Yarmouth Town Libraries
are now FINE FREE!

In keeping with the nationwide trend to remove barriers of entry to our public libraries, the Yarmouth Town Libraries have decided to go fine free. From now on, you will be able to check items out and return them when they are due – but, if you are late in returning materials, there will not be a daily fine for these items. We know that most people do their best to get books and movies, CDs, and other library items back on time, but some days just get away from us. No worries! Bring back your items as soon as you remember they need to be returned, and we’ll check them in with no late fines. Please note that replacement costs for lost or damaged items will still be charged. Questions?  Ask any staff member. We thank the Yarmouth Select Board for their consideration and approval of this policy change.

Holiday Closings

Closed Friday, December 24
Saturday, December 25
and Sunday, December 26
Closed Friday, December 31
Saturday, January 1
Sunday, January 2

Winter Tales Holiday Stroll
December 11 and 12

The South Yarmouth Library Association’s (SYLA) Winter Tales Holiday Stroll on December 11 and 12 will be a must-see event. Enjoy beautifully decorated yards and doorways while strolling the Bass River village in search of 14 Winter Tales. Stroll hours are: Saturday, 10-4; Sunday, 12-4. Online ticket purchases with a credit or debit card are available now through the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, at www.cultural-center.org. In-person ticket sales, cash or check only, will be available at the South Yarmouth Library from December 4-12, $15 for Adults; Children under 12 are FREE. You can also purchase a box of 6 homemade cookies for $5, while supplies last.
All funds support the SYLA. Masks are required inside
the Library, and all evolving COVID 19 precautions will
be in place.

NEW! ’Tween and Teen Program:
Unwrap the Gift of Reading December 1-27

Start the holiday cheer early by unwrapping the gift of reading! Select a wrapped book from the Young Adult collection to check out, unwrap, and read at home. Inside the book you will find a book review form to fill out and return with the book. All returned forms will be entered in a random drawing for a pizza gift card. We will announce the winner on Monday, December 27.

Family-to-Family
Christmas Giving Program

The Yarmouth Town Libraries participate in the Family-to-Family Holiday Giving program sponsored by the Cape Cod Division of the Department of Children and Families. The program helps families in need and children in foster care. At each library, you can pick up a decorated "ornament"  with a child’s name, age, clothing sizes,
and wish list. Gifts should be wrapped and brought
to the libraries, along with the ornament, by Monday, December 13. We appreciate your participation in this Cape-wide community project.

The Discovery of a Masterpiece
with Mallory Mortillaro

Tuesday, December 14, at 6:30 PM on ZOOM
Hear the story of Mallory Mortillaro's journey to authenticate a marble bust of Napoleon sculpted by Auguste Rodin, which sat in a New Jersey town hall for almost 80 years. Mallory will recount the story of being hired straight out of college for a part-time art cataloging project and how it morphed into a search for this mysterious piece's provenance, eventually culminating in its authentication by the world's leading Rodin expert.
Registration is required. Register at https://rb.gy/txoklz to receive a Zoom link.

Book Discussion Group

Tuesday, December 14, 6:00 p.m. on Zoom;
Wednesday, December 15, 10:30 a.m. on Zoom
Join us for either the evening or morning session this month as we discuss Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak, a warm, wry, sharply observed debut novel about what happens when a family is forced to spend a week together in quarantine over the holidays.
 
Copies of the book are available at both libraries. You can also read the book online or listen to the audiobook on Overdrive/Libby through CLAMS or another consortium in Massachusetts with your CLAMS card. Please email Chris Kaufmann at ckaufmann@clamsnet.org or call the library at 508-760-4820 to register to receive a Zoom link or with any questions or for Zoom assistance, please call 508-760-4820 x1315 or email Chris to set up a troubleshooting session.

Run, Run, Run as Fast as
You Can to the Library!
Gingerbread People in Disguise

If you haven’t picked up a gingerbread person yet, it’s not too late! Stop by the South Yarmouth Library or the West Yarmouth Library. Gingerbread people templates will be available for you to disguise as your favorite book character, using household materials. We will display finished gingerbread people at both libraries for all to enjoy through the holiday season. Drop off by December 10 to receive a sweet goody bag to take home, while supplies last. This fun program is open to all ages. 

The Library Mitten Tree Project
is Underway!

Help us help children and families by donating new or handcrafted mittens, hats, scarves or socks, to keep little hands, heads, and feet warm this winter. We will display your donations on the mitten tree and distribute to a charitable organization in our community. We are accepting donations until Monday, December 20.

Database Spotlight:
Access World News 

Follow this link on our webpage,
http://www.yarmouth.ma.us/397/Newspapers, and click on Boston Metro Collection, then scroll down to World. You can search over 5700 news outlets from the U.S and around the world, including up-to-date transcripts from 60 Minutes, news articles from the Irish Times, and a web-only source from Bahrain, all from the comfort of your favorite chair!

Staff Pick:
Five-Ingredient Dinners:
100+ Fast, Flavorful Meals

All of the recipes are, as the title suggests, five ingredients (or fewer!) and so simple that any level of home cook can pull them off. Incredibly easy and delicious dinners, all of them affordable. Customize any recipe to your preference since the ingredient list is so short. Enjoy!

Staff Picks:
Middle Grade Fiction
The Beatryce Prophecy

The prophecy speaks of a girl who will unseat a king and change the world. The pairing of two-time Newbery medalist DiCamillo and two-time Caldecott winner, Sophie Blackall is a magical alchemy. Blackall's black-and-white pencil drawings and ornamented initials convey a medieval setting, while DiCamillo's elegant and honed prose weaves a beautiful tapestry of true friends, a feisty goat, and a road to a castle where destiny will unfold.

The Horn Book Grades 3-6

Young Adult Nonfiction-History

Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown
by Steve Sheinkin
As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind. With communism sweeping the globe, the two nations begin a neck-and-neck competition to build even more destructive bombs and conquer the Space Race. In their battle for dominance, spy planes fly above, armed submarines swim deep below, and undercover agents meet in the dead of night.

Publisher Annotation, Roaring Brook Press™
Grades 6-12

Picture Book
Our Table
by Peter Reynolds

Celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds brings his signature touch of love and kindness to this special, timely picture book, as families now, more than ever, are rediscovering and reevaluating what means the most: time together with one another. An ode to traditions that unite families, Our Table brings readers together with a universal message of gratitude. 

Descriptive content provided by ProQuest™
PreK-Grade 3