Poetry Palooza

It's March and we are accepting submissions for our poetry anthology, Poetry Palooza!  If you are, or have ever been a participant in our Monday night poetry writing programs, you can submit a poem for publication to this address: newtonlibrarykids@gmail.com.  For more information, check out our new blog, Poetry Palooza.

Science Fair Help

We have received a lot of requests for science fair books lately.  They are located in the nonfiction section, under the call number 507.8.  If you don't find what you need, you might try looking online.  Here are some links to awesome science fair websites:

Science Bob

Internet Public Library Project Guide

Science Buddies

Try Science

Author Sarah Hunter Visits the Library

Local author Sarah Hunter visited the library to read from her new book Lighthouse Santa. 


Check out her YouTube video here

Gingerbread Houses and Gingerbread Men

Newton children get into the holiday spirit by 

making a gingerbread house and gingerbread men. 

 

Children's eBooks and eAudiobooks

E-readers are bound to be very popular gifts this holiday season. Did you know that the Newton Free Library's subscription to OverDrive features more than 1000 children's eBooks and eAudiobooks titles, including picture book titles?

Need help getting started? Visit our eBooks and eAudiobook Help Guide.

12-year-old Isadora Loftus's story Blue is published in this month's issue of Stone Soup.
We interviewed Isadora for KidsBuzz:

Was it hard to get published?
Yes, you have to write the story and then edit, edit, edit -- until it's close to perfect.  Then you send in the story and wait for them to get back to you.  It only took Stone Soup four days to get back to me, which was pretty quick considering they're based in California.  They wrote back saying that they were going to consider it for an upcoming issue of Stone Soup.  That was December and they didn't decide to put it in until August!  So yes, it's hard, and it takes a LONG time.

When did you start writing stories?
When I was three years old, I dictated a  poem to my parents.  It went something like:  Bees...Bees...Buzzing Bees...But the first stories I remember writing were in kindergarten.  What I'm trying to say is that I cannot ever remember not writing or making up stories and poems  in my head.

Where do you get your ideas from?
I'm not quite sure, everywhere really:  experiences, stories that are told to me, the weather, things that I read about in my school books.  Ideas are everywhere.

Who are your favorite authors?
I like a lot of authors.  I like Katherine Paterson, Kevin Henkes, Rick Riordan, Patricia MacLachlan, Gail Carson Levine, J.K. Rowling, Angie Sage, Suzanne Collins, Anne Mazer, Ellen Potter, the list could go on and on.  It's really the same as asking me for my favorite books and I like a lot of books!

You've been coming to the WriteOn Creative Writing workshops at the Newton Free Library for the past two years.  You are also running a writer's workshop for your peers at the Auburndale Community library.  Can you tell us a little bit about your involvement in these workshops? Are they helping you with your writing?

I love WriteOn!  It definitely helps me with my writing and inspires me to write and expand my writing.  I like to hear others work and get their feedback on my writing.  Pam (the librarian who runs the program) is awesome because she inspires me and gives me great feedback.

Yes, I have a club based on the book Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter.  Spilling Ink is a writing handbook for young writers.  It's a lot of fun and I've met other good young writers who share my interest in writing.  We are working on a collective science fiction story right now.

Would you like to be a writer when you grow up?

Definitely!  When I grow up I hope to be a writer full-time, but I might be a librarian or work in a bookstore on the side until I've published some popular work.

Meet The Author -- Sara Hoagland Hunter