Education Opportunities for Kids

From the USA.gov Blog:

Join us on Thursday, June 20, at 1 p.m. ET for a live Twitter chat about fun and educational activities for kids this summer. You’ll learn about great free and educational resources from Kids.gov, NASA and more and you’ll find out about fun outdoor activities on our country’s public lands.
To participate, follow @kidsgov on Twitter and use the hashtag #kidsummer.

Summer Reading Week 1, day 2

Welcome to the results of Week 1, the first week of Summer Reading 2013.  99 people signed up this week and 21 of them read 62 books. 

The Best Man By Higgins, Kristan 2013-02 - Harlequin Hqn 9780373777921 Check Our Catalog A RITA] Award-winning author delights with another charming, hilarious, and heartwarming taleNthe first installment of a new stand-alone series. Original. …More

Nos4a2 By Hill, Joe 2013-04 - William Morrow & Company 9780062200570 Check Our Catalog A spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Hill, the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Horns." Victoria and Charles can both go to secret worlds, from a secret bridge to a terrifying playground of amusements. Their paths have crossed before, and one is looking for revenge. …More

Scandalicious By Hobbs, Allison 2011-10 - Strebor Books 9781593093686 Check Our Catalog After nine years of marriage, Chevonne is bored and Lincoln is starved for physical attention. When the couple seeks help from a relationship counselor, he suggests they explore an open marriage. Six months later and happy with their new situation, the couple meets bakery owner Solay. But Chevonne doesn't expect the emotional connection that's developing between her husband and Solay. 320 pp. 15,000 print. …More

Sleep No More By Johansen, Iris 2012-10 - St. Martin's Press 9780312651244 Check Our Catalog From the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author comes a new thriller that will have Eve Duncan questioning everything she thought she knew about her family and her past when a sinister plot comes to light. …More

Ask the Passengers By King, A. S. 2012-10 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 9780316194686 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Astrid Jones copes with her small town's gossip and narrow-mindedness by staring at the sky and imagining that she's sending love to the passengers in the airplanes flying high over her backyard. Maybe they'll know what to do with it. …More

It By King, Stephen Author Fry, Stephen 1986-06 - Viking Books 9780670813025 Check Our Catalog ITA "Previously published in a Viking edition. A limited first edition of this book has been published by Phantasia Press"--T.p. verso. …More

The Mist By King, Stephen 2007-10 - Signet Book 9780451223296 Check Our Catalog The day after a strange and mysterious storm, the citizens of a small town find themselves besieged by throngs of strange, horrifying, and deadly creatures. Originally published as a novella in "Skeleton Crew, The Mist" has been adapted for the big screen by Dimension Films and directed by Frank Darabont ("The Green Mile"), and is set for release on November 21. Original. …More

The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1 By Kirkman, Robert Author Rathburn, Cliff Author Adlard, Charlie 2009-05 - Image Comics 9781607060765 Check Our Catalog Introducing the first eight volumes of this fan-favorite series collected into one massive paperback collection! Collects The Walking Dead #1-48. …More

The Walking Dead Book 2 By Kirkman, Robert 2007-04 - Image Comics 9781582406985 Check Our Catalog This hardcover features issues #13-24 of the hit series along with the covers for each of the issues, all in one oversized hardcover volume. The tale of Rick Grimes and his band of survivors from the zombie apocalypse that has ravaged the world continues. Older teens. …More

Killer Librarian By Kirwin, Mary Lou 2012-11 - Pocket Books 9781451684643 Check Our Catalog …More

Facing Your Giants: A David and Goliath Story for Everyday People By Lucado, Max 2008-11 - Christian Large Print 9781594152559 Check Our Catalog This profound look at the life of David digs deeply into the defeats he suffered and the victories he won as he faced the giants in his life. Goliaths still roam in this world--debt, disaster, divorce, depression. Christians do what David did. They become God-focused, they pick up five stones, they make five decisions, and they take a swing. HPL Patron:  The book talks about the things that King David went through just like our trials and temptations.  How he looked towards God for direction the majority of his life, but also how he failed to keep God first and tried to do things on his own.  But God still considered David a man after His own heart. …More

Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear By Lucado, Max 2006-05 - W Publishing Group 9780849913457 Check Our Catalog With the 23d Psalm as his guide, Lucado urges readers to release some of the burdens--physical luggage as well as spiritual--that they were never intended to bear. HPL Patron:  Traveling Light is a book that takes Psalm 23 and shows you how God guides you along your journey of life through all your ups and downs.  As the book says, "Releasing the burdens you were never intended to bear..." into His hands. …More

Blind Eye By MacBride, Stuart 2013-02 - Harper 9780007342570 Check Our Catalog …More

Dark Blood (Logan McRae, Book 6) By MacBride, Stuart 2011-01 - Harper 9780007362547 Check Our Catalog …More

This Fire Down in My Soul By Mason, J. D. 2008-01 - St. Martin's Griffin 9780312301576 Check Our Catalog When Faylene Watkins begins counseling women of her husband's congregation at "Hope Filled Christian Center "church, three women teach her the perils of love, sex and obsession. Choir girl Elise thinks she's found a good man in Jay, a truck driver who came blowing into her life. He's caught up in romancing Elise, however, when she's ready for happily ever after, Jay realizes that he can't just walk away from his family. When Renee starts her latest interior decorating project, she thinks her client's husband is hot, and together, they're on fire. Meanwhile his wife wants to be best friends. Tess's life has long revolved around her unfaithful husband and their two sons. But now the kids have left the nest and she wants to spread her wings. She meets a new man who rocks her world off its steady axis. All the while, counselor Faye is keeping a secret of her own and much deeper than any one of them could ever imagine. …More

Wake By McMann, Lisa 2008-12 - Simon Pulse 9781416974475 Check Our Catalog 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top Teen For 17-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche--she is a participant. …More

Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft By Murphy-Hiscock, Arin 2009-09 - Provenance Press 9781598698916 Check Our Catalog How do you yell your mother youare a witch? Coming out as a witch isnat easy. People drawn to Americaas fastest growing religion often feel misunderstood, rejected, even discriminated against by friends, family, and coworkers who donat really know what it means to be a witch. In this one-of-a-kind collection, fifty real-life witches reveal what drew them to the craft, why they chose this spiritual tradition, and how they dealt with telling their families. From the witch who heard the Goddess speak to her during a terrible car accident to the witch who knew she was on the right path when she picked up her first tarot deck, readers will find the encouragement and inspiration they need to practice magick with pride and dignity, no matter where they are on their path. …More

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version By Pullman, Philip 2012-11 - Viking Books 9780670024971 Check Our Catalog #1 "New York Times" bestseller Philip Pullman retells the world's best-loved fairy tales on their 200th anniversary. …More

The Puppy That Came for Christmas: How a Dog Brought One Family the Gift of Joy By Rix, Megan 2011-10 - Plume Books 9780452297487 Check Our Catalog Marley, Oogy, Huck-and now, Traffy, the "forever dog" that changed one couple's life. All Megan Rix ever wanted was a baby. Yet, month after month, Megan's dreams were dashed. Would her life ever feel complete? Megan and her husband, Ian, found a surprising answer when they began training golden retriever pups to become service dogs for people with disabilities. But opening their homes and hearts up to Emma, and then Freddy-only to have each move on after six months-eventually took its own toll. Megan and Ian didn't know if they could continue. Then, one Christmas, little Traffy came along ... and stayed. An instant U.K. bestseller, "The Puppy That Came for Christmas" is a heartwarming and inspirational story that will captivate dog lovers everywhere. …More

Bad Blood By Sandford, John 2010-09 - Putnam Adult 9780399156908 Check Our Catalog A young man hits a farmer on the head with a steel bar, drops him into the grain bin, waits until he's sure he's dead, and then calls the sheriff to report the "accident." Virgil Flowers quickly breaks the kid down, and the next day the boy is found hanging in his cell, in this saga of multigeneration, multifamily monstrosities. …More

Shock Wave By Sandford, John 2011-10 - Putnam Adult 9780399157691 Check Our Catalog The thrilling new Virgil Flowers novel from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author. The superstore chain PyeMart has its sights set on a Minnesota river town, but two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests don't seem to be slowing the project, though, until someone decides to take matters into his own hands. The first bomb goes off on the top floor of PyeMart's headquarters. The second one explodes at the construction site itself. The blasts are meant to inflict maximum damage-and they do. Who's behind the bombs, and how far will they go? It's Virgil Flowers's job to find out . . . before more people get killed. …More

The Alchemyst By Scott, Michael 2007-05 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers 9780385733571 Check Our Catalog 2009 Rhode Island Teen Book Award According to legend, Nicholas Flamel discovered the secret of eternal life from the powerful book of Abraham the Mage--a book he has protected since his death in 1418. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. When the book is stolen, Sophie and Josh Newman find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time. HPL Patron:  Nicolas Flamel is a century-year-old alchemist who, with his wife Perenelle Flamel, is guarding The Book of Abraham.  There is a legend where "two will become one."  His storekeeper Josh and his sister Sophie, currently human, fall into the world where Fantasy becomes real and they become closer to a world of dangerous possibilities. …More

The Magician By Scott, Michael 2009-04 - Delacorte Press 9780385737289 Check Our Catalog After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris--home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. As the second novel of this bestselling series gets underway, it's now time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. …More

A Living Nightmare By Shan, Darren 2002-06 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 9780316605106 Check Our Catalog Soon to be a major motion picture based on the three books in the Cirque Du Freak series, these books feature new cover images. Darren Shan is an ordinary schoolboy who enjoys hanging out with his three best friends. Then one day they stumble across an invitation to visit the Cirque Du Freak, a mysterious freak show. As if by destiny, Darren wins a ticket, and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires. …More

Groundbreaking Reads

Welcome to the results of Week 1, the first week of Summer Reading 2013.  99 people signed up this week and 21 of them read 62 books. 

The Butler's Guide to Running the Home and Other Graces By Ager, Stanley Author St Aubyn, Fiona Foreword by Alastair Bruce of Crionaich 2012-11 - Clarkson Potter Publishers 9780385344708 Check Our Catalog …More

Fate By Barnes, Jennifer Lynn 2009-03 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers 9780385735377 Check Our Catalog Bailey Morgan lives a double life: high school student by day, ancient mystical being by night. As the third Fate, Bailey literally controls the fate of the world. Then she meets the rest of the Sidhe. Before Bailey knows it, she's drawn into an otherworldly web. …More

Tattoo By Barnes, Jennifer 2007-01 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers 9780385733472 Check Our Catalog Four girlfriends hope their temporary tattoos will make a killing at their school dance. Unfortunately, killing is just what someone has in mind. Along with her tattoo, each girl receives a supernatural power that, together, they will have to use to defeat an ancient evil and save the world. …More

Powers Volume 3: Little Deaths By Bendis, Brian Michael Author Oeming, Michael Avon Illustrator Oeming, Michael Avon 2002-11 - Image Comics 9781582402697 Check Our Catalog …More

Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues By Brandman, Michael 2012-10 - Berkley 9780425250457 Check Our Catalog Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone's investigation of a violent series of car thefts is complicated by political pressures, the summer tourist season, and the questionable goals of an ambitious PR executive. Available in a tall Premium Edition. HPL patron:  Brandman's style is true to Parker's ability to tell a good story.  So glad Jesse Stone lives on. …More

A Clockwork Orange By Burgess, Anthony Introduction by Burgess, Anthony 1995-04 - W. W. Norton & Company 9780393312836 Check Our Catalog Anthony Burgess's modern classic of youthful violence and social redemption, reissued to include the controversial last chapter not previously published in this country, with a new introduction by the author. …More

The Christmas Quilt/The New Year's Quilt By Chiaverini, Jennifer 2008-10 - Pocket Books 9781439100257 Check Our Catalog …More

The Quilter's Kitchen By Chiaverini, Jennifer 2008-10 - Simon & Schuster 9781416583295 Check Our Catalog Continuing in the tradition of Chiaverini's bestselling holiday offerings, "The Christmas Quilt" and "The New Year's Quilt," this work tells the story of how Chef Anna, one of the newest members of the circle of quilters, comes to write the official cookbook for Elm Creek Quilts. …More

The Wedding Quilt By Chiaverini, Jennifer 2012-10 - Plume Books 9780452298491 Check Our Catalog Meditating on the weddings she has attended in Elm Creek Manor throughout the years, Sarah McClure evaluates the symbolic features on a wedding quilt designed to display the signatures of beloved guests. …More

Catching Fire By Collins, Suzanne 2009-09 - Scholastic Press 9780439023498 Check Our Catalog 2010 Children's Choice Award Winner-Teen New York Times bestselling author Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen, in this second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy. HPL patron:  Love it-can't stop reading it. …More

The Hunger Games By Collins, Suzanne 2008-10 - Scholastic Press 9780439023481 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title An Indie Next Selection 2012 Nutmeg Teen Award Winner 2010 Rhode Island Teen Book Award The acclaimed author of the "New York Times"-bestselling Underland Chronicles series delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in a stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to the present. HPL Patron:  I bought these books for my granddaugher months ago and she told me I should read them-finally did and they are awesome. …More

The Big Little Book of Magick: A Wiccan's Guide to Altars, Candles, Pendulums, and Healing Spells By Conway, D. J. 2010-10 - Crossing Press 9781580910057 Check Our Catalog A bestselling Wiccan author explains how to enlighten and empower oneself using four different types of magick. A compilation of four popular titles in the "Little Book of Magic" series, "The Big Little Book of Magick" helps readers integrate magick into their lives and benefit from its many powers. Filled with diagrams, charts, and glossaries, this enlightening how-to guide is a must-have for readers looking to enliven, enrich, and enchant their everyday existence. …More

Decadence By Dickey, Eric Jerome 2013-04 - Dutton Books 9780525953838 Check Our Catalog "New York Times" bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey returns to the life of Nia Simone Bijou (of "Pleasure" fame) as she embarks on a quest to enhance her artistic gifts through heightened sensory experience, Hollywood-style. …More

Preacher Vol 05: Dixie Fried By Ennis, Garth Illustrator Dillon, Steve Illustrator Fabry, Glenn 1998-09 - Vertigo 9781563894282 Check Our Catalog Reverend Jesse Custer's quest to locate God leads him, his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip, and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy to New Orleans and a violent encounter with a cult of vampire wannabes. …More

Preacher Deluxe Vol. 6. By Ennis, Garth 2012-01 - Titan Publishing Company 9781781160428 Check Our Catalog …More

Crescendo By Fitzpatrick, Becca 2012-01 - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 9781416989448 Check Our Catalog The frantically anticipated follow up to the New York Times Bestseller, Hush, Hush, now in paperback! …More

The Hunt By Fukuda, Andrew 2012-12 - St. Martin's Griffin 9781250005298 Check Our Catalog Seventeen-year-old Gene has passed as a vampire for years, carefully following every rule, but now, just as he finds a girl worth fighting for, he is chosen to participate in the hunt for the last remaining humans among ruthless vampires who soon suspect his true nature. …More

Down the Up Escalator: How the 99 Percent Live in the Great Recession By Garson, Barbara 2013-04 - Doubleday Books 9780385532747 Check Our Catalog The Great Recession has thrown huge economic challenges at almost all Americans, save the super-affluent few, and we are only now beginning to reckon up the human toll it is taking. "Down the Up Escalator" is an urgent dispatch from the front lines of our vast collective struggle to keep our heads above water and maybe even--someday--get ahead. …More

Cross My Heart By Gould, Sasha 2012-03 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers 9780385741507 Check Our Catalog When Laura della Scala's older sister drowns, Laura leaves the shelter of the convent where she has spent the last six years and enters the upper echelons of sixteenth-century Venetian society, while she searches for the truth about what happened to her sister. …More

A Cold Day in Paradise By Hamilton, Steve 2012-05 - Minotaur Books 9781250012685 Check Our Catalog On a bitter cold night in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, ex-Detroit cop Alex McKnight answers a cry for help from wealthy Edwin Fulton--only to find the man--a compulsive gambler who had gone to meet with a bookmaker--in his motel room with his throat cut. HPL Patron:  After I bought Misery Bay at a church rummage sale and devoured it in 2 days I decided to make this writer my summer reading project, and went to the library for his 1st which won 2 Edgar Awards when it came out in 1998.  I love the use of MI UP weather, woods, and log cabins.  Alex McKnight is a great detective. …More

The Hunting Wind By Hamilton, Steve 2001-06 - Thomas Dunne Books 9780312268947 Check Our Catalog It's April in Paradise, a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Alex McKnight is contacted by an old baseball minor league teammate--Randy Wilkins--who is on a quest to find Maria, his old true love. The only problem: Randy walked away from her in 1971 and hasn't seen or heard from her since. HPL Patron:  In this great series of Michigan mysteries detective Alex McKnight drives through Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Whitehall, and Montague looking for the bad guys.  Another fast read with lovable characters, the Great Lakes, humor alternating with fears.  I already started the next Steve Hamilton. …More

Crash and Burn By Hassan, Michael 2013-02 - Balzer & Bray/Harperteen 9780062112903 Check Our Catalog …More

Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story By Henderson, Dee 2013-05 - Bethany House Publishers 9780764211126 Check Our Catalog After finding God and falling in love, life is good for Dr. Jennifer O'Malley. But can her faith--and her family--survive the challenges ahead? HPL patron:  I couldn't put this book down-great read! …More

Salvation of a Saint By Higashino, Keigo Translator Smith, Alexander O. With Alexander, Elye J. 2012-10 - Minotaur Books 9780312600686 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title From the author of the internationally bestselling, award-winning "The Devotion of Suspect X" comes the latest novel featuring Detective Galileo. The detective returns in a new case of impossible murder, where instincts clash with facts and theory with reality. …More