The Dominion

At the movies

A new installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series, "Prince Caspian," is set to open in theaters today.  "Prince Caspian," which is the fourth book in the series, brings the return of the Pevensie siblings to the world of Narnia.  Once again Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are called upon to help Prince Caspian regain Narnia and restore peace to the world.

This is the second theatrical installment of the Narnia series and brings back the original actors who portrayed the Pevensie siblings.  It also introduces a new character, Prince Caspian. Actor Ben Barnes, who plays the prince, is relatively new to the acting world, though fans of the movie "Stardust" (based on the book by Neil Gaiman) might recognize him.  The movie is rated PG, but might not be as child friendly as the "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."  Read what a reviewer says.

If you haven't seen the "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" where the Pevensie's first appear you can check it out here at the library.

Found

Found is a new book by Margaret Haddix.  It is the first book of a new series called The Missing.  A plane full of babies mysteriously lands at an airport.  Why are there no adults aboard?  Fast forward a few years.  A thirteen year old boy, who was adopted, receives unsigned letters that start him wondering....

Book sales galore

  May is the month for book sales!  If you're looking for bargain books, this is your chance.  Starting Saturday, May 10 at 9 a.m. in front of the Waterford Library their Friends of the Library group is holding a used book sale.

The following weekend, May 17 and 18, at Hughson's Fruit and Nut Festival the Friends of the Hughson Library will be holding their used book sale. You can enjoy the festival and look for some great books at the same time.

And, at the end of the month the Friends of the Modesto Library will be holding their Scholastic Book Fair May 29-June 1 in the Modesto Library auditorium.  The sale will offer 50% off new books.  Also, Clifford the Big Red Dog will be making an appearance on Sunday, June 1.  Look for Jodi's post later this month with more information about Modesto's book sale.

Penderwicks on Gardam Street

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is by Jeanne Birdsall.  It is the follow-up to her earlier novel called The Penderwicks, which involved vacation fun. 

In The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, the girls and their father are at home.  The girls mother died four years ago, and now their father is being encouraged to date again.  Horror!  How can the girls foil the dating?  A new next door neighbor, school, friends, etc. are all a part of this enchanting story.

To request either of these books, visit the library online catalog or call the Modesto Library children's department @ 558-7810.

Quicksand Review

Eve, the main heroine of Iris Johansen's new book, "Quicksand", is still looking for the man who murdered her daughter after years of searching.  With help from her long time partner, Joe, and a few other friends she finds a likely suspect. The suspect is guilty of many things, but is he responsible for the death of Eve's daughter?

While I won't ruin the book, I do have to say that I haven't read an ending as satisfying as "Quicksand's" in a very long time.  With that said, Johansen's latest entry into the Eve Duncan series is one of the best to date.  Unlike some of Johansen's other books, which can be read as stand alones, this one has too many characters introduced in other books that someone new to the series might have difficulty figuring out the complicated relationships already in progress.  If you can get past the established relationships and the cat-and-mouse game in the middle, the payoff at the end of the book is worth every word, even if you might see it coming from page 200.

I'd recommend reading "Stalemate" and "Pandora's Daughter" before "Quicksand", so you get full enjoyment out of this book.

Dinner Theater: Voice of the Wood

Dinner Theater will be on May 21, 2008 (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. at the Modesto Library.  Voice of the Wood will present the tales of "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" and "Carlos and the Squash Plant" with cello music, dramatic narration, and masked movement. Space is limited; advance sign-ups are required and begin Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at the Modesto Library children's desk or by calling 558-7810.  This program is sponsored by Stanislaus County Library Foundation through a grant from Omega Nu.

Dinner Theater is a special family program for children ages 6 and up.  You provide your dinner & we provide the theater!  Dinner theater programs stimulate imaginations and teach live audience skills.

She Touched the World:...

She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer by Sally Hobart Alexander (c) 2008.

Helen Keller (1880-1968) was a famous deaf, blind person.  Have you heard of Laura Bridgman (1829-1889)?  She, too, became deaf and blind as a child, but it was before Helen Keller.  Can you imagine the obstacles?  Laura had the opportunity to become a student of Dr. Howe's in Boston.  Due to her accomplishments, she became famous in her time as well as becoming an inspiration.

To request this title, please visit the library online catalog (ipac) at www.stanislauslibrary.org or call the Modesto Library children's department at 558-7810.

Spelling Bee

Last night the Stanislaus County Library Foundation held its annual Adult Spelling Bee.  If you weren't able to make it, you missed a fantastic night.  The winners of the Bee were the "Boyett's Bees."  The Most Creative Team Name went to the "Red Hot Chili Spellers," Best Costume went to "Oh, Beehave" and table decorations went to "MPD Dictionary Divas." Congratulations to everyone who participated!  Some of those words were very difficult to spell.

Also check out pictures of the Spelling Bee on the sidebar of the blog.

Blogging boot camp

Last night the Modesto Library had a special WebWednesday program that dealt with blogging.  It was a successful night with about twenty-six people in attendance.  Dan Day of the Modesto Bee was the drill instructor for the blogging boot camp and gave helpful hints on starting and maintaining a successful blog. He also demonstrated how to write and post a blog entry on The Hive.  This morning, Dan gave a very nice thank you from his Editors Desk blog.  Blog on!

Can you use that in a sentence please?

Jaeger - hunter or huntsman
J-A-E-G-E-R, Jaeger

Easy enough to spell, IF you know the "J" is pronounced as a "Y"

That's right, it's time again for the Stanislaus County Library Foundation's annual Adult Spelling Bee.  Where you can see people weep at the misspelling of a word and raise money to benefit Stanislaus County libraries all at the same time. 

This year Susan Hildreth, the State Librarian, will be attending the Spelling Bee.  In addition, the 2005 National Adult Spelling Bee Champion will be at the event to lend his experience and expertice to the competitors. 

Thursday, April 24 - 6 p.m.
Martin G. Petersen Event Center
720 12th Street, Modesto
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door for $10 each

p.s. I've misspelled a word in this post, can you find it? 
See Y-O-U at the Bee!