MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Horror and Hope

Cover of Copper Sun
A review of Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

Sharon M. Draper did an outstanding job reminding and educating us about slavery in the United States by crafting this one of a kind story about a 15 year old girl named Amari. Based on Amari’s struggles with being an young African American women in the early 1700’s, Copper Sun gives you the raw and unfiltered look at slavery. It gives the readers the brutal truth in which should never be forgotten. Amari who once lived a beloved life in her peace filled African village, Ziari, got tore apart and forced to live a nightmare that never seemed to find morning.

Posted by on Sep 15, 2017

Steampunk Newsies meets Annie

Cover of Newsprints
A review of Newsprints by Ru Xu

Newsprints by Ru Xu features girls as newsboys, strained race relations and a serious look at robot civil rights in what I would describe as a steampunk variation on Annie! The story is beautifully drawn with complicated gender roles and a somewhat mysterious locale and setting.

Posted by Molly W on Sep 13, 2017

First comes marriage, then comes love?

Cover of Duchess Deal
A review of Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

The Duke of Ashbury needs a wife—any wife, really. Terribly disfigured on the battlefield, the once handsome duke has retreated to his own solitude and never appears in the light of day. But he needs an heir, and the prospect of venturing into London’s brutal social scene with a face that makes children weep doesn’t appeal. So when seamstress Emma Gladstone shows up on his doorstep one evening—in a wedding dress, no less—he does the logical thing and immediately proposes marriage.

Posted by Katie H on Sep 12, 2017

Write Local

A review of Pinney Mini Book Festival by

On September 23rd, the Pinney Library will hold it's fourth annual Pinney Mini Book Festival connecting local authors and patrons. In addition to a local author presentation of 5-10 authors, Pinney will host a panel session comprised of 3 successful authors, editors, and/or publishers. We hope this will further foster community and collaboration among local budding authors who are honing their skills and marketing their work.

Posted by Jane J on Sep 11, 2017

Go Big Read

Cover of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir
A review of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and a Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance

Each year Madison Public Library partners with UW-Madison to extend the perennially popular Go Big Read program into the broader community with book discussion groups and programs at our libraries.

There will be a keynote event at the Memorial Union Theater featuring a panel of UW-Madison faculty members. But you can also read it for yourself, join a book discussion, or do some deeper exploration of the topic by delving into suggested further reading titles curated by library staff.

Posted by Kylee on Sep 7, 2017

Kansas farm life

Cover of The Thing About Luck
A review of The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

This book gave me a glimpse of new and different experiences - while also being very relate-able. It brought up topics that most teens experience - issues of friendship and homework - which helped me further connect to the story and drew me in. I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t annoyingly predictable. You didn’t always know what was coming! Other books by Cynthia Kadohata include Outside Beauty, The Floating World, A Million Shades of Gray, and many more.

Written by Victoria Lenius an eighth grade Girl Scout.

Posted by on Sep 6, 2017

Family Reunion Time!

Cover of The Relatives Came
A review of The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

Summer comes to a close and it feels like there just isn’t anything NEW to do before school starts.  How about revisiting something from the past?  August is a great time to slow down and seek out older books that may have been overlooked.   The Relatives Came  by Cynthia Rylant, 1985, Bradbury Press, New York is an exuberant celebration of summer, gardens, travel and most of all….Relatives!  A family drives a long distance to attend a reunion.   The excitement of the journey grows until finally they reach their destination.  And then the hugging begins, as well as the fun of sharing summer

Posted by on Sep 1, 2017

Oldie but super-goodie

Cover of The Widow's Kiss
A review of The Widow's Kiss by Jane Feather

I used to read Jane Feather but haven't picked up anything of hers in a while. So I decided to dip back in and read one I hadn't yet. And boy am I glad I did. The Widow’s Kiss starts off with a bang, or maybe that’s a thud, when Lady Guinevere Mallory has a hand in the death of her drunken, abusive husband. He comes at her while she is standing on a balcony and ends up falling to the stones below. Whether or not Guinevere intended his death is unclear. Even her longtime servants are a little leery since this is the fourth husband she’ll be burying.

Posted by Jane J on Aug 30, 2017

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