Mercer County Library Blog

As the leaves start to fall, many children are diving back into school, homework, and nightly reading logs. But what do you do when your child, who is used to picking out a Level 2 or 3 about their favorite character, or easily reading through an Elephant and Piggie favorite, hits a roadblock when making the jump into the Juvenile chapter books? Finding the right book for your child can be challenging, but the Mercer County Library System is full of resources that can help you discover enjoyable books that grow their reading muscles! Schools use different systems to check a child’s reading or comprehension proficiency, often leaving parents and caregivers wondering what the level, number, or letter even means. Many are familiar with the Step Into Reading , I Can Read! , and DK Super Reader Easy Reader series, with levels from 1 to 4. But what happens when your child has graduated from the Easy Reader section? Most of the Easy Reader series do have Level 4 books, which contain the sa...

September is Happy Cat Month. Happy Cat Month was started by the nonprofit CATalyst Council to bring awareness to the welfare of cats. It can be hard work to understand your cat’s wants and needs…I’m still figuring it out with my own cat! I adopted my cat Svetlana when she was 7 years old. She is now almost 14 and is as playful as ever. Providing your cat with enough mental stimulation is one of the most important aspects of taking care of your cat. I have tried to get my cat interested in all sorts of toys over the years…from cat houses to ball tracks, but some days her favorite toy is a simple ping pong ball. I think she, like most cats, lose interest rather quickly, so it is important to introduce new toys and games often. The American Animal Hospital Association has a list of DIY Enrichment games that you can make at home and enjoy with your cat, like homemade feather toys and a toilet paper roll puzzle. Another important part of a cat’s health is hydration. A lot of cats do not ...

Where do you go when your family is far away? Perhaps the most popular example of “found family” I can think of is from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone . A young orphaned Harry Potter escapes his neglectful aunt and uncle and is admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he finds community and substitute parental figures in his fellow wizards. The “found family” trope is a frequently used idea in media in which a character forms family-like ties with people other than their family of origin. This can be due to losing their family of origin, such as the case of Harry Potter, but it can also be due to being shunned by their family of origin, simply not being understood by them, or having to move far away from them for work or school. You can find “found family” in almost any genre of fiction, including literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance. “Found family” reminds us that even in the face of great familial hardship, turmoil, or loss, t...

Part 1: Restoration Have I told you about the bell? When my sister bought a shelf on Facebook Marketplace, the seller said, "I have this giant old rusty ship's bell I've been trying get rid of. Want it for $20?" Amused, my sister shared the bell offer in our family group text. But what practical or even impractical purpose could a giant old tarnished bell have? Buying the bell could mean taking on a big piece of junk I now had to re-home. It was a terrible idea. I already pursue more hobbies than I have time for. Could my life really be missing... a big old beat-up bell? The answer was no. Unequivocally no. I told my sister I wanted it. The bell carried layers of scratches and tarnish and pockmarks, measured a foot tall and a foot in diameter, and had been cast in solid bronze. It weighed at least 70 pounds. It also had no mount—two steel bolts stuck out at the bottom. Without a base to bolt into, it would never ring. But I decided to make it shine. Not thinkin...

Several years ago, the Mercer County Library System launched a community poetry donation project. As I reviewed the donated books, I noticed a recurring theme in the publication notes: many poets expressed heartfelt gratitude to a particular mentor who had inspired and guided their poetic journeys. The name stood out to me—not just for its frequency, but for its familiarity: Professor Alicia Ostriker, an acclaimed poet and scholar. Her influence and generosity come as no surprise. Years ago, I had the privilege of studying Bible literature under her at Rutgers, where she was a beloved professor of English and Creative Writing for forty years. The class was small and intimate, enriched by lively weekly discussions. She invited us to join her for poetry readings and open mic nights at a local coffee shop, cultivating a warm and welcoming space for budding voices. On the final day of class, she brought wine to celebrate our journey together. It was then that I truly began to pay attentio...

In preparation for celebrating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day at the West Windsor branch, I’ve been reading up on the history of American political thought. The West Windsor branch will host lawyer, professor, and NJ local government expert Dennis Galvin on September 17th at 7 pm. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day was established by law in 2004, following modifications from a law celebrating Citizenship Day enacted by President Harry Truman in 1955. Promoting civic engagement and encouraging education about the Constitution, Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is a time to explore our Americanness. The Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787 by 39 of the 55 delegates sent by twelve states. Rhode Island, preferring the Articles of Confederation, feared too strong a federal government and did not send delegates. The Constitution was ratified on June 21st, 1788, with the required nine of thirteen states agreeing to adopt it. All thirteen states had ratified the Constitutio...