Happy Thanksgiving!

We're taking a break until Monday, but be sure to tune in then for an extra special Nonfiction Monday post!

Nonfiction Monday: Thank-you, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Not a brand new book, but not so old that the link shouldn't have a picture on Amazon - a little disappointed here. Not disappointed in the book at all, however. We ran across this little gem when looking to update our Thanksgiving collection. It arrived, was processed, and a day later we had a young lady in, wanting to know if we had any books about Sarah Hale for the report she was doing. Every once in a while, librarians get to look absolutely brilliant when they can say, "Why yes, right over there on the new books shelf, bottom row, third book in."

In addition to offering us our brief moment of serendipity, Thank-you Sarah is a perfect combination of humor and history, challenging the idea that biographies about dead people must be serious and boring (we don't know who exactly it is that subscribes to that idea, but they sure do write a lot of books). Our young patron and her mother were at first skeptical about the value of a picture book, but lit up when they saw the copious (and interesting!) notes in the back, and we are sure once they took the book home and read it, they were happy with the story as well.

A must-have for any classroom or library, and a fun read for any age. While you are at it, hop on over to Anderson's blog and check out some of her video entries - this book reads exactly like she talks! Then skip over here for reviews of some more great nonfiction books.

NOT a Contest, Just Some Thanksgiving Fun

So, we have the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the corn, the stuffing, many kinds of pie, green bean cassserole, the rolls you forget about until the last minute, the cranberry sauce that nobody eats, ditto with the green salad, fruit salad, Jell-O salad, and dumfkraut (you probably need to be from my family - just go with it.) If you're lucky, maybe even a cake like one of these: Cake Wrecks Thanksgiving (yes, we will use any excuse to link to our favorite blog).

But what happens next week? When you have force fed leftovers in every possible combination to your kiddos, and the freezer is still full? Time to get creative! Here we will post suggestions from some of our young patrons (and a few older ones), and we challenge you to post some of your own.

Leftover Turkey:

* Carve dark and light sections into chess pieces.
* Use thinner strips as bookmarks.
* For instant popularity, tuck small pieces in your socks and go visit the Bark Park.
* Place a chunk on the car manifold of a problem patron (not that we would ever DO that).

Leftover Corn:

* Let kernels dry out and pair with a soda straw for study hall entertainment.
* Think of the craft possibilities - use to fill a paper plate shaker, glue in mosaic patterns along with the leftover peas.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce:

* Freeze and save for Halloween, makes excellent fake blood.

Leftover Pie:

* Are you kidding? Who has leftover pie? Just send it our way. Don't forget the whipped cream.

Now, we KNOW you can come up with more ideas than that! Take some time out today to give us your ideas, or come up with a list while everyone is lying around, comatose tomorrow. Enjoy!