Citywide Read

Advance Notice:

The Pleasant Grove Library is reading To Kill a Mockingbird for its citywide read this year.

Starting September 1st, you can pick up a copy to have, read and share with fellow citizens.

Carl Sederholm, a popular Humanities professor at BYU, is going to lead a discussion on Wednesday, September, 29th. For people who are interested, we also have fifteen copies of Mockingbird: a Portrait of Harper Lee to check out.

Harper Lee has led a fascinating life.

If you decide to participate, the library would really appreciate feedback on your experience.

Louisa May Alcott

When I was a teenager, I read Little Women every summer. It was a tradition.

I also loved Jo's Boys, Little Men, Rose in Bloom, and Eight Cousins.

When I was assigned a research project in high school, I wrote it on Louisa May Alcott.

Did you know that:

Louisa's father was a transcendentalist and close friends with Emerson.

She was home schooled by her father.

She went on nature walks with Henry David Thoreau.

She was a Civil War nurse.

Like many other nurses, she became ill with typhoid fever and was treated with mercury, which created health problems the rest of her life.

She was an abolitionist and a feminist.

Although she patterned Jo after herself, she never married.

It is believed that she died of mercury poisoning at the age of 56.

I'm sad that I missed the production Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, which was aired last December on PBS. Here is a clip:

And I love the movies.
Have you seen these movie adaptations?

Katharine Hepburn as Jo. Great casting.

Peter Lawford makes a great Laurie. So many great actors in this version.

I was a big fan of Susan Dey when I was a kid -- remember The Patridge Family TV show? I wrote her a fan letter when I was in fifth grade.

Surely you've all seen this version. Love it.

And I have the music for the Broadway production, though I haven't seen the show--yet.

Here is a clip of Sutton Foster singing "Astonishing":

As you can see, I am a fan.

And other fans have written books about Louisa and her "little women."

March is written from the perspective of the March patriarch, who is largely missing from Little Women.

It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006.

Edens's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for biography.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is fan fiction.

"Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O'Connor McNees imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa's writing career-and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life."

Legacy gave this four stars on goodreads.

For all you other fans, take this quiz:

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Mary Shelley/Frankenstein Quiz

Mary Shelley

What a life Mary Shelley lived!

• Famous literary parents
• A father who never fully forgave her for causing her mother's death in childbirth
• A stepmother who raised her from infancy, but who showed strong favoritism towards her own children
• A scandalous romance with a famous, wealthy and aristocratic poet
• A convenient suicide by her lover's wife
• The death of three of her four children in infancy
• The drowning death of her husband (Ironically, his first wife also drowned)

MARY SHELLEY/FRANKENSTEIN QUIZ

1. How old was Mary Shelley when she began writing Frankenstein?
a. 25
b. 15
c. 18
d. 30

2. Where was Mary Shelley when she came up with the idea for Frankenstein?
a. attending a funeral
b. vacationing in Ireland
c. walking in the park
d. visiting Lord Byron

3. What motivated Mary Shelley to write a Gothic story?
a. the death of her first child
b. Shelley's encouragement
c. a literary party challenge
d. b & c
e. a & c
f. a, b &c

4. How did Mary Shelley get her inspiration for Frankenstein?
a. a drug-induced vision
b. a dream
c. a story told by her husband
d. a drunken stupor

5. The subtitle to Frankenstein is The Modern Promethius. In Greek mythology, Promethius:

a. fell in love with his own reflection

b. sent a sea monster to earth, which destroyed man and beast

c. tried to build a temple with the bones and skulls of travelers

d. brought fire to man

6. When Frankenstein was first published:

a. It was published anonymously

b. It received mixed reviews by the critics

c. It was published in three parts

d. None of the above

e. All of the above

7. Who did Mary Shelley dedicate Frankenstein to?

a. her father, William Godwin

b. her stepsister, Claire

c. Percy Bysshe Shelley

d. Lord Byron

8. In the second edition of Frankenstein, published six years after the first, Mary Shelley made substantial changes to the manuscript. True or false?

Frankenstein's monster has undergone a big transformation over the years:
This is one of the first visual depictions of the monster:

Anti-Irish propaganda from Punch magazine, published in May 1882.

The 1910 movie version, which you can watch below:

The most famous depiction of Frankenstein . . . 

and the most famous of all the many movie versions.

Along with movies, there are many books that feature the monster or the mythology:

This Dean Koontz series is very popular at the library. The third one in the series, Dead and Alive, is set in New Orleans and was slated to be released right after Hurricane Katrina. The publication was delayed until the summer of 2009, which frustrated a lot of loyal Frankenstein fans.

"Set in present day New Orleans, the series follows the activities of Victor Frankenstein, now known as Victor Helios, as he continues to create new life forms for his own purposes. Opposed to his activities are a pair of homicide detectives and Frankenstein's original monster, now known as Deucalion.

"While the original Monster was made with parts from dead humans, Victor Frankenstein is now using modern technology to create more creatures, particularly synthetic biology. The new race he is making is constructed and designed from the bottom-up, and can be seen as bio androids, artificial humans made of flesh. Their knowledge and behavior is even based on programs downloaded directly into their brain, which appears to be an advanced wetware computer."

Frankenstein even has its own musical! Check it out here. I think the music is pretty good.

Or watch a promo below:

Answers to the quiz:
1. c
2. d
3. f
4. b (She has something in common with Stephenie Meyer!)
5. d
6. e
7. a
8. True

Update on A Train to Potevka

Remember this book from March of 2007?

Well,  last week the Deseret News printed an article about new developments: a movie, a sequel, and a book of stories. Read about it here.

Why Read Classics?

Queenie and I were talking at Arctic Circle last week (Both of us were on dates with our grandsons.) and Queenie mentioned that she was not excited about reading Frankenstein for next month's book group discussion. A woman had been eavesdropping on our conversation and interrupted us to say that she loved Frankenstein and that it was so different from what she had expected.

It got me thinking: What do we expect when we read a classic?

In July of 2006, Apple and I heard Shannon Hale speak at BYU's Symposium on Books for Young Readers. Shannon had a lot to say about classics and how they destroyed her reading enjoyment.

 She wrote this on her website:

"One tragic outcome of English classes, however, was I believed (and didn't question for some time) that the "classics" were the only good books around. I stopped reading for pleasure, choosing books that I thought were good for me but were often boring and quite depressing, and so soon fell out of love with reading. I didn't question the only-classics-are-good mentality for many years."

We don't want to destroy reading pleasure!

Should we discontinue teaching classics to high school students? Shannon Hale sure made a strong case for it.

Some argue that high school students are not experienced enough to appreciate the classics at their age.

Certainly I appreciated To Kill a Mockingbird much more when I read it as an adult than I did at age fourteen.

.And my son, Ben, was deeply moved by reading The Kite Runner his senior year.

  I don't think he would've gotten as much out of The Scarlet Letter.

(Okay, I used this image because so many people have told me that this is what they really read in high school.)

But I, for one, loved reading the classics in high school. And I'm grateful to belong to a book group that is not intimidated by them. Even when I find the book difficult to appreciate, as in The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James,

I get so much out of the discussion. (Thanks, Leggy, in this case.) I'm always glad I spent the time and energy to "understand" its value.

If we didn't teach Romeo & Juliet in school would Taylor Swift's "Love Story" have become a hit song?

(This video is  from the 1968 Zefirelli film for all of you who remember seeing it.) I think the boy who plays Romeo looks a bit like Zac Efron.

And if we didn't have the Taylor Swift song, we certainly wouldn't have Jon Schmidt's brilliant adaptation:

And teens around the country would not have been able to predict the ending of Letters to Juliet:

It's sweet.

If you haven't seen it yet, it is still at the dollar movie!

And we wouldn't have comic Anita Renfroe's version of Love Story, either, which would be sad. She always makes me laugh.

I could go on and on. . . .

The things we read, and hear and watch become part of the collective consciousness:

n. In Jungian psychology, a part of the unconscious mind, shared by a society, a people, or all humankind, that is the product of ancestral experience and contains such concepts as science, religion, and morality.

I find it interesting to try and understand why a certain piece of literature struck a chord during its day and why it has endured. In the future people may shake their heads while reading Harry Potter and Twilight, while asking why it had such an appeal for people of our day. Okay, there are people shaking their heads over it now, but you can't deny the cultural phenomenon.

I don't think we realize how many things we all "understand" because of something that was written and read/performed years and years ago.

Here are ten:

1. Siren song: the enticing appeal of something alluring but potentially dangerous. This came from Homer's Odyssey.

2. "Blood on my hands": to be responsible for violent injuries or deaths. This came from Shakespeare's Macbeth.

3. "I'd sell my soul to the devil": to accept immoral behavior in order to succeed. This came from the legend of Faust, most popularly in Goethe's Faust and Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.

4. "It's all Greek to me": something that you say when you do not understand something that is written or said. This came from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

5. An albatross: a symbol of bad luck. This came from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

6. Doubting Thomas: someone who will not easily believe something without strong proof or evidence. I know that all of you are very familiar with this reference from the Bible.

7. Catch-22: a situation where one thing must happen in order to cause another thing to happen, but because the first thing does not happen the second thing cannot happen. This came from Joseph Heller's book by the same title.

8. Big Brother: a government or a large organization which tries to control every part of people's lives and to know everything about them. This came from George Orwell's 1984.

9. Scrooge: A mean-spirited miserly person; a skinflint. Another very familiar reference to a character from Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

And last but not least (returning to our previous discussion):

10. "Parting is such sweet sorrow.": Juliet is saying good night to Romeo. Their sorrowful parting is also“sweet” because it makes them think about the next time they will see each other. This is from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

So what do you all think about reading classics? Are they worth reading?

One parting quote:

"When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before."

-Clifton Fadiman, author of Lifetime Reading Plan

Book Choices for 2011

August will be here before we know it, so I hope that you are all in deep consideration of your book choice for the coming year. Here are some places to go for help in case you are having some trouble:

Goodreads has a Best of Book Clubs list.

ReadingGroupGuides has a list of their most requested reading group guides.

ReadingGroupChoices has lists of favorite book group books. The favorite books of 2009 are listed here.

See what Amazon recommends here.

BookLust has a list of favorites.

FlashlightWorthy has 18 lists for book groups to choose from.

Here is LitLovers' list of favorites.

There is still time to find a book you would like to discuss.

Also, just a reminder that we have two classics coming up:

Frankenstein at Leggy's in August

and Les Misérables at Beau Cheaveaux's in September

Let’s Get Reading!

Robert M. Pirsig

Robert M. Pirsig

Robert Maynard Pirsig was born on September 6, 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of the cult classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Pirsig's father, Maynard, taught at the University of Minnesota Law School from 1934 until retiring in 1970. He served as Dean from 1948 to 1955. Pirsig's mother, Harriet Marie Pirsig (Sjobeck), is of Swedish origin.

By the age of 9, Pirsig, a precocious child, already possessed an I.Q. of 170. He was promoted over several grades, and his lack of normal socialization, combined with a vexing stammer, made childhood difficult for him.

In 1943, Pirsig entered the University of Minnesota, where he struggled for the next two years with his classes. He was expelled in 1945 for failing grades, immaturity, and inattention to his studies. After traveling to Montana where he drifted aimlessly for several months, he joined the Army and served in Korea before returning to school, where he resumed his studies, concentrating on chemistry and philosophy. He received a B.A. in 1950 and enrolled in the University's School of Journalism two years later. He also attended Benares Hindu University in India, where he pursued knowledge about Oriental philosophy, although later references to his studies there cast doubt on how much he gained from the experience.

In September, 1953, Pirsig became co-editor with Nancy Ann James of The Ivory Tower, part of the University's literary magazine. James was an undergraduate journalism student who was married and still being supported by her parents. Pirsig and Nancy left school in the winter of 1953-54 and traveled to Reno, where she obtained a divorce. The two worked for a while as dealers in Reno's Nevada Club in order to capitalize a trip to Mexico, where Pirsig felt they could live more inexpensively while he tried his hand at writing professionally.

Pirsig and James married on May 10, 1954, and moved that September to Minatitlan on the Bay of Campeche for eight months. In May 1955, they returned to the states, where he pursued a variety of jobs. He returned to school and received his MA in journalism in 1958.

In the early Sixties, following a slow dance through hell with depression and mental illness that left him in and out of hospitals and treatment centers for more than two years, Pirsig had completed enough of his book entitled Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to begin sending it off to publishers. He received more than 120 rejection slips before the manuscript finally landed in the hands of James Landis, an editor at William Morrow. Landis responded positively, encouraging Pirsig to finish the book. Finally, in 1973, after several false starts and numerous discarded drafts, he turned the completed manuscript over to Landis.

Pitching ZMM before Morrow's editorial board, Landis said, "This book is brilliant beyond belief, it is probably a work of genius and will, I'll wager, attain classic stature." Morrow paid the author its standard $3,000 advance and published the book the same year to rave reviews.

In 1975, Pirsig and his wife bought a boat together and began taking sailing lessons. Naively, they planned a trip around the world. Two years later, Pirsig was living on the boat in England with a woman named Wendy Kimball. He wrote an article entitled "Cruising Blues and Their Cure" for Esquire magazine. It was about the stress of boredom and claustrophobia, living in close proximity with loved ones in the confines of a boat. The following year, he divorced Nancy and married Wendy. In 1979, his first son, Chris, who had played an important role in the development of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,was stabbed to death during a random mugging in San Francisco.

The following year, Pirsig moved his second wife back to the more familiar grounds of Minnesota, where they lived near his paternal grandfather until wanderlust struck once more. In 1984, the couple moved to Sweden, where Pirsig began work on his second book, Lila, which was published in 1991.

Pirsig created the Metaphysics of Quality (MOQ) to explain in his books the connection between quality and morality to reality. Both of his books claim that the topic they are exploring cannot be precisely defined because of humanity's limited experience. ZMM in particular is an important work because it functions at several different levels:

• as a history or summary of philosophy
• as a reply to anti-technology movements
• as an introduction to thinking in general
• as a skeptical book, questioning everything from our language and education system to the scientific method
• as a complaint of the low level of craftsmanship in modern trades

In his work, Pirsig has coined several memorable phrases that refuse to die. He said that his book was luckily successful because it happened to be a culture-bearing book, and he called the fields of metaphysics and philosophy the high country of the mind.

Pirsig and son

View photos of Pirsig's cross-country trip.

View a map of his path.

Now and Zen

A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism.

Some of you have been having a difficult time with our June book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It might be helpful to read these questions first:

1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is at once the story of a motorcycle journey across the country; a meditation on values and the concept of Quality; and an allegorical tale of a man coming to terms with his past. Discuss which aspects of the novel you found most compelling, and why.

2. Discuss Pirsig's Author's Note. What does he mean when he says "much has been changed for rhetorical purposes?" Is he saying the book is fact or fiction? How does his use of a first-person narrator make this a complex question? What is the relationship between author and narrator?

3. Discuss ZMM's epigraph: And what is good, Phaedrus, And what is not good -- Need we ask anyone to tell us these things? How does this query resemble a Buddhist koan -- a paradoxical or nonsensical question that emphasizes the process of meditating on the question rather than the answer? Why do you think Pirsig chose this excerpt to introduce the book?

4. At the beginning of their trip, the narrator and John have a conversation in which the narrator refers to education as "mass hypnosis," citing as an example the fact that Newton's law of gravity is nothing more than a human invention, as are laws of logic, mathematics, and ghosts. Why does this dialogue take place at the outset of the novel, as opposed to somewhere in the middle or the end of the trip? How is Pirsig preparing the reader for the novel's future scenes?

5. In setting out the topic for his Chautauqua, Pirsig compares the current consciousness to a stream overflowing its channels, causing destruction and havoc as it searches for new ones: "There are eras of human history in which the channels of thought have been too deeply cut and no change was possible, and nothing new ever happened, and 'best' was a matter of dogma, but that is not the situation now. Now the stream of our common consciousness seems to be obliterating its own banks, losing its central direction and purpose. . . . Some channel deepening seems called for." (p. 16). Can you explain this metaphor? What sorts of change is he referring to? What does he mean by "channel deepening?"

6. As a writer of technical manuals, the narrator decries the current situation in which the idea of who a man is has become separated from what he does.He claims that in this separation are clues to "what the hell has gone wrong with the twentieth century." How does this concept fit in to what you know of Zen Buddhism, which celebrates the oneness of the universe? Do you feel at one with your occupation? Explain why or why not. If not, what is keeping you from feeling connected to what you do for a living? Would you feel more satisfied, or be a better worker, if you did feel that connection?

7. The narrator divides human understanding into two categories: romantic and classical. Discuss the distinction between the two. How do you fit into either of these dichotomies? Give examples that illustrate the tendencies that make you, personally, either classical or romantic.

8. How does Pirsig introduce and develop the character of Phaedrus? Can you rely on the narrator to offer an accurate picture of Phaedrus's insanity? Do you think Phaedrus really was insane?

9. What do you think of the narrator's son, Chris? Does he seem troubled, or merely a typical boy impatient with his father's behavior? Who do you think is a better father to Chris -- Phaedrus or the narrator?

10. Why do you think the narrator refuses to complete the trek up the mountain, despite Chris's disappointment that they won't be reaching the top? Is the threat of a rock slide real? Is he afraid to "meet" Phaedrus? Is he making a statement about ego relative to Zen philosophy? What is happening in the Chautauqua at this point in the book?

11. Discuss the climactic scene --- a confrontation between Chris and the narrator that takes place on a foggy cliff overlooking the ocean. Where is Phaedrus? What does this scene reveal about all three characters? How does this scene change your interpretations of the events that have lead up to it? What is the significance of Chris and his father removing their helmets for the remainder of the journey?

2011 Beehive Nominees

Every year a committee of teachers, librarians and lovers of children's literature in Utah nominate books in five areas: children's fiction, children's picture books, young adult books, children's poetry, and informational books. Throughout the year, readers are invited to vote for their favorites at their local libraries and the winners are awarded the Beehive Award each spring. Many states have a similar award, and authors love to receive these awards because they reflect their readers' preferences.

There are some great choices among these nominees that you might enjoy . . . .


Children's Fiction

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

Amanda and Leo are celebrating their same-day birthday separately this year, when peculiar things begin to happen.

The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hempbill

Prometheus Jones and his cousin Omer flee Tennessee to join a cattle drive headed to Texas, in a land still recovering from the Civl War.

Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires

Binky makes plans to blast-off into outer space to battle aliens.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is surrounded by her large, loving and opinionated family.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements; illustrated by Mark Elliott

As letters go back and forth between Illinois and Afghanistan, Abby, Amira, and Sadeed begin to look forward to each others' letters.

The Leanin' Dog by K.A. Nuzum

In wintry Colorado during the 1930s, eleven-year-old Dessa Dean greets the arrival of an injured dog as just what she needs.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy

Much to her aunt's dismay, eleven-year-old Mildred is determined to grow a pumpkin big enough to win the annual Circleville, Ohio, contest.

Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta

After twenty-two years it finally stop raining in Moundville, and twelve-year-old Roy makes plans to put together a baseball team.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Minli, an adventurous girl from a very, poor village, is joined by a dragon on a dangerous quest.

The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Eleven-year-old Groovy Robinson enjoys cooking and has big plans to become a professional chef until her father is sent to jail.


Children's Picture Books

The Apple-Pip Princess by Jane Ray

In a land that has stood barren, parched by drought and ravaged by frosts since the Queen's death, the King sets his three daughters the task fo making the kingdom bloom again, and discovers that sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

Birds by Kevin Henkes; illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds, and movements of the many different birds she sees through her window, a little girl is happy to discover that she and they have something in common.

That Book Woman by Heather Henson; illustrated by David Small

Young Cal, who lives high in the Appalachian Mountains with his family, does not understand his sister's love for books, but the Book Woman always wanders to their home, and Cal's parents are always willing to trade something to keep Cal's sister reading.

Chicken Cheeks by Micahel Ian Black, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Simple rhyming text and illustrations present the hindquarters of various animals, including moose, chickens, polar bears, and guinea pigs.

(Legacy and I went to school with this illustrator, Kevin Hawkes, and he married one of my very good friends.)

The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

A circus ship has an accident off the coast of Maine which leaves the animals stranded, but they are soon taken in by the citizens of a small island who grow fond of the new residents and fight to protect them.

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Two unseen characters argue about whether the creature they are looking at is a rabbit or a duck.

Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli

A small girl encourages her father to push her perpetually higher on the swing as they try to surpass the height of agiraffe, a mountain, and the very boundaries of Earth.

Just What Mama Needs by Sharlee Glenn; illustrated by Amiko Hirao

A puppy named Abby assumes a different identity for each day of the week until Sunday, when she is just herself.

Most Loved In All the World by Tonya Hegamin; illustrated by Cozbi A Cabrera

Even though Mama is an agent on the Underground Railroad, in order to help others she must remain a slave, but she teaches her daughter the value of freedom through a gift of love and sacrifice.

Tsunami by Kimiko Kajikawa; illustrated by Ed Young

A wealthy man in a Japanese village, who everyone calls Ojiisan, which means grandfather, sets fire to his rice fields to warn the innocent people of an approaching tsunami.


Young Adult Books

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

After moving to spend time with her father and stepmother, Auden becomes friends with a reclusive teen named Eli. As she gets to know Eli better, they begin a relationship that changes from both.

Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

Brooklyn Nine follows a family starting in 1845 through 2002. In nine innings, readers are taken through history to learn about baseball and those who love it.

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

As a member of a polygamist sect, Kyra is chosen to marry one of the elders. her refusal puts her very life in danger.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Isabel, a slave, must decide if she is for the loyalists or the rebels in the fight for freedom during the first months of the American Revolution.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Eli's father has feared a nuclear holocaust for years. Now it has finally come and Eli and his family now must live in the protective Counpound.

The Devil's Paintbox by Victoria McKernan

In this gritty tale Aiden and Maddy, orphaned on the prairie, join a wagon train west for a chance at a new life.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

Eon's purpose in life has been to train to become a Dragoneye. But Eon holds a terrible, deadly secret that may undo everything.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

During WWII, Ida Mae, passing as white, joins the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Her desire to fly outweights the risks of being discovered.

Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap

Theresa's father is found murdered, his violin missing. Her quest to solve this mystery uncovers a plot thick with deceit, betrayal, and intrigue.

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Savannah wishes that her life could be more like fairy tales where the girl always gets the prince. unfortunately, her wish doesn't turn out so well.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

An enchanting story about twelve sisters cured to dance every night to the extent they wear holes in their dancing slippers.

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger

Get a job...what! When three teens are told to get summer jobs they rebel and decide to earn the money they would have made in one big scheme and then take the rest of the summer off.

Children's Poetry

Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face and Other Poems: Some of the Best of Jack Prelutsky by Jack Prelutsky

This treasury which includes a CD and more than one hundred of Jack Prelutsky's most celebrated verses, along with fifteen all-new poems, is a tribute to his gift to children's literature over the past forty years.

The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry

This anthology contains nearly two hundred poems, all of them handpicked by the late Bill Martin Jr., which include traditional children's poems alongside more contemporary pieces paired with illusrations from numerous award-winning picture book atists.

Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle; illustrated by Petra Mathers

Do you think shoes, jackets, and hats don't have personalitites? Think again! The duds on display in this perfectly stitched poetry collection are as unique as the critters who wear them.

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

Set in spreads of dreamy dinosaur art, these 20 playful paleontologic poems overflow with wit and useful information.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Alice finds herself on a roller coaster of emotions that many teens will relate to in this novel in verse about a girl who survives a deadly snowstorm and discovers what is important in her life.

A Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems about Pets by Laura Salas

Are you mad about cats? Love big dogs? From hamsters to tarantulas, this fun collection of original poetry features all your favorite pets!

Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing by Gary Soto

The fleeting emotions of teenagers, as changeable as the weather, ring true in these emotionally resonant poems about falling in love for the first time, pining over crushes, and brooding over broken hearts.

Truckery Rhymes by Jon Scieszka; illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon

From beloved truck tales to rowdy rhymes and honk-along songs, all your favorite "Truckery" rhymes have been gathered into one big, noisy, high-octane collection!

The Underwear Salesman: Jobs for Better Verse by J. Patrick Lewis; illustrated by Serge Bloch

Forty-nine poems describe nearly as many occupations, most of them nontraditional including an ice sculptor, belly dancer and a highway line painter in a variety of styles; rhyming pairs, quatrain, and limerick, to name a few.

Whiff of Pine, Hint of Skunk: a Forest of Poems by Deborah Ruddell; illustrated by Joan Rankin

Take a lighthearted romp through four seasons in the forest with these whimisical poems. The woods have never been so much fun!


Informational Books

14 Cows for America by Carmen Deedy and Thomas Gonzalez

After the 9/11 attacks in New York, a Masai village gives a heartfelt gift to the American people.

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

The story of 13 women in the 1960's who sacrifice for the opportunity to become astronauts.

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull and Greg Couch

Inspired by parallel field furrows, a young Utah farm boy invents the television.

Darwin by Alice McGinty and Mary Azarian

A picture-book quality biography emphasizing Darwin's curiosity and determination.

Down, Down, Down: a Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins

A biography of the imaginative and intellectual slave-born black scientist and artist.

George Washington Carver by Tonya Bolden

A biography of the imaginative and intellectual slave-born black scientit and artist.

Life in the Wild: George Shaller's Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts by Pamela S. Turner

The pioneering animal conservationist's story of studying exotic animals in the wild.

Mermaid Queen: the Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History by Shana Corey

The brightly illustrated story of the record-breaking female athlete who pioneered the modern woman's bathing suit.

Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop

An up close and memorable photographic tour of the amazing world of frogs.

You Never Heard of Sandy Kofax?! by Jonah Winter and Andre Carriho

Illustrations draw the reader into this biography of the gifted, young, Jewish pitching ace.