LIBRARY IS CLOSED ...

Sunday, March 30, 2013 for Easter Sunday.  The Glendale Public Library will be open on Monday April 1, at 10 AM. 

LONG LOST PRINCE

Conner, a nobleman of the court, adopts four orphan boys on his quest to find the one who will take on the role of Carthya’s long lost prince.  With the death of the King, the county is divided and civil war is imminent.  Conner has little time to train these boys and ultimately select the one who will take the identity of the prince. But in order for his plan to succeed, the boy Conner selects has to convince the county the twenty regions that he is their resurrected prince.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is book one of the thrilling Ascendance Trilogy.  This book is a page turner; I would recommend it for students who enjoy suspense and survival.  Following the story with Sage, one of the orphan boys and narrator, readers get to experience what it was like for the boys to compete for their lives.  Readers will also enjoy the unexpected turns this story takes. 

For readers in grades 4-8.

 

DRAGON SPEAR

After a battle between good and evil, a vast number of dragons find a new and peaceful life in an area far from Feravel.  When Creel, Heroine of the Dragon Wars and her beloved Luca visits her dragon family, they are overwhelmed with joy; the dragons are content and the queen dragon is due to have her own baby dragons!  Unfortunately, a misguided dragon kidnaps the queen with the hope that there will be a new leader.  Will Creel find her in time?  An exciting battle ensues.  This is an exciting end to Jessica Day George's beloved dragon trilogy.  

For 4th grade and up.

GRIMMEST OF THE GRIMM



This is not a story for the faint of heart or gentle of spirit. What we’ve come to know and love as fairy tales are a far cry from the original Grimm’s tales that have inspired countless Disney films and picture books. But, in reality, Grimm’s fairy tales are the stuff nightmares are made of. In fact, few people know about the more gory elements found in Cinderella or Rapunzel. Check out a copy of the original Grimm’s stories to see for yourself.

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz follows Hansel and Gretel from the well-known candy house though several other Grimm’s tales (some familiar, some not). The narrator lets you know right from the start that things will not be easy and painless for Hansel and Gretel. It’s a dark and scary world out there in fairytale land, and the pair will need to keep their wits about them in order to survive. Their story is one of bravery and forgiveness in the face of betrayal and danger. As the narrator tells us in the first chapter, “…the land of Grimm can be a harrowing place. But, it is worth exploring. For, in life, it is in the darkest zones one finds beauty and the most luminous wisdom.”

So, if Goosebumps fails to thrill you, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark makes you yawn, and you can read Cirque du Freak in the dark, all alone, on a dark and stormy night, then A Tale Dark and Grimm may just be the book for you.

For grades 5 and up.

READING IS DELICIOUS...BUT NOT FROM A CAN

High schooler Linda has been by her aunt's side since she was a baby, but now aunt Elba is sick and she being sent thousands of miles away to Aunt Pat's in Pittsburgh. Aunt Pat is famous on public television for cooking from cans, which Linda can't understand because she and aunt Elba cook from scratch for their restaurant because that's how food should be made.  

Aunt Pat's house is full of adopted kids and everyone seems to appreciate her cooking except for Linda, who is marked from the beginning as "difficult".  Feeling homesick and misunderstood, she's got to figure out how to make things work in Pittsburgh since it looks like Aunt Elba's illness is worse than first thought and she will be staying MUCH longer than she wants.  

A fast fun read about how food is much more a part of life than one would ever think.  Sizzle: A Novel by Lee McClain is not just a cooking story but a story of empathy and friendships and how to put your own prejudices aside for the sake of others.  

For readers in 6th and up.  

SPEAKING OF TOADS...

Once Upon a Toad by Heather Vogel Frederick, author of Mother-Daughter Book Club series is a funny, twisted, and updated version of the classic fairytale, Diamonds and Toads.  When Cat's mother is suddenly tapped to go into space, Cat gets sent to live  with her father and stepmom.  Worse, she's sharing a room with Olivia, her stepsister, the bane of her existence.   When her fairy godmother tries to help make things better, things turned out worse.  Worse than having a horrible stepsister is having toads come out of your mouth each and every single time you speak.  Then that same stepsister spouts jewels when she speaks instead is just beyond acceptable.  

This is a great read for those who want  a more grown-up version of the beloved fairytale.   For readers in 6th-8th.  

MURDER, KIDNAPPING, AND...BAD WIGS?

Mo LoBeau isn’t your typical tween. Abandoned at birth during a raging hurricane, she’s being raised by The Colonel and Miss Lana, eccentric café proprietors with amnesia issues and a penchant for tacky wigs. But Mo’s life gets a whole lot stranger when a police detective arrives in her small North Carolina town investigating a murder . . . and her best friend Dale turns out to be a prime suspect!  

As Three Times Lucky unfolds, Mo and Dale launch their own detective agency and attempt to track down the real killer. They navigate a crazy world of sneaky cops, stolen cash, phone taps, and deep-fat-fried Oreos with considerable skills and smarts. When The Colonel and Miss Lana go missing, though, the Desperado Detectives find themselves in over their heads, wondering who they can trust. 

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage is Newbery Honor book, an action-packed murder mystery with a heart of gold, and a great read for fifth to eighth graders.

 

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES IN... DRAGON FLIGHT

All is calm in Feravel until a scorned brother devises a plan to become the King of the Dragons.  When his plan is unveiled, the Heroine of the Dragon Wars makes a desperate plea to friends and strangers to help her in the fight.  Will she have to fight alone against evil?  Another fantasy adventure by Jessica Day George.  

For 4th grade and up.

LETTERS OUT OF HISTORY

I always love a good dog story. Kizzy Ann Stamps by Jeri Watts is a GREAT dog story, even if it takes a bit of time to get to the good parts. But it's also a story about a young black girl living in a time when people were mean to her just because of the color of her skin. Can you believe that? Why would anybody do such a thing? Well, that's how it went many years ago, and Kizzy Ann wrote a lot of letters to her teacher at the "white" school talking all about her life. She especially loved writing about her Border Collie named Shag, her protector and her best friend. If you like reading books written in the format of letters to a friend, this is the book for you. And if you want to know a little more about herding dogs and a lot about history, you'll really like this book too. 

For 4th - 8th grades.

FEBRUARY 2013

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE

Georges (the S is silent) just moved into an apartment from a beautiful house that his father designed because his dad lost his job.  His mom, who is a nurse, is always at the hospital and Georges hasn't seen her in weeks.  At school, Georges is getting bullied and is having a hard time making and keeping friends in 7th grade when his best friend suddenly abandons him for the cool kids.

One day, Georges and his dad see a notice for a "Spy Club" meeting in the basement of their apartment building and Georges' dad makes him go check it out.  Hanging out in the basement is super creepy and when he opens the door all he sees is a little girl sitting cross-legged on the table.  He discovers her name is Candy and she's scouting the location for her brother, Safer.  The two boys don't fall into an instant friendship - Georges needs someone to hang out with and Safer doesn't seem to give him much choice.  Safer teaches Georges the ins and outs of becoming a spy which include surveillance tactics and being more observant.  Much of the time, though, it feels like Safer is lying, or at least with holding the truth from Georges, which Georges definitely doesn't like. The spying becomes all too real with Safer convinces Georges that their neighbor, Mr. X is up to something very secretive - but what they really discover is that Mr. X isn't the only one with secrets.

Join Georges and Safer's Spy Club in Rebecca Stead's novel for Grades 6-8, Liar and Spy.

LAST MAN STANDING

When Fisher was born, he wasn't an infant.  And he didn't come out of his mother's womb.  Nobody held him and hugged him, or welcomed him into the world.  He was alone.  And a teenager.  And he was born in a survival pod.  Fisher is  the last human on Earth in a distant future from ours.  His ancestors tried to preserve as many species of animal and plant as the Earth deteriorated due to climate change and other man-made issues.  For Fisher, his main objective is to survive.  Along his journey he meets a custodial robot and a pygmy mammoth and together they figure out what it means to survive and what it means to be the last human on Earth.

Join Fisher in this post-apocalyptic tale of survival.  The Boy at the End of the World by Greg van Eekhout is perfect for lovers of science fiction and adventure in grades 5 and 6.

GOOD CHANGES

Ben the Inventor isn't really about inventing as such, but about Ben and his best friend, Jack, and the end of their friendship.  Jack's mother just got a new job and the family will have to sell their house and move to Vancouver, a nearby city.  This is a very sweet beginning chapter book about how the two boys come up with all kinds of plans to make the house unsaleable and thereby remain neighbors and friends forever.  

Ben the Inventor by Robin Stevenson is a good introduction into the world of  beginning chapter books and for those looking for a solid boy book.  For readers in 2nd-4th.