Books Shared at Templeton & Deer Creek Elementary

This week I had the privilege to visit students at Templeton Elementary and Deer Creek Elementary schools.  During my visits I told the kids about the 2016 summer reading program and all of the events we will be hosting at the library while school is out.  At some of the classes, I was able to tell some of the students about some new or recently new books, many of which are based on our sports and fitness reading theme. Check out this photo of the books I shared:

Does your Kindergarten through fifth grader recognize any of those book covers in this photo?  If so, we've got all those books here at the library!  (The books are not organized by reading level, but by size so I could fit them all in my snapshot!)  Here's an explanation of what sorts of books they are:

Picture Books
Are We There Yet? By Dan Santat
H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination by Christopher Myers

Early Readers

Dance Dance Underpants (Ballet Cat Series) by Bob Shea

Don’t Throw it to Mo! by David Adler 

Juvenile Biography

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson

Transitional Chapter Books

Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny by John Himmelman

A Mysterious Egg (The Dino Files Series, Book 1) by Stacy McAnulty

Juvenile Fiction

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Booked by Kwame Alexander 

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Juvenile Graphic Novels

The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks 

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson 

Red’s Planet by Eddie Pittman

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm

DOAWK #11 News

Calling all Diary of a Wimpy Kid Fans!

Abrams Books has now revealed the cover of book 11!
Check out wimpykid.com to learn more about the book.
The book will be released on November 1st, 2016...
so...be sure to place your holds NOW! 
  (While the waiting list is still short!!!)

New Books for Arbor Day 2016

It feels like every year I do a post on Arbor Day books.  I can't help myself.  I'm an Oregonian Tree Hugger and I'm not ashamed of it either!  I am so pleased to share even more books about trees...books that are brand new.  So place your holds now so you can be a book lover and a tree hugger (just like me!) this Arbor Day, April 29, 2016!

Secret Tree Fort by Brianne Farley
I LOVE trees and I LOVED building forts when I was a kid.  Here's the story about a tree that is ideal for reading quietly under, plus being the foundation for the most magnificent tree fort.   It also makes for the perfect setting for about squabbling sisters.  So any way you look at it, trees are perfect for any sort of childhood situation.






The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Merino
Now this is the silliest tree story that I've ever read!  Who knew that cows could climb trees?  Well, Tina the Cow certainly can!  And when she does, she meets new friends up in the branches.  Her sister thinks her experience is "Impossible! Ridiculous!" and full of "Nonsense!"  Just wait until you read this one.  Readers will be in for a surprise!

From Apple Trees to Cider, Please! by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky
There's an apple festival underway at the farm and lots of work to do to make the cider. This visit finishes with a cider doughnut and a cup of freshly pressed cider. It's DELICIOUS! Told in crisp, action-driven rhymes from a young child's point of view, here's a realistic account of how apple cider is pressed, flavored with the charm and vigor of a harvest celebration.

Little Tree by Loren Long
Little Tree is very happy in the forest, where he is surrounded by other little trees and his leaves keep him cool in the heat of summer, but when autumn comes and the other trees drop their leaves, Little Tree cannot be persuaded to let his go, even after they wither and turn brown.
The Little Tree That Would Not Share by Nicoletta Costa

The Tree in the Courtyard by Jeff Gottesfeld
A horse chestnut tree lived outside of Anne Frank's window.  The tree watched her play, laugh, and write in her diary.  When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the Anne peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away and when her father returned after the war, alone.  Sadly, the tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned 81, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace. Its story, and Anne's story, are beautifully told and illustrated in this powerful picture book illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Peter McCarty.

Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
A peek-through hole on the cover of the book continues on each page to the very end in this book where children can view the seasonal changes of a tree..  I really love the bold and vibrant color illustrations.  Plus, this book will be a lot of fun especially for toddlers!

The 52-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths (Juvenile Fiction)
This series started off with a 13-story treehouse, now it has evolved into 52-stories.  Now Andy and Terry must try to solve the mystery of: What happened to Mr. Big Nose? Because it's hard to turn in your next book when your publisher has vanished! 

Synchronicity

I just read three books in a row that all just so happened to have main characters in them to whom running was an important part of who they were. And they were all so great that I just had to share them.

First up: Maybe a Fox, by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee. Jules' sister Sylvie's burning wish is to "run faster so that..." but when she disappears, Jules never learns what would complete that sentence. At the same time that Sylvie disappears, a fox is born and she seems to have some connection to Jules' family. After already losing their mother, now Jules and their father are grieving the loss of Sylvie. Will Jules ever learn why Sylvie wanted to run faster? What is the connection between the fox kit and Jules?






Next: Far from Fair, by Elana K. Arnold. Odette Zyskowski runs a mile so fast, the school track coach tries to recruit her for the team. But it's too bad she won't be able to be on the team, because she'll be on a different kind of coach with her family. Her parents have sold their house and replaced it with a set of wheels; they'll be doing "road school" from now on. And on top of leaving the house, friends and school she has known her entire life, she also has to deal with the threat of her parents divorcing and the fact that her beloved grandmother is very ill.



And last but not least: All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, by Leslie Connor. One of Perry's favorite things to do is sprint down the hall and jump into his mom's arms for the swing-around. And with his new cross trainers, he is fast! The only thing unusual about this is that the hall happens to be in Block C of a prison. Perry was born and raised in a minimum security prison and the "rezzes" are like family to him. When an ambitious DA gets wind of Perry's situation, his mom's probation hearing is postponed and Perry is placed in foster care with none other than the ambitious DA himself, who also happens to be the step dad of his best friend in school. A school assignment leads Perry to want to tell the inmates' stories, including his mom's, but her story just doesn't quite add up. What really landed her in prison? Will they be able to continue their lives together on the outside as they both have dreamed?

I highly recommend all three of these books for upper elementary to middle school kids.

Harmonica Tunes Play On in "Echo"

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan begins in the Black Forest, where Otto Messenger meets three mysterious sisters where he gets a book from them that contains an unfinished tale.  He then finds himself entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.  Decades later, the harmonica travels through three children in three different time periods as it unties its lifelong fate. 

First the harmonica travels to 1933 Germany.  Here a young Friedrich Schmidt is constantly bullied at school because of his facial birthmark and his obsession with conducting music that only he can hear in his own head.  So he leaves school to join his father who works at a factory constructing harmonicas. 

Then in 1935, the harmonica meets up with Michael and his younger brother who have both found themselves living in an orphanage during the Great Depression in Pennsylvania.  They both get adopted by a woman who they both fear she is not impressed with them and will return them back where they came from.  Yet, Mike has his sights on joining Albert Hoxie's Philadelphia Harmonica Band.

On it's third stop, the harmonica travels to California in 1942 where Ivy Maria Lopez's father relocates her family to a farm to act as a caretaker while its Japanese owners are relocated to an internment camp during World War II, requiring her to leave her music program behind.  While Ivy's school situation and moving frustrates her, she finds solace in playing her harmonica.   It is up to Ivy to uphold her beloved harmonica's final destiny. 

While each of the three protagonists struggle to keep their families intact, they are all tied together by the music of the same harmonica.  So don't let the length of this 585 paged book alarm you.  It is carefully written and researched, as it pulls readers in, giving them a glimpse of American history, music theory, and music history.  The book also includes a introduction on how to play a harmonica.  It's a perfect read for any reader in fifth grade on up with a love of books and wishes to spend a lazy day emerged in literature.  This book really pulled me in...and I lost a lot of sleep over it too! 

Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions

Runt Higgins might not be the kind of guy that you would typically think might serve an Evil Overlord or even be a Junior Henchman, but he is in training. He’s actually kind of a nice guy, but don’t worry. He won’t be when Critchlore’s done with him, at least that’s the plan. He takes classes like Using Care Around Explosives and Hand-to-Paw Battle. Oh, and did I forget to mention he’s a werewolf? Of course, there is the fact that he has only changed once in his entire life, but he’s just waiting for the next time he gets into a life-threatening situation for his inner werewolf to take over. And with the series of disasters that hit the school, it’s only a matter of time.

Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions, by Sheila Grau was my favorite children's fantasy book I've read in years. Highly recommended for Grade 3 and up.

Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award Winner Announcement

This year, 40 children at the Tigard Public Library submitted thier vote for their favorite 2015 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award book.  The votes were then submitted towads the state-wide tally.  The winning title was Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli.  Congratulations Jerry!

For a list of the 2015-16 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award Nominees, click here.

Food-Infused Juvenile Fiction

In honor of our Annual Food for Fines Week, how about chewing on some food-infused books while helping those who are less fortunate and lowering your library fines?  We've got plenty of kiddie cook books located in the juvenile non-fiction section under the call number J 741.5....and I've got to admit, a lot of these are really fun!  And while you're waiting for those cookies or cake to bake, here's some new tasty fiction morsels for elementary school readers:

 Bake Sale by Sara Varon 
(Juvenile Graphic Novel)
Cupcake runs a successful bakery with his best friend, Eggplant, but dreams of going abroad to meet his idol, Turkish Delight, who is the most famous pastry chef in the world.  Includes some fun recipes, and while this isn't a brand-spanking new book (published in 2011), is however, one of my favorite children's graphic novels!








Cupcake Cousins by Kate Hannigan 
(Juvenile Fiction)
During a family vacation at Lake Michigan, nine-year-old cousins Willow and Delia, desperate to avoid being flower girls in their aunt's wedding, try to demonstrate that they would do better as chefs for the reception.










Fizzy's Lunch Lab: Super Supper Throwdown 
(Juvenile Fiction)
Nutrition champ Professor Fizzy introduces young children to the science of healthy foods while competing against Fast Food Freddy, in a challenge to prepare the most delicious meal.  The story is complemented by recipes, healthy shopping advice, and cooking tips.

Phoebe G. Green: A Passport to Pastries! by Veera Hiranandani 
(Juvenile Fiction)
When third-grader Phoebe and her family are invited to visit Paris and her new friend Camille's family, she is thrilled.  But when she is put off by snails on the menu, Phoebe starts to wonder if she is really as adventurous as she thought she was.








Rutabaga the Adventure Chef: Book 1 by Eric Colossal 
(Juvenile Graphic Novel)
In this brand-new graphic novel series, Rutabaga and his magic cooking pot, Pot, join young adventurers Winnifred, Manny, and Beef on a quest to defeat a dragon, discover new ingredients, find monsters to have for and/or to dinner, and to save the day through cooking.

Saturday Cooking Club: Kitchen Chaos by Deborah A. Levine 
(Juvenile Fiction)
When Liza suggests they all take a cooking class with the chef from her favorite cooking show for the project, the girls are on board, but they need an adult to take the class with them.  It seems like the perfect opportunity to snag some quality time with their over-scheduled and over-stressed mothers, if they can convince them to sign up!






The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh 
(Juvenile Fiction)
When twelve-year-old GiGi and her big sister DiDi move to Long Island from South Carolina for GiGi to attend a fancy new private school, GiGi has a new recipe for success and makes new friends, but then discovers a family secret that turns her life upside-down.  Just looking at the cover of this book is enough to make one drool!

I Like Frogs

Miss Holly really likes frogs.  In honor of her love of these little amphibians, there's been some books published books within the last few years about frogs that you are sure to enjoy.  Included here are picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels.

PICTURE BOOKS

999 Frogs Wake Up by Ken Kirmura
It's spring and 999 frogs wake up, they decide to awaken a still sleeping turtle, lizard, ladybugs, and a big snake.











Ah Ha! by Jeff Mac
With simple repeated text the story follows the ups and downs of a frog's day.  A perfect book for showing and explaining expressions.

The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long
Frogs sing and do their own version of the Hokey Pokey.

Frog and Fly: Six Slurpy Stories by Jeff Mack
Through a series of easy-to-read scenes, Frog always gets the better of Fly but in the end, Fly has the last word.











The Frog Who Lost His Underpants by Juliette MacIver
A frog lost his underpants and he looks all over the jungle to locate them,

I Don't Want to be a Frog by Dev Pett
A frog who yearns to be any animal that's cute and warm discovers that being wet, slimy, and full of bugs has its advantages.  This also makes a good read for youngsters to learn about self acceptance.

The Night Riders by Matt Furie
A frog and a rat go on a bicycle ride through the forest at night, encountering a dragon and other creatures along the way.

Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan
Frog and Bunny are the best of friends, even though sometimes they get into fights.

JUVENILE FICTION

An Army of Frogs by Trevor Pryce
While the Kulipari, the Amphibilands elite fighting group of poisonous frogs, is away, young Darel hopefully assembles a motley crew of friends to fend off an attack by the spell caster called the Spider Queen, and Lord Marmoo, leader of the scorpions.

Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout by Megan McDonald
Stink has been in the Polliwog swim class for what seems like frog-ever, and still can't bear to put his face in the water. Then, one day, Stink has a close encounter with a freaky mutant frog. All of a sudden, his froggy senses are tingling!  (This is book #8 of the Stink Series)

Stop That Frog! by Henry Winkler
When the principal has to be away from school at a conference, Hank's class agrees to take care of the principal's special pet frog, and Hank is chosen to take the frog home for the weekend. (This is book #3 of the Here's Hank series)

JUVENILE GRAPHIC NOVELS

Anna and Froga: Thrills, Spills and Gooseberries  by Anouk Ricard
Join Anna, Froga, Ron, Bubu, and Christopher as they get stuck in the haunted house at the county fair with a truly terrifying ticket-taker; as Froga combats a scourge of snails in her garden; and as Bubu has ill-fated dreams of being a great painter.  (Part of the Anna and Froga series)

Pete Bogg: King of the Frogs by Scott Sonneborn
Pete Bogg is a twelve-year-old half-human, half-frog who has lived in the swamp with his frog father his whole life, but because of his human half he does not really fit in with the other frogs in school--so he sets out to experience the human world and find out if he can manage to live in both








Stinky Cecil in Pond Rescue by Paige Braddock
Cecil learns that the new highway will be coming right through his pond.  Cecil gets the attention of all his neighbors and friends to stop the construction.  Note: This book is currently on order and is unavailable to place on hold at this time.  We will place a link to the catalog once it is available.  We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Bo at Ballard and Iditarod Creeks

I just want to give a shout out to Kirkpatrick Hill for Bo at Ballard Creek and Bo at Iditarod Creek. These are great books about a little girl named Bo whose two papas are gold miners.

Mean Milly, who didn't want the job of mama, thrust little newborn Bo into Arvid's arms and got on a boat and left town. When Jack could see that Arvid didn't know the first thing about babies, he decided to help out. So what could the two of them do but raise her? So Bo grew up with two papas and no mama in a village of Eskimo friends. And then along came Graf. Graf had lost his mama and papa, so what else could they do but raise him, too?

'Bout this time, the mining dried up, so they all loaded up and rode down some rivers to Iditarod Creek. This crazy town looked like someone just plopped a bunch of houses down by a bunch of big piles of gravel. And in fact, that's exactly what they had done. Each time they needed to dig for more gold, they just towed a house out of the way with a big ol' Caterpillar tractor! And Iditarod Creek didn't have many kids like home in Ballard. So this town took some getting used to for Bo and Graf.

If the books follow any sort of pattern, I have a feeling the next one will be Bo at Mammoth Creek. I can't wait for it to come out!

2015 Oregon Book Awards Finalists Announced

The Oregon Book Awards and Fellowships honor the state’s finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers.  The 2015 finalists were announced today and the winners will be announced at the 28th annual Oregon Book Awards Ceremony on April 13, 2015.  The awards include two categories of literature for youth, which includes the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature and the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.  See the finalists listed below:

ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Kim T. Griswell of Ashland, Rufus Goes to School (Sterling Children’s Books)
Susan Hill Long of Portland, Whistle in the Dark (Holiday House)
H. Joseph Hopkins of Portland, The Tree Lady (Beach Lane Books)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (Alfred A. Knopf)
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World
(Candlewick Press)

LESLIE BRADSHAW AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
April Henry of Portland, The Body In the Woods (Henry Holt)
Robin Herrera of Portland, Hope is a Ferris Wheel (Amulet Books)
Lisa Schroeder of Beaverton, The Bridge From Me To You (Scholastic)
Christina Struyk-Brown of Portland, Whisper (Orca Book Publishers)

Mustaches for Movember

It turns out that November, or I should say Movember, is a good month to highlight some fairly new books we have about mustaches.  There's not too many kids books out there on the topics, so here's some fun ones to enjoy:



Mo's Mustache by Ben Clanton (Picture Book)
Monster Mo shows off his big, beautiful mustache to all his friends.  It then inspires all of his friends to copy his style by growing fabulous mustaches of their own, leaving Mo to wonder how he will continue to distinguish himself.  This book makes for a great read on learning about being true to yourself and accepting other's differences.






Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos (Picture Book)
Baby Billy was born with a mustache.  His parents must figure out if it's a Good-Guy mustache, or a Bad-Guy mustache.  You'll never see a mustache on a baby quite like Billy's!










Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger (Juvenile Fiction)
Lenny Flem Jr. is the only one standing between his evil-genius best friend, Casper, and world domination as Casper uses a spectacularly convincing fake mustache and the ability to hypnotize to rob banks, amass a vast fortune, and run for president.  A perfect read for reluctant readers as this is packed full of humor and laughs.

Two Hot New Titles!

I'm super excited about two fabulous books I read this week.  Now I know neither of these two books don't need any extra promotion, but for those of you out there who haven't heard the news, I've gotta let you know about them!  The holds lists are growing, so be sure to place your holds now before the wait gets longer!!!

Elephant and Piggie are back in their latest installment in Waiting Is Not Easy!  Piggie is sooooo excited to share a BIG surprise with Gerald.  And of course, Gerald is too excited to wait for the surprise, and keeps tormenting Piggie to give it to him right away.  Piggie insists that Gerald must wait and wait and wait.  After the agonizing wait, Gerald is met with a wonderful surprise that even the reader will be truly surprised!  Want to know what it is?  I can't tell you.  You must wait!  And believe me, it is worth the wait!  All of us in Youth Services are super excited about this book!  Miss Jaime says, "It was deliciously awesome.  Just when I thought the Elephant and Piggie books couldn't get any better, they did!" This title will be a perfect read for those of you out there who have kiddos who need a little encouragement in learning the art of patience. 

The other awesome book I read this week was book 9 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  We all know that Greg Heffley needs no introduction as he's wiggled his way into the hearts of many elementary school readers.  In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Mom Susan insists that the family take a road trip for everyone to spend some quality bonding time together.  While the trip starts off with good intentions, it ends up with one problem after another.  Bad gas stations, unbearable hotel rooms, seagulls, lost keys, a piglet, no cash, and a trip to the vet weren't what the Heffley family had in mind, but one page after another is guaranteed for some belly bursting out-loud laughs!  I'm surprised no one around me complained about my laughing while I was reading...it was just that funny!

El Deafo: A New Young Superhero

Stuck with meningitis as a four year old, Cece Bell was left without her hearing.  Growing up, she dealt with annoying hearing aids and feeling different from all the other kids around her.  Now an award winning writer and illustrator (and not to mention, Tom Angleberger's wife!), Cece takes her personal story and turns it into triumph through her new-found superpowers in El Deafo.  Here she transforms people of her past into rabbit characters to tell her childhood memoir in this delightfully illustrated, touching and empowering graphic novel for kids.  Even kids who do not have disabilities will make a positive connection with the characters in this book.

Introducing Vero Leland

On a particularly stormy night, ER nurse Nora Leland tends to a dead man who comes back alive long enough to grab her arm and tell her to name the boy Vero. What boy? Apparently, the tiny infant who she finds on her chair just a few minutes later. Where did he come from? Who were his parents? She takes the newborn with her and while buying diapers, is confronted with pure evil. She has never been surer of anything than knowing she must protect this baby.

Twelve-year-old Vero Leland sometimes sees things that most people around him don't see. Like the man sitting in the tree the time that he climbed to the roof so he could fly when he was 4. Or, just recently, the really scary black figure he saw trying to steer a car into a school bus full of kids. Vero saved everyone's lives by grabbing the steering wheel of the bus and swerving into a snowbank, but that incident led to his having to see a psychiatrist.

Harry Potter is a wizard. Percy Jackson is a demigod. Vero Leland is a guardian angel.

If you enjoy following Harry and Percy's adventures, you are sure to enjoy the discoveries Vero Leland makes as he learns he is a guardian angel in Vero Rising, the first of Laurice Molinari's new series, The Ether.

Death By Toilet Paper

The cover and title of Death By Toilet Paper, by Donna Gephart, appear as if this will be a great, funny read. It is in fact, a great read with lots of laugh-out-loud funny parts, but is also a serious, at times very sad, story about poverty, grief and loss. After 12-year-old Benjamin Epstein's dad died last year, his mom has been struggling to make ends meet. On top of that, Ben has to learn to deal with his aging Zeyde (Yiddish for Grandfather) Jake whose memory is failing him more and more. Ben feels the responsibility of taking care of his mom and Zeyde, and so he puts his long-time hobby as a "sweeper" to good use. He enters pretty much any sweepstakes or contest he can find and has a closet full of stuff to prove it. But now the stakes are high; if he does not win a substantial sum of money soon, they may be evicted. Ben and his best friend, Toothpick, team up using both of their talents and hobbies to enter a contest that could make their troubles go away. I would recommend this wonderful story by one of my favorite authors for kids ages 9 to 12.

Meet Leroy Ninker

Do you have a Mercy Watson fan in your family?  If so, meet the latest character from Deckawoo Drive, Leroy Ninker in Leroy Ninker Saddles Up: Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Volume One by Kate DiCamillo.  Leroy is a small little man who works at the local drive-in theater. He dreams of being a cowboy.  He's got the hat, boots, and lasso.  The only thing that's missing is a horse to make his cowboy life a reality.  Then he meets Maybelline, an old horse with only four teeth, who hates to be alone and wants nothing more than to be sweetly spoken to.  When Maybelline gets adopted, her former owner gives Leroy three very important rules he must live by to make Maybelline happy.  It's not until Leroy forgets rule number three that crisis strikes! 

This transitional chapter book is the perfect leap for readers to make once they've finished the Mercy Watson books, because it's just a step up in reading difficulty giving readers a slight challenge in their reading skills, while still including a large text size, with plenty of white space and black and white illustrations in a nicely sized package.  Plus, there's still  familiar characters from the Mercy Watson books readers will recognize, which adds to all the fun!!

Evan's Picks #8

• DC Super Pets series

Yep! That's it. The entire list. Evan is completely obsessed and enamored with the DC Super Pets series right now. If I listed each individual title, it would be too long of a list for this blog. Tip: What your child is reading doesn't really matter. If she's reading, she's reading! That's what matters. He may choose to read the same book or series over and over again. It may not necessarily be one you would choose. As long as he is still interested, as boring as it may get for you, your child is getting something out of it each time he reads it.

Children's Book Week May 12-18, 2014

This year marks the 95th Anniversary of Children's Book Week! Children's Book Week is the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading!  Established in 1919, Children's Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, commemorative events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes -- wherever young readers and books connect! We will have a special display in the children's room here at the library showcasing favorite children's books of youth services staff.  Come see and check out what some of their favorites are.  Perhaps you may discover a new favorite for yourself!

Origami Yoda Book News

I've got some exciting news for Origami Yoda fans!  The Amulet Books imprnt at Abrams Books has announced in this article from Publisher's Weekly, that the fourth book in Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda Series, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett will go on sale August 6th.  In the book, the kids at McQuarrie Middle School form a rebel alliance to fight back against cuts in art and music classes, as well as a new test prep program.  Excited to read the new book?  Well, don't worry, as the library will be ordering lots of copies this summer.  Be sure to check the catalog this summer to place your hold for the book at that time.