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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
by Chris Grabenstein
304 pages
Quirky Luigi Lemoncello has built a spectacular and mysterious new library in the town of Alexandriaville. Before the wondrous building is scheduled to open to the public, Mr. Lemoncello opens its doors to a few lucky twelve-year-olds for a one-night sleepover. The state-of-the-art library is outfitted with thousands of books and the most modern of technology: computers, simulators, IMAX movies, and holograms who help them to navigate it all. Kyle and his friends are excitedly exploring when Mr. Lemoncello issues a new challenge: the kids have been locked in until, using only the tools available to them in the library, one of them is able to solve his hidden clues and find the secret exit.
The game is on! If you liked...  
…you will enjoy the fun puzzling and bizarre imagination of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Grade 5.
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Saturday 9 November 2013
Sunday 3 November 2013
Balmy
Beach Book Fair
Come
to the library during Interview Week to browse, discuss and purchase excellent
new books at our annual book fair, sponsored by local children’s bookstore,
Ella Minnow.
Book
Fair Hours
Wednesday, Nov. 13 3:15-4:00
Thursday, Nov. 14 8:00-8:30
3:15-8:00
Friday, Nov. 15 8:00-11:30
Sunday 6 October 2013
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| The Underneath by Kathi Appelt 311 pages "There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road." This cat's story unfortunately begins in a steamy land of rivers, alligators and quicksand between Louisiana and Texas. The lonely baying of a hound draws her through the forest to a shack inhabited by his owner, a violent and cruel man. The gentle hound quickly hides the cat underneath the porch, and with the animals' unusual friendship begins a story rich in description and suspense. While there are some hard scenes of cruelty to animals, the loyal friendship between the animals in the story is unparalleled. 
If you enjoy suspenseful animal stories, (and can cope with lots of alligators and snakes!), The Underneath is for you.
Grade 6
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Wednesday 2 October 2013
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| North of Nowhere By Liz Kessler 229 pages When Mia's vacation gets replaced by a trip to her Gran's house, she is miserable. Not only do her grandparents live in a tiny out-of-the way seaside village without cell-phone reception or friends, but she has never gotten on well with her Gran. Mia is even unhappier when she learns the reason for the emergency visit: Grandad has disappeared. Escaping her grandmother's grief and her mother's anxiety by taking long walks on the beach with the dog, Mia makes some mysterious discoveries and soon she is keeping secrets, meeting strangers and having adventures of her own. Also by Liz Kessler in our library, 
another fast-reading mystery!
Grade 5
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Monday 30 September 2013
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| Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson 275 pages Jack is alone. The night before, he and his mother pitched their tents in a National Park on the first night of their long-awaited vacation. When he wakes up in the morning, she is gone. So he begins a painful journey on his own, confronting hunger, extremes of weather, distance, and always the feelings of abandonment and anger towards his mother. A fast-paced adventure story which confronts the genuine issue of bipolar disorder and its effects on family members. If you liked...  
...you will love Small as an Elephant!
Grade 6
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Sunday 29 September 2013
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| Fortunately, the Milk By Neil Gaiman 110 pages It is breakfast time, and there are Toastios and muesli and bowls and spoons, but no milk. With their mom away, only Dad can save the day. But he is gone a long time! What really happens when their dad goes to buy milk? This tall tale is fantastically told and illustrated. A fast, funny read. Grade 3 |
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| The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech 151 pages What is the right thing to do? This mysterious and bittersweet tale raises some moral questions as it unfolds. A boy is discovered one morning sleeping on the porch of a young farming couple, John and Marta. The note that they find promises "Wil be bak wen we can," but when day after day nobody appears to reclaim him, John and Marta have to work out what to do. Grade 4 |
Sunday 22 September 2013
Monday 10 June 2013
Summer Reading!
Don't miss the Toronto Public Library's summer reading program which tracks and rewards books read over the summer. Readers who achieve the 10 book goal have their names entered into a draw for prizes and posted on the board for all to see!
Check out this year's program at the Toronto Beaches Branch:
Regular library visits means more books borrowed and read!
Thursday 16 May 2013
This Year's Silver Birch Award Winner! |
| Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch 186 pgs Lida is an 8 year old Ukrainian girl who is captured by the Nazis and separated from her sister Larissa. As she is taken from everything familiar and forced to work in a labour camp making bombs for the war, Lida nonetheless sustains the hope that she will one day be reunited with her sister. A book with diverse appeal to both boys and girls - and this year the Silver Birch readers' choice! |
Tuesday 14 May 2013
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| A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park 128 pg This short and thought provoking story describes two characters at two different times in history. In the frame story, set in 2008, eleven year old Nya travels two hours from her village in southern Sudan twice a day to fetch water for her family. The alternating story is in 1985, of Salva, also eleven years old and a refugee from his town in war-torn Sudan. A simple but powerful glimpse into the lives of children forced to face famine, abandonment and hardship. Grade 5 |
Thursday 9 May 2013
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| Congratulations to all Silver Birch Readers! This was a record year at Balmy Beach for participation in our OLA Silver Birch Reading Program. With nearly 50 participants (tripling past years) and 34 of them qualifying to vote, it has been an enormous success. To qualify, students had to read at least 5 of the 10 selected titles on the Silver Birch Fiction 2013 list. We had great enthusiasm for the books and great discussions. At our school, two titles tied for first place: Missing and The Grave Robber's Apprentice. Stay tuned to hear the results for all of Ontario from Harbourfront mid-May. |
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| The Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin 272 pages For history readers, but not for the faint of heart. A fascinating and engrossing account of the historical details of the conception, creation and implementation of the atomic bomb. With photo footage of details and key players, and the added emphasis of historical validity, this book will capture and hold readers throughout its fast-paced account. The subject makes for a "Young Adult" or "Teen" designation, but it will appeal to a younger audience- ensure some debriefing after reading. Minimum- Grade 6 |
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Hold Fast
by Blue Balliett
320 pages
With the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of her father, Early, her mom and her brother are forced from their home and into a shelter in downtown Chicago. It is only with courage and resourcefulness that Early can help her family to survive when all hope seems lost.
Grade 5.
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