Grafton Public Library

Library Updates

Review: The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans

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The Walk Series – Book/Series Recommendation by Marilyn Wilcox, Library Assistant

I had a great time this past summer reading the Walk Series by Richard Paul Evans. The series includes the following five books: The Walk, Miles to Go, The Road to Grace, A Step of Faith, and Walking on Water. All books depict in journal style Alan Chistoffersen’s walk from Spokane, WA to Key West, FL. It is because of a traumatic loss that beckons Alan on his quest to walk away as far as possible. It makes more sense to read the series in number order, but I started with four and five and then returned to read the first three in order. Book five, Walking on Water, was released this past May. I really enjoyed snippets of Christoffersen’s theology; that was enjoyable to me. Next time you stop by the library, ask one of our out-of-this-world friendly staff members as to where you can find these books. or place a hold below.

Download The Walk series eBook

Book 1:

Download The Walk eBook

Request The Walk in print

Request The Walk in large print

Request The Walk on CD

Request The Walk on MP3 CD

Book 2:

Download Miles to Go eBook

Request Miles to Go in print

Request Miles to Go in large print

Request Miles to Go on CD

Book 3:

Download The Road to Grace eBook

Request The Road to Grace in print

Request The Road to Grace in large print

Request The Road to Grace on CD

Book 4:

Download A Step of Faith eBook

Request A Step of Faith in print

Request A Step of Faith in large print

Request A Step of Faith on CD

Book 5:

Download Walking on Water eBook

Request Walking on Water in print

Request Walking on Water in large print

Request Walking on Water on CD

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Seminar: Learn How to Maximize your Social Security income

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social security

Facilitator David M. Aditays is employed with the Spartan Group and will present this complimentary, no-obligation workshop October 15th 7 p.m. Discover tips and strategies that can help you generate the highest possible income to meet your household needs and goals, such as:
• When may be the best time to start taking Social Security benefits;
• How taking payments now or later can impact the amount of your Social Security income;
• What married couples can do to increase their overall benefits; and
• What’s the best long term strategy for your situation.

For more details or to register for the program, please contact Beth Gallaway at 508-839-4649 or by email at graftonlibrary.ma@gmail.com

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Star Wars Reads Day!! October 11th

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The Grafton Public Library joins libraries and bookstores worldwide on Saturday, Oct. 11 10am-4:30pm to celebrate all things Star Wars! All ages are welcome to drop in for origami, crafts, games, and activities all day, along with “lightsaber” ice pops and poster giveaways while supplies last. Join in the festivities, or just come to sit and read Star Wars stories!
The program culminates in a Star Wars Symposium from 2-4 pm hosted by Star Wars expert Peter Struzziero. Events include a Costume Contest (dress as your favorite character); Trivia (show off your Star Wars knowledge): Show & Tell (bring your treasures to share) and Star Wars history (hear the backstory!). The Symposium is for ages 6 and up, families are welcome.

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Family Adventures in Reading (FAIR) registration now open!

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Diane Edgecomb

Professional Storyteller Diane Edgecomb will lead families and children 6 and older in discussions about children’s stories on topics such as fairness, courage, and persistence. The sessions will be held Saturdays 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. on October 18 and 25; November 1, 15, 22 and 29th (no session on November 8th). This six-week program is free and families who attend regularly will receive a canvas book bag and a free book!

Family Adventures in Reading (FAIR) comes to the Library through a grant from Mass Humanities, an organization that conducts and supports programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life in Massachusetts. FAIR is currently funded in part by the generous support of the Staples Foundation for Learning.

Diane Edgecomb is a professional, award winning storyteller and author with over twenty-five years of experience. Visit Diane’s website to learn more!

Space is limited. For more details or to register for this six-week program, please contact the Children’s Room at 508-839-4649 xt.4 or by email at graftonlibrary.ma@gmail.com

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Lecture: A Parent’s ADHD Overview: 11 Strategies for Common Home & School Challenges

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Dr. David Nowell presents an interactive, high-energy, and practical introduction to ADHD at the Grafton Public Library Monday October 6 from 7-8pm.

Does your child have difficulty starting or completing homework? Does he seem “addicted” to video games? Does she struggle with organization and focus? Has your child been diagnosed or treated for ADHD, or do you or his teachers strongly suspect that he might have symptoms? Join neuropsychologist Dr. Nowell for this interactive, high-energy, and practical introduction to ADHD. Learn what current brain research tells us about medication as well as non-medication interventions. Discover practical solutions for managing some of the more common ADHD-related problems at home and school, and bring your specific questions to the program.

Bio: Dr. David Nowell is a clinical neuropsychologist in Northborough who speaks internationally to teachers and counselors on the topic of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is passionate about motivation and fully engaged living, and writes a popular blog at Psychology Today.

This program is free and open to the public. To sign up, email the library at graftonlibrary.ma@gmail.com, go to Dr. Nowell’s website,  or call us at 508-839-4649 x1102.

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Celebrate your fREADom to READ!

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What do Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter and Captain Underpants all have in common? They have been deemed “inappropriate to age group” by well meaning folks who have attempts to remove books from schools and libraries in the United States.

The Grafton Public Library celebrates YOUR freedom to read and right to choose your book during Banned Books Week, September 21-27, with the following drop in programs and activities for all ages:
• Banned Books Matching Game: match a title with the reason it was challenged
• Sidewalk Chalk Art: share a favorite quote from a banned book
• Book Spine Poetry: arrange titles to create a poem

For more information about Banned Books, visit http://www.ala.org/bbooks. For more details about library activities, please contact Beth Gallaway, Library Director, at 508-839-4649 x1105 or by email at graftonlibrary.ma@gmail.com.

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Storytime News

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fall_storytimes

The Children’s Room at the Grafton Public Library invites all our young readers to join us for the fall session of storytime beginning the week of September 15th. Storytimes are drop-in unless otherwise noted and if school is cancelled, storytime is cancelled as well. The Children’s Room will be closed to the public for the duration of onsite programs, and the room will re-open at 10:30 a.m. The lineup for this fall offers something for readers of all ages:

• PreK STEM Storytime – is a 30 minute program for children ages 3.5-5 featuring math and science themes. Hosted by UNiBank, 89 Worcester Street, Grafton, on Monday mornings 10:30 a.m.
• Library Babies – is a 20 minute program for our very youngest visitors, ages birth-walking. Meets at the Library Tuesday mornings 10 a.m. (note new time!)
• Toddler Time – is a 30 minute program for children who are walking through ages 3.5 years. Meets at the Library Wednesday mornings 10 a.m. (note new time!)
• Preschool Storytime – is a 30 minute program for children ages 3.5-5. Meets at the Library Friday mornings 10 a.m. (note new time!)
• “Once Upon a Storytime” at the Willard House – for children ages 3 and up, will be held every first Wednesday of the month (three times this fall) on October 1st, November 5th and December 3rd. Please call the Willard House directly 508-839-3500 to register.

These programs, along with others, are also listed on the Library’s website “Events” calendar. For more details, please contact Sarah Banister, Children’s Librarian, at 508-839-4649 or by email at graftonlibrary.ma@gmail.com.

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Review: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

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We Need New Names

Although many aspects of this novel, set in Zimbabwe and Detroit, present a bleak picture of both village life and emigration, it is written by such a gifted storyteller that it drew me in from page 1. The story is narrated by Darling, a 10 year old girl growing up in a shantytown in her native Zimbabwe.  She and her group of friends, all with similarly unusual names (Godknows, Fraction, Chipo), play with abandon against a backdrop of poverty and memories of terror endured by the village during a brutal raid by paramilitary soldiers in the past.  They refer to this as “Before”.  They call their village “Paradise”.      The children are a true “gang”, but only in the sense that they are a strong unit, bound together by trauma from the past, hopes for the future, and the mischief of today.  They hide in trees in the rich neighborhoods beyond the village, trying to catch a glimpse of tv shows, which they later hilariously re-enact .  Stealing guavas is another highlight, both for the thrill and the reward of the juice they love and can’t stop themselves from overindulging.  They are hungry, in the literal way, as well as for clean clothing, any type of toy or possession, and an end to the threat of violence.

Darling is in a unique position in the group, as she has been told she will move to Detroit (“Destroyedmichygen”) to live with her aunt, something she anticipates with a mixture of excitement and dread.  As horrible as their lives are, it’s what they know, and they have each other.  When she does make the transition, she feels the heartbreak of losing her country and her people, as well as the disillusionment of the American Dream.

The second half of the novel takes place in America, where Darling finds herself living in an apartment with her aunt, an obnoxious cousin, and her aunt’s husband in near poverty. This is where the story takes a turn and becomes darker;  Darling has matured and the narration loses some of its charm, which is likely the intent of the author as circumstances for Darling have not lived up to her hopes.

What I love most about this book is the voices of the kids in ZImbabwe, who are so sweetly sad, yet creative and feisty, despite their circumstances.

We Need New Names was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize (2013), the Guardian First Book Award shortlist (2013), and was a Barnes & Noble Discover Award finalist (2013). It was the winner of the inaugural Etisalat Prize for Literature (2013),and won the prestigious Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for debut work of fiction.It also won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (2013).

Somehow many of the books that appeal to me because of the writing also feature people living difficult lives.  This one certainly fits that bill, and will not appeal to someone looking for a light read. If’ you enjoy a poignant, though sometimes disheartening, coming of age story, this is a good pick.

Place a hold on the book 

Place a hold on the audio

 

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Meet local Author Stephen Halpert

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Stephen Halpert book

Meet Local Author Stephen Halpert as he talks about his new book Abracadabra Moonshine: and Other Stories.

Ever since he was a boy Stephen has been fascinated by art, giving himself an informal art education by wandering through museums in his native Providence, Boston, and New York. His influences include DADA Photo Montage, Man Ray, Kurt Schwitters, the collage boxes of Joseph Cornell and Betye Saar and Robert Rauschenberg’s inventive assemblage.

A professional writer and editor since graduating Emerson College in 1964, he discovered that collage work helped him to relax and avoid writers’ block. He has published a number of books, articles and columns on American literary, photographic and social history; and rock music and pop culture. Today he writes a weekly humor column, American Scene published on line and in The Grafton News .

For more information, please contact the Grafton Public Library at graftonlibrary.ma@gmail.com 508-839-4649.

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New Databases for Kids, Teens and Adults!

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The Grafton Public Library is pleased to announce the availability of 3 new online databases to Library cardholders and visitors. To access click on the “Research” tab.

BookFlix for grades K-3 is a collection of digitized picture books paired with information books. Themes include animals, ABCs & 123s, Family and Community, and more! Watch the animated version, listen to the audio track only, or read on your own.

ScienceFlix for grades 4-9 is a collection of digital information articles, videos, tools and resources including science news, Information about careers in science, and science experiments! Topics include astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, technology and more.

BookFlix and ScienceFlix require a Library Card—the smartest card in your wallet!—for access outside of the Library building.

Consumer Reports Online is a database of expert ratings, reviews and buying advice on thousands of products. Review categories include Cars, Electronics, Home & Garden, Babies & Kids and more. Consumer Reports Online is now available for in-house use only at the Library, and current and back issues of our print subscription are now available for checkout. To access Consumer Reports online, see a staff member to log on.

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