Loup City Public Library

Patina is the second book in Jason Reynold’s “track” series.  It is a small book dealing with large issues such as: the chronic illness of a mother, the death of a father, and the tumultuous period of life when fitting in sometimes means being willing to stand out. Patina is an “old soul” trying to fit in to a school where everyone seems wealthy, white, and uninterested in the things that rock Patina’s world.

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson is a gorgeous picture book explaining the importance of kindness and the regrets a student has upon losing her chance to be kind to a classmate.

Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Surete, is a much more morally ambiguous character in this the fourteenth installation of Louise Penny’s Three Pines series. These characters are so “real” that it is necessary to remind oneself that it would be impossible to call them up or go visit them in their little, homicidal, Canadian village. Penny adeptly mixes literary fiction with good old-fashioned mystery in her series and to good effect. When Gamache muses “Things sometimes fell apart unexpectedly. It was not necessarily a reflection of how much they were valued”, we may wonder if this is a somewhat autobiographical inclusion to the almost nixed series. Family drama, old feuds, Canadian politics, the drug trade, and even the Nazis find a way into this tightly woven story. I highly recommend the whole series.

I have been hearing teenage girls rave about these mysteries for some time, so it was time to give one a read.  April Henry packs a punch in this intense mystery about a young woman returning to her childhood home to solve the mystery of her parents’ deaths. A little romance and a lot of suspense will keep you turning the pages of this young adult mystery.

Gordon the Goat is in charge of the farm until Gordon the Goose makes his entrance. As they fight over the right to boss all of the other animals around, it is easy to see how tiring constant conflict can be. A funny little farm story.

    https://www.overdrive.com/

Annie Spence, a librarian, has written many the love letter and many the break-up note to the books in her life.  As with most books of collected essays, some were funnier than others. All were told in very forthright language.

“Sweet Little Lies” is the first in the Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis.  Humor, friendship, family angst, and love fight it out for top billing. Pru and Finn, the main characters, share a troubled background as both lost their parents and are striking out on their own. Prudence works on a tour boat in San Francisco Bay and Finn is trying, with the “help” of his irresponsible brother, to keep O’Riley’s pub afloat.  If you like contemporary romance, it is well worth your time.

Into every life, a little rain must fall. This is the first in a new Christina Dodd series called Cape Charade.  The storyline was a little convoluted; however, it did deliver in the suspense department. Unfortunately, it lacked the chemistry and humor usually found in Dodd’s books.

The rain continued to fall in this book.  A teen girl becomes extraordinarily ill at camp and becomes hospitalized.  While she is undergoing procedures galore and a life-changing illness, she meets Conner and his dog Verlaine. The first part of the story is well written and an eloquent portrayal of the anger, depression, and fear of the protagonist; however, halfway through it loses its way and becomes overly sentimental and schmaltzy.

“The Big Umbrella” by Amy June Bates does more with a few words and illustrations to portray community, kindness, and inclusion than many adult books I have read on the subject.  This little gem is definitely worth sharing with your child.  Like the big umbrella, you too will end the book with a smile.

I listened to “The Feather Thief” by Kirk Wallace Johnson on audiobook through Overdrive. Who could guess the story of a flutist and fly-tier who steals a bunch of rare bird carcasses from a natural history museum in England could be so interesting? This is a story of opposing values and needs. The author needed something to give him respite following a harrowing ordeal and a nerve-wracking, stress-inducing program to bring Iraqi refugees to the United States. A police officer had to prioritize solving more violent crimes over this one. The thief wanted to make some cash to provide him with the things he thought he deserved. The collection he stole had been obtained for the museum by someone who was self-taught and wanted to provide not only financial security for himself but also knowledge to his nation. This was one of the most buzzed nonfiction books of 2018.

Ms MacNeal’s “Mr. Churchill’s Secretary” shows a Britain divided and awaiting the bombing of England by Nazi forces. The IRA and the Fascists are cooperating with the Nazis in a bid to bring down the old empire. Maggie Hope, a woman of English citizenship who was raised in America, is Churchill’s secretary. She has advanced degrees in mathematics and cryptography; however, she isn’t a welcome addition to Churchill’s staff and between Churchill’s idiosyncrasies and the old boys’ network, Maggie Hope is beginning to believe her talents would be better utilized elsewhere until she uncovers a chilling conspiracy.  This novel offers a rather different WWII perspective and there is a bit of bite to the story.

“Billie Standish Was Here” is an eloquent portrayal of true friendship, loyalty, and shared trauma between an eleven-year-old girl and an elderly woman. A very sensitive story of lessons learned and secrets kept. These characters were so real that I expect to miss them for a good long time.

Your heart will melt for this little dog looking for his forever home. The story is told in letter form as the dog writes letters to prospective families. Too adorable to believe.

Check out the digital audio book of “The Stranger in the Woods” by Michael Finkel on Libby.  Finkel details the time the decades Chris Knight spent alone in the woods of Maine. He survived from stealing from other residents of the lake area the necessities he needed to survive the frigid Maine winters.

The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere starts out the list on a sentimental, hopeful note. That note won’t last long so please enjoy it while it does. This little story reads like a Hallmark movie. Everybody is just a bit too good to be true. However, if ever there is a time for mawkishly sentimental fluff, Christmas would be that time.

Well, I told you the sweet, sentimental reads wouldn’t last. Lauren Wolk’s Wolf Hollow is packed with characters so alive you expect to run into them at the grocery store. Unfortunately, about 25% of those characters are up to no good. Annabelle’s school life goes down hill when Betty moves to town. Betty is a bully who enjoys hurting and tormenting those around her and when she lays the blame for an awful injury at the door of a transient vet suffering from PTSD, Annabelle decides enough is enough. Set in the WWII era, this book’s plot is full of palpable prejudice against “others”. This book is an Accelerated Reader book with a reading level of 4.9; however, I would recommend it to 6th grade and up as the subject matter is somewhat dark. A 2018-2019 Golden Sower Nominee.

Adults who are seeking a way to explain the terrorist attacks of September 11th to a Middle Grade audience should check out Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. A complex and nuanced look at the event and the fear, trauma, grief, and loss it caused. This little novel gets extra points for diverse, believable characters. Accelerated Reader reading level is 3.3.

If you haven’t watched the sensational Scottish Grammy reading The Wonky Donkey on youtube, you are missing out! A clever narrative of a most unusual donkey walking up the road. Repetitive, humorous lines and fantastic illustrations keep kids and adults laughing.