Bow News : books

Libraries prepare for release of Harry Potter

Bow Editor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:49:00 GMT

Hopkinton Town Library director Elizabeth Levy stopped reading the “Harry Potter” book series after the fourth installment, but she’s apparently in the minority.

“For the first four, I was very into them, but after that they didn’t have much appeal,” said Levy.

For the library, she’s ordered four copies of the most recent, and final, Potter book, which is to be released internationally on Saturday, July 21. She’s already had four reservations put on the book.

The book, titled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” tops out at 784 pages. But the length won’t deter children who’ve read the other six books, said Baker Free Library children’s librarian Jennifer Ericsson.

“It doesn’t intimidate them,” said Ericsson of the 15 children who’ve reserved the book already. “This weekend will be a very quiet weekend all around the world.”

For the Baker Free Library, she’s ordered five copies of the young adult novel.

Ericsson said she’s also a fan. There’s a worldwide argument about whether the title character will die in the final installment.

“I want to see how (J.K. Rowling) ends it. I have my own theory about how it ends and I want to see if I’m right,” she said.

In both libraries, the six other Potter installments have been flying off the shelves with children and adults catching up or re-reading.

“We’re replacing some of the older ones because they’ve separated,” said Levy, holding a copy of the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” split along the spine.

At the Baker Free Library, Ericsson said the nearly two-shelves-full of Potter books, audio tapes and movies are checked out in anticipation of the new release, which is listed as the number one bestseller in the United States on amazon.com.

Both librarians said they’re hoping the book doesn’t arrive late.

“It should get here on Friday in time to be processed – in time because we’ve got people who are already waiting,” said Ericsson.

They might get the book on Friday, July 20, but they aren’t giving the ending away until it’s time.

“We have kind of signed our lives away by saying we won’t let it our before it is time,” said Levy.

Good eats – Children learn to cook at library

Bow Editor — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:58:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

When Baker Free Library children’s librarian Jennifer Ericsson saw Katie Wilton at a recent bookstore promotion she decided then and there that the up-and-coming author and chef was due for a visit to Bow.

“I told myself, ‘I’ve got to get her to come to the library. I think the kids would really enjoy her. She’s got a lot of energy,’” said Ericsson.

“She’s just very friendly and approachable.”

Wilton hopes to be a Rachel Ray-type personality for teens and tweens, but for now, she is dedicating much of her time toward touring New England towns to teach the craft of cooking, including, at Ericsson’s request, a recent visit to Bow.

Wilton is the author of “You’re the Cook! A guide to mixing it up in the kitchen,” which offers children, ages 9 and older, creative and easy ways, along with step-by-step photos, to cook favorites such as quesadillas, French toast, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup and much more.

Wilton started her career as a sixth-grade language arts teacher before deciding to combine her two passions, cooking and education, to create one ideal job.

“I started Cooking with Katie with a goal to teach middle school children how to cook with the belief that by teaching those basic culinary skills, you can really build confidence in this age group,” she said.

“I’ve been doing hands-on cooking classes in all kinds of community and after-school programs, and one of the things parents kept asking me is, ‘Do you recommend a cookbook specifically designed for this group?’ There’s quite a few out there, but none really for middle school grades in particular, so I decided I needed to put one together came up with some really fun recipes I’ve been using in my classes.”

Though 14 publishing houses turned her down, Wilton remained undeterred and self-published her first book roughly one year ago, which has already sold more than 5,000 copies.

Wilton now travels around Massachusetts and neighboring states, teaching her craft to older children and teenagers and has become somewhat of a regional icon.

“I’ve been doing author signings at Barnes and Noble and using a lot of other avenues, but I’ve really found that library programs are fabulous because I’m able to reach different kids from different communities and I’m able to teach them hands-on. Now they can take what they’ve learned and do it from home,” said Wilton.

“I talk about where food comes from and then how to cook with it, which is really important because I want them to be creative and I want them to come up with their own recipes, and the only way to do that is to really know about the food properties so you know how to work with them.”

The next step, said Wilton, is a television series, a concept she has already submitted to the Food Network.

“They said I’m not famous enough, but I said, ‘How am I suppose to become famous unless you give me a break,” she said.

So for now, Wilton will continue traveling around northern New England, promoting her name, and, in the mean time, teaching young teenagers a valuable skill.

In fact, the demand for Wilton’s first program at the Baker Free Library was so great that she was invited back for seconds.

“We had so many kids sign up that we had to offer it again next month because there wasn’t enough space,” said Ericsson. “It’s wonderful because we’re very new at offering programing for the middle school/high school age group and there is definitely a market for it.”

Wilton will return on Wednesday, July 25, at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact the library at 224-7113.

Now & Then – Bow Heritage Commission pens book

Bow Editor — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:12:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

It took nearly a year to put together and several months to publish, but “Bow,” the new book by the Bow Heritage Commission, is finally available for purchase.

Sue Wheeler, chairman of the Heritage Commission, said many hours and resources went into the book’s creation, but the end result makes all the time and effort worth it.

“The final outcome was great. It looks absolutely wonderful,” said Wheeler. “We had other books to go from, from other towns, so we had a good idea of what the finished product would look like. But, obviously, this has a more personal feel and I think it’s just dynamite.”

The book is produced by Arcadia Publishing, which has created thousands of similar books from other towns throughout the country, especially New England.

Though Arcadia handled the final details and printing, it was members of the Heritage Commission, both past and present, who did the work behind the book.

“We had to make sure we had everything covered, from having the right picture to getting the right information to categorizing and making chapters. We had to make it interesting and it was a process,” said Wheeler. “It took time and took a lot of dedication from the commissioners,
but we put our heads together and just pushed through it.

“We were just very fortunate to have a great collection of photos that former commissioners had already put together, so we didn’t have to go and beg people to give up their pictures.”

The book, which has a limited amount of contemporary photos, is intended to provide readers with a look into the past without much reading.

“100 Acres More or Less,” by David Bundy, was published in 1975 and had served as Bow’s only true history book before now.

“That is more of an informational book where this is a picture book, which tends to catch people’s attention more so than one with a lot of reference,” said Wheeler. “We made some captions a little corny and funny to keep it creative.”