The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Chosen One --
It's always one of the indie kids.  They chosen to save the world from the vampire hordes, the gods intent on taking over the world, or any of the other apocalypses that come about like clockwork.  They fight to save everybody.

Then There Are the Rest of Us --
These are the kids that are just trying to live their lives.  They just want to make it to graduation so they can leave their small town and get on with their lives.

This is their story!  This is the story of the regular kids.


This was a wonderful story that subtly mocks all of the heroes and stories of apocalypses just averted in time.  Yet, it also shows that sometimes it is the "regular" kids that truly are special.  I would recommend this book to all teens!

Sing a Song with Your Child

I love music!  Other than reading, it is probably the thing I love the most.  So it's wonderful when music and books are blended together.  Here are some of my favorite picture books based on songs . . .

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

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
The sounds of the farm animals create a lively beat that keep Farmer Sue, the chicks, sheep, and other farm animals awake.

If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre
In rhyming text reminiscent of the traditional song, "If you're happy and you know it," presents various animals that are hoppy, sloppy, growly, flappy, or slimy, scaly and mean.

Crankee Doddle by Tom Angleberger
A pony tries to convince his cranky owner to take a ride into town. Includes notes about the song, "Yankee Doodle."


More Books --
All Through the Night by John Hughes
Dance by the Light of the Moon by Joanne Ryder
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter from Camp) by Allan Sherman
Hey Diddle Diddle by Eve Bunting
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont
I'm a Manatee by  John Lithgow
If You're A Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley
Jazz by Walter Dean Myers
Jazzmatazz by Stephanie Calmenson
Mary Had a Little Lamb by Mary Ann Hoberman
The Middle Child Blues by Kristyn Crow
Naamah and the Ark at Night: A Lullaby by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants by Eric Litwin
One Grain of Sand: A Lullaby by Pete Seeger
Over at the Castle by Boni Ashburn
Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka
Rock & Roll Mole by Carolyn Crimi
Take My Out to the Ballgame by Maryann Kovalski
There Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant by Helen Ketteman
This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Jane Cabrera
Who Bop? by Jonathan London
You're A Grand Old Flag by George Cohan
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Voilin by Lloyd Moss


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 15, 2016.

Fierce Females -- They Don't Need a Hero, They Are the Hero

I love stories with a great female lead.  It's wonderful to read of the girl saving the day instead of waiting meekly for a guy to do it.  So here are some of my favorite fierce females in teen stories . . .

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Having moved to Annapolis, Maryland, with her medievalist parents, high school junior Ellie enrolls at Avalon High School where several students may or may not be reincarnations of King Arthur and his court.

Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
High school senior and yearbook photographer Maggie thought she would rather die than go to prom, but when a classmate summons a revenge-seeking demon, she has no choice but to buy herself a dress and prepare to face jocks, cheerleaders, and Evil Incarnate.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Perry's parents insist that he take Gobi, their quiet, Lithuanian exchange student, to senior prom but after an incident at the dance he learns that Gobi is actually a trained assassin who needs him as a henchman, behind the wheel of his father's precious Jaguar, on a mission in Manhattan.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.


More Fierce Females --
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
Dangerous by Shannon Hale
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
Fallout by Gwenda Bond
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Hunter by Mercedes Lackey
I Become Shadow by Joe Shine
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff
Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin
Seeker by Arwen Dayton
Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Wicked and the Just by Jillian Coats


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 8, 2016.

Dodos Are Forever by Dick King-Smith

Dodos Bertie and Beatrice are happily planning their marriage on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  Theirs is an idyllic life on an island paradise with no predators.  Then the ship comes with sea monkeys and rats.  Both the sea monkeys and the rats develop a taste for dodos.  Now Bertie and Beatrice must find a way to escape extinction so that dodos can truly be forever.

This was a great audiobook by children's author Dick King-Smith. King-Smith is known for his gentle animal stories for children.  They contain just enough action and adventure to keep kids enthralled without being too scary.  His books are perfect as read-alouds for the whole family.

Double the Story, Double the Fun: Stories of Twins

This week I'm sharing stories of twins . . .

The Magic Half by Anne Barrows
Eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels left out in her family, which has two sets of twins and her, until she travels back in time to 1935 and discovers Molly, her own lost twin, and brings her back to the present day.

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman
Possessing extraordinary powers, including the ability to bring artwork to life, twelve-year-old twins Matt and Emily are sought by villains trying to access the terrors of Hollow Earth, a place where demons and mythological beasts lie trapped for eternity.

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill
When a Bandit King comes to take the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, the stuttering, weak boy villagers think should have drowned rather than his twin summons the strength to protect his family and community, while in the woods, the bandit's daughter puzzles over a mystery that ties her to Ned.

Hippomobile by Jeff Tapia
Ten-year-old twins Jimmy and Stella start a campaign to save their dying small town (population 49) by restoring the amazing hippomobile, an old-fashioned vehicle made out of a horse wagon.

The Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret
Thirteen-year-old Sunny, accompanied by a stray dog, takes advantage of a monetary windfall to travel from her Nebraska foster home to Enumclaw, Washington in order to find the twin sister from whom she was separated at age three.


More Books --
Astrotwins: Project Blastoff by Mark Kelly
Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty
Hunter Moran Saves the Universe by Patricia Reilly Giff
Loot: How to Steal a Fortune by Jude Watson
Lost and Found by Andrew Clements
The Quirks and the Quirkalicious Birthday by Erin Soderberg
The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix
We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by Alexander London
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 1, 2016.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House by Aya Shouoto

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits an ancestral house she knew nothing about.  When she finally reaches the estate hidden in the woods she discovers three boys squatting in the house.  Turns out the house is the barrier between the human and the spiritual worlds and one of the squatters - Aoi - is the guardian protecting the humans and spirits from each other.


So far there are two volumes in The Demon Prince of Momochi House series.  The premise of the manga is interesting and the art is well done.  A great series for teens.

March into Spring!

This year, March has so many topical subjects for kids to read about -- St. Patrick's Day, spring, Easter, etc.  So here are some of my favorite picture books to share this March . . .

Peek-A-Boo Bunny by Holly Surplice

An energetic bunny plays hid and seek with his forest friends.

The Easter Bunny's Assistant by Jan Thomas

The Easter Bunny and his special assistant demonstrate how to make Easter eggs.

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

When spring comes, Bear wakes up very hungry and is treated to great food by his friends.

The Story of the Leprechaun by Katherine Tegen

A clever leprechaun who has amassed a pot of gold by making beautiful shoes for people decides to hide his money at the end of a rainbow, knowing that no one will find it there.

Finding Spring by Carin Berger

Too excited to hibernate through his first winter, a bear cub tries to find spring.

More St. Patrick's Day Books --

Green Shamrocks by Eve Bunting

Leprechaun Gold by Teresa Bateman

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing

St. Patrick's Day in the Morning by Eve Bunting

More Spring Books --

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano

Are You Spring? by Caroline Pitcher

Bunny's First Spring by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Miss Jaster's Garden by N.M. Bodecker

Mud Flat Spring by James Stevenson

Sun Above and Blooms Below: A Springtime of Opposites by Felicia Chernesky

Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst

More Easter Books --

The Easter Chick by Geraldine Elschner

Easter Mice! by Bethany Roberts

The Easterville Miracle by Melody Carlson

Here Comes T. Rex Cottontail by Lois Grambling

Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood

Looking for Easter by Dori Chaconas

Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail

The Story of the Easter Bunny by Katherine Tegen

Check out these books on display at the library through March 25, 2016.