Yakima Valley Reads has commenced! Join us in reading Garth Stein’s novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain, a tale of a dog’s love for his man, through good times and bad. Pets are more than just fun – they’re a part of our lives!  We invite the community of Yakima Valley to share their pet prose or pictures with the everyone, and celebrate our canine companions.

We’ll share the stories and photos online and in displays at your local library. Visit your local library with your pet story, photo, or drawing to be posted for all to see! Any hard copy photo you wish to have returned to you will be sent in to be scanned, copied, and returned to you. Focus on your pet! However, people can be included in photos if the submission is accompanied by a photo release form, which can be picked up and returned at your local library.

Guidelines:

Submit a single photo or story (1000 words or less) to your local library, or via email at dogs@yvl.org. All submissions will be reviewed for content and upon submission the submitter agrees to allow the library control and use of the submission for the duration of the Yakima Valley Reads and for any future promotional or library purposes. For all submissions, please include your name, library and contact information. Photos with contact info may be picked up at your library following the end of the Yakima Valley Reads.

Hop over to our Share Your Pet Stories tab to view submissions.

We can’t wait to hear your story!

Here’s how to participate:

1. Watch YVL’s “yakvalleyteens” Twitter account between Monday, July 11, and Friday, July 22. You can create an account to follow us, or just view the tweets via the Twitter page or on YVL’s Teens page.
2. We’ll post ten summaries, each describing a different book, during that time.
3. If you know the answer (or think you know), go to YVL’s Teens page and use the linked answer form. We’ll ask you the title, the author (if you know), your name, what grade you just finished (or age, if you’ve graduated), what library you usually visit, what Yakima County community you live in, and how we should contact you if you win. (We’ll post the response link on Twitter as well.)
4. From the correct answers, we’ll draw the winners in at the end of July. If one of those winners is you, you’ll tell us from which library you’d like to pick up your new book.

And remember, you can always check out @yakvalleyteens to hear about new teen books and upcoming teen activities!

Book prizes include Torment: A Fallen Novel by Lauren Kate, I am Number Four by Pitticus Lore, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, and six other titles, one copy of each. All books have been donated by the Greater Yakima Friends of the Library.

Added Aug. 3: The answers! (with links to the catalog so you can place hold requests)

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: “Trusting no one in the militarized Section 13, a girl soon finds that she has to take the fight right to the Capitol to win true freedom.”
2. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: “A young teen’s diary documents how her family hid from Nazi Germany. Her diary was published by her father after the war.”
3. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer: “An orphan disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates.”
4. Nation by Terry Pratchett: “A Pacific Islander and a British girl, two strangers who survive a devastating tsunami, struggle to make a new civilization in the wreckage.”
5. Crank by Ellen Hopkins: “A ‘monster’ addiction transforms a “good girl” into a total stranger, pulling her into a more and more dangerous life.”
6. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: “After discovering his disabilities hide a greater secret, a runaway must stop a divine war between his real father and Zeus.”
7. Pop by Gordon Korman: “High school football player moves to new town, meets retired pro idol, discovers a secret the man’s family is trying to hide from everyone.”
8. Split by Swati Avasthi: “Jace’s dad abuses the family. His brother ran away years ago. Now Jace has done the same, but not for quite the same reason.”
9. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: “When a teen moves to Forks, Wash., she never expects to meet the love of her life – or that he’ll be a vampire.”
10. American Born Chinese by Yuang: “Fighting stereotypes – sometimes literally – a boy tries to find where he belongs: is he Chinese or American?”

One World, Many Stories: Kids, here’s the program for you! Register online starting June 6th or at your library, and keep track of each day you read (or are read to) for at least 20 minutes. Earn prizes for 5, 10, 15, and 20 days.

You Are Here: Teens, after you register, log each book you read this summer. Every two books you read or listen to gives you an entry into a weekly drawing. (Don’t forget our downloadable audiobooks!)

Novel Destinations: Who doesn’t love to curl up with a good story in the summer? Adults, relax on your vacation or dream of being somewhere else – then log your books (or that audiobook you’re listening to on the road). Just like the teen program, every two books you read gives you an entry into a weekly drawing.

Yakima Valley Libraries will feature many performers, events, and activities throughout June and July.

Our featured performers include:

Louie Foxx “World of Magic” on June 15th

• Selah Library @ 11 a.m.
• Summitview Library @ 1:30 p.m.
• Granger Library @ 4 p.m.

Alleyoop Presents Children’s Music, Puppets and Stories, on June 23rd:

• Sunnyside Library @ 10:30 a.m.
• Yakima Central Library @ 2 p.m.
• Moxee Library @ 4 p.m.

Debbie Deutsch presents Storytelling with Origami, on July 12th:

• Selah Library @ 10 a.m.
• Summitview Library @ 1:30 p.m.
• Wapato Library @ 4 p.m.

Inca Mask Making with Mindy Clark of Red Art Studios:

• Yakima Central Library, July 6th @ 3 p.m.
• Selah Library, July 7th @ 3 p.m.
• Sunnyside Library, July 14th @ 3 p.m.
• Summitview Library, July 19th @ 3 p.m.
• Wapato Library, July 27th @ 3 p.m.

Other featured crafts and activities are Guatemalan worry dolls, Batik paper making, Celtic knot tying, Animal Sounds Around the World storytime, and paper airplane folding! Libraries will also offer a host of other activities, ranging from exploring the northern and southern hemispheres at the Yakima Central Library to Walkaround Wonders at Summitview Library, from enjoying country-themed storytimes at Wapato Library to relishing a teen pizza and ice cream party at the Terrace Heights Library, and lots more! There’s far too much to list everything here, so check at your local library or view our online events calendar to get the full list.

The pass comes in the form of a DVD – an eight-minute film about a Goldendale boy and his family and the experience they have at the museum. The film is called “The Magic of Maryhill.” You can check it out for a week, take it to the museum for your free admission, and then return it to the library.

Maryhill Museum, located in Goldendale along the Columbia Gorge, has a wide collection of art, ranging from the early 20th century European works to an extensive Native American collection, housed in a castle-like mansion. The extensive grounds include an outdoor sculpture garden, sweeping views of the Columbia River and a replica of Stonehenge, dedicated as a World War I memorial. It was founded by Sam Hill, named after his daughter, and opened to the public in 1940. The drive from Yakima takes about 1 1/2 hours.

The passes are at Yakima Central Library in downtown Yakima, but you can request a pass to pick up at your regular library branch.

The Access Art program started in 2004 with 5 libraries and now includes more than 50 area libraries. Yakima Valley Libraries is delighted to be a part of this program.

Maryhill Museum is open seven days a week, including all holidays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 through Nov. 15. To see a map of its location, click here.

You can drop-in for crafts at any of these libraries near you:

• Buena Library, March 29th – 31st, 3 – 5
• Granger Library, March 28th – 31st, 3 – 5
• Moxee Library, March 30th 10 – 1; March 31st, 3 – 6
• Naches Library, March 31st, 4 – 6
• Selah Library, March 28th – April 1st, 11 – 1
• Southeast Library, March 30th – April 1st, 1 – 4
• Summitview Library, March 28th – April 1st, 1 – 3
• Sunnyside Library, April 4th – 8th, 10 – 3
• Terrace Heights Library, March 28th & 30th, 12 – 7; March 29th & 31st, 10 – 6
• Toppenish Library, March 29th, 31st & April 2nd, 11 – 4
• Union Gap Library, March 29th, 10 – 7
• Wapato Library, March 28th – April 1st, 3 – 5
• White Swan Library, March 28th, 30th & April 1st, 2 – 4
• Yakima Central Library, March 29th & 31st, 10:30 – 12; March 30th, 3 – 6
• Zillah Library, March 28th – 31st & April 2nd, 2 – 5

And if you can’t make it – peruse our craft books and take one out for some projects at home!

We’re also asking teens to tweet a review of a great teen book during Teen Tech Week, tagging it as a yakteentech review, and we’ll retweet our favorites  next week.

Are you familiar with Twitter? Yakima Valley Libraries has been tweeting about new teen books and teen activities at yakvalleyteens, which you can follow on Twitter or view recent posts on the teens’ page of YVL’s website. Once you create an account, you decide whether your posts (tweets) will be public or private. Posts are 140 characters long (which includes spaces and punctuation), but don’t worry – Twitter will tell you how many characters you have left! A hashtag is a descriptive word or phrase all pushed together with a # mark in front of it, like #newbook or #yakteentech.

Tech Tech Week activities at individual libraries include:

• Terrace Heights Library, March 7, 4 p.m.
• Selah Library, March 8, 3:30 p.m.
• Yakima Central Library, March 8, 4 p.m.
• Sunnyside Library, March 9, 5 p.m.
• Wapato Library, March 10, 3:15 p.m.

To access ConsumerReports.org from home, click here; you’ll be prompted to enter your library card number and then select ConsumerReports. You can also get to ConsumerReports.org from the YVL website – click on “Research Databases” and scroll down to “Consumer Information.”

For free websites with consumer information, try our list of recommended sites.

Classics:

• White Christmas
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Frosty the Snowman
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• A Christmas Story
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Recent Favorites and New Films:

• Elf
• The Polar Express
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• A Christmas Carol
• The Santa Clause
• The Nativity Story
• Christmas in Canaan
• The First Christmas
• Chilltown Christmas
• The Christmas Hope
• The 12 Dogs of Christmas
• The 12 Days of Christmas Eve

Just for kids:

• Barbie in the Nutcracker
• It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
• Jolly Holiday
• Yes, Virginia
• Madeline’s Christmas & Other Wintery Tales
• The Night Before Christmas: A Mouse Tale
• The Muppet Christmas Carol

Is your favorite already checked out? Put a hold on it, or search our catalog for other Christmas films!

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie and Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Albatross by Josie Bloss

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Beige by Cecil Castellucci

Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

Fat Kid Rules the World by KL Going

Graphic novels:

Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Gravitation by Maki Murakami

Re:Play by Christy Lijewski

Rhysmyth by Anthony Andora

Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody by Mike Dawson

Fire safety storytimes for kids, altered book events for teens, and book discussions and dystopian film showings for adults are all scheduled events for October. Our featured guest is young adult author Chris Crutcher, who will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Allied Arts Gallery.

Bradbury’s classic futuristic tale includes the ideas of a government burning books “for the good of humanity”, but also questions the effects of mass media, and by extension the progression of technology, on an individual’s interest in reading.

Stop by your local library to pick up a paperback copy of Fahrenheit 451, sign your pledge card and get a schedule of events. Come read with us!

Partners for this year’s program include Allied Arts of Yakima, Greater Yakima Friends of the Library, inklings bookshop, the Larson Gallery and Manic Thunder Improv. Books are provided by a generous bequest from the estate of Frank and Janet Wibom and the Greater Yakima Friends of the Library.

See a list of events for Yakima Valley Reads.