04/27/2023
Last year’s D&D Super Dungeon brought in 900 attendees in over 100 interconnected games that culminated in the sealing of an ancient evil to maintain the balance of chaos and order in the universe. This year, players will take on a whole new reality with even bigger stakes crafted by our Theme Masters and over 10 GMs. Watch this teaser video for a special theme reveal of this summer’s next big adventure.
We are excited to welcome Belmont native son and New York Times best-selling author Jason Gay back to talk about his newest book, I Wouldn’t Do That If I Were Me: Modern Blunders and Modest Triumphs (but Mostly Blunders). In Gay’s most recent work, he takes a humorous and insightful look at life in the face of overwhelming societal change that we never anticipated—from the effects on parenthood, marriage, friendship, work, and play to all other aspects of the strange lives we find ourselves living.
Jason Gay is the sports and humor columnist at the Wall Street Journal, and he is very aware of how that sounds. In 2010, 2016, and 2019, Gay was named Sports Columnist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Little Victories and a finalist for the 2016 Thurber Prize in American Humor.
Registration is required. Please fill out the form here to sign up. Zoom access details will be sent in a reminder email prior to the program.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Belmont Public Library and is presented in partnership with the public libraries of Andover, Ashland, Danvers, Franklin, Nashua NH, Norwood, Wayland, and Woburn.
NOW ONLY ACCEPTING MENSWEAR
The Belmont Public Library YA Services Department will be accepting donations of lightly-used black tie formal wear for our “Fancy ‘Fits” Prom Outfit Donation Drive. The only items being accepted on a rolling basis for this drive are the following:
Please bring your donations to the Flett Room. There will be a hanging rack where you can drop off your donated items.
Any suits or gowns we deem unfit for reuse will be responsibly recycled. Please refrain from donating any formal wear that are in need of repair, stained, scuffed, or otherwise damaged.
Are you in need of a formal wear outfit?
Once all donated outfits are professionally cleaned thanks to the generous contributions of our Friends of the Library and partner dry cleaner, Sun Rite Cleaners, we will set-up appointments for students and their guests to browse our collection and select an outfit of their choice free of charge. Sun Rite Cleaners will offer a 10% discount for alterations for students who use Fancy ‘Fits for their prom outfits via a library voucher they obtain after selecting their chosen outfit. Date for appointments will be in April.
Where will the extra outfits be donated?
We have community partners in Arlington and Lexington who will distribute the remaining outfits from the collection to students in need.
Any questions?
Email the YA Services Librarian at [email protected] or leave a voice message at (617)993-2873.
Show off your home baking skills with the taste-test competition of the season! Students in grades 6-12 are invited to bake recipes at home and bring them to the library to be judged and shared with their friends. We will have three categories for this event:
Judging will begin at 10:30am and the event will then be open to the public at 11:00am. Hot cocoa will be provided for all participants. Disclaimer: this is a potluck event. We will require a list of ingredients to be submitted, but there will be no oversight from the Health Department on the quality of goods prepared.
Participants can pick up a Registration Form at the library or complete it online here: Complete Participant Registration.
Questions about this program can be directed to Hannah Lee, YA Services Librarian, at [email protected].
The library offers free resources for college applications and practice tests. View some of the things you can take advantage of with a free library card.
Peterson’s Test Prep……….Online Resource
Contains over 300 practice tests and courses, dozens of ebooks containing valuable study material and practice tests, information on over 4,000 accredited schools, scholarship search featuring $8 billion in available scholarships, resume builder with over 1,000 brainstorming phrases to get you started, career modules covering subjects from career change to salary negotiations.
College Essay Help…………By Appointment
From November 29-December 15, get thorough comments and advice about the structure and clarity of your essays from a third-party. View our Calendar for open 1:1 appointments with a librarian.
College Essay Panic!…………Limited Availability
Register for a virtual third-party review of your essay over winter break before the January 1st deadline. Limited Availability.
Missing information, inaccurate stories, and stereotypes perpetuate myths about Columbus and Thanksgiving. When we can’t describe an accurate First Nations perspective, it’s often because we have grown up in a system that has made hard truths invisible. Join us virtually on Monday, November 21st as we welcome Claudia A. Fox Tree from the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness to discuss the dominant narratives and counter-narratives surrounding these two holidays. In this presentation, we will explore this colonial system through primary sources and examine how language perpetuates invisibility and how we can dismantle oppression to bring accurate counter-narratives to life.
Registration is required. Please fill out the form here to sign up. Zoom access details will be sent in a reminder email prior to the program.
Claudia A. Fox Tree (she, her) identifies as a multiracial Indigenous woman. She has been a middle school special education teacher for over 35 years. During this time, she has also taught professional development and social justice courses at the college level for Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for all Students (IDEAS) and presented about decolonizing anti-racism initiatives at numerous national and local conferences. Claudia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts (Boston), teaching certification in elementary and special education from Fitchburg State College, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Northeastern University in educational research. She is currently a doctoral student at Lesley University. Claudia is also a polymer clay artist, blogger, and mother to five young adults (and four cats).
Since 2000, Claudia has been on the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (https://www.mcnaa.org/) board. MCNAA’s mission is to preserve Native American cultural traditions; to assist Native American residents with basic needs and educational expenses; to advance public knowledge and understanding, to dispel inaccurate information about Native People, and work towards racial equality by addressing racial issues inequities across the region.
Since 1998, Claudia has been a Massachusetts liaison for the United Confederation of Taino People, headquartered in New York. UCTP (http://uctp.blogspot.com/) spans the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the United States and beyond. The UCTP is dedicated to promoting and protecting the human rights, cultural heritage, and spiritual traditions of the Taíno and other Caribbean Indigenous Peoples for present and future generations and endeavors to assist its citizens in their social, economic, and educational, cultural, and spiritual development. Claudia is a tribal member of the Iukaieke Guainia Taino-Arawak Tribal Community.
This program is cosponsored by Belmont Against Racism and the public libraries of Belmont, Brookline, Chelmsford, Lincoln, Maynard, Natick, Norwood, Stow, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston.
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
In honor of Veterans Day on Friday, please consider the selections below: whether about “The War to End All Wars” or honoring those who serve in the US Armed Services, there is surely something to learn!
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Skip to End of Carousel2022 is the year we celebrate libraries in all of their forms. From literacy to lifelong education to community, libraries are core to the fabric of Belmont.
Below are summaries of books 1-3 with SPOILERS!
Reserve the Book
Our story begins with two siblings Emily and Navin and their mother and father. On the family’s way home, they get into a tragic accident and their father dies. After a two-year time jump and the disappearance of their grandpa, our characters move to their grandpa’s strange large house. Our protagonist Emily puts her hand on a scanner and it reveals an amulet on a necklace. The mother gets taken by a monster which leads the siblings to chase and end up at a strange house that feels alive. On their way, they meet with an elve that tries to attack Emily but with her amulet and her new powers, she defends herself. A robot takes them across a river to the new house known as the Charnon House. They meet many robots that seem to be taking care of their grandpa while he is on his deathbed. Grandpa Charnon gives some wise advice to Emily right before passing away. After that, through the use of advanced technology and aircraft, they catch the monster that has taken Emily and Navin’s mother. Emily uses her new powers to eliminate the monster but ends up crashing the aircraft into a deep and unknown forest. Our characters regroup and feel safe until they meet the elf that attacked them. With his stone, he quickly rips the monster and two and frees their mother. He grabs ahold of Emily and tells her to join him in defeating The Elf King. Emily breaks free from his grip and he runs away and once again our characters regroup at the Charnon House. With the help of the robots, their mother is starting to feel better. The house turns out to be a giant robot that can move. THE END.
Reserve the Book
Our story begins when the Elf King orders Luger, who is an experienced stone keeper, to join the elf prince in his quest to find the stone keeper (Emily). Our protagonists have just arrived at the city of Kanalis with their robot house. Our main characters start looking for a doctor because it seems that Emily and Navin’s mother has gotten a severe disease from the monster that took her. On their way, they find a fox bounty hunter that seems suspicious but later proves that he is trustworthy. Leon (Fox Bounty Hunter), Emily, and Miskit (Rabbit Robot) together get split up with the rest of the group after being attacked. Emily and Leon defeat all the elves in their ways. Emily and Leon take the subway and find the underground resistance that leads them towards the tree of fruit that can save Emily’s mother from her disease. Meanwhile, Navin and his robots sneak back into their house and deceive the elves. Then Leon tells the story of the storekeepers that lost control. He tells Emily that the stone keepers turned into colossal beasts because the stones took control of the body. Fortunately, the resistance was able to destroy the power-hungry stone keeper except for one. He was a lonely elf and the elders were able to separate him from his stone and they locked him. He blew up the prison and that was the day the elf king was born. The elf prince gets captured after going rogue. Luger finds Emily and Leon in the forest of gadoba trees and attacks him and the elf prince saves Emily in the nick of time. Luger turns into a colossal beast and he rips both arms off their robot house. Emily gains control of the robot house using the amulet and defeats Luger controlling the house and faints because she used too much power. She woke up days later and recovered and her mother has healed as well. The End.
Reserve the Book
Our story begins with Prince Trellis finding Luger hiding in a cave destroying his amulet. They get orders from the king to return to the base immediately but they are worried that they will get killed when they return. The Elf King sends out an assassin in order to kill the stonekeeper, Prince Trellis, and Luger. According to Leon, the only way to stay low is without traveling with the robot house. After a bar fight breaks out between Emily and Trellis against the elf guards, Enzo the bartender takes them into his ship and escapes the fight. Enzo and Rico, the pilots of our ship, believe that the lost city of ceilis can be found. While flying towards Ceilis Enzo warns the crew that thunderheads (flying drakes) will take you out unless you are inside. Foolishly, Miskit and Cogsley get taken and Emily wants to go back but Enzo tells them that the only way is to move forward. Our characters arrive at a gas station for ships and they plan to stay until morning. The assassin that the Elf King sent is lurking around ready to pounce. In the meantime, Prince Trellis tells Emily about his father, the Elf King. He explains how the Elf King is dead and the only thing that is keeping him alive is his stone. He explains that the key to bringing peace for the elf nation is to destroy the Elf King’s stone. In the morning while the crew is distracted setting up their ship the assassin sneaks his way into the ship. After Emily and Prince Trellis defeat the assassin, Max Griffin, a stonekeeper , arrives and tells them to board his ship and they will be safe under his command. Max has the location of Ceilis and can assure that no elves will be able to find them. THE END
-Summaries provided by Teen Volunteer, 9/18/22
To submit a review of your own, email the YA Services Librarian at [email protected] for our review submission form.
Reserve the Nintendo Switch Console Game | Reserve Splatoon 3
The game starts with choosing character which is a squid and you get to choose how the squid human looks like after that you are sent to a map for starter guide the game will teach you the controls how to play and how it works. After you finish the starter guide you are now sent to a city with other people after that the game tells you to go to the biggest tower in the map which is the place where you get too choose the game you want to play but since you are still a starter you will be chosen to play the game mode the regular battle which is tram battle and try to paint the most in that map you can paint on top of the enemy’s paint and sometimes get rid of the enemy with the paint shooter. When you get shot by the paint shooter and die you will respawn in about 3 seconds. While playing the game you can start to play other game modes such as ranked, story mode and more. You also can unlock new shooters, roller which is also a weapon, sniper and more. You will also level up while playing this game. You can also play with some other friends and have fun. You may also unlock new shirts, hats and shoes that gives you special ability such as reduce the amount of damage you take when hit by a paint or walk faster or refill ink faster you can get all of these kind of ability’s by buying clothes and such with coins. You also can reroll the abilities if you want a new one or you also can unlock new ability space which is up to 4. I would recommend this game a lot if you like colorful and bright and a relaxing game.
-Review by Teen Volunteer, 9/10/22
To submit a review of your own, email the YA Services Librarian at [email protected] for our review submission form.
