Tag Archives: KDL Kelloggsville

Book Talk: Two different books on the heart’s desires

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , , , ,

By Anna Devarenne
WKTV Intern

The featured KDL books for this month focus on two teenagers both bent on getting what they want — one seeks revenge while the other seeks a boyfriend.

Award winning young adult author, Jason Reynolds, writes “Long Way Down”–a compelling novel of free verse poetry.

The story follows the life of 15-year-old Will and his inner turmoil when dealing with the recent death of his brother, who was recently shot in their neighborhood streets.

As the story begins to unfold, Will heads down the seven floors of his apartment building, on his way to seek revenge for his brother’s murder.

He is then joined by ghosts of his past at each floor the elevator stops at. As the elevator travels downward, the ghosts help Will to realize that his plan for revenge may not be as clear a picture as he assumed it would be.

Reynold’s novel addresses gun violence in a chilling yet powerful way. In a 2017 interview with NPR, he remarked that “it’s about us, a community, thinking about those of our family members and our friends who we’ve already lost to this thing, and allow their haunting to be the thing that creates our psyche and our conscience.”

Another absorbing Young Adult novel that KDL Youth Librarian Courtnei Moyses suggests is “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by Maurene Goo.

The story follows the lovable protagonist, Desi Lee, and her journey as a high school senior.

After many attempts at flirting that turn into failures, adorably awkward Desi turns to the Korean Dramas on TV that she watches with her dad. She realizes that all K-Dramas have a special equation that they follow that consistently results in the boy falling in love with the girl.

Desi decides to implement these steps when she meets the artistic, mysterious, new boy at school named Luca. This plan to get a boyfriend works for a while, but soon things begin to go wrong.

Both of Goo’s most popular novels, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and “The Way You Make Me Feel,” feature strong father daughter relationships, which is appealing yet hard to find in most Young Adult fiction. As a Korean woman herself, Goo also features strong Asian girls as the protagonists in her novels.

For more great reads and other suggestions, visits your local KDL branch or visit kdl.org.

Explore the secret life of trees in KDL Kelloggsville upcoming book discussion

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Trees will be the focus of the KDL Kelloggsville branch’s first-ever book talk Nov. 8 as the Wyoming Tree Commission will help lead the discussion on Peter Wohlleben’s groundbreaking book “The Hidden Life of Trees.”

 

“As we worked on increasing the tree cover in Wyoming, I came across this book and it is an amazing book,” said Tree Commissioner Jim Ward who will be leading the talk with KDL Kelloggsville’s Mike Zurgable.

 

Released in 2016, “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, Discoveries from a Secret World” is the first book in The Mysteries of Nature Trilogy by Wohlleben, a German forest ranger. The second book, “The Inner Life of Animals” was released last year and the third book, “The Secret Wisdom of Nature” has just been released.

 

In “Hidden Life of Trees,” Wohlleben shares his love of the woods and forests, discussing the process of life and death. He gives the trees human qualities as parents with children, communicating to each other, and supporting each other. Wohlleben draws from new discoveries, presenting the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities. 

 

“He talks about things about the trees that no one ever knew,” Ward said. “How the trees take care of each other. That they actually make noises and they actually make a smell to identify who they are to other trees and to defend themselves against critters chewing or invading them.”

 

So impressed with Wohlleben’s book that when approached about hosting a book talk at the KDL Kelloggsvile branch, it was the book on the top of Ward’s list.

 

“We are so honored to be able to participate in the book talk,” Ward said. “It is an opportunity for us to promote what we are doing in the City of Wyoming and our efforts to increase the tree canopy.”

 

Ward said the talk will generate discussion on the value of trees and what they offer a city beyond just beautifying it, serving as a launch pad in the city’s continuing efforts of being a Tree City U.S.A.

 

Copies of “The Hidden Life of Trees” are available at the KDL Kelloggsville branch, located in the Kelloggsville High School, 4787 S. Division Ave.  The book discussion will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at the KDL Kelloggsvile branch.

 

For more on the Tree Commission activities, click here. For more on KDL programs, visit kdl.org.

Snapshots: Fun news you need to know from Wyoming and Kentwood

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Going Local, Kids Activities, Local Business, Local Faces, Our Cities, Recreation, Senior Living, Upcoming Events, , , , ,

By WKTV Staff

victoria@wktv.org

 

Quote of the Day

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."


                                             ~ Aristotle

Let there be light

Once again the communities of Kentwood and Wyoming will be participating in National Night Out — this year on Tuesday, Aug. 7 — where residents are encouraged to turn their porch light on and come out and meet their neighbors. Go here for more info.

 

 

Last chance

Wyoming hosts its last on-the-road meeting for the summer on Monday, Aug. 6.

 

“These are just great opportunities to get out in the community,” said Mayor Jack Poll during the meeting at Del-Mar. “We want our citizens to feel that we are very approachable and that they can come and talk with us.”

 

On Monday’s agenda are several items that will cover projects for the city’s parks and recreation and public works department along with several bid proposals and ordinance changes.

 

The grandkids are all right

Michigan has an endless supply of grandchild-friendly activities, meaning long summer days filled with endless smiles and continuous laughter. These are the precious memories that last a lifetime.

 

Here are some ideas to get you started.

 

 

Connect the dots. Or not.

The KDL Kelloggsville branch will host a Dot Mandala Painting Workshop Thursday, Aug 9. Go here for more details.

 

 

Fun fact:

Octopuses lay 56,000 eggs at a time.

The mother spends six months so devoted to protecting the eggs that she doesn’t eat. The babies are the size of a grain of rice when they’re born. (Source.) Then mom dies. And that's the thanks she gets.