Latin Dance - Part One

We had a fabulous time yesterday, learning the merengue and the cha-cha. With a great, patient instructor, anything is possible. Thanks Nathanael! Part Two will be on Thursday, June 12 at 3:00. I think almost everyone from Tuesday's class said they would be coming back, but you don't need to have attended the first one to do the second one. Girls outnumbered the guys at this one, so guys - here's your chance to be the center of attention for a group of girls! Come on out and have some fun!

Photos from yesterday are below.

Weekly Challenge June 16 - 21, 2008

Bring in a brochure, menu, newspaper ad, or printout from the web page, of any 3 of our prize sponsors, and show them to a member of the Reference Staff.

Remember to thank any of our sponsors, if you happen to be in their establishment. We couldn't do this without them!

Shakespeare on the Lawn (in the Community Room)

We had a very nice turnout for our Shakespeare on the Lawn program yesterday. OK, so technically it wasn't on the lawn after all, due to some technical difficulty in putting together the group's new tent, so we relocated to the Community Room. Given that the temperature outside was about 95 degrees in the shade with a gazillion percent humidity, it was just as well. A big, big thank you to the Camp Hill Middle School Drama Club! They did a fabulous job! If you missed it, either check out the photos below, or get ready for next summer when we're planning to have them back.

Weekly Challenge July 14 - 19, 2008

A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in three years. Which room is safest for him?

Author Visit - Elizabeth Wein

We had an absolutely wonderful visit by author Elizabeth Wein last night! Her program was really great for anyone who has any thoughts of possibly doing some writing. She talked primarily about how she takes her life experiences, along with research, and uses both to come up with her great fantasy/adventure stories. She had slides from her visit to Ethiopia as well as a 1500 year old coin from the region. Very cool! If you missed it (if so, sorry you did!) there a few pics below. Thanks Elizabeth!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The Falconer's Knot and H.I.V.E The Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Wow, I have really been neglecting postings. I've finished 2 books since I posted last. I've been scrambling to get ready for Teen Summer Reading and been on the road as I've visited a bunch of the local middle schools to talk up the program. Anyway, I finished Mary Hoffman's The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation, and Foul Play. This one takes place in Italy in 1316, not a common book setting. It's got multiple murders, love triangles and unrequited love, and most of it takes place in a convent and a friary. It's a nice light read, perfectly fine for middle-schoolers of any age. In addition to a good murder mystery, you also get a bit of an education on the master painters of that period and how they did their work. I'm usually not much for history or the fine points of art (I know what I like and I don't need to analyze it) but I actually found the part about the artists quite interesting. All in all, a good read, again, suitable for any age.

I also read Mark Walden's H.I.V.E. The Higher Institute of Villainous Education. It's another one about a group of kids who are taken to a remote location to learn things that, let's say, aren't ordinarily taught in school. Most of this genre has the institution being run by the government and the kids learning espionage techniques. This one is a little different in that the institution is run by master criminals and the kids are being taught how to become criminal masterminds, not to be confused with your everyday common criminal. The kids are also abducted and taken there, rather than being given a choice, although their family's have generally consented to it. The story centers around a new batch of students who don't want to be there and are planning an escape attempt. It's full of some of the campier James Bond stuff. I actually liked this one better than Spy High. It was written a little better and the characters were more interesting. This is another one that would be fine for any middle-schooler, but could still be enjoyed by someone in high school as a fun break.

Check 'em out!

Weekly Challenge June 9 - 14, 2008

To give you a little head start, here's next week's Weekly Challenge.


Which of these figures can NOT be folded to make a cube?

Weekly Challenge June 2 -7, 2008

To get you ready for Teen Summer Reading 2008, here's the first Weekly Challenge. You can start figuring out the answer now, and be ready to go when registration begins on June 2. Remember, you can get help with the Challenges, so go ahead and work together with friends, or try to stump your parents at dinner.
What is the largest amount of money that you can have and still not have change for $1.00, if all of the money is in U.S. pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters?
Consider yourself challenged!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - A Canticle for Leibowitz

Ok, I had someone strongly recommend that I venture outside the realm of Teen fiction for one book, an old one ( my age in fact, if anyone cares enough to check the copyright date) by Walter Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz. As I was getting started with this one, I kept thinking of the time I was reading The Hunt for Red October. Now if there's actually anyone out there who has read both of those books, you gotta be scratching your head wondering what the heck the connection could possibly be. For the first 150 pages or so of The Hunt for Red October, I kept mentally screaming, "Glossary! I need a glossary!" because I was having a hard time keeping all of the submarine jargon straight. After that first 150 or so pages, though, I came to the realization that I really didn't need to keep all of that detail straight to enjoy the story. A Canticle for Leibowitz is kinda like that except that it's Latin, not submarine terminology. Again, would I have gotten a little more out of the book if my Latin repertoire went beyond anno domini and quid pro quo? Probably. But it was a good book even without that. It takes place over several centuries, beginning after a nuclear war nearly annihilates the earth. A glass-half-empty person would say that the book was a real downer because it just shows that mankind will keep making the same mistakes over and over again. At the end, I, however, thought that despite mankind royally fouling things up over and over, some of them still manage to survive to try to start over, and maybe, just this once, get it right. I've been told that the St Vincent College Mytho-Poeic Group will be using it as discussion book in the fall. Wish I could be there. It'll be quite a discussion! I wouldn't recommend it for middle school kids. In fact, there aren't many high school kids I'd give this one to. For philosphical college students and adults, I'd recommend reading it with someone so you can talk about it afterwards - you'll want to.

Mother's Day Bath Salts Program

I just finished the cleanup from our program making bath salts for Mother's Day. I think I've found a great way to torture teenagers - make them put rub-ons on glass surfaces. For some reason most kids seem to have a heck of a time with those things, and it seems like the older kids are worse than the younger ones. Anyway, with a lot of patience and a little clever disguising of mistakes, everyone went home with a very nicely decorated jar full of scented bath salts. We even had time to decorate gift bags for them as well. I hope all of the moms out there appreciate their kids' efforts. If you missed the program, pics are below.