Take Flight with a Book

This week, I'm sharing some great picture storybooks featuring birds.  Here a few of my favorites . . .

Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce different kinds of birds' nests, from the scrapes falcons build on high, craggy ledges to the underground nests burrowing owls dig. Includes brief facts about each kind of bird.

Penguin by Polly Dunbar
Ben is delighted to receive a penguin for his birthday but Penguin will not answer or respond to him in any way, no matter what Ben does, until, at last, they discover the language of friendship.

Birds by Kevin Henkes
Fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds, and movements of the many different birds she sees through her window, a little girl is happy to discover that she and they have something in common.

Sitting Duck by Jackie Urbanovic
Max the duck volunteers to babysit for puppy Anabel, unaware of all the mischief a puppy can get into.

Telephone by Mac Barnett
In this picture book a string of birds on a telephone wire plays a game of telephone, with the usual mixed up results.


More Bird Books --
5 Little Ducks by Denise Fleming
Albert by Donna Jo Napoli
The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Massie
Big Chickens Fly the Coop by Leslie Helakoski
Bird, Bird, Bird: A Chirping Chant by April Pulley Sayre
Chicken Chickens by Valeri Gorbachev
Chicken Chuck by Bill Martin Jr.
Duck & Goose by Tad Hills
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Egg by Kevin Henkes
Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert
George Flies South by Simon James
Gobble, Gobble by Cathryn Falwell
Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli
Hen Lake by Mary Jane Auch
Hooray for Birds! by Lucy Cousins
I Am Dodo: Not a True Story by Kae Nishimura
I Am Henry Finch by Alexis Deacon
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley
Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds
A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston
The Nightingale by Jerry Pinkney
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
On the Wing by David Elliott
A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
Pardon Me! by Daniel Miyares
Seven Hungry Babies by Candace Fleming
Shy by Deborah Freedman
Souperchicken by Mary Jane Auch
Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey
Tillie Lays an Egg by Terry Golson
Woodpecker Wham by April Pulley Sayre

Check these and more bird books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 11, 2017.

The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

So let's raise our glasses to the accident season,
To the river beneath us where we sink our souls, 
To the bruises and secrets, to the ghosts in the ceiling,
One more drink for the watery road.

Every October, Cara and her family enter the Accident Season.  They get cuts, scrapes, broken bones, and when it is really bad -- someone dies.

This Accident Season is shaping up to be the worst one yet.  Not a day goes by without Cara, her sister Alice, stepbrother Sam, and mother getting injured in multiple ways.

But this Accident Season is going to get even worse.  Because Cara is starting to ask questions.  She searches for Elsie, the childhood friend, who seems to be stalking her everywhere she goes even though Elsie has completely disappeared from school and town.  She questions her feelings for ex-stepbrother Sam.  And they are all starting to question the secrets that make up their lives and seem to be rule the Accident Season.


This book is difficult to describe.  It is a disturbing and creepy read.  The narrator Cara is unreliable enough that you have trouble deciding whether the paranormal aspects of the story are true or just delusions.  Yet, you just can't stop reading.  The characters draw you in and make you care about them and what happens to them.  I would definitely recommend this to readers who like moody reads.

If You Like Harry Potter . . .

This year is the 20th anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter book -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Harry Potter is one of the most requested series in the library.  However, what do you read when you've finished the series?  Here's are some of my favorite Harry Potter read-alikes for teens . . . .

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.

Elemental by Antony John
In a dystopian colony of the United States where everyone is born with powers of the elements, water, wind, earth, and fire, sixteen-year-old Thomas, the first and only child born without an element seems powerless, but is he?

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey
After her family is killed, Spirit White is taken to Oakhurst Academy, a combination orphanage and school for those with magical powers, where she and her new friends investigate when students start mysteriously disappearing.

Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by Rainbow Rowell
During his last year at Watford School of Magicks, Simon Snow, the Chosen One, faces a magic-eating monster wearing his face, a break-up, and a missing nemesis.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, find themselves caught up in the deadly struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient book that holds the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.


More Harry Potter Read-Alikes --
The Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst
Convergence by Stan Lee
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
The Novice by Taran Matharu
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 4, 2017.
Also, visit the library to participate in our Harry Potter activities July 25-31, 2017.

I Want a Story That Goes On and On and On . . . .

Series books are always popular.  Kids love the continuity of reading series.  The characters are familiar and the story just keeps going on.  So this week, I'm sharing some great chapter book series that you might not be as familiar with yet . . . .

The Onts by Dan Greenburg
Secrets of Dripping Fang series
Ten-year-old orphan twins Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin have a had it bad at Cincinnati's Jolly Days Orphanage, but things get much worse when the Mandible sisters offer to share their home in the Dripping Fang Forest.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
In the small city of Strattenburg there are many lawyers, and thirteen-year-old Theo Boone thinks he is one of them, but his inside knowledge of the justice system means trouble when a cold-blooded killer is about to go free and only Theo can stop him.

Moving Day by Meg Cabot
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series
Nine-year-old Allie Finkle has rules for everything and is even writing her own rule book, but her world is turned upside-down when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new house, school, best friend, and plenty of new rules.

Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka
On his first day at Brooklyn's P.S. 858, fifth-grader Michael K. is teamed with two very strange students, and while he gradually comes to believe they are aliens who need his help, he has trouble convincing anyone else of the truth.


More Series for Kids --
Alvin Ho series by Lenore Look
Chet Gecko, Private Eye series by Bruce Hale
Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker
The Genius Files series by Dan Gutman
Green Knowe series by L.M. Boston
Heroes in Training series by Joan Holub
Just Grace series by Charise Mericle Harper
Lily Quench series by Natalie Jane Prior
Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen
School Spirit series by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through July 28, 2017.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Louna has spent her whole life at weddings.  Her mother runs a very successful wedding planning business and Louna has always helped out.  They create fairy tale weddings that inspire dreams of happily ever after.  But Louna doesn't think there is a happily ever after out there for her after sad ending of her first epic love.

Ambrose is a happy-go-lucky serial dater that her mother hires for the summer as a favor to a former client.  Louna is annoyed by him from the first meeting.  However, she finds herself drawn into a bet with him.  He'll try to stay in a monogamous relationship for seven weeks and she'll try to date like Ambrose for the seven weeks . . . .


This is another great book by Sarah Dessen.  Louna is a character that while guarded still loves her friends and family.  She would still like to believe in fairy tales but isn't sure whether they exist for her.  I would definitely recommend this to fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Jennifer E. Smith.

Take a Dip . . . Into a Book

Kids eagerly look forward to summer . . . and swimming!  The kids at the library are always excited to be able to go swimming.  So this week, I am sharing some of my favorite books are swimming and water . . . .

Froggy Learns to Swim by Jonathan London
Froggy is afraid of the water until his mother, along with his flippers, snorkle, and mask, help him learn to swim.

America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle by David A. Adler
Describes the life and accomplishments of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel and a figure in the early women's rights movement.

Tuck in the Pool by Martha Weston
Tuck, a little pig taking swimming lessons, overcomes his fear of the water with the help of his lucky rubber spider.

Wave by Suzy Lee
A wordless picture book that shows a little girl's first experiences at the beach, as she goes from being afraid of the roaring waves to playing on the shore while gulls soar overhead.

Otters Under Water by Jim Arnosky
This book shows two young otters frolicking and feeding in a pond.


More Books --
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer
Barnacle Is Bored by Jonathan Fenske
The Blobfish Book by Jessica Olien
Bored! Bored! Bored! by Jill Newton
Can't Catch Me! by John Hassett
Duck & Goose Go to the Beach by Tad Hills
Fruits and Suits by Jared Chapman
How to Catch a Fish by John Frank
How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian
Nugget & Fang by Tammi Sauer
Ocean Counting by Janet Lawlor
The Ocean Story by John Seven
One Lonely Seahorse by Saxton Freymann
Pond Babies by Cathryn Falwell
Rain, Drop, Splash by Alvin Tresselt
Scuba Bunnies by Christine Loomis
Sea Monkey & Bob by Aaron Reynolds
Sea Rex by Molly Idle
Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez
Splashy Fins, Flashy Skins: Deep-Sea Rhymes to Make You Smile by Cynthia Copeland
Swallow the Leader: A Counting Book by Danna Smith
Swim, Duck, Swim! by Susan Lurie
Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant by April Pulley Sayre
Turtle Tug to the Rescue by Michael Slack
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck
The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan

Check these and more water books out on display at the Arnold Branch through July 21, 2017.