10/18 Gretchen Olson at Hillsboro Main Library

Award-winning Oregon author Gretchen Olson to visit the Hillsboro Main Library.

Gretchen Olson will discuss her new novel "Call Me Hope" on Saturday, October 18, at 11:30 a.m. at the Hillsboro Main Library, 2850 NE Brookwood Parkway. This event is free and open to the public.

Gretchen will also share the work she has done with the national organization Hands & Words Are Not for Hurting, for which she received the University of Oregon's Community Award.

Prior to her public appearance, the author will join the library's Mother Daughter Book Club for a 10:00 a.m. discussion of "Call Me Hope." This is the story of Hope Marie Elliot, a resilient 11-year-old girl struggling to live under the pressures of her verbally abusive mother. Instead of running away, Hope creates survival strategies for herself. Hope is a winsome character whose bravery and determination resonates with middle-grade readers.

Gretchen is also the author of the young adult novel, "Joyride" and she lives with her husband on their blueberry farm in Oregon. She herself, just finished reading "The Mother-Daughter Book Club" by Heather Vogel Fredrick and loves the idea of visiting such a group.

The Mother Daughter Book Club at the Hillsboro Main Library is for girls in grades 3 through 5 and their mother or another special woman in their life. Discussions last about an hour and light refreshments are provided. No registration is required. For more information about the Mother Daughter Book Club, email Hillary at hillaryg at ci.hillsboro.or.us, call 503-615-6500 or visit the library.

Parents may want to be aware that there is one occurrence of questionable language in the book. If you would like to discuss the appropriateness of this book for your youngster, please feel free to call Hillary Garrett, Reference Librarian at 503-615-2482.

Book Club Kits Available now!

a photo by Elyce Feliz

Cedar Mill Community Librarians Laura Baca and Mark Richardson have developed a collection of book club kits to make hosting your own book clubs easier than ever. They're holdable and available for loan throughout the county.

Each kit has 8-10 copies of a book and a leader's guide. This new service makes it easy for all members of a book club to borrow a book at the same time. The kits are loaned for 30 days.

Book clubs are great. But there are so many details to take care of if you're doing your own: where to hold it, who to invite, what food or drink to serve (or not), and last but not least, what to read. And how do you make sure that the book is accessible, affordable, and available to everyone in your club?

These books are adult fiction and non-fiction titles that address diverse subjects, characters, situations and points of view. The leader's guide has background information about the book and author, as well as supplemental materials like reading guides and movie adaptations.

Laura Baca and the Out Stealing Horses book club kit

The kits have a 30 day checkout period. If returned late, the fine is $1 per day. They may be renewed once.

Current titles include:

• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
• Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
• Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.

To find the book club kits, just go to www.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?title="book+club+kit"

For more information about the kits, call Mark or Laura at the Cedar Mill Community Library (503) 644-0043 x131.

Funding for this project comes from the Washington County Arts, Heritage and Humanities Coalition and the Oregon Cultural Trust.

10/2: Cornelius Public Library's Booksale

Friends of Cornelius Public Library have their twice yearly book sales on the first Thursdays in May and October.

Booklovers, mark your calendars! The next sale is Thursday, October 2nd, 9am until 8pm in the Old Fire Hall (aka, The City Council Chambers), 1310 N. Adair St in Cornelius. We will have books, puzzles, audio books, music, video tapes and DVD's -- even some old vinyl records!

Don't miss this book sale with lots of extras! All proceeds go to the Friends in support of Cornelius Public Library activities.

Contact the Cornelius Public Library for more information at library@ci.cornelius.or.us or 503-357-4093.

Book Launch for Author Addie Boswell to Benefit First Book Charity

The Tualatin Public Library is pleased to announce the launch party on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 7 PM for a new children's book by local author and artist Addie Boswell. A freelance artist and writer who makes her home in Portland, Boswell has chosen the new Tualatin Public Library (18878 SW Martinazzi Avenue) as the site to introduce her first picture book, The Rain Stomper. A mural created by Boswell and students from Bridgeport Elementary hangs in the children's room of the new Tualatin Library. As an artist Boswell says she "has great faith in the imagination of children and the importance of creativity."

She will be joined at the launch party by local members of First Book, a national non-profit organization that give grants to organizations to buy books for low-income children to start their own home libraries. Recent grant recipients included Lifeworks Northwest (Beaverton), Oregon Child Development Coalition (Cornelius), Mount Hood Community College Early Head Start (Gresham) and West Women's & Children's Shelter (Portland). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each autographed copy of The Rain Stomper sold during the evening will go to support First Book's work in the local community.

"Addie's mural, Turning the Page, is a fabulous collage that illustrates the power of imagination that books unleash in young minds. First Book works to ensure that all children have the opportunity to enjoy that power of reading," says Meghan Moran, Chair of the Tri-County chapter of First Book. In addition to the first public reading of the book, the evening's festivities will also include an all-ages art activity led by Boswell.