A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

Oh my goodness, this book!  You know that feeling when you’re running, and you’re so tired of running, and you’re not sure that you can take another step?  Okay, maybe you’re not a runner.  Do you know that feeling when you’re going through something difficult day after day after day and sometimes you just don’t feel like you can do it anymore? Then someone says something encouraging, or someone shares a moment with you, and it’s like a weight is lifted and you are so thankful?  It lightens your load and you can keep going, maybe even sprinting and smiling.  That’s what happens in this story.

This is a story of survival, of coping after a horrific event.  Annabelle is running across the country, from Seattle to Washington DC, as a way to escape what happened to her and also to make others aware of the dangers in society.  She travels with her grandfather in his RV and enjoys his Italian cooking. Her friends back home help using social media and a GoFundMe page. As she runs, she is haunted by the images from her past and anxious about what her future holds.  There is some humor too, including a brief discussion on Red Vines versus Twizzlers that make this story relatable to today’s teens. 

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

If you’ve ever been teased, overweight, or clinically depressed then you will likely identify with Darius. Both Darius and his father take medication for their depression and while it is something that bonds them, it also puts a wedge between them.

In this story Darius, an American teenage boy, travels with his parents and little sister to visit their family in Iran.  There he meets Sohrab, a neighborhood boy.  While immersed in Persian culture, playing soccer, and discussing father issues, the two boys become good friends.  Awkward teen boy moments include a sports shower scene with mention of foreskin, but discussions of Star Trek and references to Lord of the Rings keep the story light and humorous.  There are some sad moments near the end of the story but Darius and his family return home to America and we see that his relationship with his father and school life will be improving.

A lovely book that takes you on vacation to Persia, tasting the tea and admiring the architecture, while dealing with mental health issues and cultural differences with warmth and compassion.

The Doughnut Fix by Jessie Janowitz

The Doughnut Fix is about a family that moves from New York City, where everything is conveniently close by, to a rural country town up-state, where it takes a hilly, sometimes treacherous, bike ride just to get a dozen eggs.  Tristan, a 12-year-old boy, Jeanine, a 'gifted & talented' 10-year old, and Zoe, a 4-year-old girl are siblings that argue and pout like most kids.  There is some mischief, like when Jeanine gets stuck in a tree and Zoe clouds the basement in flour, but both episodes end with the siblings helping each other.

Country life in a big old house is a culture shock that is exasperated by their moving in November, after the school year started, and the school principal suggesting they wait until January to start attending their new school.  In order to pass the time constructively, their parents assign Tristan and Jeanine a project to work on.  Tristan’s project is to make doughnuts, but not just any doughnuts, he is working to bring back the town’s famous chocolate cream doughnuts.  In order to do so, he must first research what it takes to start a business, analyze his production costs, and present his plan to the grumpy old lady who owns the recipe.  He encounters odd characters and befriends a local boy along the way, not realizing until later that he actually likes his new town and lifestyle.

The tagline for The Doughnut Fix is “everything is less terrible with doughnuts” and maybe it’s true that a stressful situation won’t be so bad if we focus on doing something good. This is a sweet book (pun intended) for young teens, boys, girls, and anyone who appreciates sibling rivalry and family bonds.

Derek and Darla's Summer Roadtrip Part 5: Northwestern Suffolk

Welcome back one and all for the fifth installment of Derek and Darla's Summer Road Trip Diaries! This one is SO LATE, EVERYONE! September was a blur of programs, and I'm not entirely clear on how we're four days into October already. Yikessss. Believe it or not, there are still two more summer visit blog posts to come! But this time you'll read about our July 31st visit to four libraries in the Northwestern corner of our lovely county. Let's begin with Commack Public Library.

As many of you have probably heard, Commack is undergoing a full renovation of its Hauppauge Rd. building. We can't wait to see it when it opens (November 18th!!!), and I'm sure the staff and community members feel the same way! If the way they've managed to make their temporary Jericho Turnpike location feel like it never wasn't a library is any indication, they're going to do an amazing job in their new space when it opens.

Children's librarian Anissa demonstrates a highly effective welcoming pose.

The Youth Services desk is at the back of the building. That brick wall behind the reference desk? That's actually a window...a window that's usually covered with horses. The location used to be an OTB, but the mural is the only way you'd know. Apparently the staff like to dress up the horses seasonally, but decided to give them a much-deserved break for the summer.

The reporting desk in all its glory.

I was a big fan of these signs - any kids and teens who won raffle baskets had their pictures displayed. What a great way to get community buy-in and keep kids excited about reading as the baskets start to disappear.

Forgive my blurry photography, but this is a great demonstration about how no space is too challenging to be able to include an early learning nook!

Next we headed up to Northport-East Northport Public Library, my hometown library! We visited the Northport branch on Laurel road.

First we popped into the Teen Room on the main level, where we were drawn in by bright and cheerful colors.

The central banner reads, "Books are not made of pages and words. They're made of hopes, dreams and possibilities"

The teen raffle prize board, filled with goodies!

We loved the kindness aspect of Northport's decorations.

Hardhats and tools feature names of busy readers.

Derek tries out the DIY tool bench - super cute laminated paper tools velcroed to a poster on the wall. Love it!

The NENPL reporting setup. Fun fact - that Summer Reading Page used to come to all my sister's birthday parties when she was little. I'm not in denial!!

Next up was Huntington Library, where they've been testing out a summer learning-type program that incorporates activities besides reading into folks' summer goals.

A look at Huntington's activity book, received by each child who signed up.

Love this use of the official SRC artwork! So colorful!

Some prizes, including wiki stix and little planter pots.

Raffle prizes were for local businesses.

An awesome mural that anyone could contribute to!

Our last stop of the day was Cold Spring Harbor Library, where Caitlin Sempowich gave us a tour of the children's area!

Happy window workers are ready to build a better world!

Nothing like a friendly face to greet you at the library ;)

Love this lego board - had to go for the side angle so you can see how tall some of the stacks are!

The In BeTween section features a charming rainbow of ALA Libraries are for Everyone posters.

READ signs decorated by patrons.

Check out those prizes!!

A flock of Little Free Libraries waiting to be decorated.

That's it for today! Stay tuned for two more one-season-late road trip blogs!

(Before you go, if you want to discuss past and future Summer Reading Club plans, don't miss our Children's Summer Reading Wrap Up/Planning Meeting on November 21st!)

Eclipse 2017 Celebrations at Suffolk County Public Libraries

On Monday, August 21st, solar eclipse fever took hold of the general populace as solar glasses stocks were depleted and folks of all ages set out to find the best spot to watch the rare celestial phenomenon. Here in Suffolk County we weren't in the path of totality, but with 70% coverage we knew we were still in for a good show, and public libraries were ready to provide festive viewing experiences for their patrons. Check out all of the ways libraries were celebrating in the pictures below. We'll update this post with more submissions as they come in. Are you a librarian from a Suffolk County public library and you'd like your eclipse event pics added? Send us an email!

Jump to a library: Bay Port-Bluepoint :: Brentwood :: Comsewogue :: East Hampton :: Harborfields :: Hauppauge :: John Jermain :: Lindenhurst :: Longwood :: Mastics-Moriches-Shirley :: Middle Country :: Westhampton

Bay Port-Bluepoint Public Library

About 220 people attended this event, where BPBL repurposed their storywalk in the Blue Point Nature Preserve to feature solar eclipse facts and trivia - very cool! There were also activities and crafts that were displayed in the library afterwards.

Brentwood Public Library

What a crowd!!

Comsewogue Public Library

East Hampton Library

a picture of the eclipse taken through a pair of eclipse glasses!

Harborfields Public Library

Hauppauge Public Library

John Jermain Memorial Library

Almost TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE visited during their eclipse festivities!

picture of the day?

Lindenhurst Memorial Library

Longwood Public Library

Over 150 people attended Longwood's festivities! They had a local earth science teacher present on the science of the celestial event and two scout leaders helping Boy Scouts and Venturers earn BSA "Solar Eclipse 2017" badges.

Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library

Mastics-Moriches-Shirley had their eclipse event on FIRE ISLAND!! Let's pause and empathize with each other in our moment of communal jealousy.

Middle Country Public Library

Westhampton Free Library

120 patrons turned out for Westhampton's Eclipse program, which featured a live stream of NASA as well as a lecture from science teacher Bob Mozer, who also tested out an experiment for NASA during the eclipse! There were also space crafts, a photo booth, and featured snacks Sun Chips and Moon Pies (YES!!).

the library staff (librarynauts? can we do that?) who ran the event!