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Bellaire Public Library 111 S. Bridge St. Bellaire MI 49615 |
Spring/Summer Hours Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm Saturday 10 am to 2 pm |
Library of Things Gardening tools for removal of invasive species plants Hotspots to use reliable internet access in our area for free! Nintendo Switch (What a fun family game night idea!) Chromebooks that you are able to check out and bring home to use. Launchpads- preloaded tablets with educational STEM games and eBooks for ages 3-10. Wonderbooks- picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels with a built-in audiobook that will read aloud to the child! They still get to turn physical pages and see the beautiful illustrations. Metal detector Singer sewing machine Video Projector with screen 3-D printer that is available for you to use in the library Pickleball outdoor set STEM Kits Come in and check out all we have to offer! |
From the Director... We’re happy to announce that the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded Bellaire Library a $1,900 Summer Reading grant. This has allowed us to enhance summer reading in a number of ways. First, we have purchased five new Playaway Launchpads. A Launchpad is a tablet computer for children that comes preloaded with a curated selection of learning games. These rugged tablets are popular among families with young children who just can’t wait to get into the world of screens. For parents who are concerned that their children access only age-appropriate materials, Launchpads are great because they don’t allow Internet access but still have plenty of lively and engaging content. The Dollar General grant has also given us the means to expand our collection of books for young children, with a special emphasis on phonics-based easy reader books and award-winning picture books. Soon you’ll be able to check out boxed sets like Pete the Cat’s “Phonics Box”, or Paw Patrol’s “Phonics Patrol.” Or look for such Newbery Award winners as “Wolf in the Snow,” “Big,” and “The Truth About Dragons.” Finally, our Dollar General funding has really bumped up our selection of incentive prizes to the next level. Summer readers have a chance to win such excellent items as Lego kits, Squishmallows, a chemistry set, or a cache of art supplies. And a few lucky readers will even win gift cards to the local business of their choice. Thanks to Dollar General Literacy Foundation, summer reading at Bellaire Public Library is better than ever! Tom Shilts |
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Nonfiction Children's Book Project
If you would like to help support revitalizing the children's nonfiction book section of our library, The Pilcrow Foundation will match your donation 2:1! You can donate in person, online, or give us a call at 231-530-0086. Thank you for all your continued support in making access to quality information available for our community. |
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Summer Reading Program: "Color Our World"
Summer reading is still going strong and it has been so wonderful to see folks show up for reading!! We love seeing kids come in and reach their goals and collect prize tickets, putting them in the drawing for the bigger prizes we have displayed. It’s not too late to join in on the fun. Below are the events coming up in the month of July. Let’s make this summer a masterpiece—let’s Color Our World together! If you have any questions feel free to call us at 231-533-8814, or go to our website: |
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Popsicle Art Quilt
Every Day, All Day
Bellaire Public Library
It's so great how many people have contributed to our popsicle art quilt already!! We have one framed almost totally filled up, so we're adding a second! Don't be shy, all ages are welcome to participate. Next time you're in make sure to leave your mark on our community art project.
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Music and Movement
Thursday July 3rd at 10:00am-11:00am
Bellaire Public Library
Join us at the Library for a special yoga story time filled with music, movement, and mindfulness. Led by Gabrielle Coppersmith, this fun and gentle session is perfect for all of our summer readers - no yoga experience needed!
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Cotton Candy Colors
Monday July 7th, 2:30pm-3:30pm
Bellaire Public Library
Get ready for a sweet swirl of science and color with Dynamic School Assemblies. In this fun, interactive show at the Library, we’ll explore all the colors of the rainbow — from cherry red to sour apple green, banana yellow, and even chocolate! Learn the science behind cotton candy and how it’s as delicious as it is educational!
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Boombox Builders
Wednesday July 16th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Bellaire Public Library
Get ready to rock! In this super fun class, we'll learn how to build our very own amazing Bluetooth speakers. You'll get to put all the parts together and then connect your speaker to play your favorite songs. No experience needed, just come ready to create some noise! Registration required, and this one is filling up quickly so please give us a call (231-533-8814) or go to https://www.bellairelibrary.org select the date on our calendar and follow the registration link!
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Botanical Prints
Thursday July 17th, 10:00am-11:00am
Bellaire Public Library
Celebrate the beauty of nature and creativity at the Library with our own Jessi Reed in this special Summer Reading event for all ages! Jessi will guide participants through a vibrant botanical print presentation, showing how colors from the natural world can be captured on paper in stunning, one-of-a-kind ways. Whether you're a budding artist, a curious gardener, or just love getting creative, this program is a perfect way to explore how nature helps us color our world.
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Crochet and Create for Teens and Tweens!
Monday July 21st, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Bellaire Public Library
Join us for a night of creativity, color, and connection! We’re hosting a crochet class just for tweens and teens. Whether you're brand new to crochet or already have some skills, this event is the perfect place to learn, hang out, and make something awesome. Please register your attendance so we have plenty of food and fun on hand for everyone!
We'll serve a free dinner to fuel your creativity, and all materials will be provided.
Register by calling us at 231-533-8814 or by going to our website calendar on https://www.bellairelibrary.org/
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SUMMER READING WRAP-UP PARTY!
Thursday July 24th, 10:00am-11:00am
Richardi Park, E Antrim Street, Bellaire MI
Let’s end our Summer Reading adventure with a splash of color and a whole lot of fun! Join us for our Wrap-Up Celebration filled with games, crafts, and messy art stations where creativity can run wild. We’ll draw for prizes, honor our top readers, and enjoy a delicious lunch together. Then, we’ll wrap it all up with a Color Run, organized by Arleen Hocking and the Bellaire Cross Country Team — so wear white and get ready to get bright! Please register your attendance so we have plenty of food and fun on hand for everyone! Bring your energy, your imagination, and your summer reading spirit — it’s time to celebrate everything we’ve created, read, and discovered together!
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Field Trips for "Grown-ups"- Bellaire Historical Society Museum
Thursday July 10th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Bellaire Historical Society
Join us for a guided tour of the Bellaire Area Historical Museum, one of Bellaire's best-kept secrets!
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Splash of Color Book Club
Friday July 18th, 10:00am-11:00am
Bellaire Public Library
Join us, as part of our Color Our World theme, for a lively, book-loving experience where each participant will choose and read a book with a color in the title—think The Color Purple, White Oleander, or Anne of Green Gables. Pick your favorite genre—romance, mystery, memoir, sci-fi, etc., and let’s chat about the stories that speak to us.
What to Expect
Thought-provoking book discussions, tasty refreshments and fun prizes. Whether you're a curious reader or a seasoned bookworm, this club is your chance to read, reflect, and add a little more color to your summer. We’ll come together to share thoughts, fresh ideas, and, of course, some great conversations. Let’s add a splash of color to our summer—because summer’s better in full color!
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Author Event with Fleda Brown
Saturday July 19th, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Bellaire Public Library
Fleda's family has owned a cottage on Intermediate Lake for over 100 years. The cottage is still in its original condition, except for the addition of running water and a bathroom. She learned to walk at the lake and has been coming here her whole life. After retirement, she and her husband moved to Traverse City to be close to the lake. Her Uncle Richmond, now 100 years old, was founder of the Intermediate Lake Association.
She will read work, from “Mortality, With Friends” and from her new chapbook, “Doctor of the World”.
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Author Event with Helen Raica-Klotz and Melissa Seitz
Thursday July 24th, 7:00pm-8:00pm
Bee Well Mead and Cider
116 N Bridge St. Bellaire MI
Join us at Bee Well Meadery on July 24th at 7pm for an Author Event featuring award-winning authors Helen Raica-Klotz and Melissa Seitz. All book sale proceeds will be donated to the Bellaire Public Library.
Superior Stories
Helen Raica-Klotz will read from her fiction collection, Superior Stories, winner of the 2025 Michigan Writers Cooperative Press Chapbook Contest. Helen's stories explore the lives of people who live in the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw. Bryan Gruley notes "Raica-Klotz conjures evocative settings and richly layered up-north characters with a language that is at once concrete and elegiac, painting a hard yet enchanting landscape."
Brain Aura Blues by Melissa Seitz will read from Brain Aura Blues, winner of the 2024 Michigan Writers Cooperative Press Chapbook Contest for creative non-fiction. With remarkable humor and candor, Seitz turns her gaze inward following a grand mal seizure that leads to the discovery of a golf ball-sized tumor at the base of her skull. In Brain Aura Blues, she explores the impact on her speech, memory, and sense of self, and themes of grief, despair, and fear.What's in it for them?
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LOOKING AHEAD: AUTHOR EVENT WITH BRYAN GRULEY
Thursday August 14th, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Forest Home Township Hall
Join us as Bryan Gruley returns to Bellaire for a special event as part of the release tour for his latest novel, Bitterfrost.
Bryan is a bestselling and award-winning author of six novels. A journalist for more than 40 years, he shared in the Pulitzer Prize given to the Wall Street Journal for coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks. A graduate of Notre Dame, avid hockey player and amateur musician, he lives with his wife, Pam, in Northern Michigan.
Bryan has special ties to the area. His first journalism job was in Bellaire and the fictional town of his Starvation Lake trilogy is modeled on Bellaire. Short's Brewery stands on the spot where the fictional Enright's Pub is located.
Registration appreciated but not required.
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NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR LIBRARY OF THINGS!
We added some useful tools to our Library of Things thanks to a grant from the American Library Association. We have wheelchair ramps, grabbers, weighted cutlery, lots of games and puzzles to strengthen cognitive function, a cat companion for those that can't have real animals due to their living arrangements, plus other tools that are useful to those caring for a loved one. If you have a local resident library card you are welcome to check these items out. Feel free to stop in and see all we have to offer in our collection. |
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Antrim Conservation District Story Walk
4820 Stover Rd. Bellaire, MI Just a reminder that we have partnered with Antrim Conservation District to create a magical book experience. Walk through their beautiful trails while finding the pages of a beloved picture book. We change the story seasonally so it's not a onetime adventure! It is currently showcasing Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm by Billy Steers |
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Storytime with Miss Diane!
Every Tuesday, at 10:00am to 11:00am
Bellaire Public Library
The famous Miss Diane reads a story, and the kids have a snack and craft activity after. |
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Tech Tuesdays with Gabe
Every Tuesday, 11:00am- 3:00pm
Bellaire Public Library
Every Tuesday Gabe is here to help you with any tech questions you have. He is a wealth of knowledge. Feel free to bring laptops or other devices you would like more guidance using. Additionally, computer skill classes can be arranged upon request. |
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Medicare Seminar
July 1st, 1:30pm-2:30pm
Bellaire Public Library
We are still here for your Medicare Information needs, the first Tuesday of every month. Learn more about all aspects of Medicare from Jennifer Marie McDonnell, "The Insurance Guru". She has 20 years of experience as a Medicare expert.
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Spanish Speaking Cohort
Every Wednesday, 4:00pm
Bellaire Public Library
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Kids Coding Club!
Every third Saturday of the month, 10:00am July 26th
Bellaire Public Library
Join us every third Saturday of the month. This is an opportunity for kids to explore the world of computer coding at their live. Students use activities from code.org, Scratch, and devices like Snap Circuits, Mindstorm Lego, and various robots to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. For ages 8-13, registration is required either online by clicking on the calendar on our website, bellairelibrary.org or call the library at 231-533-8814. This is a free program, all supplies are provided. |
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Superior Stories by Helen Raica-Klotz Our very own library friend, Helen, wrote a beautiful book! What an incredible accomplishment. Superior Stories shows the parallels between the harsh, sometimes extreme, environment of the beloved Upper Peninsula with the harsh, sometimes extreme, events of the human experience. Her descriptive imagery puts you right into the small towns of the U.P. and connects you to the relatable characters of the rural region. Some of the stories are coming of age, some are nostalgia for hometowns and the complexity they bring to our upbringing. I loved finding the connections between the stories and characters as well as the environment that impacted them. This book is a masterclass in observations of how our surroundings shape our lives and make us who we are. Helen is a born and bred Yooper that now teaches English at Saginaw Valley State University and spends most of her time here in Bellaire, MI. She is the director of Antrim Writers Series and is the reason why we get the pleasure of having all of the amazing author events and writing workshops here in Antrim county. She works with the Bellaire and Elk Rapids Public Libraries to bring literature to our community, and we are so grateful. Now she gets to stand up and read HER work to a crowd that is thrilled to finally read her creation, including myself. This chapbook of short stories won the 2025 Michigan Writers Cooperative Press Chapbook Contest. So, please join us in celebrating Helen on July 24th at 7:00 at Bee Well, and because she's the best, all the book sale proceeds will be donated to The Bellaire Public Library (more details above).
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My friends : a novel
by Fredrik Backman
Four teenagers' friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger's life 25 years later.
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Careless people : a cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism
by Sarah Wynn-Williams
An insider account charting one woman's career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them
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Mark Twain
by Ron Chernow
"Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, under Halley's Comet, the rambunctious Twain was an early teller of tall tales. He left his home in Missouri at an early age, piloted steamboats on the Mississippi, and arrived in the Nevada Territory during the silver-mining boom. Before long, he had accepted a job at the local newspaper, where he barged into vigorous discourse and debate, hoaxes and hijinks. After moving to San Francisco, he published stories that attracted national attention for their brashness and humor, writing under a pen name soon to be immortalized. Chernow draws a richly nuanced portrait of the man who shamelessly sought fame and fortune and crafted his celebrity persona with meticulous care. Twain eventually settled with his wife and three daughters in Hartford, where he wrote some of his most well-known works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, earning him further acclaim. He threw himself into American politics, emerging as the nation's most notable pundit. While his talents as a writer and speaker flourished, his madcap business ventures eventually forced him into bankruptcy; to economize, Twain and his family spent nine eventful years in exile in Europe. He suffered the death of his wife and two daughters, and the last stage of his life was marked by heartache, political crusades, and eccentric behavior that sometimes obscured darker forces at play. Drawing on Twain's bountiful archives, including his fifty notebooks, thousands of letters, and hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, Chernow masterfully captures a man whose career reflected the country's westward expansion, industrialization, and foreign wars. No other white author of his generation grappled so fully with the legacy of slavery after the Civil War or showed such keen interest in African American culture. Today, more than one hundred years after his death, Twain's writing continues to be read, debated, and quoted."
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Atmosphere : a love story
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits"
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Return to sender
by Craig Johnson
When Blair McGowan, the mail person with the longest route in the country, goes missing, the Wyoming postal inspector tells Sheriff Longmire to investigate her disappearance; posing as a letter-carrier, the sheriff follows her trail and finds himself enveloped in an otherworldly cult.
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The knight and the moth
by Rachel Gillig
"Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams. Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god"
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Don't trust fish
by Neil Sharpson
A supposed nature guide humorously warns readers why they should never trust fish, exploring their mysterious and villainous nature
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The truth about dragons
by Julie Leung
In a mix of Eastern and Western mythologies, a mother tells her child about two forests inhabited by different, but equally enchanting dragons that coexist within the child's heart
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More New Titles
Adult Fiction - My Name is Emilia Del Valle by Isabel Allende - The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers - The Murder Machine by Heather Graham - Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery - The Tenant by Freida McFadden - The Things we Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - Never Flinch by Stephen King - The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths - Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz - Ghosts of Grady by J.L. Hyde - Secrets of Grady by J.L. Hyde - Overkill by J.A. Jance - Robert B. Parker’s Buried Secrets: A Jess Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth - 25 Alive by James Patterson Large Print - The Hanging Party by William W. Johnstone - Gun Trail by Mach Saunders - Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas - Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer Young Adult - Heiress Takes it All by Emily Wibberley |
Adult Nonfiction - Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient cultures can teach us about the lost art of Raising Happy, Helpful little Humans by Michaellen Doucleff - Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House by Jonathan Allen - The Photo Ark: One man's Quest to Document the World's Animals by Joel Santore - The House of my Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke We added a lot of new graphic novels in anticipation of the summer reading program! Come check them out: - Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin - A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat - Mindy Makes some Space by Nathan Fairbairn - Choosing Sides- Sweet Valley Twins by Nicole Adelfinger - The Haunted House- Sweet Valley Twins by Nicole Adelfinger - Best Friends- Sweet Valley Twins by Nicole Nicole Adelfinger - Duel by Jessixa Bagley - The First Cat to Space and the Soup of Doom by Mac Barnett - Witches of Brooklyn - Spell of a Time by Sopie Escabasse - Witches of Brooklyn- S'more Magic by Sophie Escabasse - Noodle and Bao by Shaina Lu - Break by Kayla Miller - Sunset of the Sabertooth- Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne - Button Pusher by Tyler Page - The Leak: For the Love of Truth by Kate Read Petty - Buzzing by Samuel Sattin - Kate the Catsitter by Colleen A. Venable - Kate the Catsitter- Secrets and Sidekicks by Colleen A. Venable |
Children's - The book of Belonging: Bible Stories for kind and Contemplative Kids by Maliki Clark - Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg - Daddy Dinosaur Rescue by Matt Huntley - Disney’s Lady and the Tramp - Disney’s The Little Mermaid - Disney’s The Rescuers Down Under - Disney’s Aladdin - Disney’s The Aristocats - When You go to Dragon School by Chelsea M. Campbell - Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm by Billy Steers - Big by Vashti Harrison - Nothing Special by Desiree Cooper - Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers - Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell - Biscuit in the Garden by Alyssa Satin Capucilli - Biscuit Loves the Park by Alyssa Satin Capucilli - The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman - The Fat Cat sat on the Mat by Nurit Karlin - Amelia Bedelia by the Yard by Herman Parrish - Big Dog and Little Dog by Dav Pilkey - Big Dog and Little Dog going for a Walk by Dav Pilkey - |
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