'Hunger' addictive intro to series

‘The Hunger Games’
By Suzanne Collins
(Young adult)


The United States no longer exists. North America has been broken up into 12 districts and the country is run dictatorship-style from a city known as the Capital. Each year, two teenagers are chosen by lottery from each of the 12 districts to take part in a reality television show called “The Hunger Games.” During the “games” the teenagers are pitted against each other and made to fight to the death. The last player left alive is the winner and earns a life of privilege and ease.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is a resident of District 12, or what used to be known as Appalachia. She lives in a poor mining community where every day is a struggle to survive. On the day of the lottery, her younger sister’s name is drawn and Katniss steps up to take her place — a selfless decision, made all the more courageous since no one has won from District 12 in 30 years. To complicate things further, the male District 12 contest, Peeta Mellark, once helped Katniss out of a difficult situation.

The pair arrive in the Capital, create a spectacle at the opening ceremonies, garner new skills from group training sessions, showcase their individual talents before the judges, steal the show at the final interview and are finally thrust into the grisly winner-take-all game.

Suzanne Collins, the author of the “Gregor the Overlander” series, has written another breathtaking series opener. Readers will find it impossible to put down her newest page-turner. The reality television show premise is intriguing, especially in today’s reality television-loving culture; and while the nonstop action reeks of violence, Collins’ matter-of-fact writing style lessens the gruesomeness. Collins has outdone herself with this addictive book that teenagers and adults alike will greedily devour.

‘Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat’
By Lynne Jonell
(Fourth through eighth grade)


Emmy Addison used to be happy, but all that changed when her loving, attentive parents inherited a fortune from her Great-Great-Uncle William. Suddenly Emmy’s life was turned upside down. Her family moved across town to live in a mansion, she started attending a different school, her parents started taking lavish trips to far away destinations, and she was left in the care of Miss Barmy, a cruel nanny.

Now, not only is Emmy lonely, but she feels invisible. At school, her teacher cannot remember her name; none of the students talk to her; and she thinks that she might be imagining things because she can hear the class pet, a rat, insulting her classmates.

However, after Joe, one of the popular boys in her class, discovers that he is able to hear the rat, Emmy no longer feels so invisible. Joe and Emmy are fast friends and this friendship allows Emmy to finally get to solve the mystery of what is happening to her family.

Jonell’s extraordinary characters are the heart of this mystery/adventure combo. Readers are likely to find themselves laughing aloud as they drink in every word of this clever tale.

~Jeana Gockley- Children's Librarian

This Week at the Library (November 23rd - 29th)

Monday, November 24th: Joplin Public Library Book Club will meet from 7:00 - 8:30 to discuss this month's book The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas.



Tuesday, November 25th, 6:00 - 8:30 pm : Classic Cinema at the Library will be showing Dinner at Eight. Millicent Jordan is pre-occupied with the plans she is making for a high-class dinner party. Her husband, Oliver, is in failing health, and he is also worried because someone is trying to buy up the stock in his shipping business.


The library will be closed Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th for Thanksgiving.


Storytime is now on a short break and will resume the 12th of January.

Molly American Girl Club!!

Saturday, November 22nd we had an American Girl Club at the library to celebrate America's favorite American Girl, Molly! We played games, made marbles and ate s'mores at our backyard "campout." Here are a couple of pictures from our party!



















Join us January 24th as we celebrate another American Girl!

Coffee Talk Flyer (December)

Please click on the file below to view full-size.

Coffee Talk

The Library hosts a monthly informational presentation known as "Coffee Talk," so named because aside from the interesting presentations, the Library also provides coffee free of charge.

Upcoming topics include a presentation in December on the "holiday truce" of WWI that spontaneously broke out along the front lines and allowed the soldiers to celebrate Christmas and bury their dead. Early next year, we will be hosting presentations on both Langston Hughes and Frank James.

"Coffee Talk" is held the first Tuesday of every month at 10am. It is free and open to the public. You do not need a library card to attend.

Winter Storytime Break

The Children's Department will be taking a Winter Storytime Break starting the week of November 24th. Storytime will resume the week of January 12, 2009. For a completely listing of times visit the Children's Desk or go to http://www.joplinpubliclibrary.org/kids/.

Please feel free to visit the library even though storytime is not in session. I tend to believe that December is the best time to check out books because the library is not so busy and you can find almost anything your heart desires waiting on the shelf for you.

During Winter Storytime Break, the Children’s Department will be busy planning for upcoming programs, such as Spring Storytime, American Girl Club, and Summer Reading Club.

"Off the Stacks"

Our name, Off the Stacks, comes from our library lingo for the shelves of books, lovingly referred to as "the stacks."

As I walk around the library daily, re-shelving books, I'm filled with sadness when I see some of MY favorite books sitting on the shelf unread. I know that there are millions of books in the world and no one can read all of them (a concept I struggle with daily) but there are certain books that are so rich and lovely they deserve another life through our reading of them and perpetuating the story in our thoughts.

One series that I believe deserves a long afterlife is the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley.
This series was recommended to me by a co-worker, and based on her suggestion, I picked up the first in the series, The Fairy-tale Detectives. The book begins with sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm going to live with their eccentric (and some would say crazy) Grandmother in Fairyport Landing. After the death of their parents, the girls are moved from foster home to foster home, finding and making reasons to be removed from each. Unaware they even have a Grandmother, the girls are unsure about their recent placement, and their doubts are made even larger by the fact that their Grandmother, Relda, is a fairy tale detective. The girls find out that Fairyport Landing is not a normal town, but rather, a town that houses fairy tale characters from many stories, such as Prince Charming, who serves as the mayor of the town, Snow White, who teaches at the Elementary school, and even the Big Bad Wolf. They aren't merely characters in a story, but real people who live normal lives. Well, sort of normal. All of the fairy tale characters, referred to as "Everafters" are trapped in the town due to a spell placed by one of Sabrina and Daphne's relatives. In order to keep the peace and protect the rest of the world, Granny Relda ensures that there's no funny business and the Everafters are behaving in their small town. Will the girls become accustomed to this new life that seems to fantastical to be real? And, if they decide to stay, what other odd and mysterious creatures will they meet along the way?
This book is full of fairy tale references and gives you a different view of the traditionally dark Grimm's Fairy Tales. The creativity and ingenuity in these book can't be beat and each book leaves you wanting for more. There are currently six book released in this series, and the author, Michael Buckley, has announced that there will be eight or nine. These books are located in the Juvenile Fiction section.

~Breana - Joplin Public Library Children's Assistant

Unfamiliar Territory

We're exploring new worlds here with our new Joplin Public Library blog! This blog was created to provide you with up to date information about library programs, give you book suggestions when you're looking for a good new read, and allow you to get to know your library a little bit better. Please visit us often not only at the blog, but also at the library. And, as always, if you have any suggestions, let us know.

NoveList offers great resource for readers

Are you looking for something new to read, want to know the next title in a series, or just have a favorite book and would like to find similar books? NoveList can help.
NoveList is a reader’s advisory database that you can use in the library or from home with your library card. A staff of 35 professionals read and review books across all types of fiction and for all ages.
NoveList is very easy to use and updated frequently. The database has over 150,000 fiction titles covering all ages, from infant through adult. On the opening screen you can do basic searches, limit to age, browse award winners, look at read-alikes and recommended reads, or view discussion guides and feature articles. Help is available on every screen and a click on the Tour NoveList link takes you to a support site where you can view a video, sign up for a training session or access online help sheets.
There is also a Spotlight feature highlighting special parts of the database for adults and teens/older kids. It also has a What’s New link to update you on enhancements and new content for all age groups. If you want to explore the different types or genres of fiction, look under the Readers’ Advisory tab. Outlines are provided that identify the components of the genre, key titles and the authors to read.
When searching in NoveList you have the option to do the basic search on the opening screen or click on the Advanced Search link. Under Advanced Search you can combine terms, search in different fields and/or choose the lists or categories you would like searched.
A basic search on “Cinderella” results in 404 titles. These titles cover all age ranges and include everything from the classic tale (including a pop-up version) to variations on the tale to works with Cinderella in the title or description such as Sarah Strohmeyer’s “Cinderella Pact.”
You can browse through all 404 books or you can limit by the tabs on the top of the results lists. By choosing a tab you can look at the titles in the list that are award winners, books on the Grab and Go or Recommended lists and books in series. You can also find titles that have book talks available and Curricular Connections. Curricular Connections provide help for those teaching sections using books such as “Multicultural Cinderellas.”
On the results list you get not only the title and author but also publisher and year of publication, the popularity of the title (1-4 stars), the age group and a summary. For some books you can also get an author biography and/or reviews. A click on the title opens the full record with additional information on reading level, grade level and subject headings. You have the option to print, e-mail, save or add to a list.
You can also find similar titles to the one you have displayed. From a list of the subject headings you can choose a subject heading and click on it to find additional titles. If you want to find books from similar authors instead of similar subjects, look at the Read-alikes on the opening screen.
NoveList also has the option to create your own account. It is a very simple process and allows you to save lists, save preferences for your use of NoveList, save your search history, share your folder with other people and create alerts and RSS feeds. With the alerts and RSS feeds you can be notified when something new is added to the database that meets the criteria you set for a search.
So the next time you want a new author because you have read all of the Janet Evanovich books, you need to know the order of the Mitford series or you want a list of good books to read, try NoveList and discover all the ways it can help.

~Patty Crane - Reference Librarian

American Girl Club - Saturday, November 22nd

Saturday, November 22nd, the Children's Department will be having the final American Girl Club for the fall. Starting at 11:00 and lasting until 12:30, we'll celebrate American Girl Molly McIntire. Molly grew up during World War 2 and with father stationed overseas, Molly and her family learned to make due with less and celebrate their patriotism. Join us for a "backyard" camp out to learn more about Molly and the time that she lived. We'll be making s'mores, creating your own marbles and playing lots of fun games. (For children grades K-5)