Grafton Public Library

Library Updates

What’s Brewing at the Grafton Public Library?

Posted by switham on

fresh coffee

We now have, for your drinking pleasure, hot coffee (regular and decaf), hot tea and hot cocoa! Just purchase a cup at the front desk for $1 and, with the Keurig technology, brew yourself a fresh cuppa! Many thanks to the Friends of the Grafton Public Library for making this possible!

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Apple Users: Having Trouble with OverDrive eBooks Today?

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Apple released iOS 7 yesterday and you may have upgraded your device(s), or may be planning to upgrade in the near future.

When an existing OverDrive Media Console (OMC) user upgrades to iOS 7, the app will fail when trying to open a DRM-protected eBook. New or first time users of OMC are unaffected by this issue.

OverDrive is resolving the issue, but in the meantime, here are immediate remedies for users:

  1. Re-authenticate the app with their existing or a new Adobe ID. Refer to the iOS section of this Help article for assistance. (Recommended)
  2. Uninstall and re-install OMC which will also require the user to re-authorize with Adobe.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: A re-install will clear a user’s bookshelf, history, and app settings.

Audiobook users won’t notice that anything is different unless they attempt to download parts of audiobooks they already downloaded to OMC before upgrading to iOS 7. A user will receive an error message informing them to download the title again.

Apologies for any inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

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Big Library Read: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth

Posted by jmentzer on

Over the summer, the grownups had a chance to read an ebook without any holds or waiting. Now it’s our turn! Overdrive, the people who make sure that Grafton kids can read ebooks, are giving us all two weeks to read Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O’Connor without needing to place a hold or wait. You can download a copy of the book by clicking here or check out all of the ebooks available by looking at their menu. Let’s get reading!

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Wimpy Kid is Coming!

Posted by jmentzer on

The new Wimpy Kid book, Hard Luck, is due out on November 5th. In case you’ve lost count, this is the eighth book in the Wimpy Kid series and something important is about to happen. Rowley decides that Greg isn’t exactly best friend material, and Greg needs to find a few new friends. He’s leaving his fate up to a roll of the dice. What kind of friends will he wind up with? Ready to read? You can go ahead and place a hold on a library copy here. Be the first to get your hands on our copy by reserving now!

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One Tough Transisiton

Posted by jmentzer on

The start of school is something we prepare for over weeks and months. The first-day pictures, the new backpack, a trip to the shoe store… all of these symbolize the start of a new school year.

For some of our young ones, though, a challenge is on the horizon. Nope, it’s not the very-first-timers, the preschoolers and the kindergarteners. We’ve been reading separation stories, practicing our kissing hands and shaping their view of school in earnest for weeks. The ones with the tougher transition? The new first graders.

All of a sudden, they’re big kids. School has now become work: it requires sitting still for long periods of time and concentrating in more than short bursts. It’s exhausting. It’s become so much more about rules and rigidity. Homework is harder, and counts for more than ever. Afterschool meltdowns can be frequent and frustrating for everyone. And all too often, parents and kids are unprepared.

Even full-day kindergarteners can have trouble with first grade. There’s not much down time compared to last year, and the physical requirements of staying still and keeping focus are enough to wear them out.

What’s a parent to do when faced with after-school agitation? There are a few things that can help. First, recognize the wonderful compliment your child is paying you by melting down at home. Yes, I know, it sure doesn’t feel like a compliment to have your child yelling at you that they don’t want to do that, but it is. They’ve been on their best behavior all day and finally, at home with you, they feel safe to let their feelings out. Prepare for the transition to home by leaving twenty minutes of downtime as soon as they get home. Have a healthy snack and just let them be. Don’t ask too many questions. Think about that “just a few minutes of peace and quiet” that you crave when you get home from work, and give it to your child. It’s a gift you’ll both be grateful for.

Second, wait a while before scheduling after-school activities or even too many errands. Going straight from school to soccer or piano just lengthens the time and attention requirements of your child. To expect a child to go straight from their school day to a round of errands in the car leaves no time for movement or relaxation. Be willing to allow a short nap if needed – this usually doesn’t last more than a month at the most.

Third, plan a time for homework that’s not right after school. When I bring work home, I rarely look at it before dinner is over. By then I’m rested, fed and ready to concentrate again. Kids deserve the same chance to unwind and regroup.

Last, but certainly not least, leave time for play. Play is the work of children, and they’re doing much less of it every day at school. Children often process things they’re thinking about through their play, and that’s important. To a seven year old, not everything can be talked out; many issues require a different kind of processing. Play allows that to happen. Unstructured play provides the glue that holds knowledge in place. It builds connections in the brain and allows for emotional release.

Still having a tough time after more than a month or so? Don’t hesitate to check in with your pediatrician, have your child’s eyes checked, and talk to his or her teacher. This is an important transition. Their lives will look more or less the same for the next twelve years. It’s up to us to help them learn how to handle it well and balance their lives.

 

 

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Review: A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama

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A Hundred Flowers bookcoverWhat could be more refreshing to a reader than an historical, cross-cultural novel that’s fast and easy to read? Gail Tsukiyama has done it again in A Hundred Flowers. The author became known to me last year in the powerful Women of Silk, and she has followed up with an equally impressive work.

Set in 1957 China, A Hundred Flowers refers to Chairman Mao’s admonition that there be a new intellectual openness where ideas could flourish. Unfortunately, that was a ruse to identify dissidents who were arrested and sent to far-off labor camps for re-education.

This is the situation in the home of Kai Ling, an herbalist in the village of Guangzhou, China. Her husband Seng was arrested for writing a letter perceived to be anti-government, and she has heard little from him since he was sent away.

Kai Ling lives with her young son Tao, her father-in-law Wei and a family friend Auntie Song, and they pass each day together awaiting word from Sang.

The characters take turns narrating the story from their own perspective, and it is clear that each of them is suffering in their own way, some of it guilt. They long for the happy days of the past and look forward hopefully to the future, but the present is not that easy to endure.

To add to the turmoil in the home that Kai Ying has to manage, Wei falls from the kapok tree and has serious injuries. All the family members aid in his recovery by making special medicinal soups, reading to him and in general trying to keep his spirits up. He doesn’t understand why his father has been away so long.

In addition another character appears who has her own set of problems–-Suying. She is very young, starving, homeless and pregnant. Although this event could add more turmoil to this embattled family, the baby generates a caring attitude among all the family members and diverts their attention from
their own problems.

Because of the author’s previous work, I was not surprised at how deep this deceptively simply stated book is. It somehow gently points out the tribulations everyone goes through to one degree or another and learning how to cope with them.

It’s time to smell the flowers–A Hundred Flowers.

I give the book 4 herbal teas.

Happy reading from Beverly!

Request A Hundred Flowers in print

Request A Hundred Flowers in Large Print

Request A Hundred Flowers on AudioCD

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