Fast Five Fiction: Doc Bowen Day

It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. In honor of Doc Bowen day here in Bremen, today I've got five fun books featuring doctors!

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

Otis R. Bowen: Farm Boy to Governor: A Life by Sheila Reed

Though not fiction, this children's biography was written by Bremen's own, Sheila Reed! It's filled with photos and information about Doc's inspiring life. Dr. Bowen was a state representative, governor of Indiana and cabinet secretary for Ronald Reagan. In addition to being available for checkout at the library, you can also purchase your own copy through Historic Bremen, Inc. 

You're in Good Paws by Maureen Fergus

When Leo arrives at the hospital, he is surprised to find it run by animals! A hilarious story featuring animals in human situations, perfect for fans of Zootopia and A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

Slightly distracted parents accidentally take their son, Leo, to the animal hospital to get his tonsils out.

Luckily, taking care of a human doesn't ruffle any feathers among the hospital staff. The chicken at the admissions desk is welcoming, the bear orderly is friendly and wise Dr. Stan inspires tremendous confidence despite being a mouse. Is the plastic cone really necessary, though?

In this sweet and hilarious story, a child discovers that a trip to the hospital can be a positive experience--even when the hospital isn't quite up to code . . 

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Doctor John Dolittle, the veterinarian who can actually talk to animals, sets sail on the high seas for new adventures! Accompanied by his young friend Tommy Stubbins and the beloved animals of his household -- Polynesia the parrot, Jip the dog, and Chee-Chee the monkey -- the good doctor is off to forbidding Spider Monkey Island to examine the rare jabizri beetle. But the mysterious island holds another, darker secret: The famous Indian naturalist, Long Arrow, has mysteriously disappeared -- and Doctor Dolittle urgently needs to speak with him.

Doctor Dolittle and his friends brave a shipwreck, find the floating island, and meet the incredible Great Glass Sea Snail -- the keeper of the greatest mystery of all. This is the most popular of the twelve Doctor Dolittle novels. The next has been carefully edited for modern readers by renowned children's book authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. This new edition, featuring color illustrations by best-selling artist Michael Hague, is sure to bring a whole new generation under the spell of Doctor Dolittle and his animal friends. 

Doctor Ted by Andrea Beaty

A bump on his knee,
a class full of sniffles,
a principal with foot odor
and not a doctor to be found...

Ted knows it is time to become Doctor Ted.

Well, what else is a bear to do?

Doctor Smurf by Peyo

When one Smurf steps up as doctor he starts a fever-for more doctors! Soon, a hospital is built in the Smurf Village and it rapidly fills up with all sorts of wacky cases. But how much help are these new doctors actually giving their patients?

As usual, only Papa Smurf can provide the remedy for the latest Smurfs craze.

Froggy Goes to the Doctor by Jonathan London

Froggy is going to the doctor for a checkup, and he's feeling a little nervous. "What if the doctor wants to give me a shot" he thinks. He worries as he dresses and then he can't sit still in the waiting room. Finally, it's time to go in and change for his exam, but . . . OOOPS! He's forgotten his underwear! And that's just the beginning of Froggy's hilarious doctor visit that ends reassuringly with a gold star and a lollipop.

Happy Friday, and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Black History Month

It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. All month long we've been celebrating Black History Month with various displays and book recommendations. Celebrate along with us by reading one of these fiction titles that #AmplifyBlackVoices! And because I couldn't help myself, scroll to the bottom for a few nonfiction recommendations too. 

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy--

Talking about boogers.
Stealing pocket change.
Skateboarding.
Wiping out.
Braving up.
Executing complicated handshakes.
Planning an escape.
Making jokes.
Lotioning up.
Finding comfort.
But mostly, too busy walking home.

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. 

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself? 

This Newbery award winning title is also available on Playaway.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's waiting for Candice Miller.

When Candice finds the letter, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, after all, who left Lambert in a cloud of shame. But the letter describes a young woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Grandma tried and failed. But now Candice has another chance.

So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues in the letter. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the summer ends?

Genesis Begins Again by Alice D. Williams

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

This is the story of a thirteen-year-old girl who is filled with self-loathing and must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ's mom explains it's because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career. ZJ can understand that--but it doesn't make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on tight to family traditions and recollections of the glory days, all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can't remember it. And most importantly, can those happy feelings ever be reclaimed when they are all so busy aching for the past?

Nonfiction Recommendations

28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith

Each day features a different influential figure in African-American history, from Crispus Attucks, the first man shot in the Boston Massacre, sparking the Revolutionary War, to Madame C. J. Walker, who after years of adversity became the wealthiest black woman in the country, as well as one of the wealthiest black Americans, to Barack Obama, the country's first African-American president.

With powerful illustrations by Shane Evans, this is a completely unique look at the importance and influence of African Americans on the history of this country.

The ABC's of Black History by Rio Cortez

An alphabet book that presents key names, moments, and places in Black history with simple text lyrically written by poet Rio Cortez. This is an opportunity for children to learn their ABCs to the sound of words beyond apple, boy, and cat, and an opportunity for young thinkers to prepare for big ideas

Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter by Shani Mahiri King

This book affirms the message repeatedly, tenderly, with cumulative power and shared pride. Celebrating Black accomplishments in music, art, literature, journalism, politics, law, science, medicine, entertainment, and sports, Shani King summons a magnificent historical and contemporary context for honoring the fortitude of Black role models, women and men, who have achieved greatness despite the grinding political and social constraints on Black life. Frederick Douglass, Toni Morrison, Sojourner Truth, John Lewis, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, and many more pass through these pages. An America without their struggles, aspirations, and contributions would be a shadow of the country we know.  A hundred life sketches augment the narrative, opening a hundred doors to lives and thinking that aren’t included in many history books. 

Happy Friday, and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Valentine's Day Books

It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. With Valentine's Day being right around the corner, today I've got five adorable Valentine themed books perfect readers of any age. 

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

The Secret Life of Squirrels: A Love Story by Nancy Rose

Mr. Peanuts spends his days climbing trees and gathering nuts--but he wishes he had another squirrel to share his time with. When he meets a special squirrel friend, he soon finds himself falling in love! They visit the bookstore, go to the park, and have a romantic candlelit dinner. Will Mr. Peanuts get his happily ever after?

Little Blue Truck's Valentine by Alice Schertle

Join Little Blue Truck as he delivers Valentine's Day cards to all his farm animal friends. But as Blue beeps along, he starts to wonder: will he get any cards of his own?

Llama Llama I love you by Anna Dewdney

In Llama Llama I Love You, little llama shows his friends and family how much he loves them with heart-shaped cards and lots of hugs. What could be sweeter than Llama Llama on Valentine's Day?

Lilly's Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes

Lilly loves her chocolate heart.
Will she save it?
Forever and ever?
What do you think?

Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day is Cool by Kimberly and James Dean

At first, Pete thinks Valentine's Day isn't cool...until he realizes all the special cats there are in his life. Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day Is Cool comes complete with a poster, stickers, and twelve punch-out Valentine’s Day cards.

Once Pete the Cat realizes how much fun Valentine’s Day can be, he decides to make valentine cards for his family and friends. But what happens when he realizes he's forgotten to make a card for a very important cat?

Happy Friday and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Digital Resources

 It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. Since the library is temporarily closed I thought I'd share about some of our digital resources, all available for free with your library card. Today I've got five favorite series available in e-book or e-audiobook format. 

The library provides e-content access through a couple of different channels. Overdrive has e-books and e-audiobooks that can be accessed through the Overdrive app or the Libby app depending on your device. Hoopla offers e-books, e-audiobooks, music, movies, & TV shows. 

Here are five series that are enormously popular in our children's department and are available through Overdrive, Hoopla, or both!

The Green Ember series by S.D. Smith

This has been one of our most popular series in recent years.  The e-content includes a collection of novellas that are not available in print format. 

My place beside you, my blood for yours. Till the Green Ember rises, or the end of the world.

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand? 

For Overdrive: click here

For Hoopla: click here 

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter books have long been available through Overdrive but there are often lengthy waitlists because they are so popular. Items on Hoopla are available instantly for download and they just recently added the entire Harry Potter series.

From the first book in the series: Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

For Overdrive: click here

For Hoopla: click here

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Boxcar Children is another much beloved series in the children's department and one of our most popular series.  There are a ton of e-book and e-audiobook's on both of our sources or e-content.

For Overdrive: click here

 For Hoopla: click here

Lincoln Pierce's Big Nate series are available as books and as graphic novels. Read them all before the Nickelodeon adaptation comes out later this year!

From the first in the series: Nate knows he’s meant for big things. REALLY big things. But things don’t always go your way just because you’re awesome. Nate barely survives his dad’s toxic oatmeal before rushing off to school—minus his lunch. He body slams the no-nonsense principal. He accidentally insults his least favorite teacher, the horrifying Mrs. Godfrey (aka Godzilla). And school has barely started!

Trouble always seems to find him, but Nate keeps his cool. He knows he’s destined for greatness. A fortune cookie told him so.

Here comes BIG NATE, accidental mischief maker and definitely NOT the teacher’s pet.

For Overdrive: click here

For Hoopla: click here

Minecraft!

Creepers, enderman, pickaxes, redstone, skins, and of course Steve. If you understood that last sentence than you surely have a Minecraft fan in your home. And if that reader is looking for something Minecraft related to read there are hundreds of options to choose from. 

For Overdrive: click here

For Hoopla:click here

This month is also the first of 2021 where Hoopla is offering Bonus Borrows. One month per quarter (February, May, August, November), patrons can choose from hundreds of titles in hoopla's Bonus Borrows collection. These hoopla Instant titles will be at NO cost to libraries and require ZERO patron borrows!

Happy Friday, and happy reading!