All Good Things Come to an End

Say it ain't so!

Alas, it's that time again to wish our Summer Reading Program goodbye. Please note that the last day you can record reading time is this Saturday, July 30. The Prize Market will be open through Saturday, August 5th. We do appreciate your feedback with our end-of-summer survey. If you haven't already taken it, click here. Please take a moment to tell us how we did and share your suggestions for changes.

Also, our End-of-Summer Carnival is planned for Friday, August 4th from 5:30-7:00pm. Whole Foods is generously giving away six $25 gift cards as door prizes as well as two cases of Smooze frozen treats for kids. Watch for appearances by our TheraPets of Indiana dogs, our local emergency heroes and their vehicles, a bounce house, and lots of games and activities for the family. Join us!

Thank you for making our summer so special!

We must close at 5:30 PM Today, July 28

Due to a Duke Energy power outage, the Library must close early today.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but regular hours will resume at 9:30 AM Friday, July 29. We'll look forward to seeing you then!
You can still log your Summer Reading books through July 30, register for programs or download audiobooks and e-books!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The Original Winnie-the-Pooh Turns 90! Send Him a Birthday Card!

The "real" stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh bear is turning 90 this year! He is currently on display at the New York Public Library. We invite you to send him a birthday card to help him celebrate such a momentous birthday occasion.

Birthday cards can be mailed to
Winnie-the-Pooh
c/o Children's Center at 42nd Street
The New York Public Library
476 Fifth Avenue, Room 84
New York, NY 10018

Winnie-the-Pooh was purchased from Harrod's department store as a birthday gift for Christopher Milne in 1921 from his parents. His original name was not Winnie-the-Pooh, but Edward Bear. He has been on display at the NYPL since 1987.

The World of Harry Potter

As the final chapter in the Harry Potter saga comes to a close with the opening of the eighth and final film, it gives me pause to reflect on the past 12 years of Harry Potter programming at the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library.

As the former Youth Services Department Head, I remember when the American version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published by Scholastic in the fall of 1998. But the real buzz started the following summer when the second book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, came out, during our Summer Reading Program. The third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was published in the fall of 1999. By that time, Harry was fast becoming the hottest book character I’d ever seen in my years as a children’s librarian and there was talk of making a movie. Warner Bros. released the film version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States in November 2001. As I recall, it was a welcome diversion for children and adults alike, after the horror of 9/11.

Some Harry Potter purists have never enjoyed seeing J.K . Rowling’s book characters come to life on the big screen and bemoan all the editing and plot changes that filmmakers have to do in order to make the films a reasonable length. I am a fan of both the books and the films and enjoy each medium for what it is.

Since 1999, the Hussey-Mayfield Library has held 27 Harry Potter-related programs for children and teens. These have included book discussion groups, individual movie events, as well as movie marathons, birthday parties for the Boy Wizard, trivia quests, and a writing contest. Costumes were often required, as well as vast HP knowledge from both the books and films. Our Library’s first Harry Potter program was a Book Discussion Group that met for four Mondays in November 1999 to discuss the first three books in the series. These programs included fun, exciting talks and activities. Due to popular demand, the series was repeated in February 2000. The Library’s first REALLY BIG program was planned and carried out by the entire Youth Services Department staff in early November 2001, and included a five-hour open house of activities such as wand making, child-friendly fortune telling, games, making wizard cards, coloring pages, plus magical snacks of the Hogwarts variety. The program was advertised for children 5 and older and the attendance by costume-clad witches and wizards was HUGE! This program helped everyone get excited about the release of the first film later that month.


Through the years, as Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, aged and entered adolescence, so too did the readers of the books, and Library programs were offered for teens as well as youths. Over the years, teen Harry Potter programs have included the writing contest, movie marathons, fun crafts & activities [wand making, tea leaf reading, crystal ball-making and sorcerer stone-like jewelry-making], and trivia games, culminating in this summer’s movie blitz and craft & activity bonanza these past 2 weeks.

Did you get to see the Library’s first-ever Quidditch demonstration and event held this week? It was provided by two members of the Purdue University Quidditch Team! After today’s Teen Trivia Game and the Harry Potter Birthday Party in Youth Services on July 29th, the Library’s Harry Potter programming, in celebration of the release of the final movie in the series, will be
complete.

It has been quite a roll over the past 12 years. Children have grown up with Harry Potter and your Public Library has grown with Harry as well, providing programs and events to enhance children’s and teens’ enjoyment and understanding of Harry and his quest. I don’t think this month’s Harry Potter programs will be the last by any means – Harry Potter has become one of those characters that will become a literary hero for readers of all ages and libraries, including ours. Our librarians will continue to introduce new fans to Harry, Hogwarts and all of J.K . Rowling’s incredible cast of characters and wonderful writing – maybe we’ll even have some future programs for adults! Any takers?

So, enjoy reading the seven Harry Potter books over and over, gleaning new insights each time. Or, listen to Jim Dale read the books on Listening Library’s audio versions; he has created a myriad of fantastic voices for all the characters. And, see the films when you’re ready for them.

Watch for future Harry Potter programs at the Zionsville Library – I’m sure you’ll find something HP-related on down the road…

1st reader to reach 200 hours!

Congratulations to Emily, a second grader from Stonegate Elementary School! She is our first Summer Reading Participant to reach 200 hours of reading. WOW, that is a lot of reading!

Let’s learn a little more about Emily.
Emily’s favorite book series is The American Girl series. Josephina’s Surprise is Emily’s favorite book of the series. Outside of reading, dancing is Emily’s favorite activity. When asked how she was able to reach this goal she said that she everywhere and she read at least 5 hours a day. Her brother said that most days she read way more than five hours! She read in the car, at the store, and walking around her house.

The Youth Services Librarians are stoked that a second grader was able to read 200 hours this summer. Emily can still log her time to be entered into the weekly raffle drawings, but she won’t get any more prizes, now she will be reading for the love of reading and that is an excellent prize in itself!

TODAY ONLY: A Hedgehog in Youth Services!

The teen Librarian got a very special pet, a hedgehog, and named him King Louis the 14th. King Louis heard what a fun place the Library is and he decided to check it out for himself. Today the hedgehog is visiting with the Youth Librarians and admiring all of the fantastic summer readers.
Come into the Library and check out King Louis.

You might want to leave with some hedgehog books, too. Try these...
Hokey Pokey: Another Prickly Love story by Lisa Wheeler
Hedgie’s Surprise by Jan Brett
Help! A story of Friendship by Holly Keller
The Happy Hedgehog Band by Martin Waddel
For fact books, look in Juvenile Non-fiction 599.33


If you can’t make it in to the Library today to see King Louis but you still want to see a live hedgehog in action, check out the National Geographic website where you will find interesting information about hedgehogs and a video of a hedgehog in the wild.
You just never know what you will find at the Library!

Feast with Us!

Dragons, Dreams, and Daring Deeds ... All summer at the library we've been celebrating and learning about the far-off time of knights and kings and queens and other things from the medieval period. But one of the most fun parts of learning about and celebrating the medieval period in history is participating in a medieval FEAST! ... Therefore, ***drum roll please*** the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library cordially invites children going into grades one through five to our very own Medieval Feast, July 22nd from 11:00 to 12:30. Come join us for food, fun, and entertainment ... you can register online or by calling the Youth Services Reference desk at 873-8342.

In fact, you can, if you want to, help provide the entertainment! Do you have a talent? A poem you've recently learned? A joke to tell? Medieval feasts weren't really primarily about food - they were about fun and the entertainment provided between each course of food. We'd love to have YOU not only join us for our feast but also participate in the fun. Interested? Call 873-8342 and talk to one of your friendly librarians!

“Elementary, my dear Watson…”

Get a clue and mark your calendars now for the Sherlock Holmes film festival at the Library on Saturday, August 6, from 12-5pm, brought to you by The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, the area’s oldest Sherlock Holmes society. We’ll provide the popcorn, candy and water, you bring your sleuthing caps and enjoy the show. Follow the trail into the Lora Hussey Room to watch one film or watch them all.

Review A Book Raffle for Kids

The Librarians at HMMPL are curious to know what kinds of books kids like (or don’t like) reading so we thought we would raffle away prizes to those kids that tell us what they think about the books they are reading this summer!

Simply fill out a book review online or complete a “Review this Book” bookmark the next time you are at the Library and you will be entered to win 2 tickets to Snapperz or 2tickets to the Haunted House at the Children’s Museum.

Anyone in the Youth Summer Reading Program (Birth through 5th grade) can complete a Book Review, but only Juvenile Fiction or Juvenile Non-fiction book reviews will be eligible to win the raffle. If you have a question about what is classified as juvenile fiction or juvenile non-fiction, please ask your friendly Librarians.

We will be collecting book reviews until July 30 and we will have drawings each Monday in July.

The first drawing will be July 5 (which is a Tuesday because the Library will be closed Monday for the 4th of July). We only have one entry so far, so if you can complete a review this weekend you will have an excellent chance of winning!