Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

by | Aug 15, 2016 | 0 comments

Dragon Slippers

by Jessica Day George
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
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The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held March 9, 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.

Creel, the heroine of Dragon Slippers is hardly a damsel-in-distress. After her aunt totes her out to the local dragon in desperation (with the hope that the local prince will rescue her from certain death and marry her), Creel refuses the haughty prince and finds friendship with the dragons, who set her on a journey to the center of the kingdom with a pretty pair of what only seem to be ordinary slippers. Along the way we discover Creel’s enormous talent at embroidery, and you can’t help but linger over the rich descriptions of her lovely tapestry-like gowns, which quickly make her the most sought-after dressmaker in the kingdom. But soon enough those mysterious slippers begin to wreak havoc, and it’s up to Creel to save the kingdom from disaster and defend the dragons from certain doom. Creel’s feisty spirit breathes fiery new life into this epic world at every turn, making this one of the most memorable and fun fantasy debuts to hit shelves since Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart.

book 1 in the Dragon Slippers series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Lorna rated it ★★★★ and said “Good fun. Light, easy reading with warm humor. I was impressed with the plot also.”

Patty rated it ★★★★ and said “Well written and good story. My daughter will like it I am sure. My older daughter has read it and really liked it.”

Miranda rated it ★★★★.

Mother Daughter Book Club

adventurefantasytweenfiction

Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

by | Aug 15, 2016 | 0 comments

Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin

by Liesl Shurtliff
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The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held January 19, 2017, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held February 2, 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.

In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone’s joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.

To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Patty rated it ★★★★.

Books for BoysMother Daughter Book Club

adventurefantasytweenfiction

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

by | Aug 15, 2016 | 0 comments

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

by Grace Lin
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The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held January 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.

In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.

Newbery Honor book for 2010

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★ and said “Here is The Wizard of Oz with an Asian flavor.
Like Dorothy in Kansas, Minli’s village is gray and dreary with nothing but want and drudgery for her parents and herself. Her father tells stories to relieve the weariness. Her mother objects to the stories, fearing that Minli will believe them.
Like Dorothy, Minli sets out on a journey, meets remarkable friends, meets terrible obstacles and fierce opponents, and makes difficult choices.
This story is charming, heart-warming, and entertaining. Many chapters contain stories and alternating chapters tell of Minli’s parents while she is gone. I think this is one of the strongest features of the book. Children’s choices and actions affect others and especially those who love them most.
Anyone who likes THE WIZARD OF OZ will love this story.”

Lorna rated it ★★★★ and said “Fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore. Beautiful illustrations. Stories within the story dragged on a bit, but overall very nice with a good message.”

Mother Daughter Book Club

Newbery Honoradventurefantasytweenfiction

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

by | Aug 14, 2016 | 0 comments

The Ruins of Gorlan

by John Flanagan
Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
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The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held March 16, 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.

They have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied….

book 1 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Courtney rated it ★★★★.

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

Books for Boys

fantasytweenfiction

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

by | Aug 4, 2016 | 0 comments

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis
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A combined Mother Daughter Book Club and Books for Boys meeting for this book was held December 8, 2016 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.

‘They say Aslan is on the move. Perhaps he has already landed,’ whispered the Beaver. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delightful strain of music had just floated by. And Lucy got that feeling when you realize it’s the beginning of summer. So, deep in the bewitched land of Narnia, the adventure begins.

They opened a door and entered a world–Narnia–the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Lucy is the first to stumble through the back of the enormous wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old country house, discovering the magic world beyond. At first, no one believes her. But soon Edmund, Peter and Susan, too, discover the magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. And in the blink of an eye, they are changed forever.

book 2 in the Chronicles of Narnia series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★★ and said,”The one that started it all! For the rest of my childhood, I looked for magic doors and closets I could walk through. It made me want to live in Narnia.”

Vivian rated it ★★★.

Lorna rated it ★★★★★.

Books for BoysMother Daughter Book Club

book-to-screenfantasyclassicstweenfiction

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The BFG by Roald Dahl

by | Aug 4, 2016 | 0 comments

The BFG

by Roald Dahl
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The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held November 10, 2016, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held February 16, 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.

Captured by a giant! The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It’s lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, or any of the other giants-rather than the BFG-she would have soon become breakfast.

When Sophie hears that they are flush-bunking off in England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “A little on the silly side, but in a great way! Very enjoyable. A great book for kids and grown-ups to read together.”

Lorna rated it ★★★★ and said “One has to admire this imagination. I especially enjoyed the made-up words.”

Books for BoysMother Daughter Book Club

book-to-screenfantasytweenfiction

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

by | Aug 4, 2016 | 0 comments

Clementine

by Sara Pennypacker
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The Mother Daughter Book Club meeting for this book was held October 13, 2016, 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.

Clementine is having not so good of a week.

  • On Monday she’s sent to the principal’s office for cutting off Margaret’s hair.
  • Tuesday, Margaret’s mother is mad at her.
  • Wednesday, she’s sent to the principal… again.
  • Thursday, Margaret stops speaking to her.
  • Friday starts with yucky eggs and gets worse.
  • And by Saturday, even her mother is mad at her.

Okay, fine. Clementine is having a DISASTROUS week.

book 1 in the Clementine series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “Super cute read-a-like for Ramona and Junie B. Jones.”

Mother Daughter Book Club
humortweenfiction

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

by | Aug 4, 2016 | 0 comments

Murder on the Orient Express

by Agatha Christie
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A Library Book Club meeting for this book was held February 16, 2017, as part of On the Same Page, the Madison Library District’s annual community reading program.

Starting mid-January, free copies of the book were available at the library while supplies lasted.

“The murderer is with us–on the train now . . .”

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer.

Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again . . .

book 10 in the Hercule Poirot series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Cathy rated it ★★★★1/2 and said “Why have I never read Agatha Christie before? I think she eventually turned into one of those authors that I was “supposed to read” that were “good for me” and subconsciously I equated her with a chore read. Honestly, much of the beginning felt a little that way as all the evidence was collected, hashed, and then rehashed, and then . . . Wow! As the locomotive picked up steam so to speak it really went barreling down the line right to the last page where I literally gasped, then laughed, then clapped. I got to get my hands on more Christie.”

On the Same PageLibrary Book Club Selections
thrillermysteryclassicsfiction

Christmas Jars by Jason Wright

Christmas Jars by Jason Wright

by | Aug 4, 2016 | 0 comments

Christmas Jars

by Jason Wright
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The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held November 17, 2016, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

“Where had it come from? Whose money was it? Was I to spend it? Save it? Pass it on to someone more needy? Above all else, why was I chosen? Certainly there were others, countless others, more needy than me… “

Her reporter’s intuition insisted that a remarkable story was on the verge of the front page.

Newspaper reporter Hope Jensen uncovers the remarkable secret behind the “Christmas Jars”, glass jars filled with coins and bills anonymously left for people in need. But along the way, Hope discovers much more than the origin of the jars. When some unexpected news sets off a chain reaction of kindness, Hope’s greatest Christmas Eve wish comes true.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★★ and said “This was so much more than I was expecting. I thought it would be just another formulaic sappy Christmas story, and in a way it was. But it was also so much more. I loved how it brought all the characters together and showed how we all touch other people’s lives, even when we don’t know it.”

Library Book Club Selections

Christmasinspirationalfiction

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