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Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Posted on April 30, 2013 by Brian in Science FictionIn a world where the government regulates the number of children per family Luke, an illegal third child, constantly finds himself in danger because of his very existence. All he has ever known is how to hide, and how to run. And until this point hiding,on a secluded farm, has been easy. But when the [...]
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Homesick by Kate Klise
Posted on April 21, 2013 by gbenedick in Realistic FictionBenny’s dad calls himself a collector, but lately he’s becoming more of a hoarder. He collects all kinds of stuff, but his most prized possession is a small splinter which he believes came from the holy cross. Benny’s mom is sick and tired of his dad’s hoarding habit and the splinter becomes a symbol of [...]
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Destiny Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Posted on April 17, 2013 by Jessica in Realistic FictionEmily is named after Emily Dickinson, and it is her destiny to become a great poet. Well, that’s what her mom thinks. Emily, on the other hand, much prefers writing romance novels to writing poetry. So who exactly is in charge of your destiny? Is it something that is decided at birth or do you [...]
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Invincible Microbe by Jim Murphy
Posted on April 15, 2013 by Jessica in Nonfiction, social issuesInvincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy I saw this book laying out on a library table one evening, and for some reason, it intrigued me. I checked it out thinking I’d just skim it, but ended up reading it from cover to cover. I’d only ever gotten little [...]
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Really Really Big Questions About Me and My Body by Dr. Stephen Law
Posted on April 9, 2013 by Children's Department Staff in Nonfiction, UncategorizedThe Really, Really Big Questions series tackles some of the philosophical questions that older kids often ask their parents. These books are meant to bring these questions up for thought and discussion. There are five books in the series; MPL also owns Really, Really Big Questions About Space and Time and Really, Really Big Questions About God, Faith [...]
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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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The Wizard the Ugly and the Book of Shame by Pablo Bernasconi
Posted on March 27, 2013 by Brian in Fantasy, Picture BooksThis book tells the story of a wizard who can grant the innermost wish of anyone, but when his assistant, Chancery, attempts to make himself beautiful everything is turned upside down. Leitmeritz’s book of spells, no longer working properly, casts spells that are silly and fun to imagine. After several awry spells Leitmeritz vows to [...]
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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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The Time Warp Trio: Summer Reading is Killing Me! by Jon Scieszka
Posted on March 22, 2013 by gbenedick in Adventure, Fantasy, Humorous StoriesWhat happens when a summer reading list gets slipped into the pages of a time-traveling book? You don’t even want to know…The time-warp trio is accustomed to getting lost in time, but this is different. Taken to a fictional place, Fred, Sam and Joe discover that all the villains from their favorite books have formed [...]
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The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Posted on March 11, 2013 by Jessica in animals, Family Read-Aloud, Humorous Stories, My Favorite, Picture BooksLittle Mouse lives in the deep, dark wood. One day as he is strolling through the woods, he meets various predators: a fox, an owl, and a snake. Each invites him to dine in their homes, but he refuses each by saying he is meeting a Gruffalo. He describes the scary Gruffalo, and each animal takes [...]
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