Elementary School Student Shobhit Writes About Books

I like to read books

I love to read them all

They are so nice to read

When I get books

I read them all

I never stop

Sean, Caitlin & Ashlynn Write About "Book Buddies"

Sean - First Grader   I really loved the buddy reading program.  I got to read to a fourth grader.  He was really funny.  I really liked when he read to me too.    Caitlin - First Grader   I liked the reading buddy program I liked reading to the older girls.    Ashlynn - First Grader   I liked the reading buddy program I got to read to my neighbor Madison. It was fun we took turns reading.

Fashion Trends by High School Student Lauren

With fall approaching and school starting soon it is time to do one of my favorite things: shopping! This season there are many great trends to follow. One of my favorites is ankle boots. They can make any plain outfit look chic. You can pair them with skinny jeans or a cute skirt with leggings or tights. A great outfit to pair ankle boots with is colored skinny jeans. The “it” colors for jeans this year are grey, black, and dark blue. For skirts this season the best type to get are mini. Get anything mini that is a solid color so you can pair it with a funky graphic t-shirt or top. For tops this year, fashion is going grunge and 80’s. Graphic t-shirts with bands on the fronts or edgy designs will make any outfit. The shirts this season are also loose. A loose white t-shirt paired with black jeans and ankle boots will have you set. For outerwear a leather jacket in either black or dark brown is a must. A leather jacket will work with any outfit. It is very stylish and will make you look great too. Wait! You have to remember to accessorize. The hot trends this season are fedoras, oversized leather bags and lots of jewelry. Fedoras are great hats that come in many styles and colors. Purses this season are huge and come in different colors of leather so it will be easy for you to find one to complete any look. Necklaces are multi-chained in either gold or silver with colored stones. For bracelets: bangles, bangles, and more bangles in all different colors and styles. With these trends you will be able to rock out this season of fashion.

Storytime Leader Robert Carter Writes About Audio Books

During the summer, many people look forward to enjoying a good book on the beach. My family anticipates enjoying a good book in the car. On past road trips to Maryland and Maine, we've laughed as we listened to Stockard Channing's wonderfully funny readings of the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary. My children actually groaned when we arrived home before the end of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass (performedby a full cast). But our favorite was probably Jim Dale's reading of Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. The Starcatcher books are hilarious and engrossing adventure tales about the origins of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell,  and Captain Hook. They are certainly delightful books on their own, but Jim Dale's vocal characterizations bring them to sparkling life. If you've ever listened to Mr. Dale reading any of the Harry Potter books, you'll know that you often forget you're listening to only one man reading all the different parts.

So if you're planning a long car trip this summer, check out the audio book section of the children's library. Not only will they help the miles melt away, they're something the whole family can enjoy together. Even a storytime reader likes to have a book read to him every now and then.

4th Grader Catherine's Poem "Library"

 Library

This is the library where books call out to you.

"Come read me, come read me,"

They call out to toddlers too.

There is even a corner with soft comfy chairs

This is the library where everyone cares.

They have programs to encourage you to read.

This is the library you definitely need!

This perfect library is...

The Library of the Chatham's!!!!!!!

5th Grader Emilie's Entry - Photography Contest

Middle School Student Elizabeth Writes About Her Favorite Books

One of the things I love about the library is discovering the books of authors I have never read before. When I was younger, I got the book Ginger Pye for Christmas. I read it and absolutely loved it; it had an interesting plot and was very well written. When I finished reading it, I decided to go to the library to see if the author, Eleanor Estes, had any other books. When I got there, I saw she had written many books, and over the course of a few months, I ended up checking them all out and reading each of them. I'm glad I discoverd these books, as I still consider Ginger Pye and some of Estes' other works my favorite books.

Photograph Taken By Alice Roche

 

Fablehaven stars Kendra and Seth, two children who are sent to stay with their grandparents for part of their summer vacation while their parents are away. When they arrive on their grandfather's enormous property, he leaves them with a puzzle and a warning to stay out of the woods. Kendra focuses on solving the puzzle while Seth breaks the rules and enters the forest, and together they discover that their grandfather's land is actually a preserve for magical creatures like fairies, satyrs, and witches.

 

Fablehaven has been compared to Harry Potter; both have children discover that there is a magic hidden from most people. However, the two series aren't really that similar. Fablehaven follows both children equally, even while they are apart, though the story focuses more on Kendra towards the end. Seth is actually the cause of most of the trouble in the book, while Kendra, her grandparents, and their housekeeper try to fix his mistake.

 

The story is open for sequels, but doesn't end on a cliffhanger. There is much more of Fablehaven that can be explored, and the book has several sequels already. The story is fun and has some surprising twists, and I can recommend it to people interested in fantasy.

Photography by Jaime Sabonya

"Read" - A Poem by Alexis, 3rd Grade

Reading…… yes reading is really fun; you can even read 

with someone…. come on reading is fun 

so don’t watch TV just go to your favorite library 

at the library you could read about your favorite author 

reading yes reading is really fun 

so go ahead and read with someone you love.

Chris, 10th Grade, Writes About Summer @ Library

Summers for me often consist of tennis camp and a lot of video games, things that can get old fast.  But, when I was little I would go to the library almost every day and take part in the different activities that would be going on there.  From what I can remember, I had a lot of fun.   I recently started volunteering here at the library and the children’s center.  Watching the kids play on the computers and learn to read is a real joy!  I really like how they can make fun out of anything!  All of this makes me wish that I was one of them playing on the computers and doing the arts and crafts.  Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to see more of these kids as I get to volunteer at more of these events over the course of the summer.  These are things that do not ‘get old fast.’   

Photograph taken by Alice Roche, Children's Department Staff Member.

Julia's Entry for Our Photography Contest

Tear - a Poem by 5th Grader Ashley

A raindrop falling down the roof 

not knowing where to go  

I know what it feels like 

a tender tear falling down my face 

all I want you to do is save me too 

I need someone to be with me before I fall 

Like a tear drop

                          

 

Anthony's Entries - Photography Contest

Yanik, Niklas & Lena on Chess at the Library

Chess at the Chatham library was great! Every time we learned something new like checkmate, check, castling and more. At the very last class the teacher played against all the players which was a terrific practice. The only disadvantage was, that you sometimes had to wait too long for your turn. Maybe one could increase the number of teachers!! And overall by letting us compete against other players more often, would be even more fun! We definitely want to go next year again and we wish it would be on more often.

 

Chatham Residents Anusha and Nishita Spend a Year in India

Ed.'s Note: Chatham residents Nishita and Anusha spent the past school year in New Delhi, India. Here are their thoughts on their experience.

Nishita, 4th Grade

My India experience was great! I loved India a lot. School was a little hard but I made many friends. I really missed the libraries over there. There were no libraries at all except a small one at our school! In India we lived in Noida, a suburb of Delhi the capital. We had a maid and a driver over there so it made things way easier. In my apartment you could go downstairs and all your friends would be there. India is an amazing place and I miss it a lot! But I can’t wait to visit the Chatham Library again!

Anusha, 9th Grade

When my parents announced that we were moving to India for a year, the last thing I thought I would miss was the library. I didn’t want to move halfway around the world, thousands of miles away from my friends. I also didn’t want to miss my first year of high school. When I first arrived in India, I was nervous about making new friends and going to a new school, where many kids conversed in Hindi, a language I barely knew. But after a few weeks, I was settled into my new life in India. I had a whole group of friends, school was enjoyable and I didn’t have too much homework. It was then that I decided to make my first visit to the school library. I was used to school libraries that were large, spacious and packed with books but this one was barely the size of a classroom, and contained about one bookcase full of fiction. The remaining books were either reference books or textbooks. When I told my parents about my school library, they started to look for a public library. However, there wasn’t a single one in the city. Some bookstores had small libraries, but the books were limited and often in bad condition, not to mention that there was a hefty payment due every month. So my sister and I had to resort to buying any books we wanted to read. I had a chance to read some Indian authors as well. Overall, I had a great time in India at my new school with my new friends. However, one of the first things I did after joining Chatham High in May was visit the library; and I must say, the one thing I missed the most was the library.

Photograph of Children's Room Globe by Storytime Leader Robert Carter

Some Pictures From Our Photography Contest - 1

Our contest was for students 3rd grade and up.  These photographs were by Anna.