Decorate the Library!

Join us at the library this Thursday, September 29, as we decorate the children's department for Halloween! Kids 6-12 are invited to come out any time between 1 and 3pm to make spooky decorations to help us get into the spirit - yes, pun totally intended - of the season...

Books In Brief: Dewey: There's a Cat In the Library!

Reviewer: Angie

The name of the book being recommended: Dewey: There's a Cat In the Library! by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter, illustrated by Steve James

Please give us five reasons why this book is awesome:
1. His full name is Dewey Readmore Books, and he is a cat who lives at the library.

2. He survived being dumped in the book drop in the freezing cold.

3. He was rescued by the librarians and finds a home that he loves.

4. Dewey loves to play with children and make all patrons smile.

5. This is a heartwarming story of survival and a little kitten who grew up to bring joy to library patrons young and old.

How can I find this book in the library? It can be found in the Children's Department, in nonfiction, under the call number jE 636.8 M. The full story can be found in the longer book Dewey the Library Cat, j 636.8 M.

Meet Books In Brief Reviewer Angie Andre!

"Miss Angie" is our newest staff member, but she brings with her oodles of training and experience. She can usually be found banging sticks and shaking eggs with the diaper set in our Wee Ones and Family Story Times.

Hi, Angie! What are your favorite genres and subjects to read about?
I love mysteries!

Besides reading, what are your other hobbies and interests?
I enjoy knitting, baking, and spending time at the beach with my husband and our two sweet border collies, Maggie and Mary Grace.

What are you good at?
Baking apple pies.

What would you like to be better at?
Exercising every day (see previous answer ;-)).

To find reviews and recommendations by Angie, simply click on her name in our "Contributors" list on the right, or search for the label "Angie."

Books in Brief: The Composer is Dead

Reviewer: Angela

The name of the book being recommended: The Composer is Dead, by Lemony Snicket

Please give us five reasons why this book is awesome:

1. It's by Lemony Snicket = Awesome. Who else could get away with words like "xylophoniness" and "cymbalism?"

2. It's illustrated by Carson Ellis, who may be best known for her album covers for The Decembrists. I confess that I was a little hesitant to accept anyone other than Brett Helquist as an illustrator for Lemony Snicket, but Ms. Ellis does great work that is a lovely fit with the story.

3. It's a murder mystery.

4. It's a murder mystery where the primary suspects are musical instruments. Not only does this provide a chance for readers to get acquainted with the different sections of the orchestra, it also gives us a glimpse of what those same instruments might be like if they had personalities. For example: "Everyone forgets about us," said the Violas bitterly. "We play the notes in the chords that nobody cares about. We play crucial countermelodies nobody hears."

5. It comes with its own symphonic score, composed by Nathaniel Stookey and narrated by Mr. Snicket himself. You don't need to listen to the CD to enjoy the book, but I highly, highly recommend that you do, especially if you know and like symphonic music even a tiny little bit.

How can I find this book in the library? It can be found in the children's department, in fiction, under the call number j SNI.

Meet Books In Brief Reviewer Angela Newman!

Angela joined Tredyffrin as a part-time employee and, following the completion of her Masters Degree in Information and Library Sciences, was appointed the head of the Children's Department in June 2010. She works at the children's checkout and reference desks, purchases novels and nonfiction for older school-age readers, as well as children's DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks. She also runs our Road Trip Thursdays program, supervises the Children's staff, does outreach to local schools, and attends entirely too many meetings.

Hi, Angela! What are your favorite genres and subjects to read about?
Siblings, American History, memoirs, fairy tales, small towns, and long journeys.

Besides reading, what are your other hobbies and interests?
I love to cook and travel (but not at the same time), and I am an afficianado of various types of music. I also relish any time spent with my younger sister (aka The Geech) and my genius niece (aka The Cakes).

What are you good at?
Referencing obscure lines and lyrics from movies, music, and books. Wearing hats. Writing. Typing very, very quickly. Dismantling library shelves with my bare hands (and the occasional rubber mallet).

What would you like to be better at?
Anything athletic, especially baseball.

To find reviews and recommendations by Angela, simply click on her name in our "Contributors" list on the right, or search for the label "Angela."

90-Second Newbery

Well, the day has finally arrived. Tredyffrin Public Library's 90-Second Newbery Production of Louis Sachar's Holes has been submitted to the contest and now we just have to wait to see if our film makes the cut.

For those of you just joining us, the Tredyffrin Kids spent their April break smushing a Newbery Award-winning book down to a 90-second film. (Okay, it's 2 minutes and 2 seconds. Miss Angela couldn't bear to cut any more out of it.) Here's what we came up with:



And because I wouldn't leave you without special features, check out our outtakes.

Thanks to everyone who came out for this project. It was such a great experience!

The Empire Strikes the Library!

If you visited Tredyffrin Library on Sunday, you might have seen some unusual guests there that day. Members of the Garrison Carida of the 501st Legion - also known as 'Vader's Fist' - came by to help us celebrate National Library Card Sign-up Month.

Yes, even those who have been seduced by the dark side use the library.

Our guests were joined by some hardcore fans, all of whom had the opportunity to share their Star Wars trivia knowledge and ask a few questions. My favorite was directed to Boba Fett:

"Did you become a bounty hunter because you had too many overdue books?"

We ate TIE Fighter Ties and drank Yoda Soda, both courtesy of the amazing Star Wars-themed cookbook Wookiee Cookies.

And finally, we all put our game faces on for a photo shoot.



Thanks to everyone who came out on Sunday, especially the 501st. Fly casual, my friends!

See more photos on our Facebook page!