They’re Heroes Too: A Celebration of Community
by Pat Brisson, Anait Semirdzhyan (Illustrations)
The ordinary people we see every day – directing traffic, teaching in schools, serving food, helping the sick, and delivering mail – those people are heroes. Their contributions are so important that society could not survive without them. And when we take time to act with generosity and kindness, we are heroes too!
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Well Done, Mommy Penguin
by Chris Haughton (Goodreads Author)
Mommy Penguin goes fishing. The Baby Penguin and Daddy Penguin watch from the nest as she swims. She is the best swimmer and the best jumper. She catches a fish, and begins to climb up the snowy cliff back to the nest. But can she make it past the sleeping seals?
This is such a cute story! The Baby and Daddy are cheering for Mommy Penguin every step of the way. She is very determined and skilled. Like all moms she has hidden talents and inner strength!
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Frank and Bean: Food Truck Fiasco
by Jamie Michalak (Author), Bob Kolar (illustrator)
Bean gets a new donut truck to enter the food truck competition for the best food. He asks Frank to come along and help, but Frank has his own ideas about what makes the best food. They are both dismayed to see that Mad Dog has the most costumers at her cupcake food truck. Can they come up with a food that will win the competition?
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The Infamous Ratsos Live! In Concert!
by Kara LaReau (Author), Matt Myers (Illustrator)
The Ratso brothers, Louie and Ralphie, start up a charity concert with their friends to help raise money to repair the playground. But Chad Badgerton makes fun of them for their glittery costumes and silly dance moves. Ralphie is nervous about the concert. He loves the music they are singing, but is not sure if he wants to wear the costumes. Louie and the others help Ralphie to have the courage to like what he likes, and not worry about what other people think.
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Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame
by Louie Stowell
Loki has been banished from Asgard. Odin has given Loki the form of an 11-year-old human, and sent Thor, Heimdall, and Hyrrokkin (also in the form of humans) to keep an eye on him. Loki must learn to be good and keep a record of his good or bad deeds in a magical journal. In this second book of the series, Loki is trying to make some new friends, but he goes about it in all the wrong ways.
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The Book of Night with Moon (Cats of Grand Central, #1)
by Diane Duane (Goodreads Author)
In this spin-off from the Young Wizards series, we follow a group of cat wizards in the same world, meeting some of the same characters from So You Want to Be a Wizard. This book includes spoilers for Book 4 of the Young Wizards series, High Wizardry.
This book has much more adult content than the Young Wizards series. There were a lot of mentions about cats being in heat and tomcats competing for sexual favor. The cats overhear mice in the walls having sex, and at one point the cats stop outside a window like disgusting proverbial peeping toms and watch humans having sex.
There is also a lot more graphic violence in this book than in the Young Wizards series. There were disembowelments, drownings, and guts and blood and cannibalism. All very descriptively described.
Olive
by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
4.5 out of 5 stars
Olive is born with a deformity in her spine. Her parents are devastated to have a humpback child, but try to show Olive compassion. Her childhood is peaceful, but as Olive grows up she begins to realize that she will never be able to live like other people. She is unlikely to ever marry or have a family. Uneducated and without resources, Olive must lean on her faith to help her through the difficulties of her life. She finds solace in nature and art, and in supporting her friends and family with a patient and kind spirit.
The Mayor of Casterbridge
by Thomas Hardy
In a drunken rage, Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter to a sailor for five guineas. Once he is sober, Henchard bitterly repents of his deed and searches for his wife and child, but to no avail. Over the passing years, Henchard’s fortunes change and he becomes a successful businessman and mayor of the town of Casterbridge. He is well-respected and lives a peaceful life, until his wife returns with a teenage daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, and his old secrets begin to haunt him.
I love Hardy’s writing style! He really knows how to tell a dramatic story in a beautiful rural setting. There is something so vivid and immediate in his writing that draws you into the emotions of every scene.
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The Lady of the Lake
by Sir Walter Scott
5 out of 5 stars
As a result of a feud between her father and King James, Ellen Douglas must live a secluded life in hiding on a small island in a Scottish loch. There she meets the mysterious James Fitz-James, a knight who has lost his hunting party in the highlands. Ellen is distressed by the romantic intentions of two highland lords, Malcolm Graeme and Roderick Dhu. Her father, the Douglas, refuses to lead his clan into war with King James, but Roderick Dhu calls together an army for a bloody battle.
I loved this beautiful poetry! There is such a wonderful balance in the writing between flowery phrases and powerful emotions and good plain storytelling. All these things come together for a delightful reading experience.
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Scrap Metal Swan
by Joanne Linden (Goodreads Author)
The people of the town gather to help clean up the river. They pull trash and old junk out of the water, recycling most of it. An artist takes some of the scrap metal for a special project; she will sculpt a beautiful statue of a swan from all the old bits of scrap metal! When the artist unveils the lovely swan, other artists get inspired to do the same. Soon the park has many lovely statues made from old repurposed junk. The river is clean, and the townspeople are proud of their new statue park.
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