BOOM!

Can you knock down all the points bloxes without letting the sheep fall?
I can’t. Keeping those sheep up there is difficult. Any suggestions?
Yes. The Mentor Public Library added a few more games to their ever growing (though slowly growing) collection. Boom Blox Party is for the Nintendo Wii and you get to throw, snap, fire, and other fun actions to knock down blox, beams, and yes, you can fling the characters around. (I know. I checked!)
The nice thing is you can start with the group game right off the bat. Just one little training session and you are set to go. There is a co-op mode and a versus mode for multi player games. I highly recommend Boom Blox party for any party. Rated for Cartoon violence anyone who can hold a Wii remote can manage to have fun with this game.

Put yourself on the holds list for Boom Blox here!

With A summer of Creativity starting soon I thought I’d clue you in on what special programs are planned for the first week of Summer Reading.

Music Makin’ @ Main
Tuesday, June 16,
10-10:30 a.m. OR 10:45-11:15 a.m.

A special workshop for preschoolers ages 3-5 with singing, movement and instrument playing!
Registration begins Monday, June 1.

Paws to Read @ Lake
Wednesday, June 17
7-7:30 p.m. OR 7:30-8 p.m.

Read to a gentle dog who is licensed and trained to be a good listener.
Registration begins Wednesday, June 3.

Lunch & a Movie @ Main.
Thursdays at Noon:
June 18, July 2, July 16 & July 30

Bring your lunch & a drink and join us for a feature length movie. Popcorn provided! Children 8 & younger must be accompanied by an adult. It's a Disney movie about a dog. And a cat. And a hamster.
No registration is necessary!

Father’s Day Appreciation @ Headlands
Thursday, June 18, 4-4:45 p.m.

Children of all ages can show dad how much he’s appreciated with some great home made gifts!
Registration begins Monday, June 1.

Hot Off the Presses @ Main
Friday, June 19, 4-5 p.m.

Children ages 7 to 12 years old will create sculptures with newspaper using beads, feathers or paint.
Registration begins Monday, June 1.

Adventure: the pursuit of life -- Daniel Roy

Now that summer is here, bring on the adventures. Explore the Lagoons, learn how to canoe, play tennis, volleyball, digital art, or Scuba! Yes, all of these adventures and more can be found at the City of Mentor Parks and Recreation. So go and get your adventure on. But if you think it’s just too hot outside to do anything other than sweat perhaps you would like to cool down with one of these adventurous books?

Novels:
Artemis Fowl
Percy Jackson
Alex Rider Series
Graveyard Book
39 clues series
Princess Ben
Hunger Games

How about some books to cause some adventure? Here two great how to books.

The Dangerous Book for Boys
The Daring Book for Girls

Dust off the History Books

Why does it have to be so dull? I mean I sat through all those history class in grade school and high school. Yet, I can’t remember most of it. It’s just so Dusty. So when my sister told me she needed to brush up on her US History (because she just passed the Jeopardy audition.) I was at a loss of where she could go without falling asleep. Then suddenly I had the Answer.

She could Shmoop!

Do you shmoop?

You don’t!!! You haven’t even heard of it!!! My oh my.

Shmoop is US history without the dust. It covers other topics too but the history part…
My favorite section of the history review is the “why should I care?” part. It tells me exactly how those past events shape my life today. The timeline part is great too. Oh, and a test review section! I kinda feel like shmoop said “How can we get Amy to learn her history” and then stuck it up on the net.

Huzzah for Shmoop!


You should shmoop. Try it!

It’s a Classic!

What makes a Classic? A book that is totally unforgettable. Some that has enough substance to be more than the latest great book.

Something like these titles:

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieiler By E.L. Konigsburg
The Bridge to Terabthia by Katherine Paterson
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black


You know one more thing these books have in common?

All made into Movies.

To build Bridges, Cannonballs, and Tongues.

Addictive
Physics
Gravity
Collapse
Build
Gooey

A short list of words to describe the World of Goo.

You build towers and bridges with balls of Goo. Millions of Goo balls. But not all at once. And they come in various colors. And they each have their own laws of physics, personality and hey they might even be sleeping. And you have to take into account gravity and weight and the wind. And it’s a challenge. It reminds me of Portal. And that is a good thing. It was short, sweet, and had more to do with puzzle solving than button mashing. (not that there’s anything wrong with a good button masher.)

Oh, and I watched the whole credits for the world of Goo. No, not because my husband has finally convinced me all good little gamers sit through the entire credits. I sat through the credits because before I realized the game was over, so were the credits.

Yes. The world of Goo is made by the 2D Boy game studio. There are 2 boys making video games. And they rock at it. Three cheers for 2d Boys and their gooey goodness.

Take a look and become a follower of the Goo!

World of Goo Gameplay Trailer
Uploaded by 2dboy

Babysitters Club gets Graphic

Mary Anne Saves the Day: a Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier

Day 13 of BEDA

I'm all for graphic novels, but this may be taking it one step too far.

The Babysitters Club series written by Ann Martin has now been adapted to graphic novels. I can't help but wonder, is it really necessary? Martin's books are mostly dialogue and scene development anyways, so I have admit I don't really know if there is a need for graphic art. She also keeps her chapters short and sweet, so again, not so complex we need detailed drawings to help crack the Babysitters code.

Let me know, am I over reacting? How do you feel about turning a series like this into graphic novels?