What Should Oliver Read Next?

Hello friends! It is I, Oliver. Did you miss me? I’ve been very busy this summer. Eating, sleeping, and reading. I am ready to get back to sharing my book reviews with mew! The first book I want to share with you all is Noodle Conquers Comfy Mountain by Jonathan Graziano.

Now Noodle is a pug. One day he finds that he can’t get comfy in his bed so he goes on a quest to find just the right napping spot. He searches all over his home and finally decides on the top of the couch, or as he likes to call it Comfy Mountain. The problem is pugs are quite small and can’t always jump high enough to get on the couch. Noodle decides he wants to try and get up there himself. After many failed attempts, he realizes that he needs help. Noodle barks and barks until his claw-some human Jonathan figures out what he wants. He places Noodle on top of comfy meow-tian. Noodle was so happy and ended up taking an amazing nap! 

What a pawsome story! I know all about finding pawsome napping spots. My purrsonal favorite is on my mom’s desk, on top of her key board while she is working. If you are looking for a book with a claw-ver dog then this is the one for you. Thanks to our friend Cecilia for recommending this pawsome read! Now back to my nap.

Fast Five Fiction: September 11, 2001

It's time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. This week it seemed fitting to share some stories of the events of September 11, 2001. If you keep reading to the bottom there's a photo filled nonfiction recommendation and a link to the website for the National Day of Service and Remembrance. May we never forget.

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

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

It's September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . . at the World Trade Center in New York City. When two planes hit the towers, Brandon and his father are trapped inside a fiery nightmare as terror and confusion swirl around them. Can they escape -- and what will the world be like when they do?
In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dreams of peace and unity. When she ends up harboring a wounded young American soldier, she and her entire family are put in mortal danger. But Reshmina also learns something surprising about the roots of this endless war.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?

Survivor Tree by Marcie Colleen

Beneath the Twin Towers, a pear tree once stood.
It still grows there today.
This is its story.

One September day, the perfect blue sky exploded. Dust billowed. Buildings crumbled. And underneath it all, a tree sprouted green leaves in its distress. Pulled from the wreckage, the tree saw many seasons pass as it slowly recovered far away from home. Until one day, forever scarred and forever stronger, it was replanted at the 9/11 Memorial.

This story of the real Survivor Tree uses nature's cycle of colors to reflect on the hope and healing that come after a tragedy -- and assures readers of their own remarkable resilience.

I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001: The Graphic Novel by Lauren Tarshis

On the day that shocks the world, one boy just wants to find his family.
The only thing Lucas loves more than football is his Uncle Benny, his dad's best friend at the fire department where they both work. Benny taught Lucas everything about football. So when Lucas's parents decide the sport is too dangerous and he needs to quit, Lucas has to talk to his biggest fan.So the next morning, Lucas takes the train to the city instead of the bus to school. It's a bright, beautiful day in New York. But just as Lucas arrives at his uncle's firehouse, everything changes -- and nothing will ever be the same again.

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills

A haunting and heart-wrenching story of two girls, two time periods, and the one event that changed their lives—and the world—forever.
Now:
Sixteen-year-old Jesse is used to living with the echoes of the past. Her older brother died in the September 11th attacks, and her dad has filled their home with anger and grief. When Jesse gets caught up with the wrong crowd, one momentary hate-fueled decision turns her life upside down. The only way to make amends is to face the past, starting Jesse on a journey that will reveal the truth about how her brother died.
Then:
In 2001, sixteen-year-old Alia is proud to be Muslim... it's being a teenager that she finds difficult. After being grounded for a stupid mistake, Alia is determined to show her parents that that they must respect her choices. She'll start by confronting her father at his office in downtown Manhattan, putting Alia in danger she never could have imagined. When the planes collide into the Twin Towers Alia is trapped inside one of the buildings. In the final hours she meets a boy who will change everything for her as the flames rage around them...
Interweaving stories past and present, full of heartbreak and hope, two girls come of age in an instant, learning that both hate and love have the power to reverberate into the future and beyond.

If you'd like to check out a nonfiction book to remember or discuss with your family I'd recommend: A Nation Challenged: A Visual History of 9/11 and its Aftermath, Young Readers Edition from the New York Times. Or look through the website for the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Fast Five Fiction: National Cat Month

It's time! Fast Five Fiction has returned after it's brief hiatus! Each week I'll share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. This month, we're celebrating National Cat Month in the children's department so I'm sharing some of our most popular graphic novel and chapter book series featuring feline characters!

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

Breaking Cat News graphic novels by Georgia Dunn

This series is so good, one of our adult book clubs recently read it and enjoyed it! 

This just in: Three adorable house cats are reporting the most hilarious breaking news! Based on author/illustrator Georgia Dunn's real life pets, Elvis, Lupin, and Puck strap on neckties and pick up microphones to provide the most up-to-date relevant news stories (at least according to them).

Cats reporting on the news that matters to cats with stories such as The Vacuum Cleaner Is Back!, The Woman Is Cooking Bacon!, and The Ceiling Cats Are Everywhere Tonight! Cynical, no nonsense Elvis and shy, sweet, sensitive Puck are the reporter kitties in the field, while the adventurous jokester Lupin serves as anchor cat. Together they break headlines on the food bowl, new plants, mysterious red dots, strange cats in the yard, and all the daily happenings in their home

Stick Cat series by Tom Watson

There's a new pet in town.

Stick Cat.

It's a big day in the big city for Stick Cat and his best friend, Edith. There are treasures to hunt, songs to sing, pigeons to catch, and naps to take. But way up on the twenty-third floor, danger lurks just around the corner. Terrible noises and violent crashes trap a desperate man in the building across the alley. Stick Cat will need to navigate his way across the alley--and around Edith's peculiar ways--to attempt a rescue.

With Tom Watson's trademark combination of laughs and adventure, Stick Cat's high-wire act is sure to please cat lovers and Stick Dog fans everywhere.

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat series by Johnny Marciano

Klawde is not your average cat. He's an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He's cruel. He's cunning. He's brilliant... and he's about to become Raj Banerjee's best friend. Whether he likes it or not.

Klawde had everything. Sharp claws. Fine fur. And, being the High Commander of the planet Lyttyrboks, an entire world of warlike cats at his command. But when he is stripped of his feline throne, he is sentenced to the worst possible punishment- exile to a small planet in a quiet corner of the universe... named Earth.

Raj had everything. A cool apartment in Brooklyn. Three friends who lived in his building. And pizza and comics within walking distance. But when his mom gets a job in Elba, Oregon, and he is forced to move, all of that changes. It's now the beginning of summer, he has no friends, and because of his mother's urgings, he has joined a nature camp.

It's only when his doorbell rings and he meets a furball of a cat that Raj begins to think maybe his luck is turning around...

Heavily illustrated, with a hilarious, biting voice that switches between Raj and Klawde's perspectives, this is the story of an unlikely friendship that emerges as two fish out of water begin to find their footing in strange new worlds.

Dr. Kitty Cat series by Jane Clarke

We'll be there in a whisker! Dr. KittyCat is a talented vet -- and an adorable cat. She's ready to rescue whenever help is needed. When a call comes in that Posy the puppy has hurt her leg at the Paws and Prizes field day, Dr. KittyCat rushes to the scene. Without Dr. KittyCat's help, Posy will be disqualified! Supercute photographs of real puppies and kittens combine with hand-drawn purple line art for a completely unique look.

Warriors series by Erin Hunter

The Warriors book series is about the adventrues of feral cat clans living in a forest who follow a strict "warrior code" and believing in ancestral spirits called StarClan. The books feature themes of war, loyalty, prejudice, and survival as a pampered house cat named Rusty joins ThunderClan, becoming the warrior Firestar. The extensive series is organized into multiple arcs, or mini-series, each focusing on new protagonists within different cat clans and exploring complex ideas within a world of anthropomorphic cats

Happy reading!