Classics for Children

The Jefferson County Library is excited to be sponsoring author visits by Pulitzer Prize winning-author Caroline Fraser later this month.  She won the Pulitzer Prize for her book Prairie Fires about the life of children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder.  So this week, I am sharing some classic books for children.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls
Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her famlily are kept busy and happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson travel to the bleak wastes of Dartmoor to solve the mystery surrounding the late Sir Charles Baskerville and a ghostly hound.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies in nineteenth-century New England.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
As life on Mars becomes impossible, Martians and their terrifying machines invade the earth.


More Classics --
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
White Fang by Jack London
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through October 11, 2019.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Elaine is not thrilled to be starting her junior year at a new high school just because her professor parents are on a sabbatical. 

That's before she meets Will.  Will is quarterback of the football team, senior class president, and friend to nearly everybody.  When Will becomes her friend, Elaine decides this move might not be so bad.

But something strange is going on at Avalon High.  Will's best friend and girlfriend are hooking up in secret.  His brother hates him.  And the English teacher thinks Will is the reincarnation of King Arthur.

Will Elaine be able to save Will?  And what's her part in this story?



This is a retelling of the King Arthur story set in a modern-day high school.  It was a fun book to read with a little bit of everything for everyone.  There's fantasy, romance, suspense, and mystery.

Story Time Favorites

We are often asked for recommendations of books to read to classrooms and group settings.  So this wee, I am sharing some of our favorite books to use for story time.  These are great books to use in group settings for kids of all ages.

Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry
A monster searches everywhere to find the things he loves: bunnies!!!

Moo by David LaRochelle
When Cow gets her hooves on the farmer's car, she takes it for a wild ride through the country.

Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas
Chicken's cow visitors try to jump, dance, and wiggle on his couch, which is much too tiny for such exuberant activities.

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

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
The carrots that grow in Crackenhopper Field are the fattest and crispiest around and Jasper Rabbit cannot resist pulling some to eat each time he passes by, until he begins hearing and seeing creepy carrots wherever he goes.

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak
In this book with no pictures, the reader has to say every silly word, no matter what.


More Books --
Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone
Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere
Birds by Kevin Henkes
A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan
Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper
Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
Hugless Douglas by David Melling
If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre
It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle
Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
Let's Count Goats by Mem Fox
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Mosquitoes Can't Bite Ninjas by Jordan P. Novak
Mr. Putney's Quacking Dog by Jon Agee
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman
My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
Plankton Is Pushy by Jonathan Fenske
The Police Cloud by Christoph Niemann
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman
There's a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

Check these and more story time favorite books out on display at the Arnold Branch through October 4, 2019.

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

Cat has always clung to his sister Gwendolen . . . especially after their parents die and they are orphaned.  When Gwendolen gets invited to Chrestomanci Castle to further her magical training, Cat goes along.  Gwendolen is sure the Chrestomanci will be impressed with her magical abilities.  When he ignores her and refuses to teach her magic, she vows vengeance.  She casts a new spell each day, each one more terrible than the one before.  Then she decides she has had enough and casts the biggest spell of all.  She disappears to another world and pulls her "twin" to take her place.  Now Cat must help the replacement while fixing all the trouble Gwendolen has caused.

Diana Wynne Jones was an inspiration to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.  I can tell why.  Her books are wonderful.  I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a new fantasy book to read.

Would You Survive?

This week, I am sharing stories of survival for teens.  Here are a few of my favorites  . . . .

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
Six years ago Maddie lived in Washington D.C. with her father, a Secret Service agent assigned to the President's family, and her best friend was Logan, the President's son; but after her father was wounded in an attempted kidnapping the two of them moved to a remote cabin in Alaska and Logan never replied to her letters--but now he has suddenly turned up on her doorstep.

Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate's odd appearance and expertise as a woodcarver cause some to think her a witch, but friendship with a talking cat and, later, with humans help her to survive and even thrive in a world of magic, charms, and fear.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Icons by Margaret Stohl

After an alien force known as the Icon colonizes Earth, decimating humanity, four surviving teenagers must piece together the mysteries of their pasts--in order to save the future.

More Survival Stories --

Damselfly by Chandra Prasad

Deadfall by Stephen Wallenfels

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry

The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl

Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster

A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

Mayfly by Jeff Seat

On the Free by Coort Voorhees

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

The Special Ones by Em Bailey
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Time Bomb by Joelle Charbonneau
The Truth Beneath the Lies by Amanda Searcy
Unnatural Disasters by Jeff Hirsch
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn
Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Wild Ones by Paul Greci
The Wreckers by Iain Laawrence

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through September 27, 2019.