2022 Summer Movies

FPL Wednesday Night Movies (July 6th & July 20th)

The Falmouth Public Library will be showing two summer movie classics in the Hermann room on Wednesday Nights in July, Independence Day from 1996 and Jaws from 1975! These movie viewings are free to the public and are sponsored by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library. Registrations are required and each movie is limited to 60 participants.

Wednesday, July 6th at 5:30pm in the Hermann room

Independence Day (Rated PG-13; Runtime 2.5 hours)

“In the epic adventure film “Independence Day,” as these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived; its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.”

Wednesday, July 20th at 6pm in the Hermann room
Jaws (Rated PG; Runtime 2 hours)

“When a young woman is killed by a shark near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled ship captain Quint offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature.”

FV Movies Under The Stars (July 27th – August 31st)

The Falmouth Village Association will be showing double feature movies on the library lawn every Wednesday at dusk (6pm-10pm) starting July 27th and ending August 31st! BYO blankets and chairs and join us on the library lawn to enjoy some outdoor family fun with Movies Under the Stars. These movies are weather dependent and are free to the public. No registration is required.

Wednesday, July 27th from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope (Rated PG; Runtime 2 hours)
“Young Luke Skywalker leaves his desert home planet to rescue Princess Leia and become a Jedi knight.”
~ 8pm Movie: Apollo 13 (Rated PG; Runtime 2.3 hours):
“The true story of the Apollo 13 space mission where astronauts are stranded in their crippled spacecraft while the ground crew race against time to bring them home.”

Wednesday, August 3rd from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: My Dog Skip (Rated PG; Runtime 1.5 hours)
“Set in Mississippi in the late 1940s and based on Willie Morris’ boyhood memoirs, eight-year-old Willie loses his only friend in the world to the draft until his mother gives him a puppy for his birthday.”

~ 8pm Movie: Dog (Rated PG-13; Runtime 1.6 hours)
“Briggs and his companion Lulu, a Belgian Malinois, haul ass down the Pacific Coast in time to catch their best friend’s and handler’s funeral.”

Wednesday, August 10th from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Sing 2 (Rated PG; Runtime 1.8 hours)
“The ever-optimistic koala, Buster Moon and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet, all in the glittering entertainment capital of the world.”

~ 8pm Movie: The Greatest Showman (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“An original musical screenplay brings to life the story of P.T. Barnum and his creation of “the greatest show on Earth”.”

Wednesday, August 17th from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Coco (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events.”

~ 8pm Movie: McFarland, USA (Rated PG; Runtime 2.1 hours)
“Inspired by the 1987 true story, the movie follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White, a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school.”

Wednesday, August 24 from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Ratatouille (Rated G; Runtime 1.8 hours)
“A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession.”

~ 8pm Movie: Julie and Julia (Rated PG-13; Runtime 2 hours)
“Julie Powell is a frustrated insurance worker who wants to be a writer. Trying to find a challenge in her life, she decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ in one year, and to blog about it.”

Wednesday, August 31st from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Ron’s Gone Wrong (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“The story of Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler, and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally connected device, which is supposed to be his ‘Best Friend out of the Box.’ Ron’s hilarious malfunctions, set against the backdrop of the social media, age launch them into an action-packed journey in which boy and robot come to terms with the wonderful messiness of true friendship.”

~ 8pm Movie Chistopher Robin (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“The young boy, who loved taking adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with a gang of spirited and loveable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into that world and help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.”

Children’s StoryWalks at Highfield Hall this Summer

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

Falmouth Public Library Youth Services is thrilled to be working with Highfield Hall and Gardens to facilitate a 10 week summertime series of free family StoryWalks!

From Juneteenth until Labor Day, a new story will be installed every Monday. Start at the gravel parking lot entrance at Highfield and travel down the ADA Accessible Historic Beech Tree Path. While you are there, enjoy the music garden, perfect for kids of all ages. Tag us on Instagram at #fpl-childrens and #HighfieldHallFalmouth.

Drop in on Thursdays between 10am-12pm for a Coalition for Children‘s hands-on craft with Rosemary on the porch! This craft is geared towards children ages 3 and up.

Book Bike is Back for 2022!

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

The Falmouth Public Library Book Bike is hitting the road once again for its 2022 touring season!

All members of the community are invited to stop by. You can sign up for a library card, pick up free books and DVDs, and meet FPL staff. We are looking forward to seeing you and spreading our love of the Library throughout town!

Please note all visits are weather permitting:

Mondays at 10:30-11:00 am find us at:

June 6, July 25, August 22, September 26, Cape Cod Apartments, 62 Locust Street
June 13, August 8, October 3, Mayflower Apartments, Choate Lane
July 11, August 28, Salt Sea Apartments, Salt Sea Lane
July 18, September 12, Rose Morin Apartments, Rose Morin Lane
August 1, September 19, Harborview Apartments, 115 Scranton Ave

Thursdays 12:30-1:30 pm every week:

Falmouth Farmer’s Market, Marine Park.

Thursdays 4:45-5:15 pm:

Surf Drive Beach Storytime with Ms. Deirdre. June 30, July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28, August 4, August 11.

Looking for more books? The Friends of the Falmouth Public Library will hold their Annual Summer Book Sale from July 1-July 6, 2022 on the lawn of the Main Library at 300 Main Street. It’s open every day from 10 AM-4 PM, except July 6. July 6 hours are 10 AM – Noon. This is a huge event with thousands of books, most of which will be $2! Don’t miss it!

About the Friends

The Friends of the Library are a group of citizens whose purpose is to support and enhance the programs and services of the Falmouth Public Library in cooperation with the Staff and Library Trustees. They are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing the projects, programs, and services of the Falmouth Public Library. The Friends are happy to accept monetary donations.

Kanopy: Access Free Films and TV Shows

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

With your Falmouth Public Library card, you can now access over 30,000 films and TV shows, including critically acclaimed movies, inspiring documentaries, award winning foreign films, kids content, and more for free using Kanopy!

With the Kanopy app, you can stream their content on your favorite devices including desktops, iOS and Android phones and tablets, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV and Fire tablet.

To start streaming today, go to Kanopy, click on “Add Library Card” and follow the prompts to enter in your Falmouth Public Library card information.

To view all Falmouth Public Library online resources, click here.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month where we recognize and celebrate the heritage and cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their contributions and influences on the United States and its history. For more information and online events, lectures, exhibits, collections, videos and images, please visit https://asianpacificheritage.gov/

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Falmouth Public Library has put together a reading list of 2020 and 2021 books for all ages that are available from the library.

Kids:

A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang

Finish the Fight!: the Brave and Revolutionary Women who Fought for the Right to Vote written by the Staff of The New York Times

Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim

Watercress by Andrea Wang

When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

Who Is Kamala Harris? by Kirsten Anderson

Yasmin the Writer by Saadia Faruqi

Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

Teens:

Almost American Girl : an Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

Adults:

Crying in H Mart : a Memoir by Michelle Zauner

Eat a Peach : a Memoir by David Chang with Gabe Ulla

Facing the Mountain : a True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown

Heart of Fire: an Immigrant Daughter’s Story by Mazie K. Hirono

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang

Inheritors by Asako Serizawa

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Made in China : a Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods by Amelia Pang

Minor feelings : an Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

RomeAntically Challenged by Marina Adair

Sex and Vanity : a Novel by Kevin Kwan

Sigh, Gone : a Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit in by Phuc Tran

Sparks Like Stars: a Novel by Nadia Hashimi

Speak, Okinawa : a Memoir by Elizabeth Miki

Things We Lost to the Water: a Novel by Eric Nguyen

This is One Way to Dance : Essays by Sejal Shah

Tower of Skulls : a History of the Asia-Pacific War, July 1937-May 1942 by Richard B. Frank

The Scientist and the Spy : a True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage by Mara Hvistendahl

The Son of Good Fortune: a Novel by Lysley Tenorio

Women’s Liberation! : Feminist Writings that Inspired a Revolution & Still Can edited by Alix Kates Shulman and Honor Moore

The Book Bike Rides Again

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Falmouth Public Library Book Bike is hitting the road once again for its 2021 touring season! Come check out the Book Bike on its first ride, Monday, May 17th from 10:30 to 11:00 am when it will be at the Choate Lane Apartments.

Please note all visits are weather permitting:

Choate Apartments, Choate Ln: 10:30-11:00 am on May 17, July 12, September 13

Cape Cod Apartments, 62 Locust St: 10:30-11:00 am on June 21, August 16, September 27

Dillingham Place, 110 Dillingham Rd: 10:30-10:50 am on June 4, July 16, August 13, September 10

Harborview Apartments, 115 Scranton Ave: 10:30-11:00 am on June 7, August 2

Rose Morin Apartments, Rose Morin Ln: 11:00-11:20 am on June 4, July 16, August 13, September 10

Salt Sea Apartments, Salt Sea Ln: 10:30-11:00 am on May 24, July 19, September 20

Surf Drive Beach Storytime: 4:45-5:15 pm on July 8, July 15. July 22. July 29, August 5, August 12, August 19, August 26

For the most up to date information on the Book Bike and for additional visits, visit our Book Bike webpage by clicking here and by following @falmouthbookbike on instagram.

Norton Juster June 2, 1929-March 8 2021

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

Some Thoughts From Our Children’s Librarian, Laura Ford, on Norton Juster.

Norton Juster, most famous for his book The Phantom Tollbooth, died last week. Which is, of course, a sad thing. He was a classic figure in Children’s Literature, and The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic book.

Here’s where I make a big confession … I didn’t read The Phantom Tollbooth as a child. It was published in 1961, which certainly made it readily available during my childhood, I just never came across it. And ok, when I did come across it, it seemed like it involved math, which I’m embarrassed to say was NOT my thing, so I didn’t pick it up. Fast forward a few years, and I became a Children’s Librarian. And not just a Children’s Librarian, but a Children’s Librarian in FALMOUTH. There’s a certain amount of responsibility to being a Children’s Librarian in Falmouth. People here know their books. And they deserve a librarian who’s read the classics. So believe you me, I read The Phantom Tollbooth, and plenty of other classics I’d missed along the way.

It’s a story about a boy named Milo who is bored, bored, bored. (Sound familiar?) Milo is so bored that when a large package appears out of nowhere in his bedroom, he’s barely interested enough to open it, and when it reveals a toll booth, he hops in his boy-sized toy car and drives on through, only because he hasn’t got anything better to do. And drives on into history.

Does everyone have to read The Phantom Tollbooth? Certainly not. But at at almost 5 million copies sold since it was first published (and one would have to assume that some of those copies are in a library and were read more than once,) it certainly is worth a try. If sales numbers don’t impress you, try it because it has won a slew of awards, including the Parent’s Choice Book Award and the MSRI/CBC Mathical Books for Kids from Tots to Teens. (See? That award, right there, would’ve kept me away from it. But I digress.)

Here are a few quotes, because the PT is infinitely quotable:

“You can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and not get wet.”

“It’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters.”

“I am the Terrible Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit.”

The Humbug dropped his needle and stared in disbelief while Milo and Tock began to back away slowly.

“Don’t try to leave,” he ordered, with a menacing sweep of his arm, “for there’s so very much to do, and you still have over eight hundred years to go on the first job.”

“But why do only unimportant things?” asked Milo, who suddenly remembered how much time he spent each day doing them.

“Think of all the trouble it saves,” the man explained, and his face looked as if he’d be grinning an evil grin – if he could grin at all. “If you only do the easy and useless jobs, you’ll never have to worry about the important ones which are so difficult. You just won’t have the time. For there’s always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing, and if it weren’t for that dreadful magic staff, you’d never know how much time you were wasting.”

Still not sure it’s for you (and/or your kids?) Try it in audio. It’s available as a book on cd AND in downloadable audio. (You will have to put it on hold though. It has come to the attention of scores of people now that the author has passed.) It’s available in an annotated version, and in Spanish. And listen, if it just doesn’t appeal to you, I understand. No hard feelings. There other roads into Norton Juster’s work. Try The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, or The Odious Ogre, illustrated by Jules Feiffer (who just so happens to be the illustrator of a certain book about a tollbooth…) My favorite of Juster’s picture books is Neville, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. It’s fabulous to read aloud to a group of kids, given that the characters spend quite a bit of time yelling…..”Neville!” There’s a plot twist on the last page, which many kids figure out way ahead of time. I LOVE it when kids figure out the plot twist ahead of time.

[P.S. From the Reference Department … don’t miss The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth. As The Horn Book Magazine wrote: “If ever there were a twentieth-century children’s book that deserved an annotated edition, it’s Juster and Feiffer’s masterpiece.”]

For Grandparents

Posted on by Sue

Grandparents, are you missing your little ones? Let’s join the rest of the world in hopping onto a streaming app, such as Zoom or Facetime. Though not a welcome substitute for physical contact, online conversations offer a way to maintain our connections, to reassure children that we are still interested in what they are thinking and doing.

Like most of us, kids are usually eager to talk to someone outside the household for a while. Maybe they would like to hear a story from Grandma, or have Grandpa read them a book. Or why not take it one step further, and supplement the home schooling that is challenging many parents right now, by offering a fun lesson. Haul out some knowledge or expertise you might have, and devise a way to stimulate their interest in a topic, maybe history or geography related, perhaps a math or science challenge. Or, is there is a craft or dance you could demonstrate? Another idea is to mutually select a book or music that you could all read or listen to, and share your thoughts afterwards. Also, the library offers many ebook and music selections to borrow through Overdrive and Hoopla-click on the icons at the top of the page to get started, or call or email us for more information!

If these options are unavailable, or don’t appeal, there remain the more traditional ones like phone calls and yes, letter writing. Whatever your style, staying in touch will be rewarding for all.

Also, check out this link from the Save the Children website, for even more ideas!

From Children’s staff member Sandra Hussey

What Laura’s Reading

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

This blog entry is brought to you by Laura Ford, otherwise known as “Miss Laura,” the FPL Youth Services Librarian.

On New Year’s day I read a couple of fascinating nonfiction books: The Superpower Field Guide: Moles and The Superpower Field Guide: Beavers, both written by Rachel Poliquin and illustrated by Nicholas John Frith.

Most of the time I read fiction…there’s nothing like a good story to take me away. But sometimes I like a good nonfiction book, full of facts. I love learning new things. These two books are full of fascinating facts, strung together with bits of humor.

Fact: Moles have two-way fur. You can’t rub a mole the wrong way like you can a cat.

Fact: Some moles live their whole lives underground.

Fact: Someone has been folding back the corners of the mole book. Please don’t do that, it’s not good for the books! You can pick up a free bookmark at the circulation desk every time you come to the library.

Fact: Beavers have orange teeth.

Fact: Beavers have fur lined lips.

Fact: The biggest beaver dam on record is visible from space! (There was some push back on this fact when I announced it to my family. I did a little poking around and found that the fact was corroborated by a few random articles i found on the internet, but that wasn’t good enough of course. So I looked it up in our Gale Power search database, and found it in The National Geographic for Kids magazine, cited here: Kiffel-Alcheh, Jamie. “Beaver dam visible from space.” National Geographic Kids, Dec. 2010, p. 11. Gale In Context: Science,. Accessed 1 Jan. 2020.)

Both of these books have quizzes and a puzzle or drawing page in the middle. Please follow the author’s suggestion and “If this is a library book, DO NOT DRAW ON THIS PAGE! Your librarian isn’t going to like that. Not one bit.” <-True!!

Moles and Beavers are part of a four book series. Ostriches was published this year, and there is one copy available in CLAMS (and we’re ordering another one!) Eels will be published in June 2020, and it’s already on the purchase list.

When I come across a book that I like, I often look the author up in the catalog to see if they have written any other titles. Poliquin has also a book called Beastly Puzzles : a brain-boggling animal guessing game that I have put on hold to look at. And just from looking at the entry in the CLAMS catalog, I’m interested in the illustrator, Byron Eggenschwiler. Oddly enough, Eggenschwiler also illustrated Operatic by Kyo Maclear. Which just happens to be sitting in my To Be Read pile, right next to me.

Have I mentioned that I love books?

28 #BlackJoy Middle Grade Novels

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

Back in March, I posted about 28 #BlackJoy Picture Books because #weneeddiversebooks that feature Black protagonists just living their lives. The post was inspired by my frustration with the book lists faithfully trotted out every February for Black History Month. They were all full of books about Black trauma. So I decided to make a list which turned out to be much more popular than I expected—a big thank you to everyone who commented to let me know the recommendations were useful!

I didn’t want to leave out the older kids (sorry it’s taken so long), so here are 28 #BlackJoy Middle Grade Novels. In order to highlight authors who are writing right now, the list features predominately newer titles (most published within the last five years). Most titles are #ownvoices.

As I said in my previous post books about slavery are important. Books about Jim Crow America are important. Books about the Civil Rights Era are important. Books that feature Black characters experiencing joy are also important. These #BlackJoy books are great reads for Black History Month and all year long!

Enjoy,

~Stephanie

Children’s Room & North Branch

P.S. Click on images to enlarge. When you click the “Click here to request!” link a new tab will open. In the new tab, click on the title of the book you’re interested in to check availability/request it.

Click here to request!

Category: Children

FPL Wednesday Night Movies (July 6th & July 20th)

FV Movies Under The Stars (July 27th – August 31st)

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