Upcoming Events at HPL

Top Snack Chef 2:00 pm, Wednesday, December 28 We're going through our kids' cookbooks to see what is easy to make, good to eat and just plain olf fun to prepare. A Top Snack Chef prize will be awarded. Wednesday Knitters 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Wednesday, December 28 Open to knitters of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced. Learn to knit, hone your skills, help other knitters! For more information call             231-722-7276       and ask for Jocelyn. Tween Video Game Extreme 2:00 pm, Thursday, December 29 Didn’t get enough of that competition from Family game day? Don’t fret. Here’s your chance to prove you are the best at games like Wii sports, Rockband and Dance Dance Revolution. Drinks and snacks will fuel the players and Goofy prizes will reward top players. Basic Crocheting. 6:00 PM Tuesday, January 3 Nancy Hartman returns to teach a course on basic crocheting. Learn chain stitch and single crochet. Nancy will provide hooks and yarn, but you are free to bring your own if you already own some. Meets in the Julia Hackley Room. Free and open to the public. Wednesday Knitters 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 4 Meets in the Julia Hackley Room Open to knitters of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced. Learn to knit, hone your skills, help other knitters! For more information call             231-722-7276       and ask for Jocelyn. Special topic in January: Socks! Toe up/knit on 2 circulars or magic loop. Bring yarn of your choice and needles-either 4 or 5 double points, 2 circulars, or one really long circular. Freedom, Slavery, and the Roots of American Music 6:00 PM Tuesday, January 10 Ray Kamalay traces the development of early American music from its links to slavery up to the early jazz age. Discussion will include freedom, ancient and modern slavery, liberty, spirituals, blues, minstrel shows, ragtime and jazz. Ray is a longtime professional musician and contributes performances of the various genres. Ray Kamalay is a Detroit native, with a degree in philosophy from the University of Detroit. He has made a living as a musician since 1974 and performed at some of the most prestigious venues, including Edinburgh, Interlochen and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. In 1998, his work with Howard Armstrong, a National Heritage Fellow, was nominated for the W. C. Handy Award. His website is http://www.raykamalay.com/ Brought to you through the generosity of the PNC Foundation. Muskegon County Genealogical Society 6:30 - 9:30 pm, Tuesday, January 10 Meets at the Torrent House Tech Wednesday-Ebooks 2:30 pm, Wednesday January 11 Each class runs from 30 – 60 minutes. No registration is required, just show up! All classes will start at 2:30 pm in the Julia Hackley Room. If you have your own laptop feel free to bring it along, otherwise these are watch and learn classes. Wednesday Knitters 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 11 Meets in the Julia Hackley Room Open to knitters of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced. Learn to knit, hone your skills, help other knitters! For more information call             231-722-7276       and ask for Jocelyn. Special topic in January: Socks! Toe up/knit on 2 circulars or magic loop. Bring yarn of your choice and needles-either 4 or 5 double points, 2 circulars, or one really long circular. MS Support Group 5:30 - 6:30 pm, Wednesday, January 11 Torrent House Yarnspinners 7:00 - 9:00 pm, Wednesday, January 11 Muskegon's own storytelling group. Torrent House Genealogy Workshop 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Saturday, January 14 Learn how to do Genealogy research in the Local History Department. For more information call             231-722-7276       x 233 Hawaiian Luau 2:00 pm Saturday, January 14 This program provides hot weather fun on a cold winter day. Activities include fun facts about the Hawaiian islands, Beach Art, and musical limbo. Kids will try for silly prizes in the Hula Hoop Contest and play Beach Bingo. The fun concludes with a chocolate “pig” roast.

Eight Things You Should Know Before You Buy A Daily Deal

From the USA.gov Blog:

Eight Things You Should Know Before You Buy A Daily Deal:

Frugalistas looking to snag a bargain on a massage or a fancy dinner at new restaurant can spend a lot of time browsing daily deal sites. While these sites provide the opportunity to try new businesses at a discounted price, shoppers need to be sure they read the fine print on their deals and understand the sites’ terms of service agreements to avoid complications when they redeem their deal vouchers.

These tips will help you better understand the daily deal sites so you can shop safely and enjoy the deals you purchase.

Check the expiration and black-out dates

Most daily deals have expiration dates. Plan accordingly so you use your voucher before the deal expires. Make sure you check for blackout dates too. Some of the popular vacation deals can only be redeemed during certain times of the year.

Do your research

Spend five or ten minutes reading reviews of the product or service you’re thinking about purchasing. If the company has a lot of bad reviews, you may want to skip the purchase, no matter how great the deal seems to be.

Understand how you can use the deal

Some deals you can use more than once until the entire amount of the deal is gone, but other coupons you have to use all at once. In general, you can’t combine a daily deal with another coupon or promotion. Read the conditions of your specific deal before you buy. If you’ve read the fine print, but still don’t understand everything, ask questions before you buy. Many of the daily deal sites have a frequently asked questions section or an area of the site where they handle questions about specific deals.

Verify which locations accept your voucher

Some deals for chains are only valid at certain stores. Check to make sure the location closest to you is one of the participating stores or else you might have to go out of your way to use the deal.

Know when your credit card will be charged

Some sites won’t charge you until after a certain number of deals have been purchased; other sites will charge you immediately or at the close of a business day. After you purchase a deal, keep an eye on your credit card statement to make sure you are charged correctly.

Check the site’s refund policy

Some sites will refund your money if you are disappointed in a deal. Others will refund your money if a merchant goes out of business before your deal’s expiration date. Some won’t refund your money at all. Make sure you understand and are comfortable with a site’s refund rules before you make a purchase.

Know whom to contact with problems

In most cases, the daily deal sites can’t help you solve problems with the company you bought the deal from. You will need to work with the company directly. If you have an issue, stay calm and state exactly what happened and how you would like the situation to be resolved. You can use the tips from the USA.gov sample complaint letter to help fix the problem.

Old Gadgets Can be Useful, Too

From the USA.gov Blog:

Old Gadgets Can be Useful, Too:

By Felicia Chou, a program analyst in the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery at the Environmental Protection Agency

‘Tis the season to be gushing about the new electronic gadgets you’ve received for the holidays, and figure out what to do with your old ones. Sure, you could keep them in your closet or attic, waiting for the day VHS tapes are all the rage again, or when radio-sized phones are back in style. Maybe that old TV can be used as a giant paperweight. But there are plenty of better alternatives to put your unwanted electronics to use.

I’ve had this laptop since college and believe it or not, it still works. Well, besides the fact that the touchpad and keyboard aren’t working; and I have to keep it plugged in because the battery is pretty much dead. If, like me, you don’t want to part with your old computer just yet, see if you can upgrade the hardware or software to put it on par with your new gadgets. In my case, I would replace the battery and the keyboard, and plug in a new wireless mouse. Or, after clearing out your personal data (PDF), you can donate working electronics to those who need them.

The next best thing is to recycle your old gadgets, but before you start carting loads of electronics to your nearest electronics collection program or drop-off point, check if they’re working with a third-party certified recycler. You’re probably thinking, third-party what? Well, companies that recycle electronics can be certified by outside organizations (like R2 Solutions and eStewards) and regularly audited to make sure that your electronics will be managed safely. That way, you can rest assured that your old gadget is being recycled in a way that is protective of our health and the environment. Check out R2 Solutions and e-Stewards for a list of certified recyclers.

So, why shouldn’t you just let your electronics sit at home and collect dust, or worse, get thrown away in the garbage?

Electronics are made of precious metals and materials, like gold, copper, and glass. If they’re thrown away, all that precious material that required a lot of energy to mine and manufacture will go to waste. When you recycle your electronics, those precious materials can be used in other products, such as electric cars or watches. You’ll also be preventing the pollution that would have been caused by having to mine and manufacture raw materials. In fact, recycling one million laptops saves enough energy to power over 3,000 US homes for a year.

So while you’re having a blast trying out all the new features on your shiny new gadgets, just remember to put your old ones to good use. I, for one, will be looking forward to the new battery and keyboard to keep my beloved laptop working for as long as I can.

Find out more about what you can do to green your holiday season.

HPL's New Books

Below is a partial list of our new books. To see the full list, download the Excel file for: 2011 . To see new books from other years try: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, or 2006. To sign up for this, or any of our newsletters, check out our Newsletter sign up page. Ecstasy By Moore, Shavon 2009-06 - Triple Crown Publications 9780982099667 Check Our Catalog …More Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues: True Stories of the Unsavory, Unwise, Unorthodox, and Unusual By Rhoads, Loren 2009-09 - Scribner Book Company 9781439124666 Check Our Catalog Featuring stories culled from the magazine "Morbid Curiosity," this highly-original anthology includes true tales of the unsavory, unwise, unorthodox, and unusual. …More The Cold Commands By Morgan, Richard K. 2011-10 - Del Rey Books 9780345493064 Check Our Catalog Morgan continues the riveting saga of Ringil Eskiath--Gil, for short--a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah. Only a select few have earned the right to call Gil friend. One is Egar, the Dragonbane, a fierce Majak fighter who comes to respect a heart as savage and loyal as his own. 576 pp. …More The Night Circus By Morgenstern, Erin 2011-09 - Doubleday Books 9780385534635 Check Our Catalog To enter the black-and-white-striped tents of Le Cirque des Reves is to enter a world where objects really do turn into birds and people really do disappear. Even though visitors believe the performances are all illusion, they are obsessively drawn to this extraordinary night circus. Those who run and perform in the circus are its lifeblood. Marco Alisdair runs the operation from London as assistant to the eccentric proprietor. Celia Bowen holds it all together from her role as illusionist. As magicians, Marco and Celia are bound to each other in a deadly competition of powers, creating ever more fantastical venues for circus goers to marvel at. But falling in love was never part of the game, and the players struggle to extricate themselves from this contest while keeping the circus afloat. …More The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares: Novellas and Stories of Unspeakable Dread By Oates, Joyce Carol Read by Williams, Christine Read by Verner, Adam 2011-11 - Mysterious Press-Highbridge Audio Classics 9781611746013 Check Our Catalog A chilling volume of stories and novellas by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the world's greatest and most prolific writers. …More Facing Justice By Oldham, Nick 2011-11 - Severn House Publishers 9780727880758 Check Our Catalog The thrilling new Detective Superintendent Henry Christie novel - When DS Henry Christie sets off on a short winter break with his old friend FBI agent Karl Donaldson, he expects a pleasant hike through the countryside followed by an overnight stop in a picturesque village. But the hike turns into a fight for survival in the worst snowstorm for thirty years. And things only get worse when they stumble, exhausted and injured, into the village pub, only to find themselves in the middle of a blood-soaked stand-off between gangsters with deadly scores to settle . . . …More The Buddha in the Attic By Otsuka, Julie 2011-08 - Knopf Publishing Group 9780307700001 Check Our Catalog Otsuka delivers the long-awaited follow-up to "When the Emperor Was Divine"--a stunning tour de force that tells the story of a group of women brought from Japan to San Francisco in the 1900s as mail-order brides. …More Mercury's Rise By Parker, Ann 2011-11 - Poisoned Pen Press 9781590589618 Check Our Catalog In summer 1880, many come to the fast-rising health resort of Manitou, Colorado, at the foot of Pike's Peak to "chase the cure" for tuberculosis. …More Kill Alex Cross By Patterson, James 2011-11 - Little Brown and Company 9780316198738 Check Our Catalog The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark. A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital. As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes--one that may alter the fate of the entire country. 384 pp. (General Fiction) …More Tick Tock By Patterson, James Author Ledwidge, Michael 2011-01 - Little Brown and Company 9780316037914 Check Our Catalog A rash of horrifying crimes tears through New York City, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that these offenses are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind. All too soon, another appalling murder leads Detective Michael Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan. HPL patron: Awesome. James Patterson is a fantastic writer. HPL patron: Great author, lots of suspense, plus human interest. HPL patron: Not his best. Too much violence. …More Binocular Vision: New & Selected Stories By Pearlman, Edith 2011-01 - Lookout Books 9780982338292 Check Our Catalog In this sumptuous offering, one of our premier storytellers provides a feast for fiction aficionados. Spanning four decades and three prize-winning collections, these 21 vintage selected stories and 13 scintillating new ones take us around the world, from Jerusalem to Central America, from tsarist Russia to London during the Blitz, from central Europe to Manhattan, and from the Maine coast to Godolphin, Massachusetts, a fictional suburb of Boston. These charged locales, and the lives of the endlessly varied characters within them, are evoked with a tenderness and incisiveness found in only our most observant seers. …More Acceptable Loss By Perry, Anne 2011-08 - Ballantine Books 9780345510600 Check Our Catalog To a superlative degree, "Acceptable Loss" provides colorful characters, a memorable portrait of waterfront life, and a story that achieves its most thrilling moments in a transfixed London courtroom, where Monk faces his old friend Oliver Rathbone in a trial of nearly unbearable tension--in sum, every delectable drop of the rich pleasure that readers expect from an Anne Perry novel. …More The Neon Graveyard: The Final Sign of the Zodiac By Pettersson, Vicki 2011-05 - Harper Voyager 9780061456794 Check Our Catalog Once she was a soldier for the Light, the prophesied savior who would decide the outcome of the eternal conflict raging unseen in the dark corners of her glittering hometown. Now Joanna Archer is just another mortal--still born of an impossible union of Shadow and Light . . . still hunted by both--and carrying the unborn child of a lover held captive by a depraved demon goddess. Joining forces with a band of rogue Shadow agents, Joanna's ready to storm the stronghold of her demonic foe, risking everything to enter this ghastly, godforsaken realm where the price of admission is her eternal soul. Because in a world that has stripped her of her power, identity, and fortune, Joanna has nothing left to lose--except her baby, her future, and the epic war poised to consume the city. …More Mozart's Last Aria By Rees, Matt 2011-11 - Harper Perennial 9780062015860 Check Our Catalog …More New York to Dallas By Robb, J. D. 2011-09 - Putnam Adult 9780399157783 Check Our Catalog The new novel from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author, which takes readers deeper into the mind of Eve Dallas than ever before. The number-one "New York Times"-bestselling author J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name-and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood. When a monster named Isaac McQueen-taken down by Eve back in her uniform days-escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago. …More The Next Always: Book One of the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy By Roberts, Nora 2011-11 - Berkley Publishing Group 9780425243213 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title "America's favorite writer" ("The New Yorker") begins a new trilogy inspired by the inn she owns and the town she loves. The historic hotel in Boonsboro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it's getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett's social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there's another project he's got his eye on: the girl he's been waiting to kiss since he was 15. …More The Nine Lives of Christmas By Roberts, Sheila 2011-10 - St. Martin's Press 9780312594497 Check Our Catalog Bestselling author Roberts delivers a humorous, heartwarming Christmas novel about a matchmaking cat who brings a couple together just in time for the holidays. When a guy is in trouble, he starts making deals with his Creator . . . and Ambrose the cat is no exception. 208 pp. 125,000 print. …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 Return of the Cartier Cartel By Santiago, Nisa 2010-10 - Melodrama Publishing 9781934157305 Check Our Catalog Brooklyn empress Cartier knows the streets of Brooklyn like nobody's business. In fact, she successfully built her Cartier Cartel drug ring on the code of the streets, hustling and stacking paper. However, the life of crime is wearing her down, and she's ready to quit the game when two of her Cartel soldiers are gunned down in the same streets that fattened her bankroll. Now she's hell bent on seeking revenge for her friends, and she and her most loyal set out to solve the hood's whodunit. Along the way, tempers flare and love is tested as her prince steps out of line and sleeps with the enemy. Devastation reigns supreme in the streets of Brooklyn, while Cartier is constantly looking over her shoulder, wondering who will be the next to stab her in the back. …More Abuse of Power By Savage, Michael 2011-09 - St. Martin's Press 9780312651619 Check Our Catalog From a "New York Times"-bestselling author and controversial radio talk-show host comes this lightning-paced first thriller, spanning the globe from Europe and Israel to the back alleys of San Francisco's Chinatown, in which a reporter must make the choice between protecting his own life and investigating a terrorist cell whose goal is nothing less than total political control--no matter what the cost. …More Midsummer Crown By Sedley, Kate 2011-06 - Severn House Publishers 9780727880192 Check Our Catalog …More The Coldest Winter Ever By Sister Souljah 2005-09 - Washington Square Press 9780743270106 Check Our Catalog Now available in a trade paperback edition, Sister Souljah's debut novel about the daughter of a drug lord captures the allure and the danger of Brooklyn's streets. HPL patron: Good book. …More The Best of Me By Sparks, Nicholas 2011-10 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446547659 Check Our Catalog Sparks' latest is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined--and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of their mentor, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past. 288 pp. (General Fiction) …More

Holiday Hours

HPL will be closed for the Christmas and New Year's holidays on December 24-26 and December 31-January 2.

Ereader Workshops

Are you hoping for a new eReader for Christmas this year? We'll be offering workshops on downloading library books every day during the week between Christmas and New Year's.On Tuesday and Wednesday the workshops will be at 11, 2, and 6. On Thursday and Friday they'll be at 11 and 2. Drop in with your new device and get up to speed on downloading library books!

Staff Picks

At our staff meetings we take a few minutes to talk about the books we are reading. This is a list of recent favorites. STAFF PICKS Clever Gift Giving For those who consider themselves crafty, the holiday season is one of the best times of the year, as it provides an opportunity to shower friends and family with gifts made with your own two hands. Homemade: The Heart and Science of Handcrafts, from veteran craft book author Carol Endler Sterbenz, is the ultimate tool for gift making -- and crafting all year round! For beginners and experts, it holds all the necessary how-to's and ideas to create unforgettable gifts from the heart. With seven categories of projects that range from beading to floral arts to decoupage, Homemade holds countless ways to make each and every person on your list feel special. To sign up for this, or any of our newsletters, check out our Newsletter sign up page. Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems By Millan, Cesar With Peltier, Melissa Jo 2007-09 - Three Rivers Press (CA) 9780307337979 Check Our Catalog In this definitive and accessible guide, Millan, star of National Geographic Channels hit show "The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan," reveals what dogs truly need to live a happy and fulfilled life. …More Lost By Maguire, Gregory 2002-09 - Harper Paperbacks 9780060988647 Check Our Catalog In this third novel by the acclaimed bestselling author of "Wicked" and "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, " famed children's book author Winifred Rudge travels to London to research a book about a woman who is being haunted by Jack the Ripper. Line drawings. Print features. …More Micro By Crichton, Michael Author Preston, Richard 2011-11 - Harper 9780060873028 Check Our Catalog After Crichton's death in November 2008, Preston ("The Hot Zone") was drafted to complete the work Crichton had begun on this novel. The setting: Hawaii. The characters: graduate students at a biotech company who get dumped into the rain forest and must use their science smarts to survive. …More The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Selznick, Brian Illustrator Selznick, Brian 2007-03 - Scholastic Press 9780439813785 Check Our Catalog 2008 Caldecott Medal Winner BookPage Notable Title Orphan, clock keeper, thief: Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender and spellbinding mystery. …More I Will Come Back for You: A Family in Hiding During World War II By Russo, Marisabina Illustrator Russo, Marisabina 2011-09 - Schwartz & Wade Books 9780375866951 Check Our Catalog A grandmother tells her granddaughter the story of the charm bracelet that represents her own childhood experiences while she and her Jewish family tried to evade the Nazis in Italy during World War II. Full color. …More My First Day at a New School By Guillain, Charlotte 2011-01 - Heinemann Library 9781432948061 Check Our Catalog …More Mustache! By Barnett, Mac Illustrator Cornell, Kevin 2011-10 - Hyperion Books 9781423116714 Check Our Catalog When extremely good-looking King Duncan builds more and more tributes to his handsome face, neglecting kingdom projects and repairs, his loyal subjects find a mustachioed solution. …More Chilly Milly Moo By Ross, Fiona 2011-10 - Candlewick Press (MA) 9780763656935 Check Our Catalog While the other cows are enjoying the sun and making plenty of milk, Milly Moo is too hot to make a drop but when the temperature falls, Milly Moo shows the farmer and the rest of the herd what she can do. …More Drawing from Memory By Say, Allen 2011-09 - Scholastic Press 9780545176866 Check Our Catalog Caldecott Medalist Say ("Grandfather's Journey") presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during World War II, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan's premier cartoonist. …More Ha-Ha Holiday Jokes to Tickle Your Funny Bone By Niven, Felicia Lowenstein 2011-04 - Enslow Elementary 9780766035423 Check Our Catalog "Includes jokes, limericks, knock-knock jokes, tongue twisters, and fun facts about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays, and describes how to create your own funny greeting cards"--Provided by publisher. …More My Favorite Recipes By Karmel, Annabel 2011-01 - DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) 9780756671952 Check Our Catalog Everyone eats, but not everyone eats well. "My Favorite Recipes" addresses this problem with more than 40 carefully chosen recipes from children's cooking book guru Karmel that will feed the whole family while giving kids the chance to get in the kitchen. Full color. …More I Broke My Trunk! By Willems, Mo 2011-02 - Hyperion Books 9781423133094 Check Our Catalog Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In I Broke My Trunk! Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about breaking his trunk. Will Piggie end up with a long, crazy story of her own? …More Art & Max By Wiesner, David 2010-10 - Clarion Books 9780618756636 Check Our Catalog A three-time Caldecott Medalist delivers a mixed-media picture book about friendship and art. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max's first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media. Full color. …More Hanukkah: A Counting Book in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish By Sper, Emily 2001-09 - Scholastic 9780439282918 Check Our Catalog A radiant read-aloud book--with the symbols of Hanukkah presented to stunning effect--teaches children to count to eight in three languages. Full-color illustrations. …More K is for Kwanzaa By Ford, Juwanda G. Illustrator Wilson-Max, Ken 1997-10 - Scholastic 9780590922005 Check Our Catalog CCBC Choices - 1997 This unique and beautifully illustrated book by the creator of "Little Red Plane" celebrates the joyful African-American holiday Kwanzaa. Full color. …More Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children By Riggs, Ransom 2011-06 - Quirk Books 9781594744761 Check Our Catalog A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. …More The Help By Stockett, Kathryn 2009-02 - Amy Einhorn Books 9780399155345 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another. HPL patron: Best book I've read in a long time. Love it. HPL patron: Four stars. Quite a look at our history. HPL patron: Loved this book, a true aspect of the past. …More