Things fun to share

There's a national program to get as many libraries & their patrons, to get as many citizens of the country reading. Not only reading, but thinking about what they've read. The idea is that they/we should share some common books and then discuss them with each other.

Our library has decided to share Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD with the community. We've got teen art contests and reading groups, a parade float and large displays, crafts and contests and ads. Our whole system is involved with this and some of what has been offered has been spectacular indeed. We've even got a letterbox hunt in several libraries, a scavenger hunt and some mockingbird coloring pages to involve even our smallest patrons.

I read the book for the second time in my life last month. What an incredible creation. In high school I'd hated every word of the story and dragged through it. THIS time I hated every interruption that dragged me away. I saw it as a wonderful story of growing and learning and maturing. Yes, there are some very ugly parts to the story. But in seeing the world through Scout's eyes I learned a lot. I re-thought a lot about things I'd taken for granted. After reading the book I went to the internet and spent hours researching what had been written about Scout, about the book and about Harper Lee. THAT was a very enjoyable time and was what led to the creation of the scavenger hunt. I watched the To Kill A Mockingbird film and that turned out to be incredible too. (But then I'm a huge Gregory Peck fan anyway.) And the additional disk with the long feature "Fearful Symmetry" is well worth watching. That feature talks about not only making the movie & its cast, but about the book and Nelle Harper Lee herself. It's fascinating. I wish I could find the words to describe how both the book & film have enriched my life.

(while looking up the book I also looked for the book covers. And film covers. And play jackets. I found more than a hundred! Of all sizes & descriptions. The covers alone create wonderful art!)

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: the Scavenger Hunt

Where would you find To Kill A Mockingbird in Spanish?

What town was To Kill A Mockingbird set in, and what real town was it based on

Where would you find non-fiction books about trials like the one that Atticus Finch defended?

What other books has Harper Lee written?

What treasures did Jem & Scout find in the live oak’s knot hole?
Extra credit: What was in the children’s cigar box in the TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD movie?

Is there anything in the Virtual Library about “racial prejudice” or “racism”?

What actual trial was very like that of Tom Robinson’s?

What famous author was Harper Lee’s childhood playmate?

When was Harper Lee’s novel published and what award did it win a year later?

Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?

USEFUL WEBSITES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird Wikipedia – To Kill A Mockingbird

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/ The Student Survival Guide – TKAM

http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/ The Big Read – To Kill A Mockingbird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB0sjVN2Pic UTube –To Kill A Mockingbird title sequence

http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/ Monroe Co., AL Heritage Museum

http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/lessonplans/amlit_lp_lee1.htm History of Jim Crow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfSVkDjnsnU UTube – To Kill A Mockingbird (extended trailer)

http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/SG/SG5.html Historical Background To Kill A Mockingbird

http://google.com/ Google search “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “Harper Lee”

A long hot summer.
Even grownups need something to read.
And who doesn't like prizes!

We offered book lists and raffle tickets in exchange for short reviews of what people had read. They could even count reading to their children for an entry. Or hearing an audio book. Or blogging about something they'd read... We had about a dozen nice prize baskets that were raffled off. And we posted all of the reviews for other people in the library to explore. It was fun!

Here are the book lists we offered:

2008 Summer Reading List
Long Times Comin’

FICTION
A Long Day for Dying Patrick A Davis
A Long Fatal Love Chase
Louisa May Alcott
A Long Way Down: a novel Nick Hornby
A long way from home: growing up in the
American heartland Tom Brokaw
A Very Long Engagement Sébastien Japrisot
All Night Long Jayne Ann Krentz
An Evening of Long Goodbyes Paul Murray
Daughter of Time Josephine Tey
Epiphany of the Long Sun Gene Wolfe
Everything I Long For Melody Carlson
Long Distance Lover Donna Hill
Long for this World Michael Byers
Long Lost David Morrell
Long Ride Home Louis L”Amour
Long Road Turning Ilene Bennett Brown
Long Spoon Lane Anne Perry
Long Tall Texan legacy Diana Palmer
Long Time Coming Sandra Brown
Long Time Down Judith A Jance
Long Time Gone Judith A Jance
Long Time No See Susan Isaacs
On A Long Ago Night Susan Sizemore
Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone
James Baldwin
The Girl with the Long Green Heart
Lawrence Block
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Douglas Adams
The Long Journey Home Don Colesmith
The Long Lost Ramsey Campbell
The Long Night of Winchell Dear
Robert James Waller
The Long Remember Mackinlay Kantor
The Long Road Home: a story of War
and Family Martha Raddatz
The Long Shot Paul Monette
The Long Trail Home Stephen A Bly
Time Enough for Long: Lazarus Long
Robert Heinlein
To Cut a Long Story Short Jeffrey Archer
Too Long a Stranger Janette Oke

YOUNG ADULT
A Long Way From Chicago Richard Peck
A Time to Die Lurlene McDaniel
A Time to Keep Silent Gloria Whelan
All Night Long Kate William
An Acceptable time Madeleine L'Engle
Beyond the Burning Time Kathryn Lasky

2008 Summer Reading List
Movie Night

2001, a Space Odyssey Arthur C. Clarke
A Day with Wilbur Robinson (Meet the
Robinsons) William Joyce
All the King's Men Robert Penn Warren
Along Came A Spider James Patterson
Amistad Alexs D Pate
Awakenings Oliver Sachs
Beaches Iris Rainer Dart
Because of Winn-Dixie Kate DiCamillo
Beowulf (poem) Anonymous
Bridget Jone's Diary Helen Fielding
Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Dee Alexander Brown
Carrie Stephen King
Casino Royale Ian Fleming
Charlie Wilson’s War George Crile
Chocolat Joanne Harris
Circle of Friends Maeve Binchy
Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess
Cold Mountain Charles Frazier
Contact Carl Sagan
Corelli's Mandolin Louis DeBernieres
Cranford Elisabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Crazy in Alabama Mark Childress
Dead Man Walking Helen Prejean
Devil in a Blue Dress Walter Mosley
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Rebecca Wells
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
(Blade Runner) Philip K. Dick
Dracula Bram Stoker
Dune Frank Herbert
Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine
Evil Under the Sun Agatha Christie
Exodus Leon Uris
Eye of the Needle Ken Follet
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Hunter S. Thompson
Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk
First Deadly Sin Lawrence Sanders
Flags of our Fathers James Bradley
Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Fried Green Tomatoes Fannie Flagg
Get Shorty Elmore Leonard
Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen
Gone, Baby, Gone Dennis Lehane
Gorky Park Martin Cruz Smith
Hotel New Hampshire John Irving
How Stella Got Her Groove Back Terry McMillan
How the West Was Won Louis L’Amour
Howl’s Moving Castle Diana Wynn Jones
I Am Legend Richard Matheson

2008 Summer Reading List
Hot Summer Daze

FICTION
4th of July James Patterson
A Hot And Sultry Night For Crime
Jeffrey Deaver
A Summer Affair Susan Wiggs
Alternate Generals Harry Turtledove
An Ornament to His Profession
Charles L. Harness
Any Way You Want It Kathy Love
At Your Command Julie Miller
Bad Boys Next Exit Shannon McKenna
Barefoot: a novel Elin Hilderbrand
Belle Ruin Martha Grimes
Blood Noir Laurell K. Hamilton
Club Fantasy Joan Elizabeth Lloyd
Cooking Up a Storm by Emma Holly
Dark Prince Christine Feehan
Dead Days of Summer Carolyn G. Hart
Deadly Indian Summer Leonard Shonberg
Death in Summer William Trevor
Delighted Bertrice Small
Desert Rain Elizabeth Lowell
Driving Blind Ray Bradbury
Fantasy Lover Sherrilyn Kenyon
Farewell Summer Ray Bradbury
Forbidden Pleasure Lora Leigh
Guinevere: Queen of the Summer Country
Rosalind Miles
Hard to Handle Lori Foster
High Country Fall Margaret Maron
Hot Night Shannon McKenna
If You Dare Kresley Cole
Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 Garrison Keillor
Lights Out Tonight Mary Jane Behrens Clark
Louisiana Breakdown Lucius Shepard
Nervous Zane
Never Better Garrison Keillor
Once Upon A Summer Day Dennis McKiernan
One More Time Celia May Hart
Park City: New and Selected Stories Ann Beattie
Perfect Kisses Susan Johnson
Prodigal Summer Barbara Kingsolver
Romance at the Edge: In Other Worlds
MaryJanice Davidson,
Run Before The Wind Stuart Woods
Secret Fantasy Cheryl Holt
Slave to Sensation Nalini Singh
Still Summer Jacquelyn Mitchard
Summer in Tuscany Elizabeth Adler
Summer Knight Jim Butcher
Summer Magic Rochelle Alers
Summer of the Red Wolf Morris West
Summer Storm Catherine Hart
Summerblood: a tale of Eron Tom Dietz

2008 Summer Reading List
The South

FICTION
A Purple Place for Dying John D. MacDonald
Ain't She Sweet? Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Atomic Lobster Tim Dorsey
Blood Memory Greg Iles
Bulls Island Dorothea Benton Frank
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven : a novel Fannie Flagg
Cape Refuge Terri Blackstock
Chiefs Stuart Woods
Chill Factor Sandra Brown
Close Enough to Kill Beverly Barton
Cold Sassy Tree Olive Ann Burns
Crossed Bones Carolyn Haines
Dearly Devoted Dexter Jeff Lindsay
Divine Evil Nora Roberts
Endless Chain Emilie Richards
Faithless Karin Slaughter
Gone too Far Suzanne Brockmann
Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell
Hell's Bay James W. Hall
Hog Wild Cathy Pickens
Holy Ghost Corner: a novel
Michele Andrea Bowen
Hurricane Karen Harper
I'm No Angel Patti Berg
Jamie Lori Foster
Kentucky Rich Fern Michaels
Kill Me Twice Roxanne St. Claire
Mama Rocks the Empty Cradle Nora DeLoach
Mermaids in the Basement Michael Lee West
Metro Girl (Alexandra Barnaby Series #1)
Janet Evanovich
Mitford Series Jan Karon
Nature Girl Carl Hiaasen
Paradise County Karen Robards
Pleasure Eric Jerome Dickey
Real murders: an Aurora Teagarden mystery
Charlaine Harris
Sanibel Flats (Doc Ford Series)
Randy Wayne White
Savannah Blues Mary Kay Andrews
She Walks These Hills Sharyn McCrumb
Suitable for Framing Edna Buchanan
Sunset Limited James Lee Burke
The Art of Keeping Secrets Patti Callahan Henry
The Awakening Kate Chopin
The Darkest Child: A Novel Delores Phillips
The Elusive Flame Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
The General's Daughter Nelson DeMille
The Healer Sharon Sala
The King of Lies John Hart
The Known World Edward P. Jones
The Merlot Murders : a wine country mystery
Ellen Crosby

2008 Summer Reading List
A Graphic Summer

FICTION
30 Days of Night Volume 1 Steve Niles
100 Bullets Volume 1: First Shot, Last Call
Brian Azzarello
300 Alan Moore
Abandon the Old in Tokyo Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Alice in Sunderland Bryan Talbot
American Splendor: Unsung Hero Harvey Pekar
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Volume 1:
Guilty Pleasures Laurell K. Hamilton
Aya Marguerite Abouet
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Frank Miller
Capote in Kansas: A Drawn Novel Ande Parks
Charley’s War: 2 June 1916 – 1 August 1916
Pat Mills
CSI New York: Bloody Murder
Max Allan Collins
Dark Wraith of Shannara Terry Brooks
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall Bill Willingham
Ghost World Daniel Clowes
God Save the Queen Mike Carey
The Gunslinger Born Peter David
Heroes Volume 1 Aron Eli Coleite
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull George Lucas
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 David Petersen
Owly: The Way Home & the Bittersweet
Summer Andy Runton
Paul has a Summer Job Michel Rabagilati
Penny Arcade Volume 1: Attack of the
Bacon Robots! Jerry Holkins
Pride of Baghdad Brian K. Vaughan
The Professor’s Daughter Joann Sfar
The Road to Perdition Max Allan Collins
The Sandman Neil Gaiman
Serenity Volume 1: Those Left Behind
Josh Whedon
Shooting War Anthony Lappe
Sloth Gilbert Hernandez
Stop Forgetting to Remember: The Autobiography
of Walter Kurtz Peter Kuper
Superman/Batman: Enemies Among Us
Mark Verheiden
Tales of the Vampires Josh Whedon
Watchmen Alan Moore
Yossel, April 19, 1943: A Story of the Warsaw
Ghetto Uprising Joe Kubert

Young Adult
American Born Chinese Gene Luen Yang
Artemis Foul: The Graphic Novel Eoin Colfer
Blindspot Kevin C. Pyle

2008 Summer Reading List
The Long Hot Sounds
of Summer (Audiobooks)

Fiction
A Long Time Dead Peter Chambers
A Long Way Down: A Novel Nick Hornby
A Long Way from Home Connie Briscoe
A Miracle of Catfish Larry Brown
A Song for Summer Eva Ibboston
All Night Long Jayne Ann Krentz
Between Georgia Joshilyn Jackson
Cypress Grove James Sallis
Dead Days of Summer Carolyn G. Hart
Farewell Summer: A Novel Ray Bradbury
Firefly Cloak Sheri Reynolds
Hot & Bothered Susan Anderson
Hot Shot Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Hot Springs Stephen Hunter
Hot Stuff Janet Evanovich
Hour Game David Baldacci
Intruder in the Dust William Faulkner
Juneteenth Ralph Ellison
Last Lessons of Summer Margaret Maron
Long Spoon Lane Anne Perry
Long Time Coming Sandra Brown
Long Time Gone Judith A. Jance
Long Time no See Susan Isaacs
Long Way Home Janis Reams Hudson
Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Daniel Wallace
Once Upon a Summer Janette Oke
One Mississippi Mark Childress
One Summer Karen Robards
Plum Wine Angela Davis-Gardner
Prodigal Summer Barbara Kingsolver
Queen of Broken Hearts Cassandra King
Remember Summer Elizabeth Lowell
Sense of Evil Kay Hooper
St.Dale Sharyn McCrumb
Summer at the Lake Andrew M. Greeley
Summer in Eclipse Bay Jayne Ann Krentz
Summer of Light Dale W. Cramer
Summer of Roses Luanne Rice
Summer of the Dragon Elizabeth Peters
Summer Sisters Judy Blume
Summer Karen Kingbury
That Camden Summer LaVyrle Spencer
The Darkest Evening of the Year Dean R Koontz
The Girl with the Long Green Heart
Lawrence Block
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
The Hornet’s Nest Jimmy Carter
The Hot Flash Club Chills Out Nancy Thayer
The Hot Kid Elmore Leonard
The Last Girls Lee Smith
The Long Night of Winchell Dear
Robert James Waller
Breaking Up Aimee Friedman
Clubbing Andi Watson