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On Feb. 27, The Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St. in Hudson, will celebrate authors in the local community by hosting a day of book signing, brainstorming and refreshments, featuring locally written books for adults and children. Children’s authors attending the event include Pam Spremulli of Chagrin Falls, with her lavishly illustrated alphabet [...]
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women who Dared to Dream, by Tanya Lee Stone. 2010 Sibert Medal. In the early 1960s, 13 women underwent testing to become astronauts. There was scientific evidence compiled that the women tested did just as well as the men (sometimes better). There were advantages to women in space. But none of the [...]
Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman. 2010 Printz Award. I’m not an expert on Charles Darwin, but this book had many fascinating things about him, concentrating on his courtship and marriage to Emma. This marriage was a bit of a leap of faith for both of them. Of course, Charles is [...]
Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr. 2010 Alex Award. This was a strange story, told in a rather interesting fashion. A boy is born, knowing that in 36 years a comet will strike Earth, ending all life. The story is told from multiple points of view as the boy grows up: the boy (Junior), his sweetheart [...]
Coyote Solstice, by Thomas King, illus. by Gary Clement. 2010 American Indian Youth Award. A very charming book, good to read to younger grade-schoolers, or a good independent reader. While it’s set around the holiday time, it’s a good story for any time of year. Coyote is planning a solstice dinner for his friends when [...]
The Bride’s Farewell, by Meg Rosoff. 2010 Alex Award. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book; I wasn’t a big fan of “how i live now.” But I really enjoyed this book. The basic premise is a pretty standard one: Pell, a teenage girl in the 19th century, runs away just before her wedding to [...]
On Feb. 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. the Learned Owl Book Shop hosts writers Adam Besenyodi & John Booth. Besenyodi is the author of Deus Ex Comica: The Rebirth of a Comic Book Fan. He recounts growing up with Marvel Comics, and reveals the lasting appeal of sharing them with his son. Booth has written Collect All [...]
Costumed character Olivia, star of Ian Falconer’s award winning storybooks, will be at the Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St, Hudson) on Feb. 12 and 13. Everyone is welcome at a drop-in, pre-school story time with Olivia on Friday at 10 a.m. Saturday’s festivities include a craft activity, photo opportunities, and pizza (provided [...]
The Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet will visit several area libraries, including the Stow-Munroe Falls library on Feb. 13 at 10 a.m., and the Hudson Library and Historical Society on Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. The program will include a reading of the story, a “Fancy Words” word play, learning some ballet terms and the basic [...]
The 26th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth will be April 8 and 9 at the Kent State University Student Center. The conference provides a forum for discussion of multicultural themes and issues in literature for children and young adults. “New Horizons – the Next 25 Years!” is the theme of the conference, featuring the illuminating talents [...]