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. Black History Month is celebrated each February and is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. History and society. One way we can celebrate is by amplifying black voices and reading their literary contributions. 

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?

Happy Friday and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Nuevo Libros en Español (New books in Spanish)

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. This week I thought I'd share some new addition to a hidden gems in the Children's Department ..... our Spanish collection. With nearly 400 books, including board books, early reader's, picture books, nonfiction on a variety of topics, graphic novels, fiction and fantasy books, there's books for all ages and abilities. Take a moment to explore our Spanish collection.

Book descriptions provided by the publisher. 

¡El español es mi superpoder! by Maria Correa

Rosita y su Mami se enfrentan al racismo cuando les dicen que se abstengan de hablar español en el supermercado. Mientras discuten el inquietante encuentro, a Rosita se le recuerda lo valioso y especial que es hablar dos idiomas. ¡Y que la capacidad de hacerlo es como tener un superpoder! Este importante libro, inspirado en el video del mismo nombre en el sitio web de Sesame Street en las Comunidades, resulta de gran ayuda para presentarles a niños pequeños el delicado tema del racismo.

Sesame Workshop, la organización educativa sin fines de lucro detrás de Sésamo, tiene como objetivo ayudar a los niños a crecer más inteligentes, fuertes y bondadosos a través de sus muchas iniciativas a nivel local e internacional. Dichos proyectos cubren una amplia esfera de temas para familias de todo el mundo.

Rosita and her Mami experience racism when they are told not to speak Spanish at the supermarket. While discussing the upsetting encounter, Rosita is reminded how smart and special she is to speak two languages. And that the ability to do so is like having a superpower! This important book--inspired by the video of the same name on the Sesame Street in Communities website--is a helpful way to introduce a tough yet important topic to young children.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, aims to help kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder through its many unique domestic and international initiatives. These projects cover a wide array of topics for families around the world.

Diario del Wimpy Kid 17: En Dando la nota by Jeff Kinney

Cuando Greg decide unirse a la banda Löded Diper, de su hermano Rodrick, no tiene idea de lo que está haciendo. Pronto descrubre de que las trasnochadas, los conciertos no remunerados, las peleas entre los miembros de la banda y los problemas económicos son parte del estilo de vida del Rock and Roll.

¿Podrá Greg ayudar a Löded Diper a convertirse en la banda legendaria que creen ser? ¿O demasiado tiempo con Rodrick y los músicos será demasiado hasta para él?

When he decides to tag along with his brother Rodrick’s band, Löded Diper, Greg doesn’t realize what he’s getting into. But he soon learns that late nights, unpaid gigs, fighting between band members, and money troubles are all part of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.

Can Greg help Löded Diper become the legends they think they are? Or will too much time with Rodrick’s band be a diper överlöde?

Encanto. La familia lo es todo by Luz M. Mack

Encanto cuenta la historia de los Madrigal, una familia extraordinaria que vive en una casa mágica escondida en las montañas de Colombia. La magia del Encanto ha bendecido a todos los integrantes de la familia con un fantástico don, desde la súper fuerza hasta el poder de sanar con la comida. A todos, excepto a Mirabel. Al descubrir que la magia que rodea al Encanto está en peligro, Mirabel, la única Madrigal sin un don, podría ser la última esperanza de su excepcional familia.

Disney's Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift, ranging from superstrength to the power to heal--every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope. 

Los Tipos Malos el Gran Lobo Feroz by Aaron Blabey

Cuando hacen crecer al Sr. Lobo del tamaño de Godzilla, los Tipos Malos se ven en mosntruosos problemas. Tienen que hallar una solución para detener la invasión alienígena y hacer que Lobito vuelva a ser el de antes antes de que el mundo sea completamente destruido. Lo bueno es que tienen a la Liga Internacional de Héroes de su lado, además de algunos superpoderes recién adquiridos que probar...

When Mr. Wolf is blown up to Godzilla proportions, the Bad Guys find themselves in monster-sized trouble. They must figure out how to stop an alien invasion and get Wolfie back to his old self before the world is totally destroyed. Good thing they have the International League of Heroes on their side, and some newly honed superpowers ready to put to the test...

¡Los animales no se dormían! by Sara Levine

¡Ahora en edición bilingüe inglés-español! Es hora de que Marco y sus animales de peluche se vayan a dormir, pero los animales tienen otros planes. Cuando Marco trata de guardarlos, empiezan a volar, nadar y reptar de las canastas donde los tiene. ¿Podrá Marco clasificar a sus animales para que todos estén contentos? Una exploración divertida sobre lo que es clasificar con personajes latinxs y una nota sobre clasificación científica.

Los libros de la serie Cuentos matemáticos celebran las aventuras diarias de niños que usan las matemáticas mientras juegan, construyen y descubren el mundo que los rodea. Historias divertidas y actividades prácticas facilitan que tanto los niños como los adultos exploren juntos las matemáticas de la vida diaria. Fue desarrollada junto a expertos en el currículum STEM, pertenecientes a TERC Inc., organización sin fines de lucro, bajo una subvención otorgada por Heising-Simons Foundation.

Now in a Spanish bilingual edition! It's bedtime for Marco and his stuffed animals, but the animals have other ideas. When Marco tries to put them away, they fly, swim, and slither right out of their bins! Can Marco sort the animals so everyone is happy? A playful exploration of sorting and classifying, featuring Latinx characters and a note about scientific classification.

Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education non-profit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Happy Friday and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: Favorite Newbery Winners

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.  My Libby hold for the 2023 Newbery winner, Freewater, just came in and it got me thinking about past winners. One of my personal reading goals for 2023 is to read more Newbery books so today I thought I'd share some of my personal favorites I've already read. 

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (2022)

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1963)

It was a dark and stormy night.

Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure—one that will threaten their lives and our universe.

Winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L'Engle's classic Time Quintet.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1979)

A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead ... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (2016)

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (1972)

Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma.

Happy Friday and happy reading!

Fast Five Fiction: 2023 Youth Media Awards

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. 

Each year the American Library Association (ALA) honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens through the Youth Media Awards. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media. The 2023 Awards took place virtually this past Monday so today I'm sharing five books that won top awards. If you're curious, here's the full list of award winners.

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

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

The John Newbery Medal awards the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.

The Coretta Scott King Author Award is given annually to an outstanding African American author of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. 

Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.

Hot Dog by Doug Salati

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded for the most distinguished American picture book for children.

It's summer in the city, and this hot dog has had enough! Enough of sizzling sidewalks, enough of wailing sirens, enough of people's feet right in his face. When he plops down in the middle of a crosswalk, his owner endeavors to get him the breath of fresh air he needs. She hails a taxi, hops a train, and ferries out to the beach.

Here, a pup can run!

With fluid art and lyrical text that have the soothing effect of waves on sand, Doug Salati shows us how to find calm and carry it back with us so we can appreciate the small joys in a day.

Wildoak by C.C. Harrington

The Schneider Family Book Award is given to a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience.

When the fates of a snow leopard, a child, and an ancient forest collide, the unimaginable can happen.

Maggie Stephens's stutter makes school especially hard. She will do almost anything to avoid speaking in class or calling attention to herself. So when her unsympathetic father threatens to send her away for so-called "treatment," she reluctantly agrees to her mother's intervention plan: a few weeks in the fresh air of Wildoak Forest, visiting a grandfather she hardly knows. It is there, in an extraordinary twist of fate, that she encounters an abandoned snow leopard cub, an exotic gift to a wealthy Londoner that proved too wild to domesticate. But once the cub's presence is discovered by others, danger follows, and Maggie soon realizes that time is running out, not only for the leopard, but for herself and the forest as well. 

 

I Did It! by Michael Emberley

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is awarded to the most distinguished beginning reader book.

Learning to ride a bike is hard. Can I do it? Yes, I can! A fun comic that kindergarteners and first graders can read on their own.

Can I do it?
I can't do it.
I want to do it.
I did it!

Simple text that new readers can read by themselves, along with delightful pictures in a comic format, show a little creature trying and trying again as they learn to ride a bicycle. All their friends help with supportive words of encouragement. "You did it!" their friends exclaim.

James Ransome's Books

The Children’s Literature Legacy Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children’s lives and experiences. The 2023 winner is James Ransome.

Happy Friday and happy reading!