Reading for children this summer

Summertime is here and it’s time to kick back and relax with a good book!  Looking at the sports schedules for my 3 grandchildren, summer can be just as busy as the school year. Yet, there are gaps in kids’ schedules that offer some good summertime reading! Why not take a few good reads along on vacation? Here are a few temptations from the church library.

Faith, Hope and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Two schools, two families, two girls, and two ways of life. The mountain girl, Ivy June is chosen for a two-week exchange program with Catherine from Lexington, KY. Both girls experience a way of life that they couldn't imagine. This book offers many valuable points about friendship. While both Catherine and Ivy Jean seemed to be nothing alike on the outside, they realized that they were actually kind of similar. Rather than focusing on how different they were, they decided to appreciate each other's differences and find the things they have in common. This book is great read for Tweens.

Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein.  At age nine, Austin watched a 4 minute video about the AIDS orphans in Africa. In an instant, his life was changed and a long journey began. After watching the video, Austin felt the Lord stirring in him a desire to do something to help these orphans. He didn't know what, but he knew that he wanted to listen to the Lord's leading. Read how Austin brought thousands of people to the free-throw line and raise over $1 million dollars for AIDS. Austin states, "I don't want you to finish this book and walk away with just a cool story. I want you to walk away with a burden on your heart. But not just any burden. I want you to be pursuing the purpose to give your own vision of how you can take your best shot to make a difference in the world around you.".  Inspiring book for Young Teens as well as Adults.

The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O’Roark Dowell.  This book is a heartwarming tale about family and friendship. In the story, an eleven-year old girl named Kate is ignored by her best friend Marylin and twelve year old neighbor Flannery. Kate and Marylin go their separate ways and go on small adventures without each other but in the end realize that friendship is what they need most, and there are other friends they don't want to keep.  Excellent for ages 9-12.

 

I Love It When You Smile is a simple story of a young kangaroo named Roo who is grumpy for no real reason. His mom does everything she can think of to get him out of his bad mood.  He’s so grumpy; he doesn’t even feel like playing. Now that’s grumpy! Not until his mother slips him in her pouch and hops, hops, hops and then slips, slips, slips into a muddy hole does Roo do the unthinkable. He actually cracks a grin!  This 3-6 age appropriate book is located in the Love section of the library.

 

The above selections are a few books dedicated to the church library in loving memory of Vivienne Louise Rose Ubell by grandparents, Irene and Folker Rieflin.  A children’s picture is also on display in the church library in memory of Vivienne.

Remember the summer library dates of June 20, July 18, and August 22nd from 9:35-10:15 a.m. each Sunday as well as access to the library during the week via the church office. 

New DVDs in the Library

Make a batch of popcorn and slip in a good DVD to share. Check out these new DVD’s from the church library:

The Blind Side takes the true story of a young man who went from abandonment to success as a pro-football player and treats it with respect. The movie doesn't oversell what is, on the face of it, already compelling. It's almost impossible to describe the plot without sounding painfully inspirational: Michael Oher, a hulking but gentle African-American teen in Tennessee, gets taken in by a well-to-do family; the mother, Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock), pushes and mothers the boy, who eventually wins a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi.

Road to Emmaus is a story that has captivated the imagination of many generations. Mourning the death of Jesus, two first-century travelers were joined by a mysterious stranger. Over the next few hours, the stranger revealed many mysteries that lay hidden in the ancient Scriptures. Soon, the purpose of Jesus' life became clear, and the travelers' sadness turned to great joy. This movie stars Bruce Marchiano of 'The Visual Bible: Matthew' and 'Acts.'

VeggieTales – Pistachio. A young boy has a question about obeying his parents even when he doesn’t want to. The veggie characters tell the tale of “Pinocchio” with a classic veggie twist to demonstrate how important it is to be honest and to listen to your parents.

--Bev Etzelmueller, Librarian