grades 6-12 list.

Geography Crafts for Kids

Tue, 06/03/2014 - 5:33pm by PattySmith

About now most kids are are counting down the days to summer break. However, summer doesn’t have to mean taking a break from learning. AADL has some great books that will have the whole family learning all summer long! The book Geography Crafts for Kids by Joe Rhatigan and Heather Smith offers hands on activities that will have learners of all ages thinking in new and exciting ways about the world we live in. Serve up some plate tectonics with a Pangea Pudding Puzzle or learn the art of cartography by mapping out your neighborhood. This book is filled with over 50 cool projects, along with illustrations and sidebars for parents. Check it out and learn about the world and beyond from your very own home!

Love Roald Dahl? Try Mr. Gum!

Sat, 05/31/2014 - 3:59pm by skcramer

Mr. Gum is a thoroughly rotten old man, but the Mr. Gum series by Andy Stanton is anything but rotten. In fact, it’s downright hilarious.

Reminiscent of Roald Dahl, this series combines plenty of off-the-wall humor with an eccentric villain and a touch of magic to create a thoroughly enjoyable read that is also a fantastic read-aloud. The series begins with You’re a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!, in which our villainous Mr. Gum attempts to get his revenge on the dog who dug up his yard. It continues with Mr. Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire, Mr. Gum and the Goblins, Mr. Gum and the Power Crystals, Mr. Gum and the Dancing Bear, What’s for Dinner, Mr. Gum?, Mr. Gum and the Cherry Tree, and Mr. Gum and the Secret Hideout.

So if you’re looking for new adventures after journeying to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and making friends with Matilda, then you should definitely take a look at the Mr. Gum series.

Quiz: How much do you know about the upcoming Awards Celebration on June 3?

Thu, 05/29/2014 - 3:00pm by krayla

Take this quiz to see how much you know about the 3rd-5th Grade Short Story Challenge Awards Celebration on June 3!

1. The fabulous children's author who will be present at the event is...
a. Bob Shea
b. Laura Numeroff
c. Lisa Wheeler
d. Lara Zielin

2. Writers who participated in the Challenge will receive...
a. bacon
b. a certificate
c. a commemorative pen
d. a wheelbarrow

3. Everyone interested in kids' library events can pick up...
a. the pace
b. steam
c. the pieces
d. the new summer Jump! brochure

4. There will be a food table with...
a. cookies and water
b. cookies and cream
c. donuts and lemonade
d. Elephant and Piggie

5. The top 9 winners of the Challenge will get...
a. a deflated tire
b. a smelly old sock
c. a pony!
d. a Target gift card

Whew, tough quiz. Let's see how many you got right:
(p ϛ 'ɐ ㄣ 'p Ɛ 'q ᄅ 'ɔ Ɩ)

If you got:
1 correct: You need to study up. Try stopping by the Awards Celebration and then try again!
2-4 correct: Nice! It sounds like you missed a couple things, but you can make up for that by coming to the Awards Celebration in person!
5 correct: Superstar! Show off your amazing quiz-taking skills by coming to the Awards Celebration!