Upcoming Event: You Wrote a Book-- Now What? (Rescheduled date)

Upcoming Event: You Wrote a Book-- Now What?

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

7:30 PM

Radcliffe Children's Wing

Get an insider's view of book publishing with literary agent Jan L. Kardys, and award-winning self-published author, Jeanne E. Rogers. They will share their years of experience on such topics as developing a concept, writing a manuscript, editing, finding a literary agent, negotiating a publishing agreement, permissions, royalties, special sales, and subsidiary rights and marketing. They will also discuss how to utilize the most cutting-edge technologies and social media services to increase visibility to literary agents, publishers, and readers alike.

Upcoming Event: Courtney Maum, Author of I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN HERE WITHOUT YOU

Upcoming Event: 

Courtney Maum, author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

7:30 PM

Radcliffe Children's Wing

In Courtney Maum's sensuous, funny, and honest novel, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, a failed monogamist attempts to earn his wife's forgiveness, while ultimately seeking to answer the question: Is it really possible to fall back in love with your spouse? Skillfully balancing biting wit with deep emotional undercurrent, Maum, a Greenwich Academy alumnus, has created the perfect portrait of an imperfect family-- and a sophisticated, stunning ready for men and women alike.

For more about Ms. Maum, who used to study at Perrot Library as a child, check out this Greenwich Post article: Debut novel leads writer to a familiar spot

Upcoming Event: No Parent Left Behind- What's Really on the Minds of Greenwich Middle School Girls?

The Junior League of Greenwich and Perrot Memorial Library 

present the discussion panel:

NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND: WHAT'S REALLY ON THE MINDS OF GREENWICH MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS?

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Experts in the field of counseling and social media held full-day sessions with over 200 girls ages 11 and 12 years old on friendships, self-esteem, morality, decision-making, and social media. Hear what the girls had to say and learn how you can partner with them as they embark upon a new and sometimes challenging phase in their lives. 

Panel discussion featuring:

Meredith Gold, Domestic Abuse Services, YWCA

Tori Aiello, Coach/Trainer at the Speech Improvement Company, Inc.

Sara W. Rawson, Occupational Therapist

Beth O'Malley, Licensed Clinical Social Worker 

Jenny Byxbee, Youth Services Coordinator at the United Way

Youth Services Summer Program Schedule Now Available

The Youth Services Summer 2015 Program Schedule is now available!

Please note that during our summer program session, all of our preschool programs are DROP-IN, and most are limited to the first 20 children and their caregivers to sign in before each program. Our Stuff & Nonsense, Spotlight, and new Code a Story programs will be by registration only.

Pick up a registration postcard for the program of your choice from the Youth Services Circulation Desk, beginning on Tuesday, May 26th, 2015. Don't forget to bring a stamp! The registration period closes at 5 PM on Saturday, June 20th, 2014. Our programs are selected by lottery. You may view our complete registration instructions online and see descriptions of our program offerings.

If you have questions about our programs or registration process, please comment on this post, or give us a call at 203-637-8802.

YCC's Favorite Book of 2014/2015 Is...

The Young Critics' Club (YCC), Perrot's book club for 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders, has declared that its favorite book of 2014/2015 is....

WHEN
by Victoria Laurie
Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie to realize that these numbers are actually death dates. Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she is unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie. Soon, she is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

See the rest of YCC's favorite books from 2014/2015!

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

FAMILY LIFE, BY AKHIL SHARMA
[Fiction] Akhil Sharma’s small but powerful novel is the semi-autobiographical story of a family who emigrates from India to Queens, N.Y. Filled with dreams of a better life and opportunities for their two young sons, the parents are hard-working and self-sacrificing. When tragedy strikes the older son, the impact on everyone in the family is enormous. We experience first-hand the pain of the parents as well as the emotional yearning of the other brother, whose efforts to secure his parents’ attention go unheeded. Told through the eyes of this younger son, Family Life is a universal story of love, loss, and survival.

See the rest of our list of recommendations!

Y2C2's Favorite Book of 2014/2015 Is...

The Young Young Critics' Club (Y2C2), Perrot's book club for 4th- and 5th-graders, has declared that its favorite book of 2014/2015 is...

THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY, by Jaleigh Johnson

Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields. The girl doesn't remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she's from the Dragonfly Territories and that she's protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect-- everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible. Life for Piper just turned dangerous. A little bit magical. And very exciting, if she can manage to survive the journey.

See the rest of Y2C2's favorite books for some great picks!

Winners of the Semi-Annual Y2C2 Jeopardy Tournament

Golden Y Award Winners, Spring 2015

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the Semi-Annual Young Young Critics' Club (Y2C2) Jeopardy Tournament!

The winning team, The Books 2.0 (L-R):  Pip, Alexis, Simon, and Tristan

They are the current holders of the coveted Wonderful Golden "Y" Award! The winners have demonstrated their mastery of trivia questions related to the books that the Young Young Critics' Club (our book club for 4th- and 5th-graders) has read during the past year. (Yes, it looks like a lobster, but trust us, it’s also a wonderful golden ‘Y’-- stop by the Youth Services Department and see for yourself!)

Upcoming Family Event: Nappy's Puppets presents Father Goose's Tales

Nappy's Puppets Presents: Father Goose's Tales

Tuesday, April 14th, 2015, at 2 PM

For families with children ages 2 and up

FREE TICKETS REQUIRED- SIGN UP NOW AT THE YOUTH SERVICES DESK!

Mother Goose has taken the day off and Father Goose must do all her chores, including the storytelling! Try as he might, Father Goose just can't get the stories right. Father Goose's Tales is a modern retelling of nursery rhymes, stories and children's songs, featuring the ancient art of shadow puppets, that will entertain the whole family.

Jim Napolitano, or "Uncle Nappy" to his fans, is a native of Milford, Connecticut, and a graduate of the University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program. After completion of his degree, Jim worked with Bits 'N' Pieces Puppet Theatre of Tampa Bay, Florida, performing around the country and around the world.

Jim's puppetry work can be seen on the PBS show Between The Lions. Other television credits include: The Book Of Pooh, The Weinerville Chanukah Special, A Show of Hands, and Stick Stickly. Jim has also worked on programs for Scholastic Home Video and HBO Pictures.

Upcoming Event: Perrot Poetry Slam

Upcoming Event: Perrot Library Poetry Slam

Sunday, April 26th, 2015

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Radcliffe Children's Wing

Join us in celebrating National Poetry Month at the Perrot Library Poetry Slam! Bring a poem of your own, or a favorite written by someone else, to read at our open mike. All ages welcome.

Upcoming Event: The European Painting Curator's Profession: An Inside View, with Maryan W. Ainsworth

Upcoming Event: The European Painting Curator's Profession: 

An Inside View, with Maryan W. Ainsworth

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

7:30 PM

Radcliffe Children's Wing

From acquisitions, to exhibitions, to special projects-- such as serving on the expert's committee for the restoration of Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece-- come along and "shadow" Maryan Ainsworth as she discusses what is in a day's work in her role as Curator of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For more about Ms. Ainsworth, an Old Greenwich resident, take a look at this 2011 interview from the Greenwich Time: The curator: Old Greenwich resident Maryan Ainsworth sure knows how to put on a show

Upcoming Event: Stacy Finz, Author of the Nugget Romance Series

Upcoming Event: Stacy Finz, Author of the Nugget Romance Series
Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

After more than seventeen years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars, and weird Western towns for the San Francisco Chronicle, award-winning journalist Stacy Finz figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction. In 2012, Finz won the Daphne du Maurier Award for unpublished single-title mystery/suspense. Her first book, GOING HOME, was published in 2014, and is part of her Nugget Romance series about a small mountain town that has a strange way of giving people unexpected reasons to start over-- and find the most irresistible chances to fall in love. The second book in the series, FINDING HOPE, was released earlier this year.

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

NOT MY FATHER'S SON: A MEMOIR, BY ALAN CUMMING

[Non-Fiction] In 2010, Broadway, television, and film star Alan Cumming was approached by the producers of the British-- now also American-- celebrity television show Who Do You Think You Are? and asked to be the subject of an upcoming program. He agreed, allowing full access to family papers and information, because he was anxious to solve a longstanding family mystery: What ever happened to his maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling, who disappeared in the Far East after World War II? Cumming wanted to do this for his mother, who was only eight years old the last time she saw her father. We accompany Alan on this journey of discovery as he prepares for the broadcast and learns the fascinating truth about his grandfather. But the journey takes an unexpected turn when Alex Cumming, Alan’s father, reveals his own secret shortly before the show airs. With all the suspense and tension of a good thriller-- or an episode of Cumming’s hit series, The Good Wife--Alan’s family’s secrets are revealed. The audiobook version of Not My Father’s Son is particularly recommended, since the story is told by Cumming himself, a bonus for the listener given the actor’s natural gift for narration and his lilting Scottish accent.

See the rest of our latest list of recommendations!

Upcoming Event: Laura Heiss and Jill Smyth, authors of the book, THE MERRITT PARKWAY: THE ROAD THAT SHAPED A REGION

Upcoming Event: Laurie Heiss and Jill Smyth, authors of the book, THE MERRITT PARKWAY: THE ROAD THAT SHAPED A REGION
Wednesday, February 25th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Merritt Parkway, Laurie Heiss and Jill Smyth, authors of the book, THE MERRITT PARKWAY: THE ROAD THAT SHAPED A REGION, will relate the history of the Parkway's conception and design, the politics and activists involved, and ultimately the transformation of Fairfield County from a land of farms and country estates to one of the wealthiest counties in the nation.

Upcoming Event: Sundays at Perrot with Jane Austen- Two Movie Screenings

Cozy up on a cold, winter Sunday afternoon at the library, and enjoy a movie based on novels by Jane Austen. Tea and scones will be served.

EMMA (1996)
Rated PG, 121 minutes
Sunday, February 22nd, 2015, at 2 PM
Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, James Cosmo, Greta Scacchi, Alan Cumming, and Denys Hawthorne
This delightfully fun and lighthearted comedy is based on Jane Austen's classic novel. Gwyneth Paltrow shines as Emma, a mischievous young beauty who sets up her single friends. Funny thing is. . . she's not very good at it! So when Emma tries to find a man for Harriet, she makes a hilariously tangled mess of everyone's lives. You'll enjoy all the coming confusion. . . until Emma herself falls in love, finally freeing everyone from her outrageously misguided attempts at matchmaking.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995)
Rated PG, 131 minutes
Sunday, March 1st, 2015, at 2 PM
Starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant
The recipient of seven Oscar nominations, this film version of Jane Austen's classic 1811 novel stars Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood. Based on Jane Austen's classic novel, Sense and Sensibility tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne (Winslet), whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. Rickman, Grant, and Greg Wise co-star as the well-intentioned suitors who are trapped by the strict rules of society and the conflicting laws of desire.