The SLDL Book Club will meet
Wednesday, July 8, at 7:00 pm. The topic for this month's
discussion is
The Book Thief, by
Markus
Zusak Members
are encouraged to read the book and share their experiences.
From School Library Journal
Zusak has created a work that deserves the
attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the
World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age
nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class
neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn
their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen
her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster
father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when
she's roused by regular nightmares about her younger brother's death. Across the
ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen
books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee
Max, the mayor's reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows
Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a
mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing
readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them
forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array
of satisfying details, giving Liesel's story all the nuances of chance, folly,
and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.
Gratitude Steel Band
Enjoy the rhythms and songs from Africa with the
Gratitude Steel Band.
This unique show combines students with authentic hand drums and percussion
instruments from the world of Calypso and Reggae. This performance is
sponsored by the North Bank Community Fund.
Thursday, July 9, at 4:30 pm.
It's Your Move!
Grab your chess board and head to the library. The SLDL Chess Club is open
to all ages 8 to 18, for all skill levels. The Chess Club meets the second
Monday of the month.
