Children's librarians evaluate books, magazines, tapes, and software for children to find the best of all suitable materials, and websites are no exception.

Choosing safe and educational websites for children can be a daunting challenge for adults. Use this Great Websites for Kids guide to be sure the links are reviewed by individuals who also care about safe and friendly content for children.

If you know of other sites you'd like to recommend, let us know. It is the responsibility of adults to help children use their online time safely and effectively.

The Teaching Company produces 200 lecture courses on DVD and CD, taught by professors at the nation's leading universities.

The courses vary in length, from 8 to 84 lectures, and cover a wide range of topics including literature, the arts, philosophy, religion, science, and business. New titles are noted below. Let us know if you are using and enjoying these courses!

HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
Geometry
Algebra I
Basic Math
Chemistry
Early American History: Native Americans through the Forty- Niners
Understanding the Human Body: An Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology- New!

HISTORY
History of the United States, 2nd Edition
United States and the Middle East: 1914 to 9/11

PHILOSOPHY
American Mind
European Thought and Culture - 19th Century
Foundations of Western Civilization II: A History of the Modern Western World
Questions of Value- New!

ART
A History of European Art - New!
From Monet to Van Gogh: A History of Impressionism - New!
Great Artists of the Italian Renaissance - New!

LITERATURE
Classical Mythology
Classics of American Literature
Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
Shakespeare: The Word and the Action

RELIGION
The Story of the Bible - New!
God and Mankind: Comparative Religions - New!
Historical Jesus - New!
Philosophy of Religion - New!

MUSIC
Great Masters: Beethoven: His Life and Music
Great Masters: Tchaikovsky: His Life and Music
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music
How to Listen to and Understand Opera
Symphonies of Beethoven
The Concerto

Renewing your books online from a computer with internet access is fast and easy.

Click here to access iBistro, the library's public access catalog. Enter your User ID (the barcode number on your library card) and PIN number, which is usually the last four digits of your phone number.

Click on "My Account" to renew your books. Items renew only one time, and items with patron holds on them may not be renewed.

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani, is narrated by a nameless teenager whose life in 17th-century Iran is derailed by misfortune following her father's death. It is a story of the narrator's rocky road toward independence.

Jeffrey Archer put his time in prison to good literary use, as evidenced by the 12 entries in his fifth story collection, Cat O' Nine Tales. The stories are based on tales he heard from fellow inmates while incarcerated.

The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes by Tess Uriza Holthe, weaves together a number of stories centering around the city of Cannes and the French Riviera. An engaging read with plenty of action and lots of scenery.

Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito, is "A Dr. Strangelove for the biotech century." It is funny, but may be disturbing for some.

Maledicte by Lane Robin, is a tale of treachery, passion, intrigue, betrayal, and an act of pure vengeance that threatens to bring down a kingdom.

The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schineis, weaves together a tale of the Upper West Side in New York City, and about the effects of dogs on these people. A comic take on one city block in Manhattan and those who live there.

Obit: A Mystery by Anne Emery, has Canadian criminal lawyer Monty Collins helps the priest explore his father's history with the IRA in this second installment of a three-part series.

Chuck Palahniuk's eighth novel Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey,is a thriller filled with black humor, social commentary, and sometimes graphic details. Readers either love him or leave him alone, and will judge Rant accordingly.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy, was hailed in the San Francisco Chronicle as "an American classic to stand with the finest literary achievements of the century." Dark and told in spare prose style, it has been described as a post-apocalyptic masterpiece.

The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown, tells the story of a pivotal summer in the life of Alice, a redheaded tomboy and motherless girl who is beloved and protected by her five older brothers and her widower father, a professor of Shakespeare.

The Terror by Hugo winner Dan Simmons, injects a note of supernatural horror into the tale of the 1840's Franklin expedition and its doomed search for the Northwest Passage.

In The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, Elise Blackwell interweaves natural history, human history, and the events surrounding the 1927 Mississippi River flood. It delivers meaningful messages for our own times as well.

How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves-even if we are unsure of whom we are? That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told those who knew her.

The Summer Reading Program is free for children and teens. Kids who join have the opportunity to read and share books with others and to join in activities, events and celebrations related to this year's reading program theme "Catch the Beat."

Click here for a calendar of all the great activities, and a brief explanation of the program. You may also call Cathy Coyne at 508-230- 2000 for more information.

Thanks for reading our newsletter. If there are events or services you would like to see profiled in the future, email or stop by and let us know. Contact us at info@amesfree library.org
Sincerely,
Ames Free Library Staff