Monday, February 25, 2019

Take a Trip to the Past with a Book

This week, I'm sharing picture books featuring stories set in the past.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong
When the Broadway Fire House acquires a motorized fire engine, Magnus the fire horse is not ready to retire.

Iron Horses by Verla Kay
Illustrations and simple rhyming text depict the race to construct railroads across the country during the second half of the nineteenth century.

I, Crocodile by Fred Marcellino
An Egyptian crocodile, with a big ego and a big appetite, is taken to Paris in 1799 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco
During the Depression, a young Memphis boy trains his pet duck to do tricks in the fountain of a grand hotel and ends up becoming the Duck Master of the Peabody Hotel.

The Day We Danced in Underpants by Sarah Wilson
When Papa's pants--worn thin from dancing on his visit to France--split as he sits down to picnic with the king, the embarrassing moment provides both cooling and comic relief for the guests, prompting them to take off their hot clothes and dance.


More Historical Picture Books --
All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson
A Book for Black-Eyed Susan by Judy Young
Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe
Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz Age Cinderella by Shirley Hughes
Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars by Jean Merrill
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith
Kid Blink Beats the World by Don Brown
Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning
Mama Went to Jail for the Vote by Kathleen Karr
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle
One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh
Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone
Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story by Emily Arnold McCully
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey
The Secret Project by Jonah Winter
Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies
Twenty-One Elephants by Phil Bildner
Uncommon Traveller: Mary Kingsley in Africa by Don Brown
We March by Shane Evans
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
The Whispering Town by Jill Elvgren
The Wildest Race Ever: The Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon by Methan McCarthy

Check these and more historical picture books out at the Arnold Branch through March 15, 2019.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Layover by Amy Andelson & Emily Mayer

Flynn and Amos have been avoiding each other for nearly six months.  They've always been the best of friends as they looked out and cared for their younger stepsister Poppy.  However, a growing crush by each of them on the other has made things incredibly awkward and has sent Amos running away to boarding school.  Christmas vacation will be the first time they spend any time together. 

When Poppy reveals a huge secret while on a layover in LA, Flynn and Amos decide it's time to take a break and stay in LA with Poppy. 

Now they're on the run while trying to figure out what to do next . . .


While many might consider this a straightforward teen romance, I would term this more of a family story with some romance added in.  This is really the story of Flynn, Amos, and Poppy and their relationship as siblings.  It's obvious that they are a very loving family that is trying the make the best of their situations.  I would recommend this book to fans of Morgan Matson or Jennifer E. Smith.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Me + You = Love

This week for Valentine's Day, I am sharing some teen romance books.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
When Lord Death comes to claim sixteen-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King's Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a twenty-four hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity -- and that of his pen pal -- will be revealed.

Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann
Seventeen-year-old Livia Stowe travels from England to Princeton, New Jersey, to visit her brother who is studying there and to celebrate her recovery from a year-long struggle with leukemia, and while she is there she writes a blog about her experiences, which include falling in love.



More Teen Romances ---
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
Keep Me in Mind by Jaime Reed
Love by the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan
The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle
The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
Meant to Be by Julie Halpern
Prince in Disguise by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Red Girl, Blue Boy by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
The Romantics by Leah Konen
Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake
There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
Vanilla by Billy Merrill
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Wild Roses by Deb Caletti


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through March 1, 2019.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner

Try as he might, the Fox just isn't big, bad, or scary.  Not a single animal on the farm is afraid of him.  So he schemes with the wolf to steal some eggs. When they hatch, they'll have a tasty meal.  But things never go as the fox plans . . . .



This simple comic by Benjamin Renner is a quick, fun read.  You truly come to like the bumbling fox as his attachment grows to the chicks.  However, the real stars of this comic are the chicks themselves.  They are hilarious!

Monday, February 4, 2019

Eureka! Science Fiction for Kids

This week, I'm sharing fiction chapter books that include science in the story.  Here's a few of my favorites . . . .

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Popular Clone by M.E. Castle
Twelve-year-old Fisher Bas, a science-loving bully magnet, clones himself, only to discover that his double is infinitely cooler than himself.

Tesla's Attic by Neal Shusterman
With a plot combining science and the supernatural, four kids are caught up in a dangerous plan concocted by the eccentric inventor, Nikola Tesla.


More Books --
Agnes Parker: Happy Camper? by Kathleen O'Dell
Benjamin Franklin Lives! by Matthew McElligott
The Boy Trap by Nancy Matson
The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School by Fowler De Witt
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka
Jake Drake: Know-It-All by Andrew Clements
Leon and the Champion Chip by Allen Kurzweil
Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment by James Patterson
Melonhead by Katy Kelly
Rules of the Universe by Austin W. Hale by Robin Vaupel
Science Fair: A Story of Mystery, Danger, International Suspense, and a Very Nervous Frog by Dave Barry

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through February 22, 2019.