2009 Newbery Medal

The 2009 Newbery Medal and Honor books were announced earlier today. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the most distinguised American book for children. Books chosen to receive this honor this year are:



Newbery Medal




The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman


Nobody Owens, a boy targeted by ancient assassins, escapes into a graveyard where he is protected and raised by the graveyards ghostly residents.




Newbery Honor Books




The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt

An old hound befriends two kittens born in the space underneath his owner's shack.







The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom, by Margarita Engle


Alternating voices tell the story of Cuba's wars of independence from Spain.






Savvy, by Ingrid Law

On her thirteenth birthday, Mibs discovers her "savvy," a magical power unique from those of her family.

After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson


Three young girls who become friends because they share a love of Tupac Shakur's music experience changes as they seek to redefine themselves.

To learn more about these and past Newbery books, visit the Newbery Medal Homepage.

2009 Caldecott Medal

The winners of the 2009 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books were announced earlier today. This award is given annually to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children. To learn more about this award, visit the Caldecott Medal Home Page.

Awards were given to the following books:

2009 Caldecott Medal:


The House in the Night, by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes

Warm golden light illuminates a house in the darkness, offering a sense of comfort.






2009 Caldecott Honor Books:



A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee

Two friends enjoy a carefree summer.







How I Learned Geography, written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

Studying a map inspires a boy living in a refugee camp to dream of living in freedom.





A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, by Jennifer Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

A picture book biography of doctor and poet William Carlos Williams.






Visit the library to check out these and other award-winning books.

Garden State Children's Book Awards

The 2009 Garden State Children's Book Awards winners were announced recently. Books are nominated for these awards by children's librarians throughout New Jersey and the winning books are then determined by popular vote by children from throughout the state. Books are nominated on the basis of literary merit and reader appeal in four categories: "Easy to Read," "Easy to Read Series," "Fiction, grades 2-5," and "Nonfiction, grades 2-5." This year's winning books are:

Easy to Read

Super Fly Guy, by Tedd Arnold

Ted's pet fly, Fly Guy, visits the school cafeteria where he gets the lunch lady fired.





Easy to Read Series

Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover, by Cynthia Rylant; illustrated by Suçie Stevenson

Henry and his dog Mudge enjoy a sleepover at Henry's friend Patrick's house, complete with monster movies, pizza, and popcorn. But will they sleep?

Fiction, grades 2-5

Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People, by Dav Pilkey

George and Harold use the purple potty to travel to an alternate universe where they meet evil versions of themselves!

Nonfiction, grades 2-5

The Magic School Bus and the Science Fair Expedition, by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen

Ms. Frizzle and her students board the magic school bus to travel back in time to learn scientific methods from famous scientists in person.




All of the 2009 titles are available in the Warren County Library System. To see a list of past winners, click here.

Online Fun for Kids

A couple of new elements have been added at the bottom of the page. "More Fun Stuff!" provides links to sites offering online games and activities such as puzzles, coloring sheets, fun quizes, and more. Many of the games are educational yet fun. Young children can learn shapes, colors, the alphabet, and numbers, while older children can have fun while learning about math, geography, and science.


Under "Homework Help" you will find links to online databases and child-oriented search engines. Use of the Warren County Library databases requires you to log in with the barcode on the back of your library card. Of particular interest to kids in the database list will be "Searchasaurus," which contains articles on animals, art and music, health, history, people and places, science and math, sports, and stories; "Kids Search," which offers articles on animals, arts and music, geography, health, news, language arts, math, science, social studies, and sports; and "NoveList K-8," which employs several methods of finding fiction books. This includes searching by author, title, series, or by describing a plot, or find recommended books broken down by age group. These three databases are included in the EBSCOhost group. "Ask Kids" and "Yahoo Kids Learning Center" are search engines designed for kids ages 6 - 12. "Surfnet Kids" provides links to and reviews of a wide variety of web sites.

Parents, please discuss internet safety with your children before allowing them to surf the web. If you are unsure of what this entails, a good resource is provided here by the National Crime Prevention Council, the home of McGruff the Crime Dog.

Have fun, and as always, if you need help with anything, be sure to contact your local library.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Warren County Library's Kids' Blog, a new blog for children and their parents! Here we will offer a variety of services including links to sites that we hope will be both useful and fun, book lists, upcoming events, and more. New features will be added from time to time, so please check here often to see what's new at the library. Comments and questions are welcome.