SEWING 101
Thursday, September 12
6:30-7:30 pm
Learn how to use a sewing machine and accompanying tools in this introductory class. Sewing and machine skills include threading the machine, raising and lowering the presser foot, using the foot pedal, winding a bobbin, sewing straight, in reverse and around corners, organizing your workspace, and using a seam ripper. Sewing machines are provided. For grades 4-8.

WEST SUBURBAN HOME SCHOOL BAND
Wednesday, September 18
1-2:30 pm
Learn about this group of elementary through high school-age homeschooled students. The band includes all wind instruments and a full percussion section with over 200 members from over 90 families. Listen to some of the players and try some instruments! For kids of all ages.

TRY IT, MAKE IT!
Thursday, September 19
4-5 pm
In this DIY open lab, learn about and use “maker” tools like sewing and Cricut (electronic cutting) machines and a 3D printer. For kids of all ages.
PAINTED PUMPKINS
Thursday, October 3
7-8 pm
Adults and kids of all ages can have fun and be creative by painting a pumpkin or gourd to use as a fall decoration or centerpiece.

Diary of a Middle School Kid: Giovanni
Giovanni is a 6th grader at Hadley Junior High.

If Italy needed a new leaning tower of LEGO ® bricks in Pisa, Giovanni would be there learning Italian and selling bricks in his LEGO ® store!

Giovanni recommends Percy Jackson books to his friends, and enjoys drawing, talking, and sharing stories. One of his stories might be about how to grow cucumbers in his back yard and pickle them, something that he would like to try!
New Book Spotlight: Between Water and the Woods by Simone Snaith
From Goodreads...

Emeline’s quiet village has three important rules:

Don’t look at the shadows.
Don’t cross the river.
And don’t enter the forest.

An illustrated fantasy filled with beauty and power, Between the Water and the Woods sweeps you into a world where forests are hungry; knights fight with whips; the king is dying; and a peasant girl’s magic will decide the future of the realm…
When Emeline’s little brother breaks all three of their village’s rules, she is forced to use her family’s forbidden magic to rescue him from the dark things he awakens, the Ithin. Now that the Ithin are afoot in the land, she must, by law, travel to the royal court and warn the king. But the only way she and her family can make the journey to the capital is with the protection of a sour magister and a handsome, whip-wielding Lash Knight. Will Emeline survive in a city where conspiracies swirl like smoke and her magic is all but outlawed?

Peer Review: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
My name is Charlie and I’m a 7th grader at St. Petronille. I’ll be reviewing Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare , a video game. 

I have played Garden Warfare and have found it is a fun online game. You can choose whose side you are on. You then fight the other side in third person combat. You can unlock more abilities and skins in the game. It is a good game for kids eight years and up. You can play this game with friends in groups of up to four people. You can customize your character. The player games are 24 people each. You need Xbox live to play this game. You can also choose from different characters for each side in the game.

Fascination and Inspiration
 by Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
The Middle Squad, a wonderful group of middle schoolers, gave their time to the library this summer. They tidied the Youth Department, helped with programs like the Fairytale Trail and Happy Birthday, Harry Potter, and more.

The Middle Squad celebrated all that we had accomplished this summer with The Middle Squad Pizza Party, and it was so much fun! During the party, I played a domino compilation and Marblelympics videos in the background. The students were captivated - but why? Probably because of the creativity and ingenuity behind it. The patience required to set up thousands and thousands of dominoes is a commendable feat. I know I’d mess up repeatedly, probably right at the end too. Jelle, the guy behind Marblelympics has over 250,000 subscribers and his videos have easily massed over a million views.

We all enjoy applauding each other’s creativity and imagination. With so many ways to share wonderment via social media, blogging, and vlogging, inspiration and bewilderment are only a click away. If you feel you have a knack for something, don’t hesitate to show the world what you have to offer. You never know who you will end up inspiring.
Mon-Thurs: 9 am to 9 pm, Fri-Sat: 9 am to 5 pm, Sun: 1-5 pm