The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

The Night Fairy

by Laura Amy Schlitz

The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held October 18, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

What would happen to a new night fairy whose wings were accidentally chewed off by a sleepy hungry new bat? Flory, acorn-size, with a single small sting spell, finds the world very big and dangerous. Depicted in the lush back garden of an old giantess, garbed in delicate softly tinted petal gowns, she fiercely practices her sting, swings a thorn dagger, bribes always hungry squirrel Skuggle, and seeks to ride an iridescent hummingbird – to transform her nature into a day fairy instead.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★ and said “Adventure, survival, negotiating, rescuing, learning to trust, learning to adapt — all this and more in this beautifully illustrated and enchanting little book.

This would make a wonderful read-aloud in the early grades or in the home. There are plenty of big questions to stop and talk about. For instance, how Flory handles her difficulties and how they change her or might have changed her depending on the choices she makes and her actions.

Follow up studies and activities about the flora and fauna she encounters would engage the imaginations of children and adults alike. Use this novel as a springboard to exploration!”

Bekka rated it ★★★ and said “This is a cute little book! I liked that the fairy was as feisty as she was. Not a typical fairy story, but a great read!”

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held January 10, 2019, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse – Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea.

Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena – Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

book 1 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★ and said “My teenage daughter LOVES these books. In fact, back when she was eleven, she and her then teen-aged older sister both read the entire series in just a week. I’ll admit, it is clever, and different from the movie in good ways (although I enjoyed the movie).”

Bekka rated it ★★★★.

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

Valerie rated it ★★★★.

Miranda rated it ★★★★.

Patty rated it ★★★★.

Johnathan rated it ★★★.

Bunnicula – A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe

Bunnicula – A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

by Deborah Howe

The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held October 11, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

BEWARE THE HARE!
Is he or isn’t he a vampire?

Before it’s too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits… and fangs!

book 1 in the Bunnicula series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

William rated it ★★★★.

Miranda rated it ★★★.

Book Trailer: Dark Life by Kat Falls

Book Trailer: Dark Life by Kat Falls

Book Trailer: Dark Life

by Kat Falls
A thrilling futuristic adventure set deep undersea, Dark Life follows the settlers of the world’s first subsea settlement as they defend their homesteads against a brazen band of outlaws.

Set in an apocalyptic future where rising oceans have swallowed up entire regions and people live packed like sardines on the dry land left, DARK LIFE is the harrowing tale of underwater pioneers who have carved out a life for themselves in the harsh deep-sea environment, farming the seafloor in exchange for the land deed.

The story follows Ty, who has lived his whole life on his family’s homestead and has dreams of claiming his own stake when he turns eighteen. But when outlaws’ attacks on government supply ships and settlements…

book 1 in the Dark Life series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★.

Moonsilver by Kathleen Duey

Moonsilver by Kathleen Duey

Moonsilver

by Kathleen Duey

The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held February 15, 2018, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Heart Trilby has no family. She lives a hard and lonely life in the dusty village of Ash Grove — until she finds a scarred, skinny mare in the forest. Against the wishes of her guardian, mean-spirited Simon Pratt, Heart adopts the mare and names her Avamir. Heart is thrilled when she realizes Avamir is in foal. But when the colt is born weak and disfigured, Simon decides to sell Heart’s beloved horses to be slaughtered by the town’s soapmaker. Can Heart find a way to protect them — and the only love she has ever known?

book 1 in The Unicorn’s Secret series

Samurai Kids: White Crane by Sandy Fussell

Samurai Kids: White Crane by Sandy Fussell

Samurai Kids: White Crane

by Sandy Fussell

The Books for Boys meeting for this book was held November 9, 2018, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Niya Moto is the only one-legged Samurai kid in Japan, famous for falling flat on his face in the dirt. The one school that will accept him is the Cockroach Ryu, led by the legendary sensei Ki-Yaga. He may be an old man overly fond of naps, but Ki-Yaga is also known for taking in kids that the world has judged harshly: an albino girl with extra fingers and toes, a boy who is blind, a big kid whose past makes his loath to fight. A warrior in his time, Ki-Yaga demands excellence in everything from sword-fighting to poetry. But can the rag-tag Cockroaches make the treacherous journey to the Samurai Trainee Games, never mind take on the all-conquering Dragons? In a fast-moving, action-filled tale that draws on true details of feudal Japan, Niya finds there’s no fear they can’t face as long as they stick together – for their friendship is more powerful than a samurai sword.

book 1 in the Samurai Kids series

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted

by Gail Carson Levine

The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held January 18, 2018, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

How can a fairy’s blessing be such a curse?

At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy’s gift — the “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it’s hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse — once and for all.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Betsy rated it ★★★★★

Patty rated it ★★★★

Johnathan rated it ★★★★

Miranda rated it ★★★

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J.K. Rowling

A combined Mother Daughter Book Club and Books for Boys meeting for this book was held October 12, 2017, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is because he’s being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he’s a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to Hogwarts, a school for wizards, and he begins to discover some curious clues. As he is greeted by a lovable giant, introduced to the unique curriculum and colorful teachers, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

book 1 in the Harry Potter series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★ and said “When I first read this (14 years ago!) it was the first book I’d actually enjoyed for a long while…. The thing about Harry Potter was that he too had plenty of problems but they were presented in such a fantastic way that plowing through them with him was engaging to the reader. The author was able to side-step what I call “the Emperor’s New Clothes” syndrome and actually address topics silenced by “p.c.” (Political Correctness) by dressing them up in new attire.

Many adults object to children being okay with “witches” and such, but taking that path opened up so many other paths for the writer (and reader) to explore.

Since my first reading I’ve read this and the subsequent titles aloud to my children several times. Each time we stop and talk about the character’s choices and the consequences of the choices (not in a didactic hammer sort of way, but simply as a puzzling-it-out way). The books have served as vehicles for sharing personal and family and cultural values.

Of course we read aloud from other books, including scriptures, as a family. Just as my children (now grown) never had any trouble confusing ‘Santa’ or ‘Halloween’ or ‘Easter Bunny’ with their Christian faith and beliefs, neither did Harry Potter or any of the other ‘fantasy’ genre we have enjoyed reading detract from their core religious beliefs. Somehow, for us, it is all part of the tapestry of our lives.”

Valerie rated it ★★★★★

Katra rated it ★★★★★

Bekka rated it ★★★★★

Courtney rated it ★★★★

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless

by Marissa Meyer

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “First off – MARISSA MEYER! I don’t know that she can go wrong. Definitely a great new read for her fans, and a new take on a new tale. The magic of Alice is found in this book, but it takes form in its own way, shaping the characters and the storyline as it goes.

“Meyer is a master at creating in-depth characters and settings that bring her stories to life. It was so easy to see the different scenes, including the magical tea party Cath attends. Cath is such a strong heroine, complete in her own right, and her relationship with her friends shows what she values. I loved the glimpses into the world of Alice, while still maintaining a unique tale full of intrigue and danger.

“This seems to be a standalone title, though I’m sure we would all be willing to read more of Cath’s story. Recommended for fans of Meyer’s other works and other retold tales.”

Natalie rated it ★★★★ and said, “Heartless shook me up. Marissa Meyer did a great job recreating Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland and all of his characters. I loved all the characters: Jest, Catherine, Hatta, and Mary Ann. I was sucked into Wonderland and couldn’t get out until I finished the book. It was an emotionally draining book. I felt like I was with Catherine every step of the way, and felt every emotion with her. I desperately rooted for her every step of the way.”

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