Who: Robin LaFevers
Where: Kepler's Books and Magazines
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, California
When: April 2nd, 7:30pm
What: (from the site's description)
"Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge-but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?"
More: http://www.keplers.com/event/youth-event-robin-lafevers

Who: Katherine Applegate
Where: Kepler's Books and Magazines
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, California
When: April 18th, 7:00pm
What: (from the site's description)
"Come and celebrate Katherine Applegate's Newbery Award win with her wonderful book, The One and Only Ivan.
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope."
More: http://www.keplers.com/event/youth-event-katherine-applegate

Who: Chris Raschka
Where: Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925
When: April 22nd 10:00am
What: (from the site's description)
"Learning to ride a bike is one of the most important milestones of childhood, and no one captures the emotional ups and downs of the experience better than Chris Raschka, who won the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy. In Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle ($16.99), a simple yet emotionally rich work, a father takes his daughter through all the steps in the process — from choosing the perfect bicycle to that triumphant first successful ride. Using very few words and lots of expressive pictures, here is a picture book that not only shows kids how to learn to ride, but captures what it feels like to fall . . . get up . . . fall again . . . and finally "by luck, grace, and determination" ride a bicycle.
Chris Raschka, the 2012 Caldecott Medalist, is an avid bike rider and wrote a 2010 New York Times op-ed piece, "Braking Away," about the importance of obeying the rules of the road while on a bicycle. He has written and/or illustrated over 30 books for children, including the 2012 Caldecott Medal winner A Ball for Daisy, which was also a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and described byThe Horn Book in a starred review as "noteworthy for both its artistry and its child appeal." His other books include the 2006 Caldecott Medal winner, The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster; the Caldecott Honor Book Yo? Yes!, and the ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book Good Sports."
More: http://bookpassage.com/event/chris-raschka-everyone-can-learn-ride-bicycle

Who: Lemony Snicket & Jon Klassen
Where: Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925
When: April 30th, 6:00pm
What: (from the site's description)
"The Dark ($16.99) is a book for kids (and for big, big kids) who appreciate the wicked wit of Lemony Snicket and the artistry of Jon Klassen. The dark lives in the same house as Laszlo. Mostly, though, the dark stays in the basement
and doesn’t come into Lazslo’s room. But one night, it does. ... Lemony Snicket (who sometimes answers to the name of Daniel Handler) is the author of the phenomenally successful A Series of Unfortunate Events. Jon Klassen just won the 2013 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations."
More: http://bookpassage.com/event/lemony-snicket-jon-klassen-dark

Saturn has dozens of moons, but Titan stands out from the pack.  It is Saturn's biggest moon and the second largest in our solar system (The biggest is Jupiter's Ganymede.)  Not only is Titan bigger than our moon, it is bigger than the planet Mercury.  Titan was first discovered by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens on March 25th, 1655.  As the anniversary of this date approaches, it's a wonderful time to learn more about this mysterious and unique moon.

For years, Titan remained a mystery.  It has a thick atmosphere of nitrogen, methane, and ethane that hid its surface from cameras for years.  It is the only moon in our solar system that is known to have a planet-like atmosphere, and it may even resemble Earth's atmosphere in primordial times.  In 1997 the Cassini launched with the Huygens probe.  In 2005 the Huygens Probe landed on Titan, seeing the surface for the first time.  Since then our knowledge of Titan has grown immensely.  Data collected by Cassini sugest the presence of an underground ocean on Titan.  Titan even appears to change according to seasons and time of day.  It may also look younger than it really is because its craters are slowly being filled in.  

If you would like to learn more about Titan, Saturn, or the Cassini-Huygens Mission NASA's website has the lastest, up-to-date information as well as gorgeous images and videos to browse.  You can also watch the TED talk from 2007 by the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission below.  

It's St. Patrick's Day this weekend, but do you know who St. Patrick was and how the traditions of the holiday started?

My favorite way to celebrate the holiday is to read Irish folktales.  Brave Margaret is one of my favorites.  It takes the damsel in distress theme so common in folktales and turns it on its head.  Not content to wait at home, Margaret fights a monster to save her love.  Another great way to celebrate the holiday is to listen to some Irish music like the traditional music below.

Ireland has a rich history, dating back to ancient times.  This can be seen in the hauntingly preserved bog bodies that can be found in its peat bogs.  Eve Bunting's new picture book, The Ballywhinney Girl, tells the story of a little girl and her grandfather who find a bog body in their own backyard.  

Siobhan Dowd explores similar themes in Bog Child for a teenage audience.  This book, set during The Troubles, tells the story of a boy who discovers a body in a peat bog and an archaeologist who comes to investigate it.  It looks at Irish history from multiple perspectives to create an engaging story.

For those who want to learn more about bog bodies and other types of mummies, we have several nonfiction books on the subject.  You can also find a lot of information online.  National Geographic has an article on two bog bodies found in Ireland in 2003.  Archaeology.org has many articles on bog bodies for those interested including one on the poetry to be found in them. It highlights the poems of Seamus Heaney, an Irish Nobel Laureate who has written poems on the subject including "The Tollund Man,"  "Bogland," and "The Grauballe Man."  

March is women's history month and this weekend, March 10th, is Harriet Tubman's birthday.  Harriet Tubman is perhaps best known as a conductor of the underground railroad, where she led over 300 enslaved people to freedom without losing a single person.  She was also involved in the Civil War.  She was a nurse, a cook, and a spy for the Union.  Through her work as a spy, she became the first woman to lead a military expedition in American History.  If you'd like to celebrate women's history month or this courageous woman's birthday, you can find more information in the resources below.  

This nonfiction chapter book is full of fascinating information about Harriet Tubman's life, focusing on her time as a Union Spy.  Well-researched and containing information and pictures from primary sources, this book will satisfy fans of history, biography, and spy adventures.  Read the book to find out how slave songs were used to pass secret messages, how spy rings provided the Union with intelligence, and how various spying techniques worked from ciphers to drops. Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent by Thomas B. Allen

This biography covers Harriet's life from birth to death.  The large text and black-and-white illustrations throughout make the format friendly for younger readers.  Separate, topical pages throughout provide additional context to help better understand Harriet's life and the time she lived in.  Who Was Harriet Tubman? by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Nancy Harrison

This nonfiction picture book follows the lives of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth and the parallels and eventual intersection of their lives.  A quilt motif is contained in the narrative which is echoed in the illustrations that show words and pictures as being stitched together.  When Harriet Met Sojourner by Catherine Clinton, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

This atmospheric picture book describes Harriet's escape from slavery and her spiritual journey as she was called to work on the Underground Railroad.  Kadir Nelson's gorgeous artwork sets the tone for each part of the story and immerses the reader in the setting.  Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

An Apple for Harriet Tubman tells a story from Harriet Tubman's great-niece about Harriet's love of apples and how they came to represent freedom for her.  An Apple for Harriet Tubman by Glennette Tilley Turner, illustrated by Susan Keeter

This biography collection from the award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney describes the lives and courageous actions of women like Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Rosa Parks and how they stood up in the face of oppression and prejudice to fight for equality and freedom. Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn 

MCDS subscribes to several online databases. Ask or e-mail Tessa or Erica if you need the login information.  

Chelsea House Biographies online has a detailed biography about Harriet Tubman (and many others) including a timeline, photographs, and articles on related topics such as quilt codes and slave spirituals.  

You can access Discovery Streaming through ed1stop.  It contains many videos and clips about Harriet Tubman, life in her era, and the underground railroad.  You can search by grade level to find a whole video or a clip to show to a class or for students to view at home.  

We had a short, but busy month in February.  We had 1,884 circulations despite a week of vacation and the comics section continued its popularity winning area with the most checkouts, 4 of the 5 top titles, and 3 of the 5 most checked-out titles.  March is the first month without any vacation time in it for a while so I'm excited to see next month's statistics!