Literacy Library
Since its founding in 1842, the Worcester County Mechanics Association has been committed to education, literacy, and self-improvement. With the goal of educating tradesmen and building a skilled workforce, Mechanics Hall at one time maintained an on-site technical lending library—a great benefit to those who would otherwise not have access to such resources. In addition, all Association members could attend a variety of edifying lectures at the Hall, as well as access notes and information about programs they missed.
Believing that literacy for all is as important today as ever, Mechanics Hall has created this resource page to support and foster a literate, well-informed community. You’ll find recommendations of books for both adults and youth that speak to the mission and values of the Mechanics Association, community resources that promote reading, and literacy-related programs.
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
Author: David W. Blight
The definitive, dramatic biography of the most important African American of the nineteenth century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era.
Blight’s biography was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Price in History.
About the Author
David W. Blight is the Sterling Professor of History, of African American Studies, and of American Studies and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University. Previously, Blight was a professor of History at Amherst College, where he taught for 13 years. He has won several awards, including the Bancroft Prize and Frederick Douglass Prize for Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, and the Pulitzer Prize and Lincoln Prize for Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. In 2021 he was elected to the American Philosophical Society. | LEARN MORE
Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol
Author: Nell Irvin Painter
Reviews
A pathbreaking biography. It should command the widest popular attention and profound scholarly attention. -- David Levering Lewis, author of W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography of a Race
An exquisitely detailed study of a brilliant and powerful life. -- Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, San Francisco Chronicle
What Painter does as a first-rate historian is peel away the myths and legends so that we might get at a historical Sojourner Truth... A judicious and balanced biography. -- Gerard Early, Chicago Tribune
About the Author
Nell Irvin Painter is the award-winning author of many books, including Sojourner Truth, Southern History Across the Color Line, Creating Black Americans, The History of White People, and Standing at Armageddon. She is currently the Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, at Princeton University and lives in Newark, New Jersey, and the Adirondacks.
Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the New York Times-bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Krosoczka creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his young readers—qualities that have made his titles perennial favorites on the bookshelves of homes, libraries, and bookstores.
In addition to his work in print, Krosoczka produced, directed, and performed in the audiobook adaptation of his graphic memoir, which garnered both Audie and Odyssey Awards for excellence in audiobook production. Krosoczka has been a guest on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and has delivered three TED Talks, which have accrued millions of views online. Young creatives can also hear Krosoczka weekly on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live and catch his wildly popular web show on YouTube, Draw Every Day with JJK. He also acted as a consultant and appeared in live segments of Creative Galaxy on Prime Video.
Realizing that his books can inspire young readers beyond the page, Krosoczka founded School Lunch Hero Day, a national campaign that celebrates school lunch staff. A consummate advocate for arts education, Krosoczka also established the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships, which fund art classes for underprivileged children in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Krosoczka lives in western Massachusetts with his spouse, their three children, pugs Ralph and Frank, and a French bulldog named Bella Carmella
Jarrett worked with us at Mechanics Hall in Winter 2020 to present a two-day creative experience
as part of the Mechanics Hall Many Voices Project. | http://www.studiojjk.com/
All The Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ and its American Masters
Author: Craig R. Whitney
For centuries, pipe organs stood at the summit of musical and technological achievement, admired as the most complex and intricate mechanisms the human race had yet devised.
From the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, organ music was wildly popular in America. Organ builders in New York and New England could hardly fill the huge demand for both concert hall and home organs. Master organbuilders found ingenious ways of using electricity to make them sound like orchestras. Organ players developed cult followings and bitter rivalries. One movement arose to restore to American organs the clarity and precision that baroque organs had in centuries past, while another took electronic organs to the rock concert halls, where younger listeners could be found. But while organbuilders and organists were fighting with each other, popular audiences lost interest in the organ.
Today, organs are beginning to make a comeback in concert halls and churches across America. Craig Whitney brings the story to life and up to date in a humorous, engaging book about the instruments and vivid personalities that inspired his lifelong passion: the great art of the majestic pipe organ.
About the Author
Craig R. Whitney grew up in Westborough, Massachusetts, and has worked for The Worcester Telegram and The New York Times. He has written a number of books, including All The Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ and its American Masters. | LEARN MORE
Art for Life's Sake
The Case for Arts Education
American Academy of Arts & Sciences | VIEW PDF
"By any measure, the arts should stand at the heart of a strong public education.
... The arts impart valuable cognitive, critical thinking, and technical skills used by artists and non-artists in their livelihoods, strengthening our economy."
Community Literacy Resources
Worcester Public Library Foundation
Celebrate Our Library! Event
Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 5:30pm | LEARN MORE
Children's Book Council
Children's Book Week
November 8-19, 2021 | LEARN MORE
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester was established in 1973 as a one-to-one English language tutoring program in Worcester. Nearly 50 years later, we have served well over 11,000 adults in need of English language literacy education!
All volunteers, teachers, and staff dedicate their time to help adult immigrants, refugees, and basic literacy students learn to read, write, and speak the English language. | LEARN MORE
Worcester Reads
Worcester Reads is a coalition committed to promoting early literacy and reading. Co-chaired by Edward Street Child Services and Worcester Education Collaborative, the initiative amplifies the important message of reading to every child every day. 20 minutes a day is all it takes to build early literacy skills and experience the joy of reading. It is the Most Important 20 Minutes of Your Day!
Worcester Reads grew out of the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading and includes many organizations in the city that focus on early literacy. Worcester Reads coordinates those efforts and provides new resources, inspiration and direction. | LEARN MORE
Worcester: the City that Reads
In partnership with the Worcester Public Schools, Mechanics Hall is a drop-off point for the 'Worcester: the City that Reads' initiative. Although there was not a formal book drive in 2020/2021, Mechanics Hall will continue to receive new and gently used books for WPS. | LEARN MORE
Newbery Medal Award Winning Children's Books
List compiled by the Public Library of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County
When You Trap a Tiger (2020)
Author: Tae Keller
FANTASY & FOLKLORE - Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her Halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal -- return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health -- Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice... and the courage to face a tiger.
New Kid (2020)
Author: Jerry Craft
REALISTIC FICTION - New Kid is a graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. As seventh grader Jordan Banks makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, he soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2019)
Author: Meg Medina
REALISTIC FICTION - Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between. Merci and her older brother are scholarship students at a rich private school in Florida. They don't have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. At school Merci has to deal with bossy Edna Santos and at home she has to worry about her grandfather who has started to forget things. Who knew sixth grade would be this difficult?
Hello, Universe (2018)
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
REALISTIC FICTION - The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2017)
Author: Kelly Barnhill
FANTASY - Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna's thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch.
Last Stop on Market Street (2016)
Author: Eric De la Peña
REALISTIC FICTION - Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty; and fun; in their routine and the world around them.
Crossover (2015)
Author: Kwame Alexander
SPORTS STORY - REALISTIC FICTION - 12-year old Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.
Flora & Ulysses (2014)
Author: Kate DiCamillo
COMEDY - ANIMAL STORY - A cynical girl, who has read every issue of Terrible Things Can Happen to You, rescues a squirrel from a vacuum cleaner. But when the squirrel develops superpowers things get interesting. This is the laugh-out-loud story of their adventures together.
The One and Only Ivan (2013)
Author: Katherine Applegate
ANIMAL STORY - When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
Dead End in Norvelt (2012)
Author: Jack Gantos
COMEDY - HISTORICAL FICTION - This novel is partly autobiographical and partly fictional. In Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.
Moon over Manifest (2011)
Author: Clare Vanderpool
HISTORICAL FICTION - Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up. Over the summer she pieces together her father's story, aided by some mysterious letters. It seems that Manifest's history is full of colorful and shadowy characters--and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history.
Mechanics Hall | 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608 | Info: 508-752-5608 | Tickets: 508-752-0888
Email: info@mechanicshall.org