Thursday, December 29, 2016

Fable Comics edited by Chris Duffy

This collection of fables, familiar and unfamiliar, has been retold in graphic novel format.  While most of the fables are taken from Aesop, there are several from Middle Eastern, European, and Russian cultures.  Each fable has been retold and drawn as seen by the graphic novelist -- so some are strict retellings while others have been embellished and expanded.  This book, the third in a series including Nursery Rhyme Comics and Fairy Tale Comics, is a great book for kids, teens and adults.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Who-Dun-It? It's a Mystery!


This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite mystery chapter books for kids . . .

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger
Horton, an upstanding kitchen boy in a castle in nineteenth-century England, becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding a series of thefts, which is also connected to the pursuit of a very eligible and wealthy young lady's affections.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny -- Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
Middle-schooler Madeline's hippie parents have been kidnapped from Hornby Island, Canada, by foxes, and Madeline, upon discovering that she can understand animal languages, hires two rabbit detectives to find them.

Below by Megan McKinlay
On the day Cassie was born, the mayor flipped a lever and everyone cheered as Old Lower Grange was submerged beneath five thousand swimming pools' worth of water and now, twelve years later, Cassie is drawn to the mysterious manmade lake.


More Mysteries for Kids --
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
The Forgetting Machine by Pete Hautman
The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarity
Knightley & Son by Rohan Gavin
Madhattan Mystery by John H. Bonk
Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
The Mystery of Meerkat Hill by Alexander McCall Smith
Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Sensible Hare and the Case of Carrots by Daren King
Snowize & Snitch: Highly Effective Defective Detectives by K.H. Briner
The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery by Doreen Cronin
Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry
Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 13, 2016.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

My Favorite Christmas Books

With Christmas only a few days away, I thought I would share some of my favorite Christmas books with you . . .

Santa Duck by David Milgrim
When Nicholas Duck, wearing a Santa hat and coat he found on his doorstep, goes looking for Santa to tell him what he wants for Christmas, all the other animals mistake him for Mr. Claus.
A sweet story of Christmas cheer.

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.
While not a traditional Christmas book, the story does take place during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany.

Sweet Rein series by Sakura Tsukuba
Sad at the thought of spending Christmas alone, Kurumi Sagara goes out for a walk. While she's crossing the street, a boy bumps into her, and a rein suddenly appears that binds them together. The overjoyed boy tells her she's his master and that she's a Santa Claus. Kurumi dismisses him as a crazy person, but then he transforms into a reindeer?!
A whole manga series based on an original Christmas myth.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Stories for a Snowy Evening

It's that time of year when cold weather makes us want to cuddle up under the blankets and read a good book.  Hear are some of my favorite picture books to share on a cold and snowy evening . . .

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Snowmen play games at night when no one is watching.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
Katy is a crawler tractor who saves the city when it is snowed in by a blizzard.

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Some children create a family out of snow.

Winter Woes by Marty Kelley
Rhyming lament of a young worrywart who wants to go outside and play in the snow but fears what could happen if he does, from slipping on steps to freezing his brain.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz
As snowflakes slowly come down, one by one, people in the city ignore them, and only a boy and his dog think that the snowfall will amount to anything.


More Snowy Books --
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
First Snow by Bernette Ford
First Snow by Peter McCarty
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann
A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart
The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg
Moon Glowing by Elizabeth Partridge
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
Sleepover with Beatrice and Bear by Monica Carnesi
Snow Day! by Lester Laminack
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Snowball Fight! by Jimmy Fallon
Snowbots by Aaron Reynolds
Straight to the Pole by Kevin O'Malley
Supertruck by Steven Savage
Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan
Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
The Winter Visitors by Karel Hayes


Check out these and more "snowy" books on display at the Arnold Branch through January 5, 2017.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a truly heroic Viking known as the "dragon whisperer".  But it wasn't always that way.

Once, Hiccup was just a Viking boy trying to become a member of the clan by passing his dragon training test.  He must overcome many obstacles including a dragon that refuses to be trained.


This is the first book in the How to Train Your Dragon series.  While it is the book that the movie is loosely based on, it is not very similar to the movie.  It is a great read about an underdog becoming the hero.

Also, try listening to the series on audio as narrated by actor David Tennant.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Once Upon a Time . . . Fairy Tales for Teens

I love to read re-imaginings of fairy tales -- whether it is a strict retelling with more character development or a fractured tale.  Here are some of my favorite fairy tales for teens . . . .

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
When Sunday Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week, kisses an enchanted frog, he transforms back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland--a man Sunday's family despises.

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
Recasts the tale of Snow White, setting it in West Virginia in the 1940s with a stepmother who is a snake-handler.

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the prince, and delves into the psychological motivations of the characters.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
A girl travels east of the sun and west of the moon to free her beloved prince from a magic spell.

Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
Having escaped from the Wild and the preordained fairy tale plots it imposes, Rapunzel, along with her daughter Julie Marchen, tries to live a fairly normal life, but when the Wild breaks free and takes over their town, it is Julie who has to prevent everyone from being trapped in the events of a story.


More Fairy Tales for Teens --
Curse of the Thirteenth Fey by Jane Yolen
Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley
East by Edith Pattou
The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman
Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ronald Koertge
Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
Mira, Mirror by Mette Harrison
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas
Roses by G.R. Mannering
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
Toads & Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
Towering by Alex Flinn
The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 30, 2016.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer

Mara is sitting in her senior calculus class when all of a sudden the student two desks in front of her explodes.

A week later in group therapy another senior explodes.

Then a third explodes during the football game.

It seems the seniors of Covington High are spontaneously combusting.
Now Mara must survive quarantine, shunning, and suddenly exploding classmates to make it to graduation.


The plot of this book is truly unique.  I have never seen another book tackle spontaneous combustion among high school students.  While the plot is outlandish, the book is both sad and funny.  It causes the reader to think about what they would do in that situation.

Monday, December 5, 2016

If You Liked Harry Potter . . .

With the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them recently coming out, I have once again been struck with Harry Potter fever.  However, what should you read if you've already gone through all the Harry Potter books.  Here are some of my favorite Harry Potter read-alikes for kids . . . .

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.

Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer
Ten-year-old Frederick, who is surreptitiously watched over by a household elf, is plucked from a London orphanage to be a servant to a wealthy wizard,  and eventually his uncanny abilities lead him to become the wizard's apprentice.

The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo
Gifts from Gwyn's grandmother on his ninth birthday open up a whole new world to him, as he discovers he has magical powers that help him heal the breach with his father that has existed ever since his sister's mysterious disappearance four years before.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones (volumes 1-3)
Adventures of the Chrestomanci, an enchanter with nine lives, whose job is to control the practice of magic in the infinite parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.


More Great Harry Potter Read-Alikes --
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein
The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler
Half Upon a Time by James Riley
Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson
The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper
The Magickers by Emily Drake
Not Just a Witch by Eva Ibbotson
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 22, 2016.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat by Gary Paulsen

Jordan is in the bathroom after school trying to stop his latest nosebleed when the loudspeaker crackles and announces a storm warning.  All kids are to take shelter.  Five other boys quickly gather in the bathroom to wait out the storm.

Six boys are in the bathroom -- talking and passing the time.

Jordan, who has social anxiety and gets nosebleeds when he has to deal with more than a couple of people at a time.

Avery, the new kid, who hid and slept through his entire first day of school.

Taylor, the kid who is struggling and takes out his frustrations on others.

Mason, the smart kid without friends who is tutoring Taylor.

Reagan, the overachiever who has so many extracurriculars he doesn't have a free moment.

Dylan, who spends all his time in his own world rocking out and playing air guitar.

And then there is the stuffed cat . . . .


This is a great story for kids.  While it is short without a lot of action, it does contain a lot of character development.  You really get to know the six boys as they spend the afternoon in the bathroom.  As an added bonus, the story was turned into a short one-act play that is included in the book.