Are you trying to squeeze in some last minute gift-shopping for a child in your life?  I may be biased since I'm a librarian but the best gift you could give a child is a really great book.

On Christmas Eve, my family always exchanged gifts and when I was 9, I was given a copy of Stuart Little by E.B. White.  I spent most of the next day curled up on the couch immersed in the world of that little mouse who was adopted by a family and went on some great adventures.  What a wonderful memory for me.

All children should have books of their own to keep and to read over and over.  According to research studies, the number of books in the home is one of several factors directly connected to reading achievement in kindergarteners.  Books to own don't have to be expensive.  Many schools have programs for purchasing inexpensive paperback copies of books.  And the Friends of the Library always have lots of gently used books at great prices for children of any reading level.

If you need help selecting a great book for a child, check in with us at the Library and ask for some recommendations. 

Aside from Stuart Little - which is about at third grade level, here are a couple more of my favorites.  Can't You Sleep Little Bear? - by Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth is a sweet book for a preschool aged child about a little bear who needs a very special night light. 

I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems is a beginning to read book so hilarious, you'll be laughing out loud the whole time you read it.  Elephant and Piggie are an unlikely pair of best friends, but they are so much alike and so very silly. 

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a book that will grab the attention of any middle-schooler no matter how much they say they don't like to read.  A boy is the sole survivor of a plane crash and must make it on his own in the wilderness.  This book is short and the story is so compelling, you can't put it down!

So even if you've finished your holiday shopping, get one more present for the child in your life - make it a book - and make it a holiday tradition!

Seven Trees Branch Grand Opening

January 26, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Keep checking back for updates!

Do you enjoy reading and discussing what you read? If the answer is yes, the Edenvale Book Club is the club for you!

The next meeting is on Wednesday January 9, 2012 from 4:00 pm until 6:00 PM in Meeting Room B at the Edenvale Branch Library.

The January book selection is Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan.

This book is available in the following formats:

Book

BookCD

Axis360 eBook

OverDrive eAudiobook

All are welcome to attend.  

Have you ever wondered what the top ten adult fiction and non-fiction book titles are most frequently checked out each month from the San Jose Public Library? Well, here’s a selection from the top titles for November. I’ll post these monthly so you can see what your fellow library users are reading!

Books selected for Silicon Valley Reads 2013 focus on the wounds of war.

The Long Walk by Brian Castner and Minefields of the Heart by Sue Diaz.

Information on events will be forthcoming in this column and at the Silicon Valley Reads website.

Each year Silicon Valley Reads encourages everyone in Santa Clara County to read and discuss the same book during the months of February and March. Free public events are held in  libraries, schools and community locations, and the book is featured in  high school, colleges and book clubs discussions.  

The longlist of books nominated for the 2013 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award was announced last month.  This longlist, consisting  154 titles nominated by libraries in 120 cities in 44 countries, includes books translated into English from 19 languages.

Every year San Jose Public Library, along with other public libraries throughout the world, nominates titles for the IMPAC Dublin Award. From the longlist a panel of judges selects a shortlist of ten titles which is announced in April 2013, with the finalist announced in June 2013.   The 2013 Award will be given for a work of fiction published in English between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2011.

Not all titles nominated in the shortlists or longlists are held by San Jose Public Library.  Titles not in the San Jose Public Library catalog may be requested through Link+ or Interlibrary Services.