Look for the Stars!

I love sharing the titles of my favourite books, movies, and cds with my friends. With our online catalogue I can share virtually - not just for my friends to see, but also for library users all over the world! You too can easily add reviews, comments, and star ratings. Star ratings are the simplest way to share what you enjoyed (or perhaps didn't enjoy). 

Why Add Star Ratings?

Star ratings guide other library members to discover items of interest to them. Any title that you rate with 4 or 5 stars will be recommended to other users who are “following” you. Star ratings are averaged across all members who rate a specific title, and add value to your library’s catalogue by highlighting high-quality items.

To Contribute a Star Rating:

1. Log into your account in the catalogue.
2. Visit the page of the item you want to star rate.
3. Click the number of stars you think a title deserves, and your rating will be recorded. You can use-half star increments to be more precise. You can also change the rating at any time by clicking a different number of stars. You can un-rate a title by moving your pointer to the right of the last star, and then clicking the x when it appears.

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Shelf Life [kids]

Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World, By Susan Hughes, 64 pages.
@ SPL: J 371 Hug

Children around the world will be off to class in September and as readers of Susan Hughes’s book will discover, some students will be attending rather unusual or even extraordinary schools! Most schools are constructed of bricks, wood or concrete, but others are made of bamboo, cardboard or even mud. Some schools are canvas tents – for example, in the areas of Haiti where schools destroyed by a hurricane in 2010 have not yet been rebuilt. In some countries, schools even exist (or have existed) on boats, trains, train station platforms and in caves!

Can you imagine stepping into your backyard and climbing the stairs to a tree house in order to attend school? In Tennessee, the children of one family are taught by their parents in their own little tree house, built for that purpose. Sometimes schools come to the students. In India, where more children live on the street than in any other country, special buses operate as “Schools on Wheels,” driving specific routes each day and stopping for two hours in each location. Students are taught on the buses and learn at their own pace.

In a number of other Asian countries, traveling “Schools on Carts” visit communities of street children. And in many place around the world, school now comes to students via “distance learning,” using email and the Internet.
As declared by the United Nations, the right to an education is a basic human right. Unfortunately, about 215 million children throughout the world are unable to attend school because they must work or because they cannot afford school expenses. Hopefully, all children will someday have access to the learning and hope that an education offers.

** Recommended for ages eight to 13.

School Days According to Humphrey, By Betty Birney, 164 pages.
@ SPL: J FIC Birne

Where are his friends from the last school year, and who are these kids now filing into Mrs. Brisbane’s classroom? It’s September, and Humphrey, the pet hamster in Room 26, has just returned from his summer holiday at Camp Happy Hollow. He’s eager to see his classmates, but the children entering “his” room are entirely unfamiliar. Og, the pet frog in Room 26, is just as mystified. In the following days, Humphrey gets to know the new pupils.

Being a helpful and observant (as well as poetry-writing) hamster, Humphrey finds himself getting caught up in the students’ difficulties, problems and habits. There’s accident-prone Kelsey, and Phoebe, who always forgets her homework. Harry is consistently late for school. Thomas tells too many “tall tales” and Simon, who has far too much energy, must learn to slow down and be still during lessons.

Humphrey is soon visited by his “old” friends, who miss him. He is very relieved to learn that they have simply graduated into another grade and classroom. School Days According to Humphrey is the seventh book in a charming, entertaining series about Humphrey, written by California author Betty Birney. These school stories would be ideal for an adult to read aloud to a child, and each book includes some related activities at the end.

** Recommended for ages six to 10.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 30th, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Shelf Life [adult]

Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet, by Andrew Blum @SPL: 384.309 Blu

Andrew Blum’s mission to discover the physical structure of the Internet started the most innocuous way possible. Having lost Internet access in his home a couple years ago, he followed the technician around while he did his work. It turned out a squirrel had chewed the cable. This set off a number of questions for Blum.

The Internet, after all, seems so ethereal. There used to be heavy, beige desktop PCs wired to screaming modems to occasionally remind us of the physicality of the medium. Now most of us connect wirelessly everywhere we go on devices so small and so constantly with us, they’re practically appendages. The Internet is everywhere. The Internet is nowhere.

The Internet is us. At least, until squirrels happen. Then, suddenly, we’re plopped back into being ingloriously disconnected meatbags suffering phantom buzz, pining for our Twitter feed. Or maybe that’s just me. I don’t think so, though, and judging by this book, neither would Andrew Blum.

The more he chases the physical Internet to its prime locations, the more he discovers these locations mean something important – like who gets access, how, and how quickly. Net neutrality, it turns out, isn’t just a question of policy and regulation. So much of how the Internet works is determined at the physical level. Length and quality of cable, proximity to the major connection points, and even simple industry social networking determine the paths information takes on its way through the tubes.

He makes some surprising discoveries along the way, too – one social networking giant was extremely open and happy to show him around their data centre. Conversely, a behemoth of search takes its data centres off its own maps and self-identifies on-land as Voldemort Industries – ostensibly to frighten off curious Muggles? I’m not even kidding.

Written in plain, often humorous language, Tubes is highly recommended to any readers interested in issues of net neutrality and media theory, or even anyone with a simple Interest in why the Internet works how it does.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 30th, 2012. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.

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2012 Paralympic Games: Information Station!



Isaac Bouckley, men's 400m freestyle swimmer



The Paralympic Games take place from August 29th to September 9th in London, England. The Canadian Team has put together 20 amazing Canadian Paralympic Super Athletes videos that are an absolute must watch! Super Athletes are exactly what they are and I for one cannot wait to watch them in action. So grab those you love and watch/read/listen as this team proves that obstacles are meant to be tackled.

Here is where to get your information:



Jody Schloss, Canadian Paralympic equestrian team

Canadian Paralympic Committee Website

Paralympic Games Offical Website

See the schedule of events


Michelle Stilwell, wheelchair racing

Follow the Official Paralympic Games on Twitter

And/or if you're primary interests are on the Candian Athletes you can follow this Twitter feed!

If you're more of a Facebook person try this Canadian page or try this page from The International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Visit the CTV Website for all kinds of good info and articles!

Excellent video on the birth of the Paralympic Games.

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Shelf Life [kids]

The Water Dragon: A Chinese Legend by Li Jian 42 pages.
@ SPL: J 398.20951 Li

In a small Chinese village, Ah Bao, a young boy, finds a magical red stone which provides unlimited rice and money.

He shares this bounty willingly with his family and neighbours.

After a time, however, it becomes evident that the red stone has brought something else – a drought.

It hasn’t rained since the stone was found. What can the villagers do? One night Ah Bao dreams of a water dragon raining on the land.

He decides to set off on a long and dangerous quest to find the dragon, for the crops are withering and the rivers are drying up. Rain is desperately needed to save the village.

Encountering a giant snake, a carp, a deer and an eagle on his travels, Ah Bao is able to be of some help to each creature, and is rewarded with something from each. The eagle gives him a claw; the fish gives him some of its scales, and so on.

Each warns him that he will meet a greedy red monster.

When the young boy meets the fearsome red monster, he narrowly escapes from it by jumping off a high cliff into a deep pool of water.

The ending of Ah Bao’s story is quite unexpected, but happy.

The water dragon brings rain to the thirsty land, turning the crops green and filling the waterways once more.

Originally published in China, the beautifully-illustrated legend of the Water Dragon is told in both Chinese and English.

Featuring a young protagonist who is both generous and brave, this story presents a worthy hero-role model for children.

With 2012 being the Year of the Water Dragon in Chinese and Tibetan astrology, this book would be a fine choice of story to read aloud to a child by a parent, grandparent or teacher.

** Recommended for ages four to nine years.

Ella May and the Wishing Stone by Cary Fagan 32 pages.
@ SPL: JP Fagan

In Cary Fagan’s Ella May and the Wishing Stone, some“magical” results are also brought about by a special stone.

When Ella May visits the beach and finds a stone that is completely encircled with a dark stripe, she decides that such an unusual stone must have magical powers of some sort such as granting wishes.

Unfortunately, Ella May also decides that such a stone is too valuable to share with anyone, including her friends – who are understandably upset and hurt.

They go off to play together, creating their own magic stones.

Ella May is left by herself. It doesn’t take Ella May long to feel lonely and miss her friends.

Remembering the wishes that they had wanted to make with her stone, Ella May uses her imagination – instead of her stone – to make those wishes come true for them and win her friends back.

Sharing with friends (or siblings) is one of the most difficult lessons for young children to learn and put into practice.

A sensitive, engaging story such as Ella May and the Wishing Stone could perhaps help.
The simple but expressive watercolour illustrations by Genevieve Cote, a winner of the Canadian Governor General’s Award for Illustration, are wonderful enhancements to this wise yet entertaining story.

** Recommended for ages four to seven years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 23rd, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian

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Shelf Life [adult]

Dear Photograph by Taylor Jones
@SPL: 779.2 Jon

Take an old favourite photograph. Go back to the same spot from which it was taken, and take another while holding the old photograph within the frame. Add a dedication to the resulting picture.
What you get is a small wormhole that brings the past into the present, and a book full of such photos from submissions to the website

DearPhotograph.com, taken all over the world by people willing to share their memories. Some photos seem sweet, some are nostalgic, some are full of regret, and some of the photos are giddy with the foolishness of youth.

Some of the captions are straightforward (“Dear Photograph, Can you tell him to turn around? I wanna see that cute little baby face again. –Nicole”) and others are intriguingly enigmatic (“Dear Photograph, You’re the only memory I have left of this. -Louis”) – and all are fascinating in both their familiarity and mystery. (One very familiar photograph was taken in a post-tornado Goderich town square.)

A picture is worth a thousand words, is what they say. The photographs and captions in this collection are worth a thousand questions.

They have their own histories and tell their own stories but each one is really a secret – except to those who recognize them.

Part confessional, part photograph album, Dear Photograph is an enchanting and captivating peep into the hopes, regrets, dreams and memories of others; a thought-provoking book that is sure to start discussions, bring back memories and to inspire new ones.
This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 23rd, 2012. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.

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Get Connected! Computer Buying 101!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! In just over a week, students of all ages will be returning to their studies. If you are thinking about buying a new computer to help your kids (or yourself) with homework assignments, I'm sure you are more than a little overwhelmed by all the options available: desktops, laptops, notebooks, tablets - all available in the ever changing marketplace.

On Tuesday August 28th from 6-8:30pm come get expert advice on what you need to know before you buy.

Troy Roach from OnSite Technology will be providing a workshop to inform you of what you really need to know when buying a new computer, what key decisions need to be made and what questions you need to ask when buying.

This FREE event will be held in the Stratford Public Library Auditorium and is open to everyone.

This workshop is being brought to you by Get Connected. Get Connected is a joint project of the Stratford Public Library, Conestoga College, Avon Maitland District School Board, the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board, Rhyzome Networks, Switch, Summit College, PF Solutions, Grand Connections.

Troy Roach of  OnSite Technology is presenting these workshop as a community service. Troy will not be recommending specific products, services or vendors.

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Attention Local Artists and Crafters!

As part of Culture Days 2012, Stratford Public Library is holding a craft show on Saturday September 29 and we are looking for a few more vendors to participate! 

Handmade Culture

A Show and Sale of Stratford’s Craft, Culture & Creativity

Saturday September 29, 2012  10am - 2pm

Stratford Public Library Auditorium

19 St. Andrew Street, Stratford

Handmade Culture blog

The aim of this event is to showcase the talent of local artists and crafters.  We hope to create a fantastic opportunity for you to display your talent within your own town in a friendly, community setting while supporting your library. Our 2011 event was a great success - let's make 2012 even better!

The show and sale will be held in the Library Auditorium.  The auditorium is a large, bright space ideal for displays.  Your table fee will support the Friends of the Stratford Public Library. We will be actively promoting this event: online (library website, kijiji, Facebook, twitter), in local newspapers, in the library itself and around town.  Since Handmade Culture is part of Culture Days, it will also advertised in local Culture Days brochures.

Please take a look at the attached Artists Registration and Agreement and consider joining us.  We would love for you to take part and show Stratford your “handmade” talent.  If you have any questions, please contact Krista Robinson at 519-271-0220 ext. 31 or krobinson@pcin.on.ca.

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SPL Staff Recommend...

Here is a short list of what SPL staff have been reading, watching and listening to this summer! These reviews and others can be found on the library catalogue, BiblioCommons!

Try a novel to screen adaptation with...
Howard's End DVD (2010)

After hearing novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala talking about the creation of this Forster film (she wrote the screenplay), I decided to have a go. I'd watched on its original theatre release (1992), but thought -- I could do worse than spend an evening with the likes of Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter & Vanessa Redgrave. I was completely rewarded -- the film is not only a masterly translation of novel to screen, it is exquisitely film and magnificently acted. A lovely, lovely film, start to finish.

Listen to some cool Canadian beats with...Sarah Slean, Land and Sea CD (2011)
Sarah Slean has been putting a good name to Canadian music for over a decade but her latest CD, Land and Sea, took my heart. I don't even know the lyrics but I love it so much as just kind of hum along in a really embarrassing way. Truth is, I don't want to return it to the library - but I will if someone requests it but it should be enjoyed by all! She is everything from soothing and mellow to dark and haunting to upbeat and catchy (especially on the second disc or this 2-CD set)! If you like what you hear be sure to check out her and other great Canadian artists at the Bayfield Concert Series!

Try a new book series with...
The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer
Book 1: Only Time Will Tell (2011) 
Book 2: The Sins of the Father (2012)
The Clifton Chronicles tell the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph. The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he's left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again. As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined. 

Try a film about family emotions with...
In A Better World DVD (2011)
I don't do light and breezy...but this movie is excellent! Heavy, but with light, human moments of tenderness and humour!  Directed by the excellent Danish director, Susanne Bier, In A Better World explores cruelty, retaliation, bullying and empathy that are universals, and gives the audience a chance to see them both in Denmark and Africa. While a very good film (it did win the Academy Award and also the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film), I feel it was a little too Hollywood and not as good as Bier's previous films After the Wedding, Brothers, and Things We Lost in the Fire. I have yet to see a Bier film that I think was a failure. She is really at the top of the game in exploring family emotions and family strife.

Try boosting your adrenalin with a scary movie. Watch... 
Hide and Seek DVD (2005)
Starring big names like Robert DeNiro and Famke Janssen, this film's excellent story leads you down one path and then takes a sharp turn in a completely unexpected direction. Scary with just a hint of the paranormal, this one's surprises will shake up your assumptions about "horror" movies. 

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Jobs: Decisions, Decisions

What do I want to do with my life? What am I good at? What education will I need to have the job I want? What career choice will make me happy?

If you think I can answer those questions I'm sorry, I can't. However, I can show you where to find information that will help make these tough decisions a little bit easier.

Take a questionnaire on Career Cruising to get matched with careers that fit your talents and interests. Then, read profiles including educational requirements, interviews with people working in the field, and a breakdown of why a specific career is a good match for you.

Finding the right career can be a daunting and high stakes task: finding an appropriate institution of learning, job searching, and maintaining a career are all topics covered by, Vocation & Careers eCollection, providing current and applicable content for all vocational milestones. Offering content from nearly 400 journals, this collection provides content from general career guides to highly specialized industry journals.

Visit the SPL Career Centre on the main floor. When you find books on BiblioCommons located under “CC” they are part of that collection! Some are Circulating, meaning you can check them out of the library, while others are Reference, meaning they have to be used in the library.

Click HERE for a list of career-related materials available at the library!

The Teen Lounge includes links for College and Jobs that may also be of interest!

See HERE for a list of trusted websites on employment!

Need help with a resume or cover letter? Look HERE! The library has free public access computers with all the necessary software to build your resume and access to the Internet to do your saavy job searching!

Still haven't found what you're looking for? Please, come visit us at the Reference Desk, we are always happy to help!

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Shelf Life [kids]

Why Do Feet Smell? by Gilda and Melvin Berger, 48 pages@ SPL: J 612 Ber

Is it true that every morning you are a tiny bit taller than when you went to sleep? What causes

people to blush? Why does our skin wrinkle in water? What is the strongest muscle in the human body; how many times a minute does the average person blink, and is it true that people can’t sneeze with their eyes open? (On the other hand, can we sneeze in our sleep?)

Do all animals have belly buttons – or just humans? Why do our stomachs growl, and why do our feet smell?

These are some of the questions about the human body that kids have probably asked, and the answers to these questions and others, with easy-to-understand explanations, are provided in Gilda and Melvin Berger’s Why Do Feet Smell?
The entertaining subject matter, colourful photos and the short, concise format (A question is asked on the right side of each page; the answer and a brief explanation are provided on the following page) will appeal to both boys and girls, reluctant readers included. “Bonus” facts and a glossary are provided at the end.

By the way, it’s true that we are a tiny bit taller each morning! Also, the average person blinks fifteen times each minute; our tongue is our strongest muscle … and apparently, men’s feet sweat more than women’s feet!

Who says that adults can’t learn some useful, albeit trivial, facts from books written for children?

** Recommended for ages 6 to 10 years.

Fifty Underwear Questions: A Bare-All History, Tanya Lloyd Kyi, 116 pages@ SPL: 391.42 Kyi

From feet to underwear! In 50 Underwear Questions, Tanya Lloyd Kyi delves into the intriguing world of underwear history, revealing the “bare essentials” and providing readers with the inside scoop.

Startling and uplifting developments in underwear evolution are covered, such as the invention of the bra, the demise of corsets and the long-awaited birth of jockey shorts. (Did you know that men once wore one-piece underwear garments referred to as “union suits”? Undershirts and jockey shorts didn’t become separate garments until World War I.)

Interestingly, the world of women’s underclothing was also transformed during World War I when the U.S. War Industries Board asked women to stop wearing corsets because these garments used valuable steel needed for weapons. The Board speculated that 31,000 tons of steel could be saved in this way – enough to build two entire battleships! (For some reason, women never returned to wearing corsets.)
Kids who have always wondered what was worn under the armour of medieval knights and the spacesuits of astronauts will discover the answers in this book.

More breath-taking facts are revealed: girdles were once constructed of thick rubber; in the 1850’s a woman wore up to six starched petticoats under her dress, and fashionable men in Regency England actually wore corsets!

Did you know that the Inuit of northern Canada once wore an inner garment made of caribou skin, called an “attigi”, with the furry side worn closest to the skin?

Underwear terminology (such as “bloomers”, “knickerbockers”, “grundies” and “tighty-whities”) is also explained in this hilarious, informative, illustrated and indexed book, which is sure to answer many questions for young and old.

** Recommended for ages 8 to 12 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 9th, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Shelf Life [adult]

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
@SPL: FIC Harkn

Fans of fantasy and paranormal romance well remember the big splash author Deborah Harkness made last year with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches. That book had it all - yoga, wine collecting, adventures in Oxford’s famed Bodleian Library, and a whirlwind romance with a handsome, brooding stranger who happened to be a vampire. To sweeten the pot, this wasn’t another plodding story about some hapless girl who falls for an immortal himbo with a mood disorder and an offshore bank account. No, heroine Diana Bishop is a witch, fearsome and powerful in her own right. Well, the good news is, she’s back.

Shadow of Night picks up right where A Discovery of Witches left off, with Diana and Matthew landing in a heap in the 16th century, in search of Ashmole 782 - the manuscript that caused all the trouble in the first book. Deborah Harkness is an historian by trade, so the details on 16th century life are both bountiful and accurate.

The bad news is, these very details may bog down the book for some readers. Fans who found the first book flagged in the second half before finding its way to a mind-bending conclusion will probably also take issue with pacing in Shadow of Night’s first half. Fortunately, the action and witty humour that characterized the best parts of book one return by the second half of the book. For those who have been waiting with baited breath for more of Diana and Matthew, Shadow of Night will more than likely scratch the itch.

Certainly, fans of A Discovery of Witches who also love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series will find lots to love in Shadow of Night - the tirelessly researched historical detail, time travelling, and a heroine coming into her strength are all appeal factors that cross over between the two series. That said, I wouldn’t recommend any readers new to the series start here. While I sense this series is headed for great things, Shadow of Night is certainly not as strong an offering as Discovery, and the fantasy universe Harkness has created won’t make much sense if read out of order. All in all, Shadow of Night is fun summer reading, but not essential to anyone not planning on following the series.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 9th, 2012. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.

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Shelf Life [kids]

The Monster Game, by Precia Davidson, 217 pages
@ SPL: J FIC David

First-time author Precia Davidson, from Brunner, Ontario, is just 23 years old but the insight and perception evident in her recently-published fantasy story for children, the Monster Game, seem to come from an older and wiser mind.

Two friends, Kay and Rob, are transported to Fairyland, an enchanted land where they are changed into fairies. Kay, in fact, becomes the Fairy Queen. The two are immediately absorbed in the history of Fairyland, the search for the Lost Book, and an age-old struggle between the Fairies and the Monsters.

The struggle is not a black-and-white conflict between good and evil creatures or motives, for time after time Kay and Rob must question the true identities of the characters and creatures which they meet in Fairyland. Who is really who? Who can be trusted – and who is deceiving – and why? What are their true motives or aims? What has happened in the past to shape the events, characters and relationships of the present?

In the process of discovering the truth about the characters and events in Fairyland, and doing her best to help the fairies and the monsters, Kay discovers much about herself and what she is really capable of doing.

In a story of self-discovery such as this, it’s unusual that so little background is given about Kay and Rob, such as a description of their families - but it’s a technique that works well.

This is a fantasy story which will enchant (for lack of a better word) the reader, and I (the reviewer) hope that its young author will write a second book.

Note: Precia Davidson has spoken at two area schools this year about her book and about overcoming life’s challenges to follow a dream. Precia, who must now use a wheelchair, has long dreamed of being an author. She began to write The Monster Game at the age of 13 years.

** Recommended for 9 to 14 years of age.

The Stratford Adventure of Adrian & Tiddlywinks, by John Sullivan Hayes, 138 pages
@ SPL: J FIC Hayes

It’s appropriate that during the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 60 th anniversary season, a book written by John Sullivan Hayes has been released. The Stratford Adventure of Adrian & Tiddlywinks, a children’s story about a shy but talented young boy and an equally talented young mouse, is set in the early days of the Festival. It was a time and place familiar to Mr. Hayes, who was a Festival actor, producer and stage manager for approximately 40 years, beginning in 1953 when Tyrone Guthrie invited him to move from England to help launch Stratford’s fledging theatre. The names, personalities (and temperaments) of some of the Festival’s earliest directors, designers and actors are used throughout the story.

In the story, Adrian, the son of a famous Shakespearean actor, moves with his family from England to Stratford Ontario, where his father is acting in the newly-established Stratford Festival. Mr. Fitzroy is all too aware of the challenges and difficulties in the acting profession and tries to discourage his son from following in his footsteps. Beneath Adrian’s shyness, however, is a keen interest and talent for acting. Unknown to his father, he auditions for an apprenticing position and is successful.

Adrian’s story is nicely enhanced with the whimsical subplot of Tiddlywinks, a mouse who also wishes to act. Hidden in the luggage, the thespian mouse accompanies the Fitzroy family from England to Ontario and, like Adrian, successfully auditions for a role (in a production of a mouse acting troupe).

This winsome tale, with its message of pursuing one’s dream despite the obstacles, could be read aloud by an adult (who may be quite interested in the local content and detail) to children as young as six years of age.

** Recommended for 6 to 9 years of age.

These reviews will appear in The Stratford Gazette on August 16th, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Cyberbullying 101

***Stay tuned for the September Issue of WebWatch featuring Internet Safety ***

Sign up HERE to join the newsletter email list!

What is it?
Cyberbullying involves the use of social media (information and communication technologies) to support traditional bullying activities such as exclusion, harassment, and the spread of gossip. Part of the reason cyberbullying is so effective is that the viewing audience tends to be much larger online than bullying experienced in person (hundreds compared to a handful).

Some statistics

* The top sites to experience cyberbullying include Facebook, Twitter and Youtube but texting, sexting, and private messaging are also popular.

* According to an article on Mashable, 90% of teens who witness cyberbullying online say they ignore it, few tell their parents.
* 81% of kids say it’s easier to get away with bullying online than in person.

* A 2004 study found that 42% of kids had been bullied online – I would suggest that that statistic has greatly increased with the growing use of social media.

Tips and Tricks
* Keep family computers in an open, commonly used space.
* Keep passwords private and do not allow friends to login under your username. If using someone else’s computer be sure to fully logout of a site before closing the window.

* Do not spread gossip! Remember, not everything you hear or read is true.

* Use Netiquette: Be polite! Using a virtual medium to be hurtful does not make the affects any less painful to the other person.

* Do not send messages in moments of anger or emotional distress – try writing down how you feel in a journal instead and address the issue when you have cooled off.

* Do not open messages from people who you do not know.
* Unplug. Try to spend time away from the computer and cell phone and remember that life is more than just virtual!

Source

What to do if you are being cyberbullied

* Do not respond to bullies via any type of communication. The equivalent of walking away in cyberbullying is simply not replying.

* Tell someone you trust if you are being bullied or if you witness someone else being cyberbullied.

* Keep messages sent to you by bullies. You do not have to open and read all of them but if the bullying escalates and there are police or school authorities involved they may want access to those messages.


How to talk to your children about cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is new to this generation, but bullying has been around forever. It is important that your children know that you can be trusted to confide in if bullying were to occur. Likewise, let kids know that if they are upset with someone to speak with you first rather than send a hurtful message. Bullying works both ways, we do not want our kids being bullied or being a bully.


How to talk to your friends about cyberbullying

The best way to talk to your friends about it is to act: stop the chain of gossip instead of passing it on. Participation is acceptance and is an extension of cyberbullying. Since gossip is passed on through people the initial source may never be discovered, but people who choose to pass on the information will be blamed.

Remember, it is not funny, it is hurtful.

Source

Counselling Services in Stratford Area
Please see our May 2012 Issue of WebWatch

Places to go for more information

MediaSmarts

Cyberbullying.ca

Mashable - Cyberbullying

CommonSense Media

Books/eBooks

1. Cyberbullying No More by Holli Kenley
2. Cyberbullying by Robin Kowalski
3. Stand Up for Yourself and Your Friends by Patti Kelley Chriswell 
4. The Bully, the BUllied and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso

View this inforgraphic as a larger image!

LG Campaign: Before You Text… Give it a Ponder

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Shelf Life [kids]

Storm Runners By Roland Smith, 143 pages
@ SPL: J FIC Smi

Most people try to avoid storms and other natural disasters. Not 13-year-old Chase Masters and his father, who are “storm chasers.”

Every two months or so, they pull up stakes and move to a location where a major storm is predicted. They help residents and business owners to prepare their buildings and property for the upcoming storm. Afterwards, they stay for two or three months, with Mr. Masters working to repair damaged buildings, boats and property, and Chase attending school.

It’s both a livelihood and a way of living. Chase is used to it, and he and his dad have become weather experts.

Hurricane Emily, advancing to the Florida coast, has been considered a serious storm from the beginning, and it has quickly gained intensity. The Masters realize that it may be the worst storm they’ve ever seen – but many residents aren’t aware of its gravity. Chase and his dad also feel that the weather forecasters have wrongly predicted the location where the storm will hit land.

After the first day at his new school, Chase is on the long bus ride home when the storm, approaching much faster than expected, slams into the Florida coast. The heavy rain and high winds quickly inundate the levees in the rural area. Roads, ditches, fields, farms and then homes are flooded. The water rises quickly and all electricity is out.

The school bus never reaches the farm where Chase is staying. It skids off the road, which has been washed out. Submerged in a ditch, Chase and his new friends are able to escape out the emergency door, but they are miles away from their homes. They must depend on their own resourcefulness and survival skills.

Not only are they battling “the storm of the century” and the rising waters, but a number of wild animals – alligators, tigers and cheetahs – have escaped from a local game farm.

This action/adventure tale ends with the friends reaching the farm much later that night. However, the house is almost gone; the storm continues, and they are not yet safe. The story is continued in a sequel, Surge, also available at the Stratford Public Library.

Avid and reluctant readers alike will be unable to put this fast-paced book down.

** Recommended for ages eight to 12.

Dark Life By Kat Falls, 297 pages
@ SPL: J FIC Falls

Ty has always lived with his family on their ocean floor farm deep beneath the waves. He has always felt safe and happy in the undersea world – until now.

A gang of dangerous convicts, escaped from the Seablite Maximum Security Prison, have been attacking homesteads and farms in the underwater settlement where Ty lives. No one feels safe.

The convicts are not only very dangerous, but “damaged,” according to “Doc,” who reveals that the inmates were subjected to mind-altering experiments while in prison. They seem ruthlessly intent on driving away the settlers. If they succeed, where will the families go?

As the attacks increase and the families band together to defend their homes, Ty begins to suspect that there is more going on than an attempt to drive away the settlers. The convicts also appear to want someone from the settlement. Who? Why?

When Ty is captured by the convicts, he overhears a conversation and realizes what they really want. He learns that someone from his own settlement – someone he has known and trusted for years – is far more of a threat to the settlers than the escaped prisoners.

He and his sister Zoe are in particular danger because they have special abilities, which the settlers have named “dark gifts.”

Now it’s more vital than ever that Ty escape quickly to alert his family about the true danger threatening the community.

Kat Falls’ “must-read” story is full of suspense, adventure and intrigue. Readers will be glad to know that a sequel, Rip Tide, has just been published.

** Recommended for ages nine to 13.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 2nd, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian

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Shelf Life [adult]

Taft 2012: A Novel By Jason Heller @ SPL: FIC Helle

The US presidential election is ramping up (not that US elections ever seem to ramp down), and while the Donkeys and Elephants battle it out, author Jason Heller provides an alternative candidate in his newest novel: William Howard Taft, he of the portly proportions and handlebar mustache, the former US president of 1909-1912.

According to history, Taft was a fair and principled president who felt honour-bound to complete projects often to the detriment of his own career – which turned out to be near political suicide.

Although he lost his bid for a second term in a humiliating defeat, he did go on to become chief justice of the Supreme Court, a post he claimed felt more suitable.

In his novel, however, Mr. Heller takes some liberties with Taft’s biography. What if, after the humiliating defeat of 1912, Taft had simply disappeared without a trace? Only to “awaken” and reappear, on the White House lawn, 100 years later, just as another election is starting up?

Heller does not bother digging into hotbed political issues in this satire, focusing on how a man-out-of-time comes to terms with both his past and newly-found present, a present which includes a great-granddaughter of mixed race, Franken-turkey, and tweeting.

He intersperses Taft’s inner story with media tidbits (including tweets) that indicate how the country is reacting to the election and to the reappearance of a politician who historically had so much integrity.

Heller imagines that this integrity would appeal to grass-root folks (like the Tea Party), but that the Taft of 2012 would be as naХve of 21st century political machinations as he was of those in 1908 – as in fact the “Taft Party” turns out to be as well.

The result is a quickly-read, light satire of American politics – not enough to arouse the wrath of any political party, but just enough to allow, say, America’s neighbours to have a little chortle – and perhaps wistfully wish for such a politician in their own country.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on August 2nd, 2012. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.

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