Friends can come from anywhere
Some people in my family believe in aliens and UFO's. I am not one of them. But after reading Dalmartian, I might just change my mind.
MADreads
Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Changing states
As a person who loves seeing the return of all our plant and animal pals when the weather gets warm again, I was happy to find the late April Pulley Sayre's In Between among the picture books at Central Library. Filled with beautiful close-up photographs of all kinds of plants (some native to Wisconsin!) and animals—from grey hairstreak butterflies to baby squirrels to sleepy gulls—Sayre tells a gentle poem-like story of different kinds of in-betweenness, illustrating each one with a perfectly apt creature portrait.
What the dead forget
Clark introduces readers to a new fantasy world in this latest novella and I'm so here for it.
Eveen is a an undead assassin. When she died she was offered a chance at an undead life - though she has no memory of how that came to be or why she would have made such a choice. As part of her deal she owes her goddess years of service as an assassin. As the goddess's assassin she has to follow 3 rules:
Summer sock detectives
Ten-year-old Magnolia Wu's parents own Bing Qi Ling Bubbles Laundromat in NYC. Instead of going to the ocean or taking a trip to an amusement park, Magnolia usually spends the summer helping out around the business and sneaking popsicles that are intended for paying customers. She is not happy about summer and wishes her life were more adventurous.
Shaped by our world
I am an urbanite to the bone, I like the bustle, noise and plethora of activities available. I do not hike, camp, fish, backpack, etc. because for one insects (one and all) appear to think I am the best buffet they have ever come across. I am allergic to wool (that natural fabric so often used in outdoor life); at best it gives me a rash—at its worst if there are loose fibers floating around, I have come close to not breathing.
The distaff side
In 1951 two British government officials, Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, left on a boat sailing from Southampton to France and then disappeared. Though there were suspicions that they had defected to the Soviet Union, this wasn't confirmed until five years later when they appeard at a press conference in Moscow. In the years after this it became clear that they were not the only two British "gentlemen" to have been recruited by the KGB, there were at least 3 others and they all became known as the Cambridge Five.
Las emociones no tienen color
Anuska Allepuz
Cuando Zorro llega al parque vestido en azul, sus amigos le preguntan por qué está triste - pero, ¡la verdad es que no está triste, sino muy contento! Sus amigos le ofrecen ropa del color de la alegría, y cuando se empieza a enojar, le ofrecen primero ropa del color del enojo y luego del color de la calma. Por fin el pobre Zorro grita, "¡BASTA!" tirando la ropa por todas partes, echándole color al escenario gris.
Putting petty to work
Athena Greydon was engaged to Johnny Vine. As a wedding present for him, she bought the 10-foot-wide house attached to his. Four weeks before they're to be married, however, Johnny's older brother, Dr. Matthew Vine III, convinces him not to go through with the ceremony. Now, not only has Athena lost a fiance', but she's given up her job and home in preparation for her married life in Harlot's Bay. She's left with few options.
The things you can do when you're invisible
Gabriela Epstein
This middle grade graphic novel starts out with five Conrad Middle School students assigned to work in the cafeteria during the first period of the day to complete their yearly community service hours. George, Sara, Dayara, Nico and Miguel have nothing in common. All five are flying under the radar for different reasons and want to get their time cleaning up leftover school breakfasts and throwing out morning garbage over with as quickly and anonymously as possible.
What does it mean to be brave?
Eunji Jung
Wanda's big brother is the bravest kid she knows, but when her turn comes to match his feats of bravery, things are a lot harder than she thought. The monkey bars don't agree with her, the giant hill he biked down is a LOT bigger now, and forget about going to camp.
When Wanda's friends cajole her to join them on the Coaster of Doom, she is relieved that she is still too short to ride. She wants to be brave though, so she spends all year practicing. She bikes and sleds down hills, tiptoes into the dark basement, and even tries out a climbing wall with a look of determination.
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