Question of the Week:

Summer is flying by and we are trying to go on one more family vacation. We will be in the car for a long amount of time and crossing several states to reach our destination. Any suggestions from the library as to how to keep the kids occupied?

Answer: How exciting for your family to go on vacation! I have several ideas from the library to keep kids happy in the car.

The first would be to get a road atlas and let the kids follow along your route. Rand McNally Kid’s Road Atlas is a great one. Not only does it include maps, but it also includes games and trivia about each state you’ll pass through. Another idea is Miles of Smiles: 101 Great Car Games and Activities. It’s full of games and activities to keep the kids occupied.

My favorite suggestion is audio books. The library has a large collection of both children’s and adult’s audio books on both CD and cassette. It’s a great way to pass time in the car, you can pick your kids favorites (mine is the Harry Potter series read by the fabulous Jim Dale or introduce them to the classics such as The Secret Garden, Charlotte’s Web or Hatchet.

New at the Library:

• Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure (James Patterson) — One last chance... for Max, Fang, and Dylan...before it all ends. Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming. (Young Adult)

• You Don’t Want To Know (Lisa Jackson) — This chilling stand-alone suspense thriller from bestseller Jackson (Without Mercy) brings every parent’s biggest fear to life — the disappearance of one’s child. Nightmare-plagued Ava Garrison still can’t remember the details of the night her twoyear old son, Noah, went missing from her Washington State island home two years ago, but her memory is starting to return. (Mystery)

• Dream Lake (Lisa Kleypas) — Dream Lake takes readers to the exquisite setting of Friday Harbor, and tells the story of Zoe Hoffman, an innkeeper who has all but given up on love. She’s a gentle, romantic soul, but has been so hurt in the past that she dare not trust her heart with anyone. Especially not Alex Nolan. Zoe and Alex are oil and water.. But sometimes, it takes only a glimmer of light to chase away the dark. (Fiction)

• A Bloody Storm (Richard Castle) — Derrick Storm is back with a crack team of ghost CIA operatives. These former agents have all faked their own deaths and now work for the CIA on a strictly secret basis. They’re headed to the Molguzar Mountains to look for $60 billion worth of gold hidden by the KGB. But Storm’s loyalties are put to the test as the mission begins to unravel into a bloody mountaintop showdown. (E-Book only)

• In the Shadow of the Banyan (Vaddey Ratner) — For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours, bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Soon the family’s world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus. (Fiction)

This column is a regular feature submitted by the five library systems in Lapeer County: Almont District, Dryden Township, Lapeer District (eight locations), North Branch Township, Ruth Hughes Memorial District (two locations), Family Literacy Center (Lapeer). Find out more about them all www.lapeer.org under “Libraries.” Check your local library for the specific events and items they have. Books they do not own, they will borrow for you.

Upcoming Events:

• ABC’s (Afternoon of Books & Cookies) workshop — August 9 at 10 a.m. at the North Branch Township Library. Call the library to register at 810-688-2282.