Lunch Every Day

Kathryn Otoshi, 38 pages 

 

Lunch Every Day is a powerful read that addresses not only the topic of bullying, but also seeing it from both sides of the scale. Each day, Jimmy avoids the school's free lunch line because the line is too long. Instead he chooses to take Skinny Boy's lunch every single day.

One day Skinny Boy hands out birthday invites to his classmates including Jimmy.  Jimmy is shook. At first he decides he is not going. However, the morning of the party, he changes his mind and attends. He is a little timid to enter the party as he notices everyone has a gift and he does not. Once inside, he is truly welcomed by Skinny Boy's mom. She addresses the lunch issue in a kind and compassionate way and assures Jimmy he will never go hungry again by providing an extra lunch in her sons lunch box to share. 

There is an author's note at the end of the story. There, you will begin to see how Skinny Boy mom's compassion made an impression on Jimmy to break his bullying cycle, become an educator, and give back to the community in bully prevention. The author dedicates the book to Jimmy (Jim) and to the Mom who made the extra lunch for Jimmy every day in school.

 

Pumpkinheads

Rainbow Rowell, 209 pages

 

This graphic novel is a sweet Autumn story with a slight romantic feeling between two friends Deja and Josiah who work at a pumpkin patch every year. Together they plan an awesome Halloween night to celebrate their last season working together at the pumpkin patch before heading off to college.

 Josiah has a crush on another girl at the pumpkin patch, and Deja isn’t going to let him spend his last night at the pumpkin patch without encouraging him to confront his crush. They both go through hoops and ladders to find his crush while they enjoy all the food and fun at the patch. In the end Josiah realizes that his friendship with Deja means more than his crush.  

A Murderous Yarn

A Murderous Yarn, by Monica Ferris 243 pgs.

Betsy Devonshire, a needlework shop owner, gets involved in an antique car show/race.  She decides to sponsor her friend Lars' car, and donate time to help with the show.  Everyone is enjoying the show/race until one of the drivers ends up dead and never makes it to the finish line.  Betsy goes into detective mode to determine if it was an accident or was he murdered  perhaps by a jealous competitor.  This is the fifth book in this needlecraft mystery, and there is a free antique car themed cross stitch pattern at the end of the book.  I've been following this mystery series since book one, and have really enjoyed reading them all.  You don't have to read them in order.  I am reading book seven now, because I tend to want to read them by the season.  Book six is centered around the Fall/Halloween season.  So I think I'll save that one for a September/October read.  If you love needlecrafts, you love this series!

Building the Titanic: An Epic Tale of the Creation of History's Most Famous Ocean Liner

Building the Titanic: An Epic Tale of the Creation of History's Most Famous Ocean Liner, By Rod Green 160 pgs.

This non-fiction book is full of many wonderful photos, facts, and information on the world's most tragic ocean liner sinking. I found the photos especially facinating of how the ship was built and launched into the ocean after completion. This was a really great read especially to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Once again, another wonderful book for all of the Titanic fans out there!

Voyage on the Great Titanic, The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, RMS Titanic 1912

Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, RMS Titanic 1912 by Ellen Emerson White, 197 pg.

Another great Titanic story of another survivor of this horrible tragedy. This book is part of the Dear America Series. Thirteen year old Margaret tells the story of how she leaves her life and friends in an orphanage in London to become a companion to a wealthy American woman (Mrs. Carstairs)and her dog name Florence. In the end, Margaret, Mrs. Carstairs, and Florence survive the terrible sinking. However, it was interesting to read another survivor's story of how they overcame this tragedy. Great book, especially if you are a Titanic fan!

Heroine of the Titanic, The Real Unsinkable Molly Brown

Heroine of the Titanic, The Real Unsinkable Molly Brown by Elaine Landau, 131 pg

This year is the 100 anniversary of the Titanic Sinking, and I have been reading many articles and books related to the subject. This was a great biography on Margaret (Molly) Brown. A short but good read. It was very interesting to learn more about her in addition to what I have seen in the movie. For example, she was born in Hannibal, Missouri. The movie doesn't really do her much justice. She was a very courageous woman, and supported many charitable events in her lifetime.

The Lady And The Panda

The Lady and the Panda by Vicki Constantine Croke, 372 pgs.

This was a very interesting non-fiction book. I first came across the story in the children's department through the non-fiction book Mrs. Harkness and the Panda, by Alicia Potter. I was so curious that I decided to check out the adult non-fiction version to learn more about the story. The book tells the story of Ruth Harkness who was the first american explorer to venture to China to bring back the first live Panda to the United States.

Crewel Yule

Crewel Yule by Monica Ferris 240p.

This was a great read for the holidays. The main character Betsy Devonshire and her shop employees attend the annual needlework convention in Nashville to shop for the latest patterns for Betsy's shop in Minnesota. Everyone's having a good time until one of the convention attendees (Belle) falls nine stories to her death in the hotel. At first it seems like an accident. However, after Betsy's crime solving instincts kick in she decides that this was definitely not an accident. It was a murder, and Betsy is going to find out who did such an awful act. I liked the fact that the author really wrote the book true to the needlework industry. The needlework convention/market in the needlework industry is really something all needlework stitcher's look forward to each year. As always there was a free cross stich pattern included in the book themed for the holidays.

Unraveled Sleeve

Unraveled Sleeve, by Monica Ferris 243 pages

This is another one of Monica Ferris' needlecraft series. This one takes place at a lodge where Betsy Devonshire (the crime solver) and her friend Jill spend a week at a needlework retreat to get away from it all and enjoy others with the same passion for needlework. However, the first person she meets in the common stitching area in the lobby ends up dead a couple of hours after meeting her. The book was good, just as the others Monica has written. However, this book kind of dragged on and on at the end as to who was the real murderer. It still was a good read, and as always there was a cross stitch pattern included in the book to stitch.

Junonia

Junonia by Kevin Henkes, 176p.

This was a great quick read for a juvenile fiction book. Alice and her parents make an annual visit to Sanibel, Island, Florida and stay in a cottage named Scallop where she has always celebrated her birthday. This year she is celebrating her 10th birthday, and one of her friends who visits the island the same time Alice does each year and stays in one of the island cottages is not going to make it. Instead some new visitors come and stay in her friend's cottage. This really upsets Alice because she wants things to be the same as they always are every year. Alice struggles with accepting "change", but soon learns that things change and at the same time makes a new friend. This is a really cute vacation read.

stitch graffiti xxUnexpected Cross-Stitchxx

stitch graffiti xxUnexpected Cross-Stitchxx, by Heather Holland-Daly, 111 pages

Finally! I found a cross-stitch book for modern cross-stitchers. I really really like this book and would consider it a great book for the the modern cross-stitcher. It has wonderful tips as well as beautiful patterns to try. Heather Holland-Daly has out done herself with this book, and I am glad to see this one in our collection at the library. Is there another one out there for modern stitchers? Do tell.

Framed In Lace

Framed In Lace by Monica Ferris, 243 pages

This is the second book in this needlecraft mystery series and it was just as good as the first. Betsy Devonshire is convinced to play detective again to help clear the name of Martha, a member of the Monday bunch needlecrafters. Martha is accused and framed for the murder of a woman who was killed and hidden on a boat which was sunk on purpose in 1949. Years later when the boat is raised from the lake and the skeleton is found, Martha is arrested because a piece of her lacelike needlework was found with the skeleton. Did Martha really murder the victim or was she framed to make it look like she murdered the victim? Well you'll have to read the book to find out. This really was a good mystery read. The characters are so true to life in the needlecraft world which makes you really able to relate to it if you are a true needlecrafter. Also, just as the first book, there is a cross-stitch pattern included at the end of the book. I am looking forward to reading book three in the series titled A Stitch In Time, however, it looks like I might have to go book shopping because it is not in our library system.

Crewel World

Crewel World by Monica Ferris 243 pgs

This is the first book in the series of this needlecraft mystery. It's a really great read especially if you like to cross stitch. The main character Betsy Devonshire wants a new start in life and travels to a small town named Excelsior, Minnesota to live with her sister Margo. Not only does her sister let her move in with her, but she also gives Betsy a job at her needlework shop which is downstairs in the same building. Soon as Betsy begins to fit in, and become comfortable working in the shop, her sister Margo is murdered unexpectedly. Now Betsy is faced with inheriting and running a needlework shop, which she has no experience in. She relies on Margo's close friends for help with the shop, and she is determined to find out her sister's murderer. I will not spoil the mystery by revealing the ending. You'll have to read it to find out who murdered Margo. Also, there is a free cross stitch pattern at the end of the book. I look forward to the next book in this series.

How I Nicky Flynn Finally Get a Life and a Dog by Art Corriveau 250 pages

This is not your formulaic mystery with stock characters and stock plot. Nicky is a boy with a lot of problems. First and foremost, his parents are going through a messy divorce. Because of the divorce, Nicky and his mom move from their home to a crummy apartment and he has to go to a new school. And then his mom picks up a dog, a German Shepherd, at the pound to be his new, first pet. Nicky has a lot of fear and to tell the truth he is more than a little afraid of the new dog. It turns out that he was a former seeing-eye dog. Nicky wants to find out why Reggie was taken to the pound. So, he assumes the persona of the former owner's out of town grandson. It gets kind of complicated when he meets several people who recognize the dog and ask him questions about his "grandfather". Meanwhile, Nicky is also trying to reconnect with his Dad and avoid getting beat up at his new school. Nicky is a good kid; this is a good book.

Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine 216 pages

A touching story brimming with sadness, chance meetings, a damaged family and an unlikely romance is crafted for the female teen reader. Rowan may only be fifteen, but she is the chief caretaker of her family after her beloved brother's accidental death, which has fractured the once happy family. Dad is gone. Mom is still at home but is totally not functioning as a parent. So Rowan tries to care for her young sister. One day, a strange boy forces a photograph negative on her insisting that she had dropped it. Magically this causes a chain of reactions -- mostly good ones. Rowan makes a new best friend, gains a mysterious boy friend and learns about her brother's secrets. The ending promises hope for all and new definitions of the word "family".

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz 256 pages

A teacher from Brooklyn spins a macabre variant of several Brother Grimms' fairy tales patched together. A very present narrator "louder" than Lemony Snicket interrupts this rendition of Hansel and Gretel to share information on all manner of things with the audience. Very droll, and definitely not for tender young reader, this un-Disneys Grimm with tidbits from The seven ravens, The robber bridegroom, The devil and three golden hairs and Hansel and Gretel.

The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life

The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life, by Ann Vanderhoof, 459 pgs

What a great book! The author Ann and her husband Steve put their careers on hold, rent out their home, and sail the Caribbean on a food and cultural adventure. They visit many islands including Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. This is the second book she has written, and it was truly a delight to read just as the first book (An Embarrassment of Mangoes). This book, page after page lets you experience the Caribbean as if you were a passenger on the boat sailing right along with them. It's a wonderful travel book to read, and I would recommend it if you love travel reads or not. It also has more than 70 recipes of the different food they experienced on their voyage. Yum!

The Kind of Friends We Used To Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell 234 pages

This sequel to The Secret Language of Girls is an insightful look at the nature of middle-school friendships. Marylin, the fashionable, has just become a cheerleader and seems to have been adopted as a new best friend by the meanest of cheerleaders, Mazie. Kate, has no interest in girly stuff, and has just discovered an interest in learning the guitar with the hope of starting a female band. Is there any way that they can communicate again? They each make new friends, learn a lot about themselves and grow up a little in this charming story. Recommended for middle grade girls.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 503 pages

Do not read this book unless you have already read Beautiful Creatures (2009). This continues the saga about the relationship of Lena, a Caster girl, and mortal, Ethan Wate. After the dramatic conclusion to the first book, Lena seems to have undergone a major change in personality. She feels responsible for the death of Uncle Macon and doomed to accept the Dark and reject the Light. She feels the family curse will destroy all who she loves. Ethan refuses to give her up and travels the Caster Tunnels with his friend Link. He discovers new information about his family and their ties to her family.Hope, despair and possiblity are emotions raised by this Southern Gothic tale. Stay tuned for book 3.

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman 328 pages

Neal Shusterman has written over thirty books for teens and understands his audience. In his latest book, he writes about the relationship between two twins, Tennyson and Bronte and what happens when one of them Bronte becomes involved with "Bruiser" a kid that has a bad rep. Brother Tennyson wants to protect her and follows Brewster home from school. It turns out that Brewster is quite different from his appearance. He has a gift or rather a curse. If he cares for anyone, he will take on every ache and pain that person has. His cruel uncle (and guardian) manipulates him and treats both him and his young brother, Cody as emotional hostages. The story unfolds in each of their voices. Ironically, Brewster ("Bruiser") has the most poetic voice -- he speaks in prose. So obviously, you have to accept the premise -- I mean, would English teachers actually name their kids Bronte and Tennyson?, and the magical power bit, but once you climb aboard, this is a great ride.