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West Valley Book Club's June Pick: The Promise by Oral Lee Brown
The West Valley Book Club is taking a break from fiction for their next meeting on June 13 at 6:30 PM to discuss a nonfiction memoir called The Promise by Oral Lee Brown with Caille Milner. The subtitle says it all: "How one woman made good on her extraordinary pact to send a classroom of 1st graders to college". It's an inspiring and true local story of a middle-class woman in Oakland who took on the challenge to make a profound difference in others' lives. It started in 1987 with a simple interaction with a young girl in need, which resulted in Brown's amazing promise to send a whole class of 23 students to college by saving and investing her own money into the Oral Lee Brown Foundation. Over the years, she went on to fund even more students, and in 2003, LaTosha Hunter became the first of Brown's "babies" and the first in her family to graduate from college.
Brown’s pledge to the students was not without great personal and public sacrifice. Her promise turned her life upside-down—it strained her relationships, and at times required her to work several different jobs. Brown also developed a strong emotional attachment to the children—for many of these students Brown was the one consistent adult in their lives. In a world short on heroes, altruism, and dedication, The Promise shows that it is still possible to change lives for the better. This book will encourage, uplift, and inspire every reader. (From Amazon.com)
Watch this segment from KGO7 to see Oral Lee Brown and some of the lives she's touched:
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 She’s become withdrawn since her Dad, a policeman, was killed in a drive-by shooting about a year ago.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.
2:00 p.m. Ballon Artist from A New Twist Balloons inside the Children's Room
3:00 p.m. Enjoy a free concert at 3 p.m. with Cascada de Flores performing Mexican and Caribbean song and dance.
Downtown Parking:
Free parking in the street and the 4th and San Fernando Street Garage located across from the King Library
Library eBooks on Your eReader
Do you want to learn how to download library books onto an eReader? Are you interested in buying an eReader but don't know which one is best for you? Find out about the different types of eBook collections available and learn how easy it is to borrow free library e-books on your device! Bring your own eReader to this event or try out a variety of other popular devices and learn how to download a library e-book. See a demonstration of how easy it is to read and enjoy these collections. May programs will be held in the following locations:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library May 12 10am
Berryessa Branch Library May 16 11am
Willow Glen Branch Library May 19 3pm
West Valley Branch Library May 30 1pm
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. Author Oliver Chin will be the keynote speaker.
Check out the award winning entries from 2011 and 2010.
Learn how to make your own comic book, graphic novel or manga! 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.
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.
Tìm Trợ Giúp Về Bệnh Nghiện Cờ Bạc
Quý vị có nhận thức về Cờ Bạc như là một bệnh nghiện có ảnh hưởng tai hại đến chính bản thân và mọi người chung quanh không?
Quý vị có biết Cờ Bạc có thể gây nên các vấn đề xã hội, cảm xúc căng thẳng, và khó khăn về tài chính? Cờ Bạc còn làm ảnh hưởng đến các mối quan hệ, tình cảm, sức khoẻ, và ngay cả việc làm và học hành.
Xin giới thiệu quý vị đến GIFT (Gaining Insight into keeping Families Together) là một chương trình giáo dục và cung cấp dịch vụ tư vấn của cơ quan Asian American Recovery Services, Inc. (AARS)*.
Mục tiêu chung của chương trình GIFT là nhằm giúp cộng đồng nâng cao nhận thức về việc Cờ Bạc Có Vấn Đề cùng những loại nghiện ngập khác và giúp thăng tiến đời sống của những người vướng phải việc Cờ Bạc Có Vấn Đề và gia đình của họ, hầu có thể đạt được một đời sống lành mạnh.
Các dịch vụ bao gồm:
- Sự Nhận Thức Và Giáo Dục: qua truyền thông/kịch nghệ, các buổi tiếp xúc với cộng đồng, các buổi hội thảo và thuyết trình.
-
Hỗ Trợ:
- Dịch vụ tư vấn: Cơ quan AARS cung cấp các dịch vụ tư vấn cho cá nhân, nhóm và gia đình. Ngoài ra, cơ quan còn cung cấp chương trình hỗ trợ ngay tại nhà.
- Tài nguyên, thông tin: Cơ quan AARS hỗ trợ cộng đồng qua những sự nối kết họ với các nguồn tài nguyên, thông tin hữu ích.
Để được thêm thông tin xin liên lạc (408) 271-3900.
* Mục tiêu của cơ quan Asian American Recovery Services, Inc. (AARS) là nhằm giảm thiểu tỷ lệ vướng mắc và tác động của sự lạm dụng thuốc trong các cộng đồng Á Châu và Thái Bình Dương ở Vùng Vịnh San Francisco. Văn phòng của cơ quan AARS tọa lạc tại: 1340 Tully Road, Phòng 301 & 304, San Jose CA 95122.
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.
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