Love, Creekwood: A Simonverse Novella by Becky Albertalli

Ever wonder what happened to Simon and Bram or Leah and Abby?  In this book, we see their emails from their first year of college.  Simon and Bram are dealing with a long distance relationship as they attend college apart.  Meanwhile, Leah and Abby are at the same college and navigating being in a relationship.  

I really enjoyed catching up with these characters from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and its sequels.  It was fun to revisit their world and relationships.  The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so it will be interesting to see if the author gives us another book in the future.

Rot: The Bravest in the World! by Ben Clanton

 

This book is about mutant potatoes -- mutant potatos that love mud!

And Rot loves mud more than any other mutant potato.

Until, his brother Snot tells him about the Squirm that lives in the mud.  

Now Rot must become brave to face the Squirm!

This book is a lot of fun.  The illustrations are hilarious showing off how the potatoes look just a little weird and the mud is everywhere.  The story of two brothers trying to one up each other is also great.  I would definitely recommend this book.

A Few of Miss Amy's Favorite Chapter Books

 This week I'm sharing a few of my favorite chapter books for kids . . .

Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill

It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village.

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.

Mouse Noses on Toast by Daren King

Paul Mouse gathers a group of mouse activists to uncover the mystery behind the delicacy known as "Mouse noses on toast" which is served in a fancy human restaurant.

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.

Naked Bunyip Dancing by Steven Herrick

This novel in verse follows the school year of Australian students in classroom 6C, as their unconventional teacher encourages them to discover their own strengths and talents and perform in a memorable concert.

More Favorites --

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Horton Halfpot by Tom Anglberger

A Long Line of Cakes by Deborah Wiles

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy

Ms. Rapscott's Girls by Elise Primavera

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Shivers! The Pirate Who's Afraid of Everything by Annabeth Bondor-Stone

The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall by Tony Johnston

The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13 by Honest Lee

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 11, 2020.

Missing the Movies? Read One of These Teen Books Made Into a Movie

If you're anything like me, you've missed going to the movies these past months.  To help fill the void, read one of these teen books made into a movie (and check out the movie while you're at it).  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

In the quiet English hamlet of Wall, Tristran Thorn embarks on a remarkable journey through the world of Faerie to recover a fallen star for his lover, the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and the heir to the throne.

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.

Movie Title -- Love, Simon

Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer

When a number of Mara Carlyle's fellow high school students spontaneously combust, the FBI and a swarm of journalists descend upon her suburban New Jersey town in the search for answers.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weights whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.

More Books Turned Into Movies --

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Paper Towns by John Green

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 4, 2020.

Hello, Arnie! An Arnie the Doughnut Story by Laurie Keller

 

Arnie knows every doughnut in the bakery . . . every doughnut except one. 

He's never seen a doughnut like this one before. 
It's big!  It's giant!
It's not a long john.  It doesn't have a hole.  
It doesn't even have sprinkles!

Arnie is determined to figure out what kind of doughnut it is!



I love the Arnie the Doughnut stories.  They are some of my favorites.  This is a great addition to the series.  It's funny!  It also includes the reader in on the joke.  I would definitely recommend this book -- to those who already love Arnie and those meeting him for the first time.

The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson

 

They thought they were enemies.  They thought they could never be friends.

After all their parents are running for president against each other.  

But that was before they were forced to spend time together and discovered they had more in common than anyone thought.  

Slowly their friendship turns into something more.  But their relationship must remain a secret.  It could ruin both of their parents' campaigns.  

Then someone discovers the truth and threatens to tell everyone . . . 

This is a teen book is a great book to read during the election year.  While it focuses on the main characters of Dean and Dre it also includes a lot of politics in the book.  It's also a great book for exploring relationships -- family, friends, and romantic.

Horror Stories for Teens

 Halloween is quickly approaching.  So to get us in the mood, this week I'm share some horror novels for teens . . . .

Alone by Cyn Balog
Seda, sixteen, feels her invisible childhood nemesis, Sawyer, growing stronger just as a group of stranded teens takes shelter from a blizzard in the dilapidated mansion Seda's mother inherited.

Dreaming Darkly by Caitlin Kittredge

After her mother's death, Ivy is sent to live on an island with a rich uncle where she experiences nightmares and learns about her family's murderous past.

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

Clementine DeVore, seventeen, is determined to learn what happened ten years ago that led to her magical imprisonment and problems in her town, but a dangerous attraction to Fisher, the boy who freed her, town politics, and the terrifying Hollow get in the way.

His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe's Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined

Offers a collection of authors' reimaginings of Edgar Allan Poe's work, as well as the original Poe stories.

The Sacrifice Box by Martin J. Stewart

Five former friends must discover which of them broke the rules when objects they sealed in an ancient stone box come to life in twisted forms and dead things reanimate.

More Horror Stories --

As I Descended by Robin Talley

Asylum by Madeline Roux

Between the Devil and the Dark Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Bonechiller by Graham McNamee
Burning by Danielle Rollins

The End Games by T. Michael Martin

The Fall by Bethany Griffin

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

The Glare by Margot Harrison

Haunted by Danielle Vega

The House by Christina Legrand

Lockdown: Escape from the Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

The Wrong Train by Jeremy de Quidt

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through October 31, 2020.