Looking for a good book to read? Start with Novelist

Have you ever finished an amazing book and had no idea what to read next?

This happens to me all the time! I ask for suggestions from friends, but a lot of times I want to find a new book myself.

Novelist is a library database that is packed with great resources to help you find a great book.

From our website, scroll over the "research" tab and click on "databases". Scroll down to "Novelist" or "Home Access to Novelist". If you are at home, use your library card to log on!

One way to get started is to type in a book that you liked into the "find" bar and hit "search"...

OR you can scroll down to your age level and click on one of the lists!

Talk to one of the librarians if you'd like to have a quick demo!

Puppet Making

Are you a 3rd to 5th grader? Do you like puppets? Come to the Watertown Free Public Library to make your very own puppet with Gerwick Puppets on January 13th at 6:00pm!

Gerwick Puppets have performed at First Night Boston and at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Sign up at the children's desk, or call 617-972-6435 to reserve your spot in this exciting program.

This EqualAccess program is being funded through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners with funds from LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act), a Federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. EqualAccess Libraries is a professional development program sponsored by Libraries for the Future.

games games everywhere

Bored? Board Games at the Watertown Free Public Library are a BIG HIT. We recently acquired board and card games at the library.

Kids come in to the children's room and ask at the desk to sign out a board game. It's a great way to make new friends, take a break from homework, and show off your awesome skills!!!

Come check them out.

Election time!

Elections are right around the corner, and while you may not be old enough to vote, we're hoping you're still interested in the elections.

Here are a couple of links that will be useful in helping you learn more about the candidates, current issues, and will even let you play games!

Election Connection

Election 2008

Jane Yolen

As you may know, Jane Yolen will be visiting the Watertown Free Public Library THIS FRIDAY at 3:30 pm to promote her new book, "Sea Queens"!

Come to the library to hear Jane Yolen speak, check out our display of her books, and get your very own copies of her books!

This prolific author has written works for children, teens and adults with such famous titles as "Owl Moon" and "How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?"

"Sea Queens" is a book about women pirates around the world. In this prolific book, Yolen tells the fascinating stories of 12 women pirates, from Artemisia, the admiral-queen of Persia in 500 BC to Madame Ching, who sailed the South China Sea in the early 1800s.

We hope you are able to come meet this famous author, and are so proud to have Jane Yolen at the Watertown Free Public Library!

Summer Reading

Thanks to all of our summer reading participants! We loved talking to everyone about what they read over the summer, and the programs were a great success.

We wish you a very successful school year!

Scratch

I just wanted to let everyone know what an amazing program we had last week with the tweens.

Scratch is a program made at MIT that helps kids (and adults) learn how to write video games quickly, with NO head scratching!

We decided to give it a shot at the library, so we downloaded Scratch on all of our laptops and set to work for two hours as kids made rhinos fly across the screen, kids jump on trampolines, and cats to run back and forth across the screen.

Almost 20 kids came, even though we only had 10 laptops. Because of the great success, we plan on having more Scratch events at the library, so keep an eye out.

In the meantime, we are keeping Scratch on the laptops, so you can still come and play anytime you want...and when you're done, you can save what you've been working on by e-mailing it to yourself.

So have fun, and scratch!