Stop by to test your Lego skills.  We'll see who can build the tallest tower in 2 minutes as well as other Lego challenges and feats of strength.

Join us for the March 2013 Books & Bagels where we'll be discussing Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur.

Eight Keys is about Elisa and Franklin - a boy and girl who have always been the best of friends.  Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them.  There's always been a barn behhind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor. 

When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong.  Bullying.  Not fitting in.  Franklin suddenly seems babyish.  Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father.  A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn...

Books and Bagels is for grades 4-6.  Registration is required for Books and Bagels.

 
     Storytime and Babytime will be taking a winter break from Monday, December 17th-Friday, January 4th.  Both programs will resume the week of January 7th!

Books & Bagels, a book discussion group for 4th-6th grade children, has been an ongoing program here at the East Lansing Public Library since 2002. Many awesome titles have been read in these ten years!

For the full list of over 50 titles that have been read by the Books and Bagels group since 2002, click here.

My favorites? The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

What are your favorites?

Back in the old days, I had a transitor radio...anyone remember those?  I used to listen at night to a station that read Edgar Allan Poe stories.   Lying in the dark, listening to those wonderful tales of terror, I was hooked on feeling scared and safe at the same time!

With Halloween coming it's a great time for your children to listen to stories in the dark. You could read to them by candlelight or let them listen to a playaway.  What's a playaway? It is a digital audio book loaded on a small device similar to an MP3 player.  Just plug in your earphones and press start.  The library supplies the batteries.

Some playaways with a supernatural or fantasy theme for children ages 10 to 12 years are:

• The Seer of Shadows by Avi
• A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
• The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
• Mossflower by Brian Jacques
• Magyk by Angie Sage

So, check out some playaways or read aloud some Poe tales and give your older children the gift of scary stories in the dark for Halloween!

Come enjoy the adventures of Ralph, Vanellope Von Schweetz and Fix It Felix Jr. Free popcorn while supplies last.

Parents of preschoolers must remain with their children. Parents of children in grades 1-2 must remain in the library.

Make handcrafted gifts for the holiday season.

Ages 4+

Register beginning Nov 17.

We apologize but Books and Bagels has been postponed for a week and will now take place on Nov 10. 

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by OR Wonderstruck by B. Selznick.
Register beginning October 20.

Read one or both books to compare and contrast.  Plus bagels and a fun activity.
Grades 4-6

Wonder by R. J. Palacio OR Out of My Mind by S. Draper.
Register beginning Sept 22.

Read one or both books to compare and contrast.  Plus bagels and a fun activity.
Grades 4-6

Thank you to Panera Bread in Frandor for donating the bagels!

Use our LEGOs to create a masterpiece for display in the library.

Ages 4+

On Tuesday, October 2nd, East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas visited Miss Karrie's story time to read Moose on the Loose by Kathy-Jo

LEGO® Creation Day is back!  Come to the library Sunday, September 30 from 1:30-3:30 pm to use our LEGOs® to create a masterpiece for display in the library. This event is recommended for ages 4 & up because of the small size of some LEGO® pieces.

Did you know the library has many LEGO® books you can check out with your library card? Click here to see our selection.

Also of interest to LEGO® enthusiasts is the upcoming exhibition at the Henry Ford Museum:  LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition. This exhibition takes place November 3, 2012 through February 24, 2013. Click here for more information.
 

It's a new school year and the first meeting of Books and Bagels, a book discussion group for children in grades 4-6 will be held Saturday, October 6, from 2-3 pm.

I'm breaking from convention and choosing TWO titles that are very similar - Wonder by R.J. Palacio (also available in eBook format through ELPL) and Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. YOU CHOOSE which one to read. Or read both if you'd like! 

Due to budget cuts, free copies of the books will no longer be available to those signing up. Copies may be checked out from our library or inter-library loaned through MeLCat .

Registration isn't required, but it would be appreciated in order to have enough bagels to go around. If you will be attending, please send an email to Mary Jo Gallagher at mgallag@cityofeastlansing.com
 

Learn and improve your English speaking and listening through interactive activities.

All are welcome!