Maybe This Time by Kasie West

Name an event and Sophie will be there.  Well she has to be there.  

Sophie works for the local florist who does not only does all the flowers but also organizes most of the events throughout the year in their small town.  

Then at the annual Valentine's Party at the local nursing home she runs into Andrew, the son of a famous chef working with the local caterer.  

Now they are both required to be at all of the same events for the next year.  Too bad they hate each other.  

Hopefully the year will pass quickly.

This book takes place over one year at nine different events.  It chronicles the evolving relationship Sophie has with her mom, best friend, and Andrew.  This would be a great book for those who like authors Deb Caletti, Jennifer E. Smith or Morgan Matson.

Books So Funny You Have to Laugh Out Loud

We can all use a good laugh every now and then.  So this week, I'm share funny chapter books.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen
Twelve-year-old Henry's grand adventures spell disaster for best chums Riley and Reed, who always seems to land in a pile of "smelly goo."

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy
Relates the adventures of a family with two fathers, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets as they make their way through a school year and deal with a grumpy new neighbor.

Zoo School by Laurie Miller Hornik
The students at the strange new Zoo School have never seen a school like it before, but when inspectors try to close it down because of irregularities, the students are surprised to find out how much they have learned.

Jimmy Dabble by Frans Vischer
An imaginative little boy named Jimmy Dabble, who brings a creative touch to his farm chores, strikes his traditional parents as a bit too eccentric, but the understanding and encouragement he receives from his visiting grandmother and an unusual creature may be what he needs to resolve an impending crisis.


More Funny Books --
A Book of Coupons by Susie Morgenstern
Crown Me! by Kathryn Lay
Dr. Proctor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo
Funny Girl: Funnies. Stories. Ever. by Betsy Bird
Goldilocks, Go Home! by Martha Freeman
Hamstersaurus Rex by Tom O'Donnell
The Mummy's Mother by Tony Johnston
The Pepins and Their Problems by Polly Horvath
The Prizewinners of Piedmont Place by Bill Doyle
The Quigleys by Simon Mason
Squirrel in the House by Vivian Vande Velde
Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers by John Dougherty


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through September 6, 2020.

Take a Trip . . . By Reading a Good Book

Many of us are not able to go on a vacation this summer.  We'll have to settle for travelling through the stories we read.  So this week, I'm sharing some of my favorite picture books about trips . . .

A Good Knight's Rest by Shelley Moore Thomas

The Good Knight's hard work has earned him a vacation, but his three little dragon friends come along and make the trip anything but relaxing.

Are We There Yet? by Dandi Daley Mackall

A brother and sister can't wait to hit the road, but they soon find themselves bored with riding in the car and try to make the trip more fun.

Duck's Vacation by Gilad Soffer

Duck is trying to enjoy a relaxing vacation, but with each turn of the page, the reader causes some calamity.

The House Takes a Vacation by Jacqueline Davies

While the Petersons are away, their house decides to take a trip to the sea to watch the "Dance of the Sunlight," despite some groaning from the chimney and the basement's refusal to rise to the occasion.

Duck Tents by Lynne Berry

While on a camping trip, five little ducks pitch tents, go fishing, toast marshmallows around a campfire, and face frightening night noises.

More Books --

Astro Bunnies by Christine Loomis

Bear & Hare Go Fishing by Emily Gravett

The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation by Delphine Perret

The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barba Rosenstock

City Cat by Kate Banks

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee

The Dad with 10 Children by Benedicte Guettier

How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk

The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman by Darcy Pattison

Liberty's Journey by Kelly DiPucchio

No Dogs Allowed! by Sonia Manzano

Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins

A Pork in New York by Catherine Stock

Strega Nona Takes a Vacation by Tomie de Paola

Tacky in Trouble by Helen Lester

Tiny Little Rocket by Richard Collingridge

Toot & Puddle: Top of the World by Holly Hobbie

Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World by Margaret Rey

Wow! City! by Robert Neubecker

Check out the display of vacation picture books at the Arnold Branch through August 28, 2020.

2020 Teen Summer Reading List

Here it is . . . the annual summer reading list for teens.  Try one of our favorites on the list . . .

The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle
Every October, Cara and her family inexplicably suffer bruises, broken bones, and worse. Is it coincidence? Or a curse? As Cara begins to look closer, the mysteries only multiply and deepen.

Dig by A.S. King
Five white teenage cousins who are struggling with the failures and racial ignorance of their dysfunctional parents and their wealthy grandparents, reunite for Easter.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating the land.


More Books --
19 Love Songs by David Levithan
All Eyes on Us by Kit Frick
Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg
The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah
The Lovely War by Julie Berry
The Raft by S.A. Bodeen
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
Stronger, Faster, More Beautiful by Arwen Dayton
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 21, 2020.

Over the Moon by James Proimos

A baby drifts down a river.  She doesn't think -- she just drifts.

Two wolves find the baby.  One wolf wants to take her home and teach her everything.  The other wolf wants to take her home and eat her.



This book is all about going with the flow.  I love this book as that is my personal mantra -- I go where the river takes me and takes things as they come.  This book shares this philosophy while making you laugh.

I Wish . . .

This week, I'm sharing chapter book stories about wishes.  Here are a few of my favorite . . . .

Half Magic by Edward Eager
Faced with a dull summer in the city, Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha suddenly find themselves involved in a series of extraordinary adventures after Jane discovers an ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes.

The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain
When a strange little man comes to the Coven Tree Church Social promising he can give people exactly what they ask for, three young believers-in-magic each make a wish that comes true in the most unexpected way.

The Angel Tree by Daphne Benedis-Grab
Every Christmas in the small town of Pine River, a tree appears in the town square and people tie wishes to it, but nobody knows where the tree comes from--but this year four children are determined to solve the mystery of the Angel Tree.


More Books --
The Bottle Imp of Bright House by Tom Llewellyn
A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese
Genuine Sweet by Faith Harkey
Granted by John David Anderson
Joplin, Wishing by Diane Stanley
One Wish by Michelle Harrison
Scare Scape by Sam Fisher
The Kazillion Wish by Nick Place
The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner
The Whispers by Greg Howard
Wishing Day by Lauren Myracle
Witch's Wishes by Vivian Vande Velde

5 Centimeters per Second by Makoto Shinkai

Tohno and Araki become friends in middle school.  They are inseparable until Araki has to move away just before high school.  Both harbor feelings for each other and promise they will stay in touch.  Then Tohno moves to a small island where fellow classmate Sumida falls in love with him.  But Tohno is unable to move on from his feelings from Araki even though they have long lost touch.  Will any of them ever find their place in the world and who they belong with?

This manga is based upon the award winning manga film.  The characters draw you into the story so that you root for them to find their ways.