Noe Valley Voice April 2013
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What’s New at the Library

In this month’s book list offered by Noe Valley librarians Susan Higgins and Catherine Starr, there are stories about an 1882 shipwreck, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, and the legislative intern who helped save U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ life after she was shot in Tucson. Also included are less serious works—about Hollywood stars, time travel, and vampires from Chicago. For an even wider world of books, visit the Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey St. (415-355-5707) or explore the San Francisco Library online at www.sfpl.org. 

 


Children’s Books

Picture Stories

• A little girl riding on her father’s back urges him to go Faster! Faster! in a new book by Boston Globe Horn Book Honor winner Leslie Patricelli. Ages 2-4.

• Aesop’s ant meets a grasshopper with a jazzy bug band in this version of The Ant and the Grasshopper, written by Rebecca Emberley and illustrated by Ed Emberley. Ages 3-7.

• It’s All About Me-Ow is “a young cat’s guide to a good life,” written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott. Ages 5-8.

• Based on the true story of an 1882 shipwreck off the coast of New Jersey, Heroes of the Surf, by Elisa Carbone and Nancy Carpenter, tells how the families aboard a stranded steamship are rescued during a storm. Ages 5-8.

 

Fiction for Older Ones

• Though soccer practice makes her feel like a klutz, Ellie finds a way to win the game, inEllie McDoodle: Most Valuable Player by Ruth McNally Barshaw. Ages 8-11.

• Twelve-year-old Jaxter Grimjinx is “a black sheep in a family of black sheep” in Brian Farrey’s fast-paced fantasy adventure The Vengekeep Prophecies. Illustrations by Brett Helquist. Ages 8-12.

• Primrose Squarp, the quirky heroine of the Newbery Honor Book Everything on a Waffle, also narrates the sequel, One Year in Coal Harbor, by Polly Horvath. Ages 9-12.

• The class cutup shares his strategies for getting straight A’s while avoiding coursework in Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit by Tommy Greenwald; illustrated by J.P. Coovert. Ages 9-12.

• A young girl travels back in time to search for her missing mother in Mira’s Diary: Lost in Paris, written and illustrated by Marissa Moss. Ages 9-13.

 

Teen Books

• They Call Me a Hero: A Memoir of My Youth, by Daniel Hernandez and Susan Goldman Rubin, is the inspirational story of the 20-year-old intern for Gabrielle Giffords who helped save the congress­woman’s life after she was shot in Tucson.

• Neferet’s Curse, part of the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, is a vampire tale set in 1893 Chicago.

• In The Host by Twilight saga author Stephenie Meyer, a species invades Earth and takes over the minds of most of the humans.

 

Adult Fiction

• In Queen of America, Luis Alberto Urrea’s sequel to The Hummingbird’s Daughter, Mexican healer Teresita Urrea flees to Arizona and travels across America.

• Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion is an adventure tale inspired by the Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic.

• Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann is the story of two cousins and their husbands, beginning at the end of World War II and continuing to the 1960s.

• A fictional Chinese province named Liquorland is the setting for The Republic of Wine by Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan; translated from the Chinese by Howard Goldblatt.

 

Adult Nonfiction

• Film critic Ty Burr presents an entertaining study of Hollywood and its stars from the early days of film to the present in Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame.

• The Pharaoh: Life at Court and On Campaign by Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw provides a more human look at the lives of the kings in this extensively illustrated book.

• Feel like laughing out loud? Check out Calvin Trillin’s Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign in Verse.

 

LIBRARY EVENTS

 

Spring Crafts: Make Felt Flower Pins

In this “GoGo Craft” workshop, you will learn how to hand-sew a colorful felt orchid pin or flower hair adornment. Space is limited, so please stop by the library’s information desk or call 415-355-5707 to register. Saturday, April 20, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

 

Great Books Discussion Group: It’s a ‘Habit’

The Great Books Council of San Francisco sponsors this discussion group focusing on famous short stories, essays, and speeches. This month’s selection is Habit by William James. Wednesday, April 10, 6:15 p.m.

 

Noe Valley Book Discussion Group: Peeling Potatoes

This group reads a variety of contemporary fiction and nonfiction. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is the April selection. Wednesday, April 17, 7 p.m.


CHILDREN’S EVENTS

 

Puppy Dog Tales Reading Program

Kids can read a book to a calm canine companion in this SPCA program, which pairs children with trained dog-and-owner therapy teams to enhance literacy, self-confidence, and socio-empathic skills. The event is tailored to kids 4 to 7, but older children are welcome. Space is limited, so call 415-355-5707 to reserve your spot. Saturday, April 13, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

 

Need Homework Help?

A friendly volunteer will help school-age kids in grades K-5 with their homework in the Children’s Room. (Please check with the library to make sure the volunteer for Homework Help is available.) Wednesdays, April 11, 18, and 25, 4 to 5 p.m.

 

Toddler Tales

Join Noe Valley’s children’s librarian for stories, rhymes, songs, and movement on Tuesdays, April 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., or from 11 to 11:30 a.m. The program is aimed at children 18 to 36 months, with parent or caregiver. 

 

Preschool Films

Children ages 3 to 5 years and parents or caregivers are invited to watch short films at the Preschool Films program on Tuesday, April 2, from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., and from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

 

All events take place at the Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey St. near Castro Street. For information, call 415-355-5707 or visit www.sfpl.org.

 

BRANCH HOURS

Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Branch Library

451 Jersey St., 355-5707

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1-5

10-9
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Eureka Valley–Harvey Milk Branch Library

1 José Sarria Ct. (3555 16th St.), 355-5616

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12-6
10-9
12-9
10-6
1-6
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Glen Park Branch Library

2825 Diamond St., 355-2858


Sun
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10-6
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12-8
1-7
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Mission Branch Library

300 Bartlett St., 355-2800

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1-5
1-9
10-9
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