Nonfiction Monday and Christmas Suggestions

We are adamant the Christmas should not start until after Thanksgiving, but once the turkey leftovers are packed away - bring it on! For the next few weeks, we will be reviewing some old (and new) favorites that we think would make great gifts. Today we will start it off with some great nonfiction reads.

Check these previous posts first for new series we loved:
Fantasy Chronicles series from Lerner - for tweens or teens, or anyone into fantasy

Gross Body Science from Lerner - upper elementary on up, good for reluctant readers.

Rosen's Library of Intergenerational Learning - Native Americans - lower elementary

An 'older' series that is still adding new titles is the "You Wouldn't Want to Be" collection by Children's Press



Okay, it's not as if we need a book to tell us we wouldn't want to be an Aztec sacrifice...or an Inca mummy...or in a medieval prison...but these books sure make it fun to read about the horrors we are missing out on. Cartoony drawings and short bits of text make the gruesome palatable, while keeping that 'boy appeal'. Yes, we know, that's stereotyping - but we also know exactly what those moms and grandmas mean when they want a "boy book" for their reluctant reader.



We like the "Questions Children Ask" series because it gives simple, straightforward answers directly from scripture, with little to no denominational bias.



Lots of great activities for different ages. This one might be good for the moms on your list!



Not specific locales per se, but things like "a working farm", or "Mom or Dad's workplace". Sometimes we take for granted that our kids have the same background knowledge we do, but that certainly isn't always the case. The more experiences they have, the better able they are to comprehend what they are reading, and the more they can enjoy themselves. A good one ofr kids or for parents (or grandparents...or daycare providers...)

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, reviewed by Miss Ami

Publisher's description: "When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind."

I wasn't sure I'd like this one, although I knew it had been receiving great reviews. It looks/sounds like a "boy book", and as I commented on another blog, I just hate not knowing what is going on!

Definitely wrong on both counts - as soon as I had finished and recovered from shock enough to speak and move, I handed it over to my 15-year-old daughter. I needed to talk to someone who had read it! She started it in the afternoon, and ended up staying up to the wee hours to finish it (that's my girl!) We met in the hall the next morning, groggy and disheveled, to exclaim "OMG! What the...and then...and when he...so are they...but how can...!!!" (much to my husband's annoyance - he prefers Louis Lamour). The entire book is gripping and fast-paced, and the ending makes every season finale of "Lost" look humdrum ad predictable. I would love to say more, but definitely don't want to spoil it. Anyone who hasn't read this one yet needs to hurry up and do so, so that we can all converse freely (it kind of feels like getting that advance library copy of the last "Harry Potter", but having to keep your mouth shut.)

We will be giving book recommendations soon for Christmas gift giving, and strongly suggest this one for any tween or teen. If you click on the book cover to purchase this or any other book, we receive a small percentage to be used for new materials at our library.

NOT a Contest, Just Some Thanksgiving Fun

So, we have the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the corn, the stuffing, many kinds of pie, green bean cassserole, the rolls you forget about until the last minute, the cranberry sauce that nobody eats, ditto with the green salad, fruit salad, Jell-O salad, and dumfkraut (you probably need to be from my family - just go with it.) If you're lucky, maybe even a cake like one of these: Cake Wrecks Thanksgiving (yes, we will use any excuse to link to our favorite blog).

But what happens next week? When you have force fed leftovers in every possible combination to your kiddos, and the freezer is still full? Time to get creative! Here we will post suggestions from some of our young patrons (and a few older ones), and we challenge you to post some of your own.

Leftover Turkey:

* Carve dark and light sections into chess pieces.
* Use thinner strips as bookmarks.
* For instant popularity, tuck small pieces in your socks and go visit the Bark Park.
* Place a chunk on the car manifold of a problem patron (not that we would ever DO that).

Leftover Corn:

* Let kernels dry out and pair with a soda straw for study hall entertainment.
* Think of the craft possibilities - use to fill a paper plate shaker, glue in mosaic patterns along with the leftover peas.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce:

* Freeze and save for Halloween, makes excellent fake blood.

Leftover Pie:

* Are you kidding? Who has leftover pie? Just send it our way. Don't forget the whipped cream.

Now, we KNOW you can come up with more ideas than that! Take some time out today to give us your ideas, or come up with a list while everyone is lying around, comatose tomorrow. Enjoy!

And the Winner is...

Squirt! Lots of great names suggested, but most of the staff liked this one. Kayleigh, we're sure we will see you next week, and you can pick out your free books then. Squirt is very THANKFUL to have an actual name now, instead of being referred to as "the new guy", or "the baby" (he especially doesn't like being called the baby.)

Thanks for all the participation, and have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Contest Reminder

Don't forget, today is the last day to submit your name suggestion for our newest turtle! Head to this post: Changes and a Contest and leave your idea. The winning name will be chosen at tomorrow morning's staff meeting, and announced on the blog by afternoon.

Graphic Universe Myths and Legends from Lerner

These links will take you to hardcover editions, but both are also available in slim paperbacks. We always try to get hardcovers of graphic novels for our library, and often they aren't available, so it was nice to see these offered! If you are just buying for your favorite tenn or tween, however, we suggest the much cheaper paperbacks.

This series includes more than a dozenmyths and legends, some familiar old favorites like Ali baba, others less so, like Sunjata: Warrior King of Mali. There is quite a wide variety of cultures and time periods represented, making this a good starter set for your library. It would even make a good book-of-the-month series (do they still have those?) It isn't offered that way as far as I know, but you could certainly purchase and dole them out one at a time, maybe as a fun part of a home school curriculum. Use them as a springboard for different social studies units.

Marwe, for example, would be a much more interesting introduction to East Africa than a map of principal exports! In this legend, a young woman with a good heart makes a mistake, and ends up in the land of the dead. Because she is so kind and hard-working (two themes hit hard through the short story), she earns favor with everyone there, and eventually returns home years later, beautiful and wealthy.

Her hope that "I will be able to find a suitable husband, then everything will be perfect" may make us cringe at first, but it is a great discussion starter. She ends up marrying a man who is not as handsome as the others, but who is also a hard worker with a kind heart (told you that was hit hard!)

In addition to moral and cultural lessons that would be easy to expand on, there are references to languages, Mount Kilimanjaro, wildlife, and agriculture. It almost makes us want to grab a random teen and start planning activities! Pigling, a Korean version of the Cinderella story, is much the same. Both have notes at the front detailing some of the research and fact checking that went into creating that particular book. We will probably be recommending this series to those parents who come in trailing bored-looking middle schoolers, saying "I've decided to home school - now what do I do???"

Guest Review - Ash, by Malinda Lo, reviewed by Sissy

Ash is a wonderfully written story about a girl who loses her mother at a young age. She dreams of fairies and wishes them to take her away from her life, even if it's only in her dreams. When her father passes away, her step-mother takes her away to live with herself and her two daughters. Ash finds hope and love in places she never would imagine. Ash is a new twist on the Cinderella tale.