Author Archives: Jennifer
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I am the Children's Services Manager at Manhattan Public Library, the greatest place to work! I have bachelor's and master's degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing from Kansas State University. I have always loved libraries and started my library career at the age of 12 when I was allowed to work short shifts at my very small hometown library. Working with kids, parents and teachers in the library atmosphere is a dream job for me. -
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jennifer in fairy tales and folklore, FantasyThis is fun fantasy that retells and provides a new backstory for the age-old Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. I appreciate the author’s leap of faith as she takes on an unloved trollish character as her main character. I found myself compelled to keep reading as Rump’s story unfolded, and, despite several mistakes and wrong turns, Rump had [...]
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The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng
Posted on April 5, 2013 by Jennifer in Realistic FictionThis is a quiet story without a lot of adventure or crazy plot lines or outlandish characters. But if you like to read about someone who feels real, Anna is the perfect character to get to know. She is introspective and thoughtful, but it is not easy for her to make friends. Instead, Anna reads…a [...]
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Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jennifer in Newbery, Nonfiction, other award winnersCold war nonfiction is not my favorite reading topic, but this book won a number of children’s and young adult book awards this winter, including best nonfiction (Sibert Award) and a Newbery honor for best children’s book (fiction or nonfiction). My husband and I had visited Los Alamos on a trip to New Mexico a [...]
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Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Posted on February 6, 2013 by Jennifer in Nonfiction, world culturesWhen this book came in, I started flipping through it at my desk because the topic reminded me of a Laotian refugee who was in my class when I was in 2nd grade. I had to give up my lunch hour to keep reading because I couldn’t put the book down once I started. Tuyet’s [...]
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Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Posted on January 4, 2013 by Jennifer in My Favorite, Realistic Fiction, School StoriesAugust “Auggie” Pullman is a kid like any other with one difference – he was born with a facial deformity that strangers find shocking, to say the least. After years of being homeschooled between surgeries and hospitalizations, Auggie and his parents decide it’s time to start 5th grade in a public school. This difficult and [...]
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Picture Books for the Season
Posted on December 2, 2012 by Jennifer in Newspaper column, Picture BooksHanukkah is just around the corner, and several new books will be fun to share with little ones. Jane Yolen’s popular dinosaur series has a double entry for the season this year. How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? and How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? both go through many of the traditions of each holiday. [...]
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Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week
Posted on November 11, 2012 by Jennifer in Newspaper column, Picture BooksManhattan Public Library is participating in the 2012 Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week, November 11-17, by giving out free books to child care providers in the Manhattan area. The books are funded by our Friends group, the Manhattan Library Association, and delivered to more than 130 daycares with help from the Riley County Health Department [...]
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Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
Posted on November 1, 2012 by Jennifer in My Favorite, Realistic FictionLife for Georges (with a silent s) is suddenly complicated when he starts 7th grade. His father lost his job, so the family has moved into an apartment building, and now his mother is working extra shifts at the hospital and seems to never be home. Georges doesn’t have to change schools, but unfortunately that [...]
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Meet the Presidents
Posted on October 21, 2012 by Jennifer in Newspaper column, Nonfiction, Realistic FictionColumn published in The Mercury 10-21-12 As expected, a flood of presidential-themed children’s books came out this fall. Here are some fun books that allow kids to take a more light-hearted approach to learning about our presidents and the election process: Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel makes kids laugh out loud, and they [...]
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The Great Molasses Flood by Deborah Kops
Posted on October 2, 2012 by Jennifer in NonfictionIn Boston, 1919, a huge tank filled with two million gallons of molasses burst apart and flooded Boston’s North End. The wave of molasses was as tall as 15 feet and not only covered buildings but pushed many houses and buildings off their foundations. Kops captures the fascinating stories of several survivors, as well as the [...]
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