Friday, February 22, 2013

Sisters Grimm Book Discussion

Last night we hosted a discussion of the first book in the Michael Buckley series: Fairy Tale Detectives



Our Icebreaker question:
What's your favorite Fairy Tale?

We did our trivia, Kim made up the questions:

What is Grandmother Grimm's first name? Relda
What was odd about the first meal Grandmother Grimm cooks for Sabrina 
and Daphne? the spaghetti and meatballs are abnormal colors
What is Mr. Canis' secret? He is formerly known as the BIg Bad Wolf
What is an Everafter? An immortal fairy tale character
What are 3 of the people that Sabrina and Daphne meet? Jack, Puck, 
Ichabod Crane, Snow White, The Mirror, Prince Charming
What does liebling mean? sweet
What kind of dog is Elvis? Great Dane
What is the name of the town where the Grimms and Everafters live 
together? Ferryport Landing
What was in the locked room that no one was allowed to enter? The Magic 
Mirror
What did Sabrina and Daphne forget to do to the house before they left 
for Prince Charming's ball? Tell it to lock up
What time do Sabrina and Daphne have until before the magic wears off? 9 pm


We asked  several circle questions:

1. What makes a fairy tale? (There are several other book characters in Ferry Port Landing who aren't fairy tale creatures, but fun nonetheless.) Are King Arthur, Puck, and the Queen of Hearts fairy tale creatures?

2. What fairy tale creature would you most like to meet?

3. What fairy tale creature would you like most to be?

4. What one item would you take from the closet in the mirror?

5.If you had one ride on the magic carpet, where would you go?

6.If you had one question for the magic mirror, what would you ask for?

Our Activities 
On the Sisters Grimm website, we had a blast playing a fairy tale mad libs - of course our heroine wanted a book above everything else! http://sistersgrimm.com/newsite/game.html

We also had a matching game where we called out the character and had everyone rush to the corresponding book. The books were placed around the room.

For our craft: we made little crowns out of toilet paper roles. Here's my crown decorated with painter's tape. Isn't it cute? We saw it on Pinterest and decided it fit perfectly! 


Friday, February 15, 2013

A Tribute to Judy Blume

Wednesday was Judy Blume's birthday!

I remember reading Judy Blume as a child and LOVING her. She is one of my favorite authors from my childhood. I was super excited when I got to meet her! I actually met her twice, once at a conference and once at a bookstore. This was before I asked authors to take photos with me, so I have no photos of us. Maybe next time I meet her!

I read my sister's copy of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, laughing at Fudge and his crazy behavior. I loved it when he kicked the teacher in the shins, when he refused to eat his food, and when he bothered Peter. As a younger sibling, I found myself drawn to him. I was the annoying little sister - doing similar stuff. Looking back, I hope I wasn't that bad, but there were probably moments when I was.


A few later, I really loved Blubber. I don't remember why I was drawn to this story, But I read this book over and over again. I went through bullying issues in upper elementary school/middle school years. Popularity can change in a heartbeat. I think I was surprised by this. I was never popular, but it suddenly seemed like I had no friends one year.



In middle school, I read my copy of Just as Long as We're Together until it fell apart. I still read it, even though it was in pieces. I loved the friendship dynamic and the family drama. Again, I was going through issues in friendship. To me, this book was perfect.



When I grew older, I read Summer Sisters.  I loved the freedom the two girls had at seventeen. They were on top of the world. I never hear Dancing Queen without thinking of this book. As much as I loved the story of their friendship, I hated the ending.  Every time I read it, I wished for it end differently - happier. But obviously that didn't stop me from re-reading it.


Do you have a favorite Judy Blume book?

PS: Judy Blume was the focus of a Pinterest board one month for the library. Check it out!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Duct Tape Programs

I'm a HUGE fan of Duct Tape programs.

In the past we've created wallets, ties, and beach bags.


 This week, in conjunction with Take Your Child the the Library, we made bookmarks in the Teen Dept. Since we originally intended to host it on Monday, we extended the program. For us, it didn't cost anything as we already had the tape from left over programs. The bookmarks take only a few minutes to make, depending on your level of creativity.

Plus, it's just fun.

For more Duct Tape craft ideas, check out Stick It!. I reviewed it on my other blog earlier this year. 

Have you used Duct Tape for something crafty at your library? Let us know in the comments!