Do you feel it? Autumn is just around the corner! Soon, there will be a refreshing crispness in the air; pumpkins will start showing up in markets; the leaves will start to turn glorious shades of yellows, oranges and reds. These are some of the things we all associate with the changing season. In a short time, summer’s heat will be a fuzzy memory. Change is in the air.
Frindle: frin-dəl – noun. It is a new word created by Nicholas “Nick” Allen to replace the word “pen.”
Why don't all the words in the dictionary mean what they say? Mrs. Granger doesn’t understand. She has to be the worst English teacher EVER! Nick decides to start using the word “frindle” instead of pen, and it catches on quickly. All the kids in school are using it, and pretty soon it is the coolest word in school. The teachers do not like it though. They try all sorts of wild stunts to stop the kids from using THAT word!
One of our current displays here at the North Oak Branch not only offers an opportunity to read new Asian fiction, but it also gives our fellow team members a chance to exhibit their talents and interests. This photograph shows two small kimonos that were made by one of the pages at North Oak. The idea for this display, as well as the painted fan and the kimonos were inspired by the upcoming Japan Festival, which will be October 2nd in Overland Park.
First Fridays: Frankenstein/Dracula Double Feature
Join us at the Lee's Summit Branch on October 1st at 2 p.m. for a Frankenstein/Dracula double feature. We'll be watching Boris Karloff's Frankenstein and an original, old world vampire (no sparkles... we promise). As always, we'll provide the popcorn!
When the temperatures start to cool down, I venture outside to enjoy camping and campfires. There’s nothing like sharing ooey, gooey s’mores with friends while sitting in front of a warm fire on a cool autumn’s evening! Before passing around the marshmallows and graham crackers though, we usually eat another of my favorite camping foods: Dutch oven stew made with chicken, potatoes, and carrots. While waiting for bed with a full belly and campfire stories still fading from the air, I cannot help but wonder if we are not unlike the pioneers of the Old West.
Life is better with Art! Maybe you’ve seen a poster with this statement on it at a MCPL branch. Did it make you stop and think how dreary the world would be without art? Art can stimulate all the senses as well as calm and rejuvenate you. Have you taken a look at the song, dance, fine arts, and theatre databases MCPL has collected for you? These can be enjoyed at home, at your convenience!
Blue Springs North Branch continues its year's long partnership with Brittany Hills Middle School's Reading Counts program. The joint mission/goal is to promote reading throughout the year!
Reading Counts is a program developed through Scholastic that allows students to read a book, take a quiz on the book, and earn points based on the strength and complexity of the book. Students at Brittany Hills are required to participate and it is a substantial part of the student's grade.
Nick Reding's Methland balances a focus on the effect of meth in Oelwein, Iowa with the larger sociological issues that make it possible for meth to devastate communities all across the country. It was on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Book Review and has gone through seven hardcover printings.
Ahoy me hearties! Coming up in the near future is an interesting holiday: September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate Day. This holiday got its start when two men (Mark Summers and John Baur) were bored enough to follow their dream, a dream of talking like pirates. You may ask: what does one do on Talk Like a Pirate Day (TLAP)? The quick answer: Arr, ye scurvy dog! Ye talk like a scallywag o’ the seven seas! G’harr!
