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What the Dog Said by Randi Reisfeld with HB Gilmour
Grace is thirteen. She’s become withdrawn since her Dad, a policeman, was killed in a drive-by shooting about a year ago. Her sister, Regan, decides she needs Grace’s help with a project. Regan wants early admission to what she considers the best college, and with their Mother’s approval she drafts Grace to "help" her. The scheme? Adopt a shelter puppy and train it to become a service dog. The last thing Grace wants to do is help Regan with anything. She sees Regan adjusting to life without their father and Grace resents her. She feels that Regan is being disloyal to their Dad’s memory.
But here they are at the animal shelter looking at dogs in a totally chaotic setting, Grace can barely stand the noise, all the barking and scratching, when something strange happens – a dog talks to her! Not a very cute dog, actually a gray-and-brown-mutt, an "…unkempt, prickly coated mutt…" (page 5). Grace convinces Regan that Rex is the dog for them. Sure he’s no longer a puppy, but he tells Grace that he’s smart and trainable and cheap! As they leave the shelter with Rex she starts to think: "My mom and sister thought my coming here would help me get back to normal. Instead, I heard a dog talk. I think that’s either irony or payback." (page 9)
Is Grace really hearing Rex talk? Together can they solve the mystery of her Dad’s shooting before Rex leaves Grace to become a companion to a needy little girl? Can Rex help Grace to re-connect with her friends and get back to her “normal” life?
Randi Reisfeld and HB Gilmour are the co-authors of several books including the T*Witches series. The two began work on What the Dog Said several months before HB Gilmour died. Ms. Reisfeld completed this book in her honor.
Scavenger Hunt at the King Library
Summer Reading Celebration
You're Invited!
Sunday, June 3 from 1-4 p.m
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
The kickoff event invites people of all ages to participate in a scavenger hunt inside the King Library (Lower Level-4th Floor).
The scavenger hunt will be divided into three groups: families with small children, teens and adults. Each group will have their own set of clues and will have to search for hidden treasures inside the library to be eligible to win a prize.
Prizes include tickets to ...
- Great America
- Tech Museum
- Laser Quest
- Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
- Children’s Museum
- San Jose Giants
The kickoff event will also feature a community resource fair and plenty of live entertainment.
Downtown Parking:
Free parking in the street and the 4th and San Fernando Street Garage located across from the King Library
Book Trailer Contest - June 1 - July 31, 2012
Teens: want to do something more imaginative than just writing a review for Summer Reading books that you have read? Create and submit a book trailer review for Summer Reading, and you could win a Kindle Fire! Upload a short clip, no longer than 4 minutes, to YouTube, providing your review of the book. Be creative! The contest is open to all participants in the Teen Summer Reading Celebration.
How to enter:
- Create your own book trailer, reviewing a book that you read for Summer Reading. You can submit more than one video, but each video has to be for a separate book.
- Post the video on YouTube using the tag: SJPL2012SRC
- Sign up for Summer Reading here, starting in a few weeks.
- When you log the book you read on the Summer Reading website, make sure to include a link to your video in the review field.
Entries will be judged on creativity and content by a panel of library staff.
Need some examples? Check out the winning entry from last year's Book Trailer Contest, created by Nathan Verdonk.
Here are links to some professional book trailers:
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Teens who submit links to their Book Trailer will automatically be entered in the contest. The top 3 winners will receive:
- 1st place: Kindle Fire
- 2nd place: $50 gift card for iTunes
- 3rd place: $25 gift card for Jamba Juice
Entries for the contest must be submitted between June 1 and July 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in August.
One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson
Hal’s parents believe he is living the perfect life for a young boy. His parents are rich beyond belief, they give Hal everything he ever wants; at least they give him every toy or gadget or article of clothing he wants. More things than he ever needs, more than he ever asks for, in fact. In reality all Hal really ever wanted was a dog, and maybe a little more attention from his parents.
As his tenth birthday approaches Hal thinks about how many times he has asked for a dog. His Mother feels that dogs are dirty and smelly. Dogs need to be walked or they might make a puddle in her very perfect house. You see there are no bugs and not even a little dust in the house. And other than Hal, his Mother, his Father and the maids, who only come there to work, there is nothing alive in Hal’s house. No mice, no bugs, no plants. There weren’t even live flowers in the yard only raked gravel. Why you might ask? Well according to Hal’s Mother "…because flowers mean earth and mess" (page 2).
How do Hal and his dog finally find each other? In Hal’s town there is a place called Easy Pets where you can rent a dog for any length of time. Now I don’t think that renting a dog for a weekend is quite what Hal has in mind. But that’s where our story of One Dog and His Boy begins.
I’d recommend this book to all animal lovers. Author Eva Ibbotson died on October 20, 2010, making this her last book. All of her fans will miss her. Please read and enjoy her final heart-warming book.
Graphic Novel Making Contest - June 1 - July 31, 2012
If you have a talent for creating comic/manga style illustrated short stories, you are invited to enter San José Public Library’s Graphic Novel Making Contest for all ages as part of our Summer Reading Celebration, 2012. This contest is sponsored by San José Public Library, Hijinx Comics, San José Museum of Art and TRY Japan Culture Group.
Here’s how to enter …
- Create your own comic book with a maximum length of 8 pages, including the cover page.
- Use letter-size paper (8.5 x 11) with black-and-white drawings and text on one side only
- Each submission must be the creative and original work of a single individual—the author/illustrator.
- Computer generated images are acceptable as long as they are your original work (no clip art)
- Consider submitting a photocopy that is an accurate reflection of the original (as submissions are non-returnable).
- San José Public Library reserves the right to reproduce your work. You can reuse all your work after the contest
- Be sure to print and complete the creative works release form. Include your Name, Age, Contact Information and Signature.
- Entries can be submitted to any San José Public Library location no later than 8p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, 2012. There is a limit of one entry per contestant.
Entries will be judged on content and illustrations by a panel of library staff and comic industry professionals. All cash prizes will be awarded as gift cards.
- Children (up to age 6): first place will receive Art Supplies
- Children (7-12): first place $40, second place $20
- Teens (ages 13-17): first place $100; second place $70; third place $50
- Adults (age 18 and above): first place $100; second place $70; third place $50
Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at a reception to be held at the Berryessa Branch Library on Saturday, August 25th at 2:00 p.m.in the Community Room. Check out the award winning entries from 2011 and 2010.
Learn how to make your own comic book, graphic novel or manga! Author Oliver Chin will be teaching this free workshop for teens at some San José Public Library branches.
San José Public Library staff members are ineligible to participate.
San José Public Library reserves the right to refuse submissions that are not appropriate for a general audience.
Cambrian Friends of the Library Book Sale!
Join us for the book lover’s event of the season! The Cambrian Friends of the Library Book Sale will be held on Saturday, April 28th from 10:00am- 4:00 pm at Cambrian Branch Library! Check out our huge assortment of gently used books, videos, DVDs and CDs. Our books have been meticulously organized by our Friends, making choosing books a breeze! The library is closed on Saturdays so there is plenty of parking!
Most books --both children's and adults' -- are priced at 50 cents or $1, VHS tapes for $1, CDs for $2, and DVDs for $3. Premium, gift-worthy books and media are available on our SPECIALS tables. Starting at 3pm, books are sold by the bag for $5; we provide the bag (Specially-priced books and all media are NOT available at the bag sale).
All book sale proceeds benefit the branch library programs and services. Cash and checks are accepted. So come on in, have some fun, pick up some books and help support your community library
College Planning Program
Cambrian Library is presenting a free program by Manuel Fabriquer titled “College Planning” on Thursday, April 19 from 6:00-9:00 pm in the library’s Community Room. Mr. Fabriquer is a Certified College Planner. He will teach parents how to pay for college without going broke! Fabriquer will outline a combination of strategies of admission, financial aid and planning to accomplish this goal, thus making college affordable for many families.
Silicon Valley Reads Continues through April
I hope you have been enjoying the variety of programs the library has been able to offer as we have explored the topic "Muslim and American" over the past several months. Silicon Valley Reads 2012 continues to run through the month of April. San Jose Public Library will be offering the following upcoming events to engage with others in a discussion of this relevant subject.
- Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of The Muslim Next Door will speak at the Cambrian Library on Saturday, April 14 and the following week at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Library on Saturday, April 21. Both programs begin at 2:00.
- Todd Parr, author and illustrator of the children's book It's Okay to be Different will appear on April 21 at both the Pearl Avenue and Almaden libraries. The Pearl Avenue program begins at 2:00 pm and the Almaden presentation begins at 3:00 pm.
- The Berryessa Library will screen the film "Allah Made Me Funny" at 11:00 am on April 21.
- The Pearl Avenue Library will also host Willow Wilson, author of The Butterfly Mosque on Friday, April 27 at 4:00.
Take part in the conversation! Plan now to attend one of these special events. Silicon Valley Reads 2012 concludes on April 29 with a closing event to be held at the Santa Clara Central Park Library.
We need your suggestions for the IMPAC Dublin award
Have you read 1Q84, 11/22/63, The Leftovers, The Marriage Plot, State of Wonder, Swamplandia, The Tiger’s Wife?
These are among the best fiction for 2011 as nominated by NPR, the New York Times, Salon, Publishers Weekly and Library Journal.
If you have read any of these, vote for the novel that you think San Jose Public Library should submit for the 2013 IMPAC Dublin Literary award.
Other titles (novels, not short stories) welcome for submission if published in 2011.
Click on Add new comment below and let us know the title. Our deadline is April 25th.
You Belong @ Your Library
Hey everyone its National Library Week, April 8-14!
Celebrate National Library Week with a fun Scavenger Hunt at your local library. All participants will receive a prize. This program is designed for children ages 6 and up.
While at the library visit the information desk and pick up a heart and tell us why you love your library.
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