Fresh Picks! September

Happy September! Here are some of our current favorite books:

Turtle Island by Kevin Sherry. Dial, 2014.

Picture from nytimes.com

Turtle, the star of this story, is indeed as big as an island. Even giant turtles get lonely sometimes, however. One day Turtle comes across a group of animals that have been shipwrecked and offers to use his shell to make a home for the animals. Once they are settled, the animals begin to miss their own families and decide to set off and leave Turtle alone once again. The story does have a happy ending, but you'll have to read it to find out more.

Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrup. Scholastic Press, 2014.

Image from Goodreads

Davey is vacationing with his family in the Florida Keys and wakes up early morning feeling quite bored and decides to head out to explore.   His morning adventure quickly turns dangerous as Davey finds himself unintentionally drifting off to sea at the mercy of a school of tiger sharks.  How will Davey survive?  He didn’t leave a note, so how will his family ever find him?  Author Michael Northrup provides the answers in short, suspenseful chapters.  Surrounded by Sharks is a thrilling page-turner, perfect for reluctant readers and anyone interested in stories of survival.  

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin. Flash Point, 2012.

Image from Amazon

Steve Sheinkin’s latest offering explores the race to build the first atomic bomb during the Second World War.  Readers will learn about this intense race through the stories of brilliant physicists, secret missions, and spy rings.   Sheinkin reveals a host of intriguing characters and side notes as he informs readers about this tumultuous chapter in history.  While the conclusion is already written in history, Sheinkin presents this material in such an engaging manner that readers will likely find themselves looking for even more answers and details on this topic.

Summer on the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell. Running Press Kids, 2014.

Image from Goodreads

Still holding on to the last bits of summer?  Bethany Crandell offers teens the true summer experience through the realistic voice of Cricket Montgomery who is forced into summer camp by her father.  Find out what happens as Cricket finds herself out of her comfort zone as she is volunteered to supervise a pack of special needs tweens all summer long.  This book is a light, but moving read that is filled with plenty of humor and romance and will likely leave readers craving their next summer break.  

Get Green with Your Family

Everywhere you look nowadays, you see and hear people talking about going green.  Politicians debate about it, newspaper and magazine articles discuss it, and even your teachers may talk about it.  But what does it all mean to you and what can you do to help?  Going green is all about conserving our natural resources and protecting our environment.  And it might be easier than you think to make a difference.  You and your family can start by making a few simple changes in your daily lifestyles.  Recycling and reusing items around your house is a great way to start. 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences provides a wealth of information to help kids learn more about the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

The Kids Be Green site offers even more ideas for getting green around the house and features many fun and interactive pages.

Finding ways to go green are also available in books:

47 Things You Can Do for the Environment by Lexi Petronis.
This book includes helpful tips on getting green at home as well as at school, on road trips, and throughout the community. You can even learn how to have a Green Christmas and how to throw a Green-style party with your friends.  A helpful glossary and extensive list of Green resources will help to expand your knowledge of the subject even further.

Going Green by Patricia and David Armentrout
Learn more about the larger issues facing our environment and natural resources as the authors explore renewable and nonrenewable energy, fossil fuels and pollution, greenhouse gases, and alternative energy sources.   Each chapter includes a "Fuel for Thought" section with interesting tidbits and striking images to bring these issues to life.

Some authors take a more lighthearted approach to the green movement:

Michael Reycle by Ellie Bethel
The author introduces readers to the Green-Caped Crusader known as Michael Recycle.  In the story, Michael inspires the people of Abberdoo-Rimey to launch a "Be Greener Campaign" to save their town from the threat of pollution.  "The noises your hear - that clunk and that thunk - it's just our friend Michael, recycling old junk!"

Leave it to PET! by Kenji Sonishi
Manga fans, do not despair.  You are not left out of the green movement.   Sonishi's Leave it to PET! series tells the story of Noboru, a young boy who transforms a regular old bottle into a recycled super robot named PET.  Don't miss out on any of these adventures as PET and his band of recycled super hero friends confront countless threats to the environment.  Soda cans and plastic labels take on a whole new form in these action-packed and bizarre stories.  

Go Green today and start making a difference in your life, your local community, and the world around you.  Tweens and Teens can get green this week at GMPL by learning how to make reusable shopping bags from old t-shirts.  The program begins on Thursday at 11:00 am.  Register here.

And don't forget about summer reading at GMPL.  Only two weeks remain in the program.  Perhaps you'll try something Green this week!

 

Winter Reading With Your Family: Teens

What a frigid winter week it has been! Schools have been closed the past couple days and everyone has been staying safely tucked inside their homes. Hopefully you have been taking advantage of this confining weather and read some great books! I know that I have been spending more time than usual curled up on the couch with a blanket and book. This week, we are highlighting some great teen titles to read in this icy cold weather.


 
 Snowed In by Rachel Hawthorne (HarperTeen, 2007).                                       A light-hearted romance set in the car-less land of Mackinac Island near Michigan with wonderfully realistic characters. A great vacation read if you are still in that easy going mindset!






 
 Whispering to Witches by Anna Dale (Bloomsbury USA Children's, 2005).    A boy encounters witches while spending his Christmas holiday with his mother and stepfather in snowy Canterbury, England. A great fantasy choice for tweens as well as older teens, especially those who are Harry Potter fans.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013).
Two misfits fall in love, bonding over comics, alternative music and mutual awkwardness. This realistic and touching story set in 1986 also tackles mature themes such as bullying and abuse, with an ending sure to warm your heart. 









Blankets by Craig Thompson ( Top-Shelf Productions, 2003).
At 592 pages this graphic novel may seem intimidating, but fear not! This wonderfully personal coming of age story, featuring Craig himself as a boy in blustery Wisconsin, is sure to fly by quickly even for reluctant high school readers.

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Phillip Pullman (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996).
 A thrilling fantasy that follows orphaned pre-teen Lyra as she ventures to find her kidnapped friend and uncle, complete with danger, witch encounters (both good and bad) and a helpful armored polar bear. Another great read for tweens and teens, it will be hard for them to not race through the next two books in this trilogy.