The Hanging Tree by Bryan Gruley

We are back at Starvation Lake, Michigan, in the heart of hockey country with the suspicious death of Grace McBride, second cousin to Gus Carpenter, executive editor of the Pine County Pilot whom we met in Bryan Gruley’s previous book, Starvation Lake.

Gus is now seeing his old girlfriend, Darlene, deputy sheriff, whom he had left behind after high school. While looking for answers in the death of Grace, Gus gets into trouble with the town council and Laird Haskell who wants to build a new hockey rink in Starvation Lake. Haskell, lawyer for the automotive industry and Gus’s old nemesis, handed Gus a humiliating defeat which got Gus fired from a newspaper in Detroit. Back in Starvation Lake, Gus is determined find out if Grace committed suicide or was murdered and if her death was related to the new rink in Starvation.

Bryan Gruley can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Website: http://www.bryangruley.com/

New in the Kid's Room

Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World
Slip on your acid-free gloves, make sure you have a duplicate copy of How to Grow Up and Rule the World (just in case something should happen to this one) and try to follow along as the incomparable, superior-in-all-ways Vordak the Incomprehensible teaches you a thing or two about villainy. Now you, too, can try (and fail) to attain Vordak's level of infamy.


From selecting the most dastardly name, to choosing the ideal henchmen, to engaging in witty repartee with disgustingly chipper superheroes, experienced supervillain Vordak the Incomprehensible guides readers step-by-step toward the ultimate goal of world domination (from his parents' basement in Trenton, New Jersey).

With chapter titles like "Bringing Out the Evil" and "Building a Top-Notch Evil Organization," numerous bold illustrations, and detailed quizzes to assess your level of dastardliness, this book provides everything necessary to rise above the masses, and then rub your ascent in their faces.

In return for this wealth of knowledge, Vordak requests nothing more than an honored place in the evil regime of he who achieves control of the world. (And, of course, the opportunity to assume command, should things not work out.)

Escape from Davao by John D. Lukacs

Ten American prisoners of war and survivors of the Bataan Death March and two Filipino convicts execute a daring escape from one of Japan's notorious prison camps, the Davao Penal Colony on the island of Mindaneo, on April 4, 1943. Because of wartime censorship, the full story has never been told until now.
The first time author and historian has a website: http://www.johndlukacs.com/

Cool Evening Was a Hit!

Thank you to the Hibbing City Band for the wonderful music, The Amazing Charles for the magic and balloons, the Hibbing Literacy Action Center for the free books, and of course the Friends of the Library for the refreshments.

Remember Cool Evening @ The Library Tonight!

It all starts at 6:00 p.m. tonight. 

• The Hibbing City Band will be playing some great songs. 
• At 6:30 the Amazing Charles will entertain everyone with magic. 
• The Hibbing Literacy Action Center will be giving away books to all children that attend. 
• The Friends of the Library will be serving refreshments all evening.

Tonight it will be cool to be at the library!

New in the Kid's Room

The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein

This series opener won't disappoint. Escaping from a bounty hunter, a streetwise cat becomes the familiar of a boy magician-in-training. Almost before Aldwyn gets to know his new surroundings, Jack, his sister, and a fellow student are kidnapped and it is up to him; Skylar, a magic-adept bluejay; and Gilbert, a clumsy, red-eyed tree frog, to rescue their “loyals.” The consistently suspenseful narrative moves quickly and is full of twists and turns. The characters are genuinely familiar: Aldwyn feels inadequate and works hard to conceal his humble origins; Skylar has secretly studied human magic and can be arrogant about her abilities; bumbling Gilbert thinks mostly about food and fears the father he has disappointed. The history of the queendom of Vastia is smoothly worked into the narrative. This winning combination of action and humor will keep readers turning pages right up to the ending, which successfully concludes this adventure but leaves room for more.  (from School Library Journal)

Book Sale!

The Friends of the Hibbing Public Library annual booksale is coming soon!  Check out all of the great deals.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Hibbing Public Library Auditorium

10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.



New Books

Lost Empire by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood
Sam and Remi Fargo, heroes of Spartan Gold, return in this new adventure where they find a relic from a Confederate Ship. http://www.cusslerbooks.com/

Vermilion Drift by William Kent Krueger
Cork O"Connor explores an underground iron mine and finds the remains of six murder victims.
http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/

Body Work by Sara Paretsky
Chicago's private detective V. I. Warshawski is back in this 15th book in a series where she investigates the shooting of the Body Artist.
http://www.saraparetsky.com/

The books and other books in the series by each of these 3 authors are available for checkout at Hibbing Public Library.

Join The Great Books Reading Group

The Great Books Group is being reorganized.  They will begin meeting again in October at the Hibbing Public Library.  All readers are invited to join in the discussion of some of our important writings from ancient to modern times. The monthly discussions will be facilitated by James Huber, Ph.D., a local psychologist.


The meetings will be the first Thursday of every month beginning, Thursday, October 7th. The group will meet in the Dylan Room of the library from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.  Call Cathy Righino at 218-262-1885 with any questions and to sign up.

There will be no fees.  The books that will be used can be checked out at the front desk of the Hibbing Public Library before the first October meeting. All you need is a library card. Join the group and every month take part in great conversations about books and ideas that matter.

Blind Descent: The quest to discover the deepest place on earth by James M. Tabor

Exploring caves and finding the deepest cave on earth has been an ongoing search by many explorers but 2 caves and their explorers stand out: Bill Stone, exploring the Cheve Cave in southern Mexico and Alexander Klimchouk, exploring the Krubera Cave in the Republic of Georgia. Supercaves are caves that are miles deep, have thousand foot drops, deadly flooded tunnels, raging rivers, monstrous waterfalls, strong winds and rooms large enough to house the Washington monument.   Caving hazards include: fatal falls, drowning, hypothermia, poison gases, hurricane winds, collapses, radon, rabid bats, snakes, asphyxiation and eternal darkness. Despite all the hazards the idea of being the first to discover the deepest place on Earth can be irresistible. For more information on caving, see The National Speleological Society: http://www.caves.org/

New in the kid's room

Betti on the High Wire by Lisa Railsback

Babo is the adolescent daughter of circus performers who were killed during a burst of political unrest and violence in an unnamed country. She believes that foreigners simply want to take kids away from their friends and country, making it impossible for them to ever locate their birth parents, and stripping them of their identities. Therefore, she is incredulous and angry when she gets word that an American couple wants to adopt her. Her resistance breaks down a bit when she discovers that a younger orphan is going to the same town that she is. She decides that she will stay until George is settled, and will enlighten the Americans about her country's plight. She worries daily that her parents may come looking for her, clinging to her unrealistic fantasy that they are still alive. Her new family is loving and patient, but Babo, now called Betti, must contend with insults from children who judge her stories to be melodramatic lies. Gradually, she begins to feel comfortable in this country and she grows to trust and love her new family. Railsback captures many aspects of culture dissonance well, and the challenge of bridging two cultures. However, some readers may find the mix of conventional and rudimentary English hard to follow. The plot is convincing and may well resonate with children who have had to adjust to a new situation, but will not likely appeal to a wide audience. Still, the book will be useful in collections that serve adoptees from foreign countries, and also for those patrons who are curious about the experiences of children in countries that are disrupted by war and unrest.  (from School Library Journal)

Sign-up For a Library Card This Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and the public library wants to make sure that all children in Hibbing have the smartest card of all – a library card.
Public library programming and books make a difference in the lives of students. Millions of children across the U.S. rely on libraries as either their first or only choice for computer and Internet access. Libraries provide children with not only the tools to be literate, but information literate as well. There’s a lot available at the Hibbing Public Library and the best part for both children and parents – in these tough economic times - is that it’s all free with a library card.
Getting a library card is easy. Parents should bring their children into the library, fill out the registration form, and provide proof of address. Observed since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Reading Counts

Currently, the Reading Counts lists are not available from the schools.  Kids who wish to check on what books may be on the list for their school must check with their school librarian.

The link to Reading Counts on the library web site will be active once the lists are made available.

How To Get Money for College

Peterson's 2011 guide for financing your future is now available.  Cost should never be a barrier to receiving more education.  The Peterson's guide is one source that can be helpful from deciding what college is for you to the types of financial aid each institution has available.

Inside you will find:

•  Quick-reference chart for at a glance comparisons of costs, aid packages, average indebtedness at graduation, and more.
• Profiles of four year schools showing need and non need based gift aid, loans, work-study, and athletic awards.
• State by state listing of public scholarship and grant programs.
• Easy to use indexes to help target your financial aid program search.

Peterson's is a perfect resource to help you get started on you future edcation goals.  Look for it in the Reference area in 378.3.

New in the kid's room

Imaginalis by J.M. DeMatteis

The author of the Oz-tinted Abadazad series creates another alternate world—this one with Indian/Buddhist/Hindu overtones—that supposedly exists only in a series of books but turns out to be real. Having been a rabid fan of the Imaginalis books for years, preteen Mehera is devastated to learn that the final volume has been canceled. Then she starts getting strange text messages and experiences a sort of perfect storm of belief and desire that carries her away to interdimensional Nolandia, where the Imaginalians are suspended and about to fade away in the wake of their world's destruction unless Mehera can build a mystical bridge to a new home. To accomplish this, she must vanquish the villain Pralaya, the embodiment of entropy, and work through some personal issues. In an odd climax, she persuades the books' embittered author to join her in a typewriter duet. This wordy but fluently written metafiction features two slam-bang opening scenes and enough action to keep the philosophical underpinnings in their place.

Grades 5-8.

Murder Room: The heirs of Sherlock Holmes gather to solve the world’s most perplexing cold cases

Meeting monthly in Philadelphia, eighty two members of the Vidocq Society meet to hunt down murderers in cold cases. William Fleisher states: “Our mission is to help the police at their request, working quietly in the background without fanfare, to act as an agent for justice.”

Learn about the three men, William Fleisher, Frank Bender and Richard Walter, founders of the Vidocq Society and the cold cases selected and featured in this book.

Visit the Vidocq Society website: http://www.vidocq.org/
This book is available through interlibrary loan.

Bucks Buy Books

The Library Board’s annual BUCKS BUY BOOKS campaign is under way. The library’s budget has been cut at a time when libraries are being used more than ever. The average library user expects to receive the usual and more.

Many more books have been kept in the hands of area readers, both young and old, thanks to the generous support of the BUCKS BUY BOOKS annual fundraiser. Thousands of adult and children’s books have been purchased since the BUCKS BUY BOOKS campaign began in 2004 due to budget cuts.

Watch your monthly PUC billing for a letter from the Library Board with more information about this important fundraiser.  Use the addressed envelope to send you donation or just drop it off at the front desk of the library.  Checks can be made out to the Hibbing Public Library Book Fund.