Noe Valley Voice June 2008
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More Books to Read

You can read about a pig who is a neatfreak and a girl who gets stranded on an island with some bullies from her school, in two of the books on this month's list, offered by Voice staffer Karol Barske and Carol Small, children's librarian at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street. To see if the books are available, drop by the branch, go to www.sfpl.org, or call Small or branch manager Alice McCloud at 355-5707.

Adult Nonfiction

- In Fool's Gold: Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library, Mark Herring makes a case for careful, in-depth research, in chapters titled "Forget the Needle: Can You Just Tell Me Which Haystack?" and "Google Uber Alles."

- Learn five karate moves, how to whistle with two fingers, and how to tie a sari in The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.

- After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, professor and computer scientist Randy Pausch wrote The Last Lecture, his take on the things that matter most in life.

- Germaine Greer reinterprets the historical evidence about the late-16th-century life of Anne Hathaway, in Shakespeare's Wife.

Adult Fiction

- A graduate student has a breakdown when an acquaintance seemingly appropriates his memories in The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter.

- The life of a high-powered New York real estate executive is torn apart when he gets involved with a Russian company, in The Deal by Adam Gittlin.

- Pearlie Cook narrates The Story of a Marriage that began in San Francisco in 1953, in a novel by Andrew Sean Greer, author of The Confessions of Max Tivoli.

- Tyrants, by Marshall Klimasewiski, is a collection of stories about dictators, aeronauts, and WASP families in the throes of domestic battles.

Children's Books

- When the other pigs jeer at Hamlet for being tidy and smart, he reads poems to the "twin" he sees reflected in a pond, in Will You Read to Me? by author and illustrator Denys Cazet. Ages 3 to 6.

- The world is a magical place where stars fly down to Earth to sit in cafes, and trees wear hats and drink tea, in Lily Brown's Paintings by Angela Johnson. Ages 3 to 6.

- Dolores Meets Her Match when she tries to make her nap-loving cat Duncan compete with a prize-winning Siamese show cat, in a furful tale by Barbara Samuels. Ages 3 to 6.

- First-grader Jake sometimes annoys his older sister Abigail, in the stories found in Judy Blume's Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One. Ages 6 to 8.

- After she's tossed in a dumpster and carried out to sea with a gang of rowdies from her school, 9-year-old Roxie takes charge and turns foes to friends, in Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Ages 6 to 8.

- Agnes Parker survives gym insecurities, an over-achieving best friend, and a boy with a crush, all during her first year at Horace Mann, in Keeping Cool in Middle School by Kathleen O'Dell. Ages 9 and up.

- In Dan Gutman's picture book Casey Back at Bat--a spinoff of the famous baseball poem--Casey hits a fly ball that takes a trip around the world. All ages.

LIBRARY EVENTS

Get Crafty: Matchbox Books

- C.J. Grossman from the San Francisco Center for the Book shows how to make a matchbox with a small book inside, on Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Enrollment is limited to 15 (ages 16 and up); call 355-5707 to sign up.

A Visit from Magic Dan

- Magic Dan tells jokes and does magic tricks, for kids of all ages, on Saturday, June 21, 11 to 11:45 a.m.

"It's Yoga, Kids!"

- Bring a towel or mat for your child to sit on at a Yoga! Yoga! class for kids 5 and younger, on Tuesday, June 24, 10:15 a.m. The class, presented by It's Yoga, Kids, will be repeated at 11 a.m.

Boswick the Clown

- Boswick the Clown, who was once with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, performs magic and juggling comedy on Saturday, June 28, 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Lapsits for Infants and Toddlers

- You and your baby or toddler will enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays at the lapsits held Tuesdays, June 3 and June 10, 10:15 to 10:45 a.m.

Preschool Story Time

- Children 3 to 5 are invited for preschool story time, a read-aloud program from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on June 3, June 10, and July 1.

Movies for Kids

- The library shows films for preschoolers on Tuesday, June 17, 10:15 to 11 a.m.

All events are held at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street near Castro Street. For information, call 355-5707.