________________________________________________________________
Keep up to date by signing up to our newsletter
________________________________________________________________
To view this month’s newsletters please select the links below, or click the relevant month for previous news.
Fantasy adventure and real-time reunions 23rd March 2013
________________________________________________________________
23rd March 2012
Fantasy adventure and real-time reunions
Lost luggage all over the country was, this week, rejoicing the story of Jonathan Smith’s backpack, which had quite an adventure in central America only to be reunited with his owner thanks to his local library, 5,000 miles away in Norwich.
His bag was mistakenly taken by another traveller just three days into Jonathan’s trip, and it contained everything from his clothes and toothbrush to his guide book of the region, which he had borrowed from his local library. The accidental thief did some super-sleuthing of her own and, on discovering the library book, contacted the library who, in turn, contacted Jonathan’s mother to obtain his email address. Within two hours, the strangers had met up and Jonathan was reunited with his bag. A spokesman for Norfolk county council said: “This shows just how beneficial it is to be a member of the library service.”
Inspired by the adventures of Jonathan’s backpack? With the Easter break fast approaching what better time to engross your minds, and those of the children, in a fantasy adventure or two…or ten!
Enlist with villains, soar amongst the stars or just help fix the world. Bloomsbury’s Public Library Online Fantasy Adventure Shelf for ages 9+ years has it all . . . But where to start?
Enter a world of Villainy in Mark Walden’s action-packed and fantastically funny H.I.V.E. series. At the age of thirteen, Otto is chosen to attend the Higher Institute of Villainous Education. But with six years of training, for something that comes so naturally, and contact with the outside world forbidden, Otto decides there’s only one choice left – escape.
For space adventures that are out of this era, follow Arthur Mumby, a plucky young boy, as he orbits beyond the moon – with tales of evil white spiders, mind-controlling hats and an army of moth-riding blue lizards, the Larklight trilogy is a modern classic not to be missed.
Thirteen-year-old Becker Drane is one of few people in the world who know things are not always as they first appear. From the weather to sleep to nightmares . . . The Seems are behind everything, making sure our world keeps functioning. As a fixer for this top-secret organisation, Becker must deal with the world’s malfunctions.
And finally, a worthy mention for Public Library Online from digital guru Mike Shatzkin, who, in a post about ‘ebooks and libraries and what big publishers should do’ recognises the value in creating ‘baskets’ (or shelves, as we like to call them) “because the data on sales trends for a group of titles will be far more reliable than on any single title. If titles are put into groupings of cohorts (fiction in a genre, topical non-fiction, big author brands), you increase your chances of getting data that lends itself to interpretation that enable useful adjustments in tactics.“
________________________________________________________________
