A Yarn About the World - Barcelona
with Tyler
Our resident globetrotter Tyler shares his travel experiences. This time, take a trip to England! Learn about London and its history while taking in the beautiful sights of the northwest England countryside!
Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
One Book Colorado has one mission – to get a book in the hands of every 4-year-old in Colorado! Aurora Public Library is proud to join libraries across the state in reaching this goal this October.
Families and caregivers are invited to visit their local Aurora Public Library Tuesday, Oct. 13 to Sunday, Oct. 25 to pick up a free book for the 4-year-old in their life (kids who are, were or will be 4 in 2020).
This year’s title, “The Little Red Fort” by Brenda Maier, celebrates creativity, ingenuity and confidence as Ruby builds her own fort, with or without her brothers’ help. “The Little Red Fort” is a modern spin on the children’s classic “The Little Red Hen”.
While supplies last, receive a fort building activity kit with your free copy of “The Little Red Fort” to draw a blueprint and build a fort, just like Ruby! Share a photo of your fort with APL on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for a chance to be shared.
Now in its ninth year, One Book Colorado was started in 2012 by Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia’s office and is made possible through public and private partners. The program stems from the idea that providing young children with access to books promotes early literacy and helps families serve as the first and most important teachers in their children’s lives. Since its founding, One Book Colorado and its public library partners, including Aurora Public Library, have given out approximately 75,000 books each year to children across Colorado. Find out more about One Book Colorado here.
APL How-To: Chic Fabric Journal Cover
with Stacy
Join us on the second Friday of each month for a quick and easy tutorial for a DIY you can do at home! Today, turn a plain journal into a custom chic piece of art! Stacy shares a fun DIY to make a chic fabric journal cover.
Thank you to Amber with Crazy Little Projects for letting us share this craft today! View the full tutorial here.
Music: BenSound
One batch, two batch, penny and dime – won’t join me for a game if you have the time?
Just how much are you willing to risk? Do you know when to fold, or do you keep pushing? Are you ready to enter into a dark bargain?
Leave the comfort of your book covers this Halloween as we share haunted tales right here on your computer screen. Every Thursday at 8 p.m., tune in for new spine-tingling tales!
Do you have a spooky story of your own? We're taking scary, terrifying or spine-tingling submissions! Staff will choose their top five favorite stories to read on Facebook the day before Halloween, and allow Facebook to vote via reaction! The winner will receive a prize from Aurora Public Library. Submissions must be 1,000 words or less, rated PG-13 and under, and must be emailed to [email protected] by Sunday, Oct. 25.
Read It! Review of "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom
by Nicole
Hello! Thanks to my awesome friends in Wisconsin I have been reading more and more books this year and books I normally wouldn’t read outside my scope of fantasy, and suspenseful thriller. This is why I love book clubs, I get to experience other genres outside my comfort zones, and get to know my friends more by the books they choose and through our discussions of what they enjoyed and didn’t. Our next book club pick was “The Kitchen House” by Kathleen Grissom.
“The Kitchen House” by Kathleen Grissom is not only a New York Times Bestseller, but it has also been deemed a “Book Club Favorite”, and was nominated as both the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Historical Fiction and Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut Goodreads Author. This book was first published in 2010 and is categorized as a Historical Fiction novel.
The story starts with Lavinia, a young white girl orphaned during her passage from Ireland, who finds herself as an indentured servant on a thriving plantation in Virginia. She is cared for by Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter, where Lavinia learns to cook, clean and serve food in the kitchen house. Growing up, Lavinia sees Belle and the rest of her family as her one true family where she belongs. But as she starts to get accepted into the big house with the master’s opium addicted wife and their dangerous yet protective son, she begins to learn that because of her skin color she is not like Belle and the other slaves. The narrative follows both Lavinia and Belle as we see the differences that unfold in class, race and family secrets.
This book was highly regarded among the group in our discussion. In similar fashion to the book “The Help”, we saw how differently people viewed color and status in the eyes of both Lavinia and Belle. Lavinia grew up thinking she was just like any of the other slaves, but because of her white skin she was given advantages as she grew up. Belle, on the other hand, was forced to keep the dark secret of her true identity and thus was treated just as unfair as the other slaves by the master’s family. There were some characters that treated the slaves like people, and then there were other’s whose hatred blinded their actions and made it sometimes hard to keep reading. We all agreed that it was eye-opening and an incredibly powerful story. We also noticed how different characters influenced others which affected them later in life when it came to how they treated slaves.
If you read this book and enjoyed it so much, Kathleen Grissom wrote a sequel to this story called “Glory Over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House” in 2016.
Other books to read if you enjoyed “The Kitchen House” would be “The Healing” by Jonathan Odell, “The House Girl” by Tara Conklin and “The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd.
Check back for my book review of our next book club pick which was “The Little Shop of Found Things” by Paula Brackston.
Debauchery and thrills are pleasing, but they are fleeting. Tragedy is permanent. Despair knows no limits. Old walls never forget old sins. Never has this held more true than in "The Empty House".
Leave the comfort of your book covers this Halloween as we share haunted tales right here on your computer screen. Every Thursday at 8 p.m., tune in for new spine-tingling tales!
Do you have a spooky story of your own? We're taking scary, terrifying or spine-tingling submissions! Staff will choose their top five favorite stories to read on Facebook the day before Halloween, and allow Facebook to vote via reaction! The winner will receive a prize from Aurora Public Library. Submissions must be 1,000 words or less, rated PG-13 and under, and must be emailed to [email protected] by Sunday, Oct. 25.
Make & Learn: Reading Colors
by Karen
Welcome to Make & Learn! In this program, our librarians will be sharing easy-to-make games and activities that support cognitive development and practicing early literacy skills. In this video, Miss Karen discusses disequilibrium and shares a game to practice reading colors words.
Banned Books Week: All Your Faves Are Banned
by Elizabeth
In libraries, there’s a saying: there should always be at least one book in your library you dislike, or else you’re not doing it right. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees. Welcome to Banned Books Week! Here, we’ll celebrate all of the wonderful books that have been banned from libraries throughout the decades.
“Well, of course,” you may be thinking. “Some books are just SCANDALOUS.” But what about “Green Eggs and Ham”? This picture book about a picky eater was challenged in California for being too seductive. That’s right: Dr. Seuss, too sexy. “Where’s Waldo?” and “Alice in Wonderland” were banned for the same reason. “Where the Wild Things Are”, the story of a little boy going on imaginary wild romps with monsters after being sent to his room, has been challenged for witchcraft. Shel Silverstein’s poem “Help! I’m Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor” was apparently a little too tempting: his books were banned for promoting cannibalism. And some books offend every side: George Orwell’s “1984” was banned for being BOTH pro-communist and anti-communist. Even the dictionary’s been banned!
The American Library Association updates their list of the most challenged and banned books every year. Want to really live life on the edge? Check out a banned book or two to see what all the fuss is about! Here’s five of my favorite books from the banned books list to get you started, plus one more delightful read you’d never think was banned.
“The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
Did you know that this book has been on the NY Times Bestseller List for 186 weeks and counting? That’s 3 and a half YEARS. This book is still sadly topical: a high school girl sees a police officer kill her friend and then watches as his death turns into a national news story. Teenage Starr has to learn to balance between worlds and find her own voice while friends, family, and the media all start to take sides. Banned for profanity, drug use, and being “anti-cop.”
“Drama” by Raina Telgemeier
“Drama” has been on the most challenged book list for 4 years in a row. This heartwarming graphic novel tells the story of Callie, a theater-loving middle school student who wants to create the perfect set for her school’s play. Meanwhile, she has to deal with ticket sales, difficult crew members, and an inconvenient crush. Raina Telgemeier is also the author of the graphic novel reboot of “The Babysitter’s Club”. Banned for LGBT content and going against family values.
“Saga” by Brian K. Vaughan
This one’s more explicit, but adult readers might love it. In a distant future, two groups of aliens have been fighting for decades. When two soldiers from opposite sides fall in love, their baby becomes part of an interplanetary cover-up: no one can know that peace is possible. Definitely only read this if you’re over 18, but it’s a fantastic series, and its main focus is on one family determined to survive whatever the odds. Banned for nudity, swearing, sexual content, and being “anti-family.”
“Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson
Find your tissue box. Do you have it? Okay, then you’re ready to read the kids’ classic “Bridge to Terabithia”, a heartwarming book about imagination, friendship, and overwhelming grief. Jess and Leslie may have to endure the trials of middle school, but they have an escape: Terabithia, their imaginary magical land where they rule as king and queen. This is one of those “why did they ban this” books: “Terabithia” was challenged for Satanism, an odd sentiment for a book that talks about God and angels as much as fairies and magic.
“Prince & Knight” by Daniel Haack
“Prince & Knight” tells the story of a prince who falls for a handsome knight instead of a beautiful princess. Its sequel, “Maiden & Princess”, shows a Cinderella-like girl falling for an unexpected person at the royal ball. These are adorable stories with gorgeous illustrations. Banned for LGBT content.
And one more, a book you’d never think was banned:
“Winnie-the-Pooh" by A. A. Milne
Christopher Robin’s stuffed animals and their adventures have been banned multiple times over the years for some surprising reasons: being religiously offensive (three times, two different religions), dubious political affiliations, dubious sexuality, and – perhaps the only fair accusation for our bumbling bear – not wearing pants.
And remember, as always: if you don’t like any of my recommendations, you don’t have to read them!
Here’s a link to the ALA list so you can find a banned book that’s a little more your style.
Happy reading!
Create It! Clothespin Circles
by Karen
It's #MakeItMonday! Karen shares a fun, versatile DIY using clothespins! Follow along to make your own trivet, coaster or wall art!
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