Hello, Readers!

Have you finished reading at least three of the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees? If so, you are ready to vote! We hope to see you at this Saturday's book club meeting, where you can put your ballot in the voting box. If you can't make it, stop by the library sometime in March to place your vote.

Voting box, bookmark contest forms, and BOOKS at the Hamline Midway Library!

We are also having a bookmark design contest. Entry forms are available in the library, and you can enter as many times as you like! You can also print an entry form at home. Entries are due by Tuesday, March 15.

Remember, new book club members are always welcome.

Hope to see you on Saturday, March 5, 1:30-2:15 p.m., at the Hamline Midway Library!

Lots of Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominees...

...are waiting for you at the Hamline Midway Library. They are on display right now for you to check out and enjoy.  

See you soon at the library!

~Caryl & Jean

What are your New Year's READolutions?

We'd love to hear them! Post them in the comments below.

Here are some ideas of things you can read and do that have to do with reading and books:

Read! 

• three of the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees!

• a book published this year

• a book published before I was born

• a book I’ve been meaning to read

• a book I can finish in a day

• a book I’ve already read at least once

• a book that won an award

• a book that intimidates me

• a book recommended by my local librarian

• a book recommended by my teacher

• a book recommended by my parent/guardian

• a book recommended by a friend

Do!

• Vote for my favorite Maud Hart Lovelace nominee in March!

• Keep a list of the books I read.

• Keep a reading journal.

• Visit my library at least once each month.

• Recommend a favorite book to a friend

*Some of these ideas come from the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog's reading challenge.

Another meeting tomorrow!

Hello, Readers!

We hope to see you tomorrow, Saturday, December 5, from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. at the Hamline Midway Library.

Remember: New members are always welcome! Bring a friend!

We will be talking about the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees and enjoying snacks & activities together.

Hooray for books!

Caryl & Jean

We're meeting tomorrow!

Hello, Readers!

Our next meeting is tomorrow, Saturday, November 7, from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. at the Hamline Midway Library.

Remember: New members are always welcome! Bring a friend!

We will be talking about the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees and enjoying snacks & activities together.

Hope to see you tomorrow, 

Caryl & Jean

I Read! I Vote! Kickoff Party

MYRA & SPPL Present the 2015 Minnesota Youth Reading Awards

Saturday, October 24

1:30-4 p.m.

Rondo Library

Join us for a party to learn about the nominees and meet some of last year's winners.

1:30 Opening festivities

2:00 winning authors talk + Q&A

3:15 Games, prizes, and activities


David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka who won the Star of the North Picture Book Award for Moo!, Stuart Gibbs, who won in Division I for Belly Up, and Marsha Hayles who won in Division II for Breathing Room will all be at the event to chat about their books, answer questions, and sign books.

Next Meeting: Saturday, September 12!

Hello, Kid Readers!

Our book club meets this Saturday, September 12, at the Hamline Midway Library from 1:30-2:30 p.m. New members are always welcome!

At this meeting, we will be introducing this year's Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominees. We'll play some games, enjoy some snacks, and -- of course! -- discuss good books.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

~ Caryl & Jean

And the winners are...

On Maud Hart Lovelace's birthday, the Red Balloon Bookshop hosted a party for her where the winners of the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award were announced!

Here's Maud, welcoming us to her party. She told us about life in Mankato in the early 1900s, and invited kids to help her tell a story.

And here is Mr. Saulpaugh, owner of the first horseless carriage in Mankato. (Do you recognize him? He's a member of our book club!)

Here he is again, driving with Mrs. Saulpaugh and Maud's friend, Midge, who got the first ride. Maud says, "Wave, everyone!"














And now, the winners! For Division I, grades 3-5:

Third Place: Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings!

Second Place: Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret!

First Place: Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs!











For Division II, grades 6-8:

Third Place: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen!

Second Place: Cinder by Marissa Meyer!

First Place: Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles!












And here's a sneak peak at the new nominees. (You can see a list of them all on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award website.)

Maud Hart Lovelace Award: Upcoming Events

It's time to celebrate our reading and voting! Winners of this year's Maud Hart Lovelace Award will be announced on Saturday, April 25 -- Maud's birthday! New nominees for 2015-16 will also be announced.

Please join us at one or both of these events:

Saturday, April 25 at 2:00 p.m.

Red Balloon Bookshop

Happy Birthday, Maud Hart Lovelace! Red Balloon Bookshop will celebrate by hosting the live announcement of the Maud Hart Lovelace Awards for 2015-2016! Celebrate this year’s winners, hear the announcement of next year’s nominees, enjoy a presentation by Maud from the History Players, register to win Red Balloon gift cards, take home a bag of book-related goodies, and celebrate with birthday cake! For more information, click here.

Sunday, April 26 from 2-4 p.m.

George Latimer Central Library

Hey kids, don't miss the final party for I Read! I Vote! Join us to celebrate the book winners and learn about next year's nominees. Games, treats, and fun! All bookmark design contest entries will be on display, and winners will be announced. For more information, click here.

Next meeting: Saturday, April 11!

Our book club meets this Saturday, April 11, at the Hamline Midway Library from 1:30-2:30 p.m. New members are always welcome!

We want to hear about the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees that got your vote. We'll also have a selection of the best kids' books of 2014 for you to check out. We'll share recommendations, have snacks, and enjoy a book or two together.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees here on our blog! You can see a list of the Division I nominees in the right sidebar, under "March" in the "Blog Archive." Just click on the title of the book you'd like to post about. Remember to follow online safety guidelines. Never share any personal information online.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

~ Caryl & Jean

Place your votes!

If you were not able to come to our March book club meeting, or if you are still working on reading three of the 2014-15 Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominees, you can still place your vote! Stop into any St. Paul Public Library during the month of March to fill out a ballot and put it in the voting box. Just ask the librarian where you can find them.

Also, don't forget the Bookmark Design Contest! Design a bookmark promoting your favorite Maud Hart Lovelace nominee. Winners will receive a $40 gift card to Wet Paint or Red Balloon Bookshop, and will have their artwork made into real bookmarks and distributed throughout Saint Paul! Contest ends March 15 and is open to kids in grades K-8. Pick up an application form at your nearest library, or download it here.

Next Meeting: Saturday, March 7!

Hello, Kid Readers!

Our book club meets this Saturday, March 7, at the Hamline Midway Library from 1:30-2:30 p.m. New members are always welcome! Activities will include:

• Our final discussion of the 2014-15 Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominees. Which ones were your favorites? Place your votes!
• Wheel of Book Fortune: Answer questions about the nominees and win a prize!
• Button making: Make a button featuring the cover of a favorite nominee.
• Kids Book Club blog: Post your comments about your favorite Maud Hart Lovelace nominees here on our blog! (You can do this from home, too; remember to follow online safety guidelines. Do not share any personal information online.)

We hope to see you on Saturday!

~ Caryl & Jean

Aliens on Vacation

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith.

David isn't happy about leaving Florida and his friends to summer with his crazy grandmother in "Middle-of-Nowhere," Washington. Arriving at her Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, he isn't surprised by its the-60's-meets-Star-Wars decor, but he is surprised by the weird-looking guests. It turns out that each room in the inn is an off-earth portal and his grandma the gate-keeper, allowing aliens to vacation on Earth. Grandma desperately needs David's help monitoring the visitors, shopping for cartloads of aluminum-foil for dinner, and taking rambunctious alien kids, that glow-in-the-dark and look like trees, camping. The problem is, the town sheriff, already suspicious about Granny, is a scout leader camping in the same spot. Will David blow Granny's cover, forcing the B&B to shut down for good, or will the intergalactic police have to intervene?

To learn more about this book, visit Clete Barrett Smith's website.

As Simple As It Seems

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, As Simple As It Seems by Sarah Weeks.

Verbena Colter knows she’s bad news.

Trouble from the get-go. How could she not be, with parents like hers? Her mother practically pickled her before she was even born, leaving Verbie to struggle with the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. And her father was just plain mean. Verbie wishes she could be somebody, anybody other than who she is. Enter Pooch, a flatlander boy visiting for the summer. When Pooch and his mom rent the house next door, Verbie takes the opportunity to be someone else entirely. And what starts out as a game leads Verbie into a surprising and heartwarming journey of self-discovery.

To learn more about this book, visit Sarah Weeks's website.

Belly Up

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs.

Twelve-year-old Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt Fitzroy has murder on his hands and trouble on his tail. He believes that Henry, the hippopotamus at the brand-new FunJungle, has been murdered. The zoo’s top brass claim the hippo went belly up the natural way, but Teddy and his feisty friend Summer McCraken have other ideas. Could the culprit be FunJungle’s animal-hating head of operations? Or is it FunJungle’s owner—Summer’s dad—a man who is much more concerned about money than animal welfare? The deeper Teddy and Summer dig, the more danger they’re in—because when it comes to hippo homicide, the truth can’t be caged!

To learn more about this book, visit Stuart Gibbs's website.

Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! by Matthew McElligott.

Victor Godwin, a serious-minded boy genius living in Philadelphia, discovers that Ben Franklin never died - he was put into suspended animation, and was hidden away for more than 200 years in Victor's basement! An accident re-awakens Ben centuries before he was supposed to be, and there's a problem - when Ben runs low on energy, he turns into a rampaging monster desperately hungry for electricity! All this while Victor is trying to take first place in the school science fair. But with one of history's preeminent scientists helping out, what could go wrong?

To learn more about this book, visit Matthew McElligott's website.

Breadcrumbs

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu.

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.

To learn more about this book, visit Anne Ursu's website.

Ghost Dog Secrets

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret.

Each day, sixth-grader Rusty feeds a dog that's left chained in the frigid weather with no shelter, food, or water. When he realizes the dog has been injured, he tries to have Animal Control help - but when that fails, Rusty and his friend Andrew unchain the dog and take it. With the dog in their hideout, the boys face multiple challenges, including Andrew's snoopy sister and the escalating threats of the dog's abusive owner. Even more challenging? The appearance of a ghost dog that appears in Rusty's room, and is trying to lead him to an even deeper secret....

To learn more about this book, visit Peg Kehret's website.

Guinea Dog

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings.

Rufus has been dreaming of getting a dog. His best friend has one. His worst friend has one. But his dad has a few objections: They whine. They gnaw. They bark. They scratch. They beg. They drool.

Rufus pays no attention when his mom offers her think-outside-the-box suggestion, because she can't be serious. She can't be.

She can be. And she actually comes home with a guinea pig. And if Rufus's dad thinks dogs are a problem, he won't know what hit him when he meets the Guinea Pig that Thinks She's a Dog. She barks. She bites. She'll eat your homework.

To learn more about this book, visit Patrick Jenning's website.

Kindred Souls

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Kindred Souls by Patricia MacLachlan.

Jake’s grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But there’s one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing?

To learn more about the author, read Patricia MacLachlan's biography.