Not surprisingly, when I think of autumn, I tend to think about
school stories. Although they may take the form of a mystery or a
romance or even historical fiction, a school story is defined by its setting:
school. Below are some terrific school stories for students of all ages.
Be sure to stop by the Ridgefield Library and check them out.
For the Youngest Students
Is your little one nervous about starting school? Maybe sharing
Wow! School! by Robert Neubecker will help. In the book, the main
character, Izzy, finds many things to be excited about on the first
day of school.
In
First Grade Stinks! by Mary Ann Rodman, illustrated by Beth
Spiegel, first-grader Haley wishes she were back having fun in
kindergarten with her old teacher, until she finds out that first
grade can be fun, too. This humorous book provides great insight
into the turmoil of school transitions.
Beginning Elementary School
On Harry’s first day at his new school, he is not sure whether or
not to bring his bucket of dinosaurs in Harry and the Dinosaurs Go
To School by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. However,
in the end, the dinosaurs help Harry make a friend.
In Not So Weird Emma by Sally Warner, eight-year-old Emma is just beginning to like her new school when
her friend Cynthia starts telling other kids that Emma is, well, a
little strange. How will Emma deal with this?
Upper Elementary Students
In Trouble According to Humphrey by Betty Birney, Humphrey, the
pet hamster in an elementary school, relates the ups and downs
experienced by his human classmates. Readers will see how Humphrey’s
classmates depend on him for help in this fun book.
The loud fifth-grade boys in Laketon Elementary School challenge
the equally rowdy fifth grade girls to a “no talking” contest in No
Talking by Andrew Clements. Needless to say, this makes answering
questions in class a very difficult thing to do!
Middle and High Schoolers
After finally getting noticed by someone other than school
bullies and his ever-angry father, 17-year-old Tyler enjoys a tough
new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl in Twisted by
Laurie Halse Anderson. When life starts to go bad again, however, he
must make some tough choices.
In the graphic novel The Plain Janes by Cecile Castellucci and
Jim Rugg, transfer student Jane moves from the big city to the
suburbs. She thinks this will be the end of her life, until she
meets three other girls named Jane. All four Janes form a secret art
gang that turns their high school upside down.
Events at the Ridgefield Library
The Ridgefield Library has a lot to offer you and your children
this fall. September is Library Card Sign Up Month, and there will
be promotions happening to make it easier than ever for everyone in the family to get their own
card. Registration for our popular storytimes takes place from Tuesday-Monday, September 4-10, with
the storytime programs starting their six-week session on Monday, October 1. There will
be something for everyone, from infants through elementary age
students. There are programs to entice the older children as well —
we’d never leave out the middle schoolers or high school students!
Our popular series, Reading is a Family Affair, will begin again
in November. The Friends of the Ridgefield Library generously purchase enough books so that about 50 families in
town can each get a copy to keep. After reading the book together,
parents and children come to the library to enjoy a pizza dinner
followed by a discussion. It is a terrific opportunity to spend time
together, sharing a good book. The intergenerational discussion is
always great fun; you never know what people will say!
The Ridgefield Library has a lot of resources to offer students,
and we want parents to know about all of them. You know we have
books and magazines and newspapers. Did you know we have audiobooks
to help reluctant readers? Foreign language materials to help your
Spanish student practice at home? A homework blog to let high school students know about all the
materials that can help them tackle their assignments?
We are planning a back to school night for parents in October.
We’ll give parents a tour of the children’s department so you’ll
know the “lay of the land.” We’ll show you how easy it is to look up
books, magazines or audio and video materials on our online catalog
(you can even use it from home!). We’ll show you all the databases you can access from the library computers and how many
magazines, newspaper articles and encyclopedias are now online. We
know you want your children to succeed in school, and the library has the tools and
resources to help.
The Ridgefield Library works to stay on top of new technologies,
and is always thinking of ways to use them. One new technology we are exploring is video games. We are planning an intergenerational Wii program for seniors and teens. The Nintendo Wii is a video game
system that is very popular with all ages. There are games that
simulate playing sports and games that claim to stimulate your
brain. We hope that people from 14 to 94 will come together to learn
and play.
The Ridgefield Library is located at 472 Main Street in
Ridgefield. For more information call 203-438-2282 or visit
www.biblio.org/rdgfld. ™
Geri Diorio is Head of Children’s Services and Teen Services
Librarian at the Ridgefield Library.
