FALLING IN

Imagine following the sound of a mouse's squeak into a closet and falling into a world that is so different than yours that all the children fear you and don't really want to be your friend because they are convinced that you are a witch.  And because all the children believe that you are a witch, no one wants to play with you or hang out with you.  And so Isabelle search for good friends and hopes that one day she will be able to convince all  that she doesn't have witch like powers, however she starts to experience things on her journey which could prevent her from proving this. In this new world of hers, she befriends a girl named Hen who is on the hunt for the evil witch.  

Together, they embark on a journey of make believe and fantasy.  Will Isabelle ever get the courage to tell her new found friends that she is actually not from their world or will she start using her " witchy" powers in her new world and never go back?  Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell  is a whimsical and mystical story that will raise the reader's imaginations.  

For grades 5th and up. 

FORTUNATELY, THE MILK

When dad goes out to pick up milk for his children, he is gone for what the children consider a very long time.  When he returns, they ask him what took him so long.  He tells them about the adventures he encountered returning home with the milk.  His children refuse to believe that a trip to the corner store would cause such an array of unfortunate situations; from being captured by aliens and pirates, to making his escape and meeting a time traveling Stegosaurus. How will he convince his children that he is telling the truth? 

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman is a humorous story about a father explaining to his children the reason behind his tardiness.  Readers will laugh at the unfortunate events that take place as a father tries to make his way home to feed his children breakfast.  The illustrations throughout the story will entertain readers until the final page.  This would be a great story for children grades 3-6.  It would also make for a great read aloud.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The Glendale Public Library will close Tuesday, December 31, at 5pm. Please note that different branches may close at an earlier time.  

THANKSGIVING STORY

 

This classic book depict the journey of the Hopkins family’s London departure to America.  This particular story is seen through the eyes of the Hopkins’ family, who were part of the first settlers of Plymouth.  Even though the illustrations are very simple , the warm color palate adds another character to the overall story.  The story ends with a description of the Thanksgiving Dinner and how each person was thankful for their blessings in their lives. The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh.

For grades 2nd and up.

WHAT THE WORLD EATS

This book is pact with appetizing pictures and fun facts about the different countries and their eating habits.  There are twenty-five families from twenty-one countries and each family is featured with a detailed description of their circumstances and their eating habits and the types of food that they prepare and put on their tables. The countries were picked arbitrary and the author has visited each country personally.  The subtle message is that we as people buy so much food that it is impossible to consume all, while there are are countries that do not have enough resources to even have one simple dinner on the table.  The book is pack with graphics and pictures that depict each family's country and family life.  Food is always a great subject to explore, however what is very neat about this book is that instead of checking out multiple books about the different countries eating habits, you can just read this book and your curious appetite will be satisfied.  What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D' Aluisio

For grades 3 and up.  

SUPER EMMA

When EllRay is constantly being bullied, Emma’s natural reaction is to jump in and defend him, however in this specific situation things don’t go the way that she had hoped for since EllRay being a boy ends up feeling embarrassed by the fact that a girl is defending him.  This whole situation blows out of proportion because their teacher gets involved as well as other classmates. There are many lessons to be learned from this book, Super Emma  by Sally Warner  and illustrated by Jamie Harper.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        For grades 3rd and up.                                                                                     

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

All branches of the Glendale Public Library will be closed December 24-25.  We will be open Thursday, December 26.  

NOTHING EVER HAPPENS AT THE SOUTH POLE

Nothing Ever Happens at the South Pole by Stan and Jan Berenstain is one of the cutest books and you will love, love this book.  It's a clever and witty story about a penguin who decides to keep track of all interesting happenings in the South Pole.  He decides to write them in his journal and goes off to create these moments, however no matter how many interesting things happen, he never thinks that they are worthy of his journal.  After so many cute and quirky incidents, he gives up and concludes that "there is just one thing for me to write. It is the only thing I CAN say- NOTHING HAPPENED HERE TODAY".  


For grades pre-k to 2nd.

POPULAR GIRL

When Sofia Becker finds out her parents are sending her to summer camp, she is upset and refuses to go.  Campfires, canoeing and other nature adventures do not interest an avid blogger.  She convinces her best friend Nona to go with her.  She also decides to take her notebook and write everything down until she returns home and can write her blog.  When they arrive at camp, she wants to be the popular girl everyone loves.  Her attempt at popularity gets her into some embarrassing situations but throughout, she learns to love herself and embraces the experiences summer camp offers.

Secrets from the Sleeping Bag: A Blogtastic! Novel by Rose Cooper is book # 3 of the series.  Through blog/journal entries, Sofia shares with readers her experiences.  In this book, she learns to come out of her comfort zone and allows herself to experience new adventures and gain friendship all just by being herself.  She also gets a surprise first kiss, from a boy she did not expect.   

This book is for students grades 6 and up. 

THE TROUBLE WITH CHICKENS...

 Once upon a time there was this dog named J.J. Tully and after many years of hard work in the search and rescue business, this very tired and worn out dog decides to retire and live a quite life.  During one of his quite days, two chickens, Dirt and Sugar, along with their mother ask for his help in finding their missing siblings.  
     Who could have kidnapped the chickens?  Could this dog find the chickens?  Will he be able to narrow down the suspects or will this search and rescue mission go unsolved?  

The Trouble With Chickens  A J.J. Tully Mystery by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Kevin Cornell.

Grades 2nd-4th. 

YOUNG PIONEER

Sasha Zaichik wants nothing more than to be a Young Pioneer and follow his father’s example. Growing up in the Communist regime, Sasha admires Stalin and looks forward to his responsibilities and duties as a Young Pioneer.  The night before the Young Pioneer ceremony, his father was arrested for being a traitor.  After his father’s arrest, everything Sasha believes about his hero Stalin and the regime all become ambiguous.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin is a heartfelt story about a 10-year-old boy witnessing injustice in his country.  With the arrest of his father, he has no one to turn to for help but himself.  This 2012 Newberry Honor Medal Book is highly recommended for students who enjoy historical fiction.  The reading level is appropriate for grades 4 and up.   Students who have learned world history will better relate to Sasha’s character. 

SO MANY SECRETS

Cassandra and Max-Ernest are 11-year-old students who decoded a message from a magician which spelled out “Help” from a magician who had mysteriously vanished .  The two students set out on a mission to find out what happened to him.  While searching the magician’s house, they found a notebook and realized that they were not the only ones looking for it.  When their investigation led them to a secret spa,  the truth they were searching for would only lead them to more danger.  Is the investigation more important than their lives?  

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch is a mysterious and humorous story, suitable for students in grades 4.  This is the first book of the Secret series. 

MAD SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

This very simple book was filled with experiments that the students could actually follow through and understand the instructions without looking in a science dictionary.  Even though the book did not have colorful illustrations, the simple instructions with few black and white illustrations were very useful and the outcome of the experiments were a hit among the participants.  MAD SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS by STUART KALLEN.

 For grades 4th and up. 

LULU SAVES STRAY DOGS BY THE SEASHORE

Lulu's family has one rule about pets:  "The more the merrier!  As long as Lulu cleans up after them!"  This means that Lulu spends a lot of her time cleaning because her family already has a lot of pets:  2 guinea pigs, four rabbits, one parrot, one hamster, a lot of goldfish, and a dog named Sam.  With all these animals, it's no surprise that when they go on vacation to the seaside and find a stray dog, Lulu wants to tame him.  With the help of her best friend/cousin Mellie, Lulu tries her best to tame the Dog From the Sea and change everyone's mind that he's nothing but a nuisance and a trouble maker.

Hilary McKay's second installment of the Lulu series, Lulu and the Dog from the Sea is perfect for fourth graders who love animals.

DROWNING MEMORIES

Old Lower Grange was buried under water 12 years ago, the same day that Cassie's family rushed to the hospital because she came 2 months early.  Everyone in town says that New Lower Grange is better.  Cassie's not sure she agrees.  There is something about Old Lower Grange that she obsesses over.  As a child, she learned all about Atlantis, wondering if her town would become a lost world.  Her mother told her to stop obsessing.  That time moves on and progress calls.  The past was drowned and now it's time to look towards the future.  Cassie knows, though, that even though you drown things, not everything stays underwater where you want it to.

Join Cassie and her friend Liam as they solve the mystery of Lower Grange that no one knew even existed until the water started drying up and Old Lower Grange tried to meet New Lower Grange.  Below by Meg McKinlay is for kids in grades 4 and up.

CRAZY IS AS CRAZY DOES

Twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson's biggest fear is that she's crazy.  Her father doesn't like her to use that word, but Sarah knows what crazy means.  She knows what lots of words mean since she collects like them normal kids collect baseball cards.  She also knows that crazy runs in her family, and if it wasn't for crazy, her life might be a little more normal.  She might hang out with friends and read Harry Potter instead of writing letters to the fictional character Atticus Finch.  She might have a dad who wasn't an alcoholic.  And she might have a mother to take care of her.  Luckily for Sarah, despite all the crazy around her, her summer has some potential for a lot of normal, a lot of growing, and a lot less crazy.

Learn all about crazy in Karen Harrington's book, Sure Signs of Crazy for kids in 7th & 8th grades.

GIRL EXTRAORDINAIRE

Ruby is an extraordinary,  super code cracker who is desired by Harvard but really in her heart she wants to be a detective.   Ruby Redfort:  Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child is a too cool for school girl who only wears t-shirts with witty sayings. She has wealthy parents, a great nanny/cook, chauffeur and a very best friend.  Sounds like a great girl with a great life, eh? Well life has a way of changing things around when you least expect it.  

When a secret spy agency taps her to break a special code, she finds it absolutely boring and is itching to do some real field work and follow the clues no matter where they may lead her... like to The Jade of Bhuttan, a very special object that will be exhibited in her town.  


Although Ruby is an appealing character, this book starts slowly before all the action starts but for those who enjoy Clarice Bean, the quirky humor of this slightly hipster 13 yr. old detective will be very appealing.  

For readers in 4th -6th grades.  

LAST YEAR'S 2013 NEWBERRY WINNER - A TALE TO REMEMBER

A circus owner adopts a young gorilla named Ivan as his house pet.  The owner dresses him, takes him shopping, and talks to him like one would talk to any member of the family.  Ivan grows up to be mellow, taking life as it comes.  Unfortunately, when Ivan becomes a large adolescent gorilla, he must move from his warm and cozy home into a cold and isolated glass cage at the circus.  Over the years, he gets to know other circus animals and finds comfort in their company.  All the animals, however, agree that there must be a better life outside of the circus.  When one of the main attraction animals falls fatally ill, Ivan masterfully thinks of a way to protect the animals, especially, the youngest one. 

Katherine Applegate, author of Home of the Brave, Animorphs, and Roscoe Riley series, writes a poignant and endearing tale about a gorilla whose heart matches its size.  Inspired by the real Ivan, this story is narrated in first person and will speak to any reader who values friendship, questions purpose, or loves animals. THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN is the 2013 Newbery Award Winner.  Available in book and audio CD format.



A NEW DETECTIVE IN THE JUNGLE

The Banana muffins have gone missing from  Ms. Chimpanzee's stand at the Mango Market.  Murilla Gorilla has been hired to find out who stole the muffins?  Was it Frog? Was it Okapi? Was it Hippo? Murilla Gorilla must follow the clues and work very hard to solve this case.

Murilla Gorilla Jungle Detective by Jennifer LLoyd is great or beginning readers and those who enjoy Dodsworth and similar stories.  

WANTED: A HOME FOR GABY

Gaby and her mother love animals.  They always took care of the stray and abandoned cats in the neighborhood until Gaby's mother was deported to Honduras.  Now, Gaby's father won't allow her to feed or care for any animals.  He says they can barely afford to feed themselves, let alone a cat.  Their neighbors, the Gomez family, offered to take Gaby in after her mother left, but her father insisted on coming back into her life to "take care" of her.  His version of taking care of her leaves her with an empty stomach and a lonely house.

Things seem to look up, however, when Gaby's class volunteers at the local animal shelter where she writes adoption ads in the hopes of finding families for the animals.  What she doesn't expect, though, is that while waiting for her mother to come home and finding homes for the animals, she finds hope and belonging for herself.

Join Gaby on her journey towards acceptance and a loving family in Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes, for grades 5-7.

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE

For the past three years, Elissa's life had changed drastically. At one time, she had been a popular and spoiled teenager living the perfect life but now she was a sick one. Unexplainable bruises, disturbing visions and pounding headaches kept her apart from the rest of the kids in school. Doctors and medical tests had not solved the problem either until finally she was scheduled to have an operation on her brain to burn out the problem. However, before that could happen, Elissa follows one of her visions and discovers a girl who turns out to be her twin. Because of this meeting, a government secret is revealed forcing the two girls to have to flee for their lives and take off across the galaxy in an exciting and suspenseful science fiction tale in Imogen Howson's Linked. 

For grades 5-8.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLY DANGEROUS

From Mr. B at the Grandview Branch: 

Riley Mack and his mostly middle-school team aren’t really troublemakers. They just try to help innocent kids who are in trouble and unable to defend themselves against bullies or confused adults.  Like their Mission Impossible heroes, but with much more humor, Riley, Jake, Jamal (the brilliant fifth grader), Briana, and Mongo use their talents, disguises and electronic devices to make trouble for troublemakers.  

It’s summer break, and the stream below the private golf course where the team likes to cool off is filled with dead fish.  Riley usually shares his troubles with his soldier father in Afghanistan via Skype, but his father has been accused of procuring tainted food for the mess hall, and is in the brig.  Meanwhile, Briana has entered a talent contest and is being bullied by another act.  These seemingly unrelated events are in fact all part of a plot by real troublemakers - adult troublemakers, including the police. 

Co-author of I Funny, Chris Grabenstein on his own spins a mission-impossible like mystery-adventure in Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble.  While this book is part of a series, the series can be read in any order.  Start with this one and you’ll want to read the others.

Grades 4-8