Busy, busy, busy!

It's hard to believe but today we are over one month into our Summer Reading Programme - where has the time gone?

We'd like to share with you some of the great things that have been happening at our libraries over the past four weeks.

In the reading cave at Bowman Library.

 Over 1200 young people have signed up to our Summer Reading Programme! A great wave of reading is happening all over Winchester as we speak and all those super summer readers are making sure to log all their precious reading minutes.  It's not too late to sign up. Just click here or come and see us at your local library.

Things got off to a great start at the Bowman Library on June first with the Rally for Reading. There was lots of reading, a spot of digging and even an appearance by a big digger!

The preschool storytimes have been packed with eager children and adults, and librarians have been spotted in their pyjamas entertaining young readers at PJ Storytime.

The wonderful Mokihana paid us a visit and entranced us with her Hawaiian stories, chants, songs and hula dances that celebrate the earth.

Our very special friends the Paws for reading dogs are visiting us too. How could you resist coming along and sharing a story with one of these gorgeous creatures?

Click here to find out about all the upcoming summer reading events taking place at your local library. Liking Handley Regional Library on Facebook will also help you stay up to date with all the great activities you can be a part of.

We hope to see you at the library soon. Check back here tomorrow for more highlights from our Summer Reading Lists.

Happy reading!

Dig into reading - a look at some more titles from the elementary reading list.

Our three titles today are all well known classics that have been around for many years, and were written by Scottish or Irish authors.

C.S.Lewis was born in Ireland and is probably most well known for his seven book adventure series The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Silver Chair - book four of the Narnia Chronicles - takes us deep into the underland where unlikely partners Eustace and Jill must work together to save King Caspian's son from great evil. Keep your eyes out for a movie version of this classic tale in 2015.

Next we move to Scotland and Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless tale of pirates and buried gold, Treasure Island.

Join cabin boy Jim Hakins for a swashbuckling adventure with treasure maps, dangerous sea journeys, mutiny, pirates and a deadly scramble for buried treasure. Written in 1933, this story is the origin of many of the pirate images that still exist to this day  - treasure maps marked with an X, schooner type sailing ships, tropical islands and one legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders! Shiver me timbers!!

Kenneth Grahame also hails from Scotland and in 1908 he retired from his banking job and started writing down the bedtime stories he had been telling his son.

Wind In The Willows follows the adventures of Mole, Badger, Ratty and Toad as they roam the English countryside. A wonderful tale of friendship set amidst the beautiful English countryside. One for all ages to share.

We hope you are having lots of special time with friends this summer. Why not try sharing a book with someone special to you?

Until next week, have a great weekend and happy reading :)

Dig into Reading - a look at some more primary titles.

It's all about the garden today as we turn our attention back to the primary book list.

First up is a book version of David Mallett's hugely popular Garden Song - "Inch by Inch, Row by Row, Gonna Make this Garden Grow!"

Join a young boy as he overcomes obstacles such as rocks, weeds and a "hungry old crow" in his quest to grow a beautiful garden. A wonderful story to sing along to. Check out this great clip of John Denver performing the song on the Muppet Show. One of my favorite versions :)

Next up is a colorful and easy to read title all about seeds - Mary Wade's Seeds Sprout!.

Find out the answers to all of your seed questions - what is in a seed? how do seeds travel? - there's even instructions for an experiment to see if soaking helps seeds to sprout faster. A great guide for all those budding gardeners.

Mary Azarian's A Gardener's Alphabet  is a beautifully illustrated book which celebrates the simple joys of gardening.

Striking woodcut illustrations capture the essence of turning a bare plot of land into a garden full of flowers, vegetables and trees. A wonderful title for sharing with the whole family.

We hope this list inspires you to spend some time, not only reading about gardening, but also to get outside and enjoy your own garden or some of the gorgeous public gardens in our area. Glen Burnie Gardens at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and the State Arboretum of Virginia  are two wonderful gardens to visit over the summer.

Happy growing and happy reading!

More from our Beneath the Surface reading list.

We start today by looking at a classic beneath the surface story which has been around since 1864!

Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth follows a German professor and his nephew as they descend into an Icelandic volcano and encounter prehistoric animals, natural hazards and petrified trees, before coming to the surface again through an Italian volcano. Although many of Verne's ideas about what is found in the Earth's interior have long been disproved, the story is still hailed as a classic fantasy novel. It has been made into numerous films and television series - most recently a 3d version in 2008.

Whilst not quite as old as Verne's writing, Ursula Le Guin's The Tombs of Atuan is another highly regarded fatnatsy novel that was published in the early 1970's.

The second book in Le Guin's Earthsea series, The Tombs of Atuan introduces us to Tenar, a priestess who guards the catacombs of Atuan. Only she knows the passageways of this dark maze and only she can lead the young wizard Sparrowhawk to the greatest treasure of all...but will she?

Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures tells the story of real life nineteenth century fossil hunter Mary Anning.

Anning's discoveries of ancient marine reptiles shake the scientific community but because of her class and gender she struggles to be accepted as a legitimate scientist. A stunning historical novel.

You'll find copies of all these great titles in your local library, and many more suggestions for summer reads. Have fun reading beneath the surface!

More from our elementary summer reading list.

We start today's look at some more titles from our elementary reading list, with Paul Fleischman's inspiring tale of community gardening, Seedfolks.

Set in a rundown section of Cleveland, Ohio, this heartwarming story weaves together the voices of a diverse group of characters as it follows the development of an abandoned lot into a flourishing community garden. What was once ugly and desolate transforms into something beautiful. Not just for elementary readers, this is s story that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

The wonderful Judy Moody joins forces with her little brother Stink in Megan McDonald's The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt.

Whilst on summer vacation at historic Ocracoke Island - home of Blackbeard - Judy and Stink must work together as they tackle a pirate themed scavenger hunt. Pirate slang, silly jokes, tricky puzzles and lots of full color cartoons make this an excellent summer read.

Finally today we take a look at the perfect title for all those budding wormologists out there...Norma Dixon's Lowdown on Earthworms.

A great non-fiction title that combines facts about worm anatomy and behavior, with instructions for making a plastic bottle wormery and a more ambitious compost bin.

Join us tomorrow as we explore Beneath the Surface and turn the spotlight on three more titles from our Middle and High School reading lists.

Until then...keep on digging into reading!

More from our primary summer reading list.

Good morning summer readers! We hope you had a great weekend enjoying the sunshine and digging into some of the great titles on our summer reading programme book lists.

Today we are going to take a peek at three more titles from our primary reading list.

First up it's the wonderfully titled Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer.

Deep underground, worms are hard at work! A great book explaining how worms eat, move and reproduce, and how they help plants to grow.

Marcus Pfister's Holey Moley tells the tale of some more animals that like to spend time underground.

Two mole brothers can't agree on what to do - dig a deep hole or make a hill? Each stomps off to do his own thing, only to discover that they are really both doing the same thing! A wonderful tale of brotherly love and cooperation from the bestselling author of the Rainbow Fish stories.

Now to some of the metal giants that help us out by working hard in the dirt.

Emma Garcia's Tip Tip Dig Dig features a parade of colorful construction vehicles making lots of happy noise while they work. From the crane that "lifts, lifts, lifts" to the steamroller that "rolls, rolls, rolls" every machine has it's own special sound to share. If you enjoyed Margaret Mayo's Dig Dig Digging, then this one is for you!

Make sure to record all your reading minutes - for every 360 minutes of reading you complete, you can choose a great book from one of our book trunks.  Click here if you haven't signed up yet.

Check back tomorrow when we turn the spotlight on some of our elementary titles. Keep on reading!

Beneath the Surface: great titles from our middle and high school reading list.

Today we look beneath the surface of three titles on our Middle and High School summer reading list.

Mike Mullin's Ashfall tells the story of an unknown super volcano lurking under Yellowstone National Park. Sixteen year old Alex is home alone for the weekend and looking forward to hanging out with his friends and playing computer games, when the super volcano erupts. With his town plunged into darkness, ash and violence, Alex must begin a difficult trek to try and find his family. A gripping and mesmerizing read that was voted one of the best teen books of 2011. Read more in book two of this series - Ashen Winter.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPra takes you to a city that was created many hundreds of years ago. It is always night in the city of Ember, but there is no moon, no stars. The only light comes from floodlamps, but these are starting to flicker and go out...what will happen when the generator finally fails? After reading this, check out the great movie version.

Let's finish with a classic beneath the surface story - J.R.R. Tolkein's timeless tale of adventure, bravery and friendship, The Hobbit. Join Bilbo Baggins and 13 dwarves as they attempt to reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug.

Make sure to log all your time spent reading - click here if you haven't signed up for our summer reading programme yet. There are still many more lazy summer days to while away with a good book :)

Check back next week for more highlights from our reading lists. Have a great weekend!

Dig Into Reading: great titles from our elementary reading list.

Today we are going to look at three titles from the elementary reading list. For more title suggestions, pick up a copy of the book lists from your local library.

We start with Peter Kent's intricate, detailed and fascinating Hidden Under the Ground.

Explore the exciting world beneath your feet, where trains run, pipes flow and where mysterious creatures are thought to have lived. A great book to share with an adventurous friend or two.

Charlie Small is an 8 year old adventurer who has been travelling the world for 400 years! In the fifth of the Charlie Small series, Charlie is trapped miles below the surface of the earth in the utterly unbelievable underworld.

Find out how Charlie escapes a hair-raising encounter with a terrifying troglodite and learn what to do if you get trapped in the web of a spitting Spidion! Click here to check out Charlie's cool website where you can find out more about the series.

Our final title today is Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner.

Deep beneath a modern city, lies the Catacombs - a kingdom of exceptionally intelligent rats. The once peaceful community has become a harsh and cruel dictatorship. Join orphaned brothers, Vincent and Victor Nightshade, as they struggle to overthrow the evil leader and restore peace to the kingdom. (If you enjoy this book have a look for part two - The White Assassin.)

Find all these titles and more great suggestions at your local library and don't forget to log all your reading minutes. Haven't signed up to our summer reading programme yet? No problem - just click here or come and see us at your local branch. 

Join us tomorrow as we delve Beneath the Surface and check out some of the great titles from the Middle and High School reading list.

Until then - keep on reading!

Dig Into Reading - great titles from our primary reading list.

Our summer reading programme is well underway. Young readers from all over the Winchester area are Digging Into Reading and Exploring Beneath the Surface,  recording all those precious reading minutes on their reading logs. It's not too late to sign up - click here to register online.

To help get you started, we've compiled booklists for Primary, Elementary and Middle and High school students. The titles we've included all relate to the themes of Digging Into Reading and Exploring Beneath the Surface. Over the next few weeks here at YouthScope we are going to put the spotlight on many of the suggested titles, and today we're going to start with the Primary List.

First up it's Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Sayres.

Do their mommies tick them in while their daddies sing a goodnight song? Do they ask for one more story and then snuggle into a cozy gas station? Find out just what happens at bedtime for diggers, dump trucks, snow plows and tractors. A must read for the truck lover in your house!


Next is Margaret Mayo's classic, Dig Dig Digging.

Another title for those vehicle loving younger readers. Mayo uses rhyme and lots of noise-filled words to explore the working days of eleven different vehicles - from construction trucks to rescue helicopters. Vroom! Vroom!

The wonders and delights of planting seeds and watching them grow is beautifully displayed in Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow.

Vibrant colors and simple text are used to help children understand how to plant bulbs and seeds, and nurture their growth. A great introduction to gardening.

All these titles and more are available at your local library, where you can also pick up copies of the reading lists.

Check back tomorrow for some highlights from the Elementary list.
Until then - happy reading :)