Friday Knitting Club

This Friday, our fearless knitting instructor will not be with us to provide knitting instruction. If you are looking for a cozy place to knit without instruction, please join us!

Wrapping Night at the Library!

• Special Gift Wrapping Party:
  • The library will be open for a special Friday night wrapping party on Friday, December 14th, from 6:00pm-9:00pm. Treat yourself to an evening out (away from the prying eyes of your family), when you can wrap presents, work on handmade gifts, trade craft ideas, or just sit down and write your holiday cards without interruptions. Bring your own cards, gift wrap, and craft supplies. We’ll supply scissors, tape, and room to spread out, as well as hot cider, holiday treats, and music of the season. Please register by phone (485.6092/email/in person).

Santa is coming to the library!

• Children's Annual Christmas Party:
  • On Saturday, December 8th, Santa's coming to town at the Hooksett Public Library! Join us for the fun and festivities, including refreshments supplied by the Friends of the Library. This year's theme is "Let it Snow". Festivities start at 9:30am. Registration is required so that we can better anticipate the size of the group. For more info and/or to register, call us at 485-6092, or email us. You can also register online here.

Where ya been?

The library wishes to apologize for the long absence from our blog space. We will now be updating the blog a minimum of three times a week and hopefully everday. Thank you for sticking with us.
Heather Shumway
Hooksett Public Library Director

Life on the Shelf_20070923

If you happen to visit the library during the last week in September, you will notice something very remarkable. No, it won’t be the fact that people are reading, browsing the collections, or checking out books. Rather, you will notice that one of our book displays is adorned with strips of yellow barricade police tape which says something to the effect of “police line, do not cross.” The reason for this remarkable adornment is to call attention to the actual books on display. The Harry Potter series, Of Mice and Men, The Giver, The Catcher in the Rye, The Lord of the Flies and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are just a few that you’ll find there. These represent just a fraction of the books whose content has been formally challenged by special interest groups who deem the content unacceptable for public consumption and therefore think that such material should be banned.
In setting up this display during the last week of every September, a period referred to in the library world as “Banned Books Week,” we join a host of libraries throughout the country to raise awareness about the constant challenges to intellectual freedom. The celebrated children’s author, Judy Blume, says it best when she writes about the adverse consequences of such challenges: “[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” So, join the rest of the country in celebrating intellectual freedom by reading a “banned” book.

Life on the Shelf_20070910

We had a very respectable turnout for our first-ever, themed book discussion, co-sponsored by the NH Humanities Council! Including the facilitator, we had 15 participants, 2 of whom traveled all the way from the New London/Sunapee area, and yet another from Bedford. In fact, interest generated from the selected title extended even to others who read the book, but did not actually participate in the evening’s discussion. And this was more than we could have hoped for. The book under discussion was "Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory-City." It was a very novel treatment of a foundational era in Manchester’s history, blending both oral and non-oral accounts into a rich tapestry of history. In addition to being treated to the fascinating insights of the discussion facilitator, Prof. Don Sieker, we were also treated to the first-hand testimony of one of the discussion participants whose father was employed at the Amoskeag mills as a loom machinist before they closed in the mid 30s. Our hope is that next month’s read, The Kinship, by Ernest Hebert, will generate similar interest. Visit our website to learn more about the discussion series and how you can participate.

September Feature Film: Unaccompanied Minors

Wilmer Valderrama, Brett Kelly, Tyler J. Williams
Warner Bros.; Directed by Paul Feig
Rated PG; 95 minutes; 2006

“It’s the holiday season and a huge blizzard has shut down the Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Five unaccompanied minors are determined to have their own holiday fun running wild inside the terminal, joyriding on golf carts and plummeting through baggage chutes all while outwitting and outrunning an uptight airport official and his gullible assistant.”
Copyright 2006 Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.

Join us on September 4th at 6:30pm in the Hebert Media room at the Hooksett Library to watch the movie. Both movie and popcorn are free!

Reading Road Trip: USA, with Simon Brooks as driver

On Thursday, August 16th at 6:00pm, storyteller Simon Brooks will lead listeners on a trip through the USA, using folk, faerie, historical, and tall tales as methods of transport! We might find out how stories first came to Turtle Island, or where a dead man’s handprint refuses to be removed in PA, as we follow tales across the American Continent. These rich, sometimes scary, sometimes humorous, always fun and exciting tales draw from the different cultures found in America. With Native American tales from time immemorial, to stories in the near past, Simon will also take you through time. Funny fables, historical hauntings, and tales so tall you cannot see the top, can all be found in Simon’s retellings as he takes you on Reading Road Trip USA. Materials given away will include a small map of the USA and story sources, stating where each tale geographically comes from. The storytelling lasts between 40-60 minutes. The program is best suited for those aged 5 and up, but suitable for the whole family. Registration is not required. Contact us at 485-6092 or at hplbooks@hooksett.lib.nh.us for more info. This event is sponsored by the Hooksett Kiwanis.

Fall Book Discussion Series

This Fall the Hooksett Library will host a four-part book discussion series under the title of "New Hampshire Voices." Thanks to a grant from the NH Humanities Council, visiting scholars have been engaged to present and facilitate discussions on pre-selected titles authored by NH authors and related to NH history. The schedule is as follows:

• Sep 6, Thurs, 6:30pm - Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory City by Tamara Hareven & Randolph Langenbach.
• Oct 4, Thurs, 6:30pm - The Kinship by Ernest Hebert.
• Nov 1, Thurs, 6:30pm - Peyton Place by Grace Metalious.
• Dec 6, Thurs, 6:30 pm - Journal of a Solitude, by May Sarton.

Books will be provided. Stop by or call us at 485-6092 to reserve your book, or just email us by clicking here.

August 7th Feature Film: The Last Mimzy

The Last Mimzy (Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton, Michael Clarke Duncan New Line Cinema; Directed by Robert Shaye Rated PG; 90 minutes; 2007): "Two ordinary siblings begin to develop extraordinary talents after they find a mysterious box of toys. The pair is soon learning from a stuffed rabbit named Mimzy who teaches them everything from science to levitation. Soon the kids, their parents and even their teacher are drawn into a strange and sometimes terrifying world." Showtime: 6:30pm. Free admission and free popcorn!

Bicycling Equipment/Memorabilia Collection

On your next visit to the library, have a look at Todd Rainier's display of his bicycling equipment and memorabilia, currently housed in our front foyer and especially timed to coincide with this month's annual Tour de France event.

Summer Rdg Program: Water Safety Night

Please join us on

Tuesday, July 10th at 7:00pm

for an informative evening on the subject of water safety, presented by Suzanne Fournier, a certified lifeguard and swim instructor. An interactive presentation, with video and discussion. Registration is not required.

Library Closed for 4th of July Holiday

The Hooksett Library will be closed on July 4th in observance of the holiday. We will resume our regular hours on Thursday, July 5th.

Happy 4th!

Summer Reading Program (Grades 1-5)

Buckle up and get ready to go! We start the Reading Road Trip USA summer reading program on Monday, July 9! There are many activities to take part in, but remember to register by visiting the front desk at the library, calling us at 485-6092, or emailing us at vdesh@hooksett.lib.nh.us:

• WEEKLY CONTEST: GUESS THE NATIONAL PARK!
• FAMILY PROJECT: CREATE A FUTURISTIC CAR OR VEHICLE!
• Visit any of the 83 participating Libraries to get your PASSPORT stamped, and we’ll see who can visit the most libraries this summer! Visit the library to get your copy of the list.
• Send postcards to the library when you go on vacation - let us know what you are reading while on vacation!
• Take pictures of your “Traveling Teddy” or your “Buster Bookworm” while on vacation and bring your pictures in to display at the library!!
• And don’t forget to READ, READ, READ!!!

WEEK 1- July 9th, 10th, and 11th

We welcome Travelers this week to make a car or vehicle to keep track of their summer reading. Make a Travel Journal and a “Buster Bookworm” to take on vacation with you! Start recording your time spent reading on a SRP Book Chart.

WEEK 2- TRANSPORTATION WEEK

• July 16th - Make some EXTREME airplanes.
• July 17th - Create some VANITY PLATES to decorate your bike or scooter.
• July 18th - Learn “Hobo Sign Language”. Come in dressed as a HOBO. Also, come in for some Harry Potter fun, dressed as your favorite character (between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM).

WEEK 3- TRAVEL ACROSS THE US

• July 23rd - Make a Hawaiian Lei.
• July 24th - We’re making some Travel Bugs today!
• July 25th - We’re making some Southwest Bracelets (A.M. session) and some Headbands (P.M. session).
• All week we’ll be finding out what our names mean!

WEEK 4- TRAVEL BACK THROUGH TIME

• July 30th - We’ll make and play STRING GAMES tonight!
• July 31st - Let’s make Butter this am.
• August 1st - Working in the garden - plant seeds (A.M. session), decorate the garden (P.M. session).

WEEK 5- TRAVEL WITH A BANG

• August 6th - The world fair night!
• August 7th - Paper fire-cracker!
• August 8th - A.M.: Charades; P.M.: Talent Show.

WEEK 6- TRAVEL GAMES

• August 13th - Travel games.
• August 14th - Travel games.
• August 15th - Travel games.
• August 16th - Awards night with storyteller, Simon Brooks.

SEND US SOME POSTCARDS!!!

Are you going on vacation soon?
Wherever you may go, please send us a postcard! We would like to decorate for the Summer Reading Program and your postcards will help! Just let us know what books you are reading during your vacation!
Send them to:

Hooksett Public Library

1701 B Hooksett Rd

Hooksett, NH. 03106

Thanks so much, and enjoy your vacation!!

YA and TEEN Summer Reading Activities

YA/Teen Summer Reading Activities

Target age group: junior high and high school. Registration is not required. For more info, contact Vickie at 485-6092 or at vdesh@hooksett.lib.nh.us.

Wed, July 11, 6:30pm – Duct tape crafts
Mon, July 16, 6:30pm – Play Station 2 game night
Wed, July 25, 6:30pm – Movie night
Mon, July 30, 6:30pm – Board game night
Wed, August 8, 6:30pm – Bead crafts
Fri, August 17, 6:30pm – Party

==================================

YA/Teen Book Discussion Group

Target age group: junior high and high school. For more info, contact Vickie at 485-6092 or at vdesh@hooksett.lib.nh.us.

Tues, July 17, 6:30pm – Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Tues, July 31, 6:30pm – Pretties by Scott Westerfield
Tues, August 21, 6:30pm – Specials by Scott Westerfield

Majestic Theatre Production: "Through the Looking Glass"

On July 31st at 2:00pm, "...take a wildly entertaining trip through Alice's looking glass to the beat of a hip-hopping soundtrack by Bill Francoeur. This silly adaption of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass depicts the coming-of-age story with fun twists which music audiences of all ages will adore. The lively stage action, zany dialogue and eclectic mix of toe-tapping tunes will have you grinning like a Cheshire cat!" This event, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, starts at 2:00pm at the Hooksett Library and lasts about an hour. Registration is required, but admission is free. Contact us at 485-6092 or at hplbooks@hooksett.lib.nh.us.

Bridge to Terabithia Movie

Join us on July 3rd at 6:30pm to watch the movie Bridge to Terabithia and enjoy some free popcorn!

Hooksett Library Book and Bake Sale

Mark your calendars! We have scheduled our annual book and bake sale for October 27th, from 9-3pm. If you have any books, movies, music, and audiobooks that you would like to donate between now and the time of our sale, and they are in sellable condition, please drop them off during our open hours. If you have any questions, call us at 485-6092 or email us at mglisson@hooksett.lib.nh.us.

Hooksett Library Concert Series