Library Haul!

Our library updated their system in the Fall last year and gives us wonderful tidbits like how much money we saved by going to the library ( I was at $967 and change from July on, but let's be real, I would not buy all of those books!) an easier to navigate website and we no longer have to pay 25 cents for holds.  This is life changing for me.  I've been able to put a bunch of books on hold and then walk right in and be out in under 5 minutes with the baby, because they are all up front for me.  Woohoo.  The 8 year old needed some new books and I saw this article about books for 2nd and 3rd graders who are advanced in reading and so I requested 7 of them and we picked them up last night!

Let's ignore the bad photo.  I deleted the wrong photo off my phone and I'm too lazy to take a new one / edit this one.

She is thinking about starting The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald first.

Description: The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old. Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit. When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day. Whether it's saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on top—and line his pockets in the process.

I'm thinking that I will be reading some of these before they need to go back as well!  Book Scavenger and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library particularly look good to me.

Description: Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

Description: A hidden book. A found cipher. A game begins . . . .

Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold's attackers make them their next target. 

Have you read any of these books? What do you have checked out from the library?