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Timeless Knits To Develop Your Skills

by mansii

If you are a knitter who knows the basics and is ready to up your skills, these books by two top knit-wear designers make color-work and sweater-making approachable--two processes that can intimidate crafters who have knit for years. Hannah Fettig and Hilary Grant have very different styles, but their patterns for hand-knitters produce garments that are timeless, chic, and have challenged me personally to not settle for making anything less than what I would be proud to wear in public.

Hilary Grant grew up and remains in Orkney off the north coast of Scotland. In Knitting from the North, her color work designs not only reflect Fair Isle traditions, but bring together the ancient northern influences of Icelandic, Scandinavian, and Nordic style as well. Her colors choices exhibit bright contrast and subtle nuance. The patterns that emerge out of the varying colors evoke Orkney's wild and wind-swept coast, complimented by gorgeous photographs of this stunning landscape. If you are new to color work, the patterns presented allow you to start small and gradually increase your skills. The first couple designs are worked in a single color, utilizing Scotland's Fisherman's Rib. Next, patterns use only two colors with simple repetition, graduating to several colors. More difficult designs incorporate effects such as twists, gradient coloring, and double-sided knitting. This array of cowls, mittens, and winter hats can be knit as a collection where each piece can mix and match with the others. Two headbands and a unique mock-turtleneck will stretch your creativity.

Hannah Fettig knits simple, elegant sweaters in neutral tones inspired by the gorgeous Maine coast she calls home. In Home & Away Fettig walks us through building simple cardigans and pullovers in flattering cuts. She includes multiple teaching inserts that explain topics such as raglan versus set-in sleeves, seaming versus seamless, creating button-holes, making sizing choices ect. Fettig provides all the tools to teach you what you are doing as you knit her sweater patterns so that you can make educated choices as you branch out in personalization. With careful attention to detail and easy to follow directions, her methodology inspires knitting confidence. I can see each of these pieces becoming signature items of my wardrobe. Keep a look out for other titles by this designer, she's one worth keeping track of.

If you would like a teaching aid before you jump into patterns, The Knitter's Book of Knowledge by Debbie Bliss is an easy to follow technique book to get you started. This book demonstrates how to knit with two colors, strand, seam, and any other need-to-know facts.

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My Family and Other Animals

by manz

Last year marked the 60th anniversary of My Family and Other Animals by naturalist Gerald Durrell. This book was the first in a trilogy, followed by Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (1969) and Fauna and Family, AKA The Garden of the Gods, (1978). In the books Durrell tells of the period during his childhood where he and his widowed mother and siblings briefly left England and lived on the rustic island of Corfu off Greece between 1935 and 1939. Gerald found himself surrounded by beautiful creatures and pretty soon the house and surrounding areas are encapsulated by his birds and reptiles.

The memoirs are delightful and the family is a fierce and quirky bunch that makes these books a pleasure to read. Gerald grew up to be a naturalist, conservationist and author of many books.

There have been a few adaptations of the books for television. Notably was the 2005 series My Family and Other Animals, which centers on 12 year old Gerald and his animal adventures, namely from book one. The acting is superb, with Imelda Staunton (Professor Umbridge!) leading the charge as Mrs. Durrell, tyring to rein in her 4 children, while wondering how on earth they turned out the way they did. Larry is a writer, Margo is a teen discovering herself, Larry love his guns, and then there's Gerry and his traveling zoo. There are 3 episodes and I loved it so much I watched them all twice.

Last year came a newer, longer adaptation that involved stories from all three books. This first season of The Durrells in Corfu features 6 episodes, and more emphasis is placed on the mother in this one. As with books and film adaptations, things were changed from the books a bit, but the wonderfulness of Gerald and his family remains. This show was also a pure delight to dive into with the Durrells. Season 2 is in the works.

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Only Two Days Left to Enter the 2017 "Write On!" Short Story Contest!

by krayla

Calling all writers in grades 3-5! The deadline to send your story to the "Write On!" Short Story Contest is this Friday, February 3. Check out the guidelines and then email your work to youngwrite@aadl.org. Happy writing!

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Blind Date with a Book and Surprise Books for Kids!!

by PizzaPuppy

Stop by any of the AADL locations for a sweet February surprise!

Adults and teens will find Blind Date with a Book displays, where one can hopefully find the mysterious item of their dreams! Books (and movies!) are wrapped in butcher paper and decorated with hearts in red, pink and purple. They have a short description of what the material inside contains… but you’ll have to check out the item and take it home to unwrap to find out if it’s really meant for you!

Kids aren’t left out either! There are Surprise displays at every location too, where kids will find mystery items decorated with stars and question marks in bright rainbow colors, and wrapped up with only hints written on them to imply what’s inside.

These displays will be up for the entire month of February, so don’t miss your chance to find your match!

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Fabulous Fiction Firsts #627 “There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy... these worlds provide an alternative." ~ Neil Gaiman

by muffy

Set in an alternate modern-day England, Gilded Cage * by (Dr.) Vic(toria) James is first in the Dark Gifts dystopian trilogy. It is one of the LibraryReads February picks, "where enticing drama and social unrest mix with aristocratic scandal and glamorous magic." (Kirkus Reviews)

Thanks to clever Abi(gail), the Hadleys believe they have a better deal than most, as they have arranged to serve their decade of servitude (being commoners without the magically power of the aristocratic rulers) together. They will work as slaves at Kyneston, the country estate of the Jardines, one of the most powerful families in the country.

At the last minute, 16-year-old Luke Hadley is separated from the family and sent to Millmoor, Manchester’s infamous slave town to toil in its horrific factories where he finds friendship among those with a dangerous agenda. Meanwhile, Abi, yearning for love and knowledge, stumbles into the middle of Jardine family intrigues and political scheming that could alter their world forever.

"Debut novelist James does an excellent job of creating a dark contemporary world in which magic is used to prop up a corrupt aristocracy at the expense of ordinary people. Hopefully the details of this realm's powers will be fleshed out in the next volume, which readers will eagerly anticipate after the cliff-hanger ending here. With solid YA crossover potential, this first novel should especially appeal to fans of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games Trilogy. (Library Journal)

Also for those who enjoyed Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

* = starred review

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The Human Heart of Immigration

by Lucy S

Lucky Boy

Ignacio is a boy with two mothers and two names. He is “Nacho,” to his birth mother, Soli, and “Iggy” to his foster mother, Kavya. In her touching and timely new novel, Lucky Boy, Shanthi Sekaran tells the story of Ignacio’s two mothers; one, an 18 year-old undocumented immigrant who arrives in this country only to discover she is pregnant, and the other, a young married woman of Indian-American descent, wanting very much, but struggling, to have a child of her own. These parallel plot lines underscore the strong desire that comes with wanting motherhood and the deep sadness that comes with losing it. Sekaran does an admirable job at presenting both viewpoints of this story without legitimizing one over the other. She tells her tale with humor and compassion and we know Ignacio is loved by many, but we are never told which mother is best for him. Ignacio is a “lucky boy” because of all this love, but also a boy in a complicated situation made more tangled by love.
The true-to-life and somewhat flawed characters keep us from aligning too closely with either mother and Sekaran does not try to mollify us by showing one side in a more favorable light. What she does highlight is the deep complexity of immigrant situations and the question of what it means to be an American and to enjoy the privileges that this country has to offer, or suffer from a lack of advantages.

Read-alikes: The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez or The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle

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"Ride With Me Through the Journey of More Success" - Khaled Mohamed Khaled

by zurenkot

When Khaled Mohamed Khaled’s parents immigrated to the United States from Palestine in the 1970’s they came with the idea that the American Dream could work for them. And yet, while Khaled and his parents were selling clothes out of their van at New Orleans flea markets, they couldn’t have possibly dreamt of the success that their young son would eventually attain.

With a bevy of certified Gold and Platinum singles, collaborations with some of the most talented and most recognized rappers in the industry, major brand endorsements and an enormous presence on social media, DJ Khaled, as he's now known, has achieved everything his parents could have dreamed for him. But the best part is that DJ Khaled keeps dreaming.

In early 2016 DJ Khaled started posting short videos on social media in which the mogul/producer would lay out his keys to success. Everything from brushing your teeth, to recognizing loyalty within your circle of friends, were keys to success. And now, with the publication of Khaled’s first book, The Keys, those successes can be yours!

Being part autobiography, part self-help book, part business manual, layered with a whole lot of mogul talk make The Keys a must read for, well… anyone. Khaled’s keys to success can be applied across all disciplines and lifestyles. His writing is very accessible, and in some cases there is absolutely no denying his logic. The book is fun to read and has some surprisingly deep insights into social and business relationships.

So, if I were to ask you if you are the best library patron what would you say?

If you said no, then I am disappointed in you.

Because you are the best library patron.

We the best library patrons.

For more on DJ Khaled check out his Wikipedia page, or put a hold on his music or book.

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The Journey: Books on Refugees and Immigration for Kids

by evelyn

If you want to explain the current refugee crisis to a little one, the new picture book The Journey, by Francesca Sanna, is a wonderful place to start. This gentle and moving book is narrated by a child who has to leave home because of a war. Sanna never specifies where the family starts from, nor the country that they are traveling to, making this story applicable to many parts of the world. The illustrations in The Journey are simply stunning. I was moved to tears by this beautiful story and would recommend it to anyone, not just children.

For other picture books on refugees, take a look at Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey and Joseph’s Big Ride. If you have children who are learning about immigration, try We Came to America, Their Great Gift, or This Land is Our Land.

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Friendship, Racism, and Courageous Love

by mansii

When an old friendship turns stale as you both change with age, what does loyalty and love look like? How do you decide who you are beneath the desire to be accepted? When a town trembles like a waiting bomb in the tension of racism, how do you be part of the healing when things fall apart?

Superbly written and deeply felt, Every Single Second by Tricia Springstubb is a densely layered exploration of what makes each of our moments significant. Through alternating glimpses of past and present, we follow the friendship of "secret sisters" Nella and Angela from Kindergarten through the start of Jr. High. Nella has been a refuge for Angela in the midst of a difficult family life, and Angela has protected Nella from some of her biggest mistakes. In the present, everything has suddenly shifted: their Catholic private school is closing down, Nella discovers a family secret that turns what she trusted in most upside down, and the big brother they both looked up to has made an un-fixable, shocking mistake. Nella and Angela need each other more than ever, but by now they have little in common, and the gap between them has become a gulf. Will Nella choose to be the hands and feet of love, or push farther into the care-free world of fun with her newer best friend Clem? Even if she wanted to help, the hurt between them may have pushed Angela out of reach.

The heroes in this story are outside the spotlight--quiet and courageous souls who walk into riots with gentle words of peace, give all their savings to help a grieving family of a different race, and go forward out of haunting mistakes to live their next days with goodness. Gently enough told for the young, and complex enough for those older, this is a story about where the strength comes from to meet tragedy and disappointment with fearless, courageous love.

*For more stories about friendship, big changes, and finding courage see Tricia Springstubb's other titles Moonpenny Island and What Happened On Fox Street *

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Happy Birthday Samuel Ting!

by bengelty

Today marks the 81st birthday of American physicist and Nobel laureate Samuel C. C. Ting. Born to Chinese immigrant parents right here in Ann Arbor, Ting earned degrees in both mathematics and physics from the University of Michigan.

He went on to win the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in the amazing field of subatomic particles. Ting then went on to propose and fight for the addition of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) to the International Space Station in 2011. The AMS-02 is used to observe and study cosmic rays.

In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech Samuel Ting emphasized the importance of experimental work:
“I hope that awarding the Nobel Prize to me will awaken the interest of students from the developing nations so that they will realize the importance of experimental work.”

The AADL has some great books about science experiments you can do at home, to help you explore the world of science:

Check out: Amazing Science Experiments by E. Richard Churchhill, for more than sixty simple physics experiments that can safely be done with materials around the house.

Or: The Usborne Big Book of Science Experiments, which provides instructions for simple experiments that introduce basic concepts in chemistry, biology, and other areas.

Our collection of Science Tools will help curious minds explore the world around them!