Award-Winning Author Jordan Sonnenblick To Visit Bernardsville Library

Jordan Sonnenblick, author of the books Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, Dodger and Me, After Ever After (winner of the Schneider Family Award) and more, will visit Bernardsville Public Library on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 to talk to students about being a writer and his experiences as an author.

As a twelfth grade student of Frank McCourt, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, Sonnenblick found that he thrived in creative writing. He studied English in college, volunteered for Teach for America upon graduation, and then took an English teaching job in New Jersey that would change his life forever. Sonnenblick had a student whose brother was being treated for cancer. While she did not outwardly show distress, Sonnenblick asked her mother if he could recommend a book about a teen going through a similar situation. When her mother said yes, Sonnenblick realized that there was no book published that fit the bill. So he wrote Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie.

Bernardsville Public Library will host a “Meet & Greet” (for adults only) with Mr. Sonnenblick from 5:00 to 5:45 pm—for teachers, parents, and all other adults in the community. This “Meet & Greet” will be followed by a 7:00 pm program, “An Evening with Jordan Sonnenblick,” open to all ages. After his talk, Mr. Sonnenblick will take questions from students only and will then be available to sign books. Books will be available for purchase that evening.

Superintendent of The Somerset Hills School District Peter Miller commented on Sonnenblick’s visit: “This program is a great example of the school-community partnership that exists in the Somerset Hills, and we look forward to additional opportunities in the future.” Youth Services Manager, Lia Carruthers concurs, “Without the generous funding of the Somerset Hills Municipal Alliance and Youth Services Commission and the cooperation of the school district, this program would not have been possible. Introducing students to authors is always magical and I am thrilled we could make this evening happen.”

Advance registration is required for “An Evening with Jordan Sonnenblick.” As seating is limited, please register early at http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/. Follow the link to Kid Stuff.

Last Minute College Application Tips

College applications are almost due and Bernardsville Library’s “Moms Mentoring Moms” has organized a panel of first year students and parents “in the know” to give this year’s applicants some last minute tips on Tuesday, December 27 at 7:00 pm.

“Moms Mentoring Moms” is a program designed for parents of high school students and seeks to provide a forum in which parents can come together for an opportunity to interact with other parents to provide support and insight as they wade through the high school years with their children. This particular program is designed to help both parents and students. Moms, Dads and students are all welcome.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

The National Register of Historic Places: The Role it Plays in Our Local Communities

Historic Preservation Consultant Kathleen Galop will speak about the National Register of Historic Places at Bernardsville Public Library on Monday, December 12 at 7:00 pm.

Established under the Historic Sites Act of 1935 and expanded by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register serves as the official list of historic resources at the national level. Attendees will learn about the properties and landscapes in our area which have received this national distinction and gain a better understanding of how and why they are protected. Hundreds of New Jersey properties are among the 77,000 listed on the National Register.

Kathleen P. Galop, Esq. serves as Principal of Preservation Possibilities LLC, an historic preservation consulting firm based in Summit, NJ. An attorney with extensive experience and a national reputation in the administration of historic preservation projects, Ms. Galop was the recipient of a John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Research Grant and a White House Historical Association Grant to conduct historic preservation research on Jacqueline Kennedy. She lectures frequently throughout New Jersey on historic preservation and also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Certificate in Historic Preservation Program at Drew University in Madison, NJ where she lectures on preservation and historic landscapes and teaches a course on Grant Writing.

This program is offered through the Horizons Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

There is no charge to attend this slide presentation, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.