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Banned Book Week & Photo Op
Miss Marta
Miss Sarah
Miss Jessica
Miss Christina
It is September and my mind always turns to Banned Books Week. Working in our library children’s department makes me want to guard our books so the children can read about the world around them.
Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, ala.org/bbooks/NLW-Top10
Children do not live in a bubble. The real world is around them every day. They have questions. I need to be able to assist their parents & guardians in locating books that will answer those questions. Children want to explore their world, the good and the bad are parts of the world, and they should be able experience both through the safety of books. Children cannot grow to be critical thinkers if they cannot read about the world around them.
Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, ala.org/bbooks/NLW-Top10
If you find a free moment check out some banned or challenged books and find out why they were banned. Check out the most challenged books of 2017. Did You read any of them? What did you think about them? I find some of the reasons outrageous. Books have been banned for being “too depressing” or the author’s name is the same as another author who wrote something controversial so the first author’s picture book was banned.
Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, ala.org/bbooks/NLW-Top10
I have made a photo op on one of the pillars in our library. It looks a bit like a police line -up background. There is a small sign you may hold with your book that says “Caught Reading Banned Books. I hope you will find your favorite banned or challenged book and have your picture taken. Don’t forget to tag us in your pictures on social media!”
Miss Sarah
Modern Mythology
Myths are full of action, adventure, and drama! They are so vivid and compelling, it’s no wonder many modern works draw inspiration from these tales of old.
If you or a reader you know can’t get enough gods, monsters, and mortals, you may be interested in some of the following books and series.
Greek Myths
Beasts of Olympus Series by Lucy Coats
Heroes in Training Series Series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Goddess Girls Series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Mythic Misadventures series by Carolyn Hennesy
The Olympians graphic novel series by George O’Connor
Norse Myths
Norse Myths Series by Carl Bowen
Norse myths : tales of Odin, Thor, and Loki in New Versions by Kevin Crossley-Holland and illustrated by Jeffrey Alan Love
The Blackwell Pages Series by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr
Runemarks by Joanne Harris
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Freya adapted by Christopher E. Long and illustrated by Mike Dubisch
Egyptian Mythology
The Children of the Lamp Series by P.B. Kerr
The Kane Chronicles graphic series and novel series by Rick Riordan
Many of Rick Riordan’s other works are inspired by mythology too. The Trials of Apollo series and the Percy Jackson & the Olympians graphic and novels are two very popular series.
His new publishing imprint, Rick Riordan Presents, aims to feature authors and stories from underrepresented cultures.
The first book published, Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi, is a fantastic adventure involving Hindu mythology.
There are also plans to release a book based on Navajo mythology and Cuban folklore, so stay tuned for those!
Miss Tess
MPL CLOSED
This Week @ MPL
Labor Day Closing
Harry Potter Read-Alikes
For many of us, reading the final pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows was bittersweet. While My book-loving heart reveled in seeing the story come to a close, it also left a void. I’m sure you know the one I’m talking about. That feeling that any other book you pick up is just not going to capture your imagination in the same way. You aren’t going to catch yourself thinking about the character or plot of another book in the same way. It takes some time and just the right book to come along before you can move on to a new series. While there are TONS of great fantasy reads out there and authors who can build a magical world like none other, certain stories just stand out and make the void of ending the epic Harry Potter series a little easier. Check out any of these the next time you stop in to visit.
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven series
Kendra and Seth Sorenson end up at their grandparents house while their parents go off on a cruise. Through a series of puzzles laid out by their grandfather, they discover that their grandparents home and property is actually a preserve for magical creatures. Protecting the creatures on the preserve from the outside world, an evil society, and many other trials is no small feat and leads this sibling duo on many adventures. There are five books in this series.
The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Magisterium series
Call, whose father is a former mage who has rejected magic after the death of Call’s mother, has waited a long time to find out if he has sufficient magical ability to attend training at the Magisterium. It is revealed that Call does have magical ability, but what if his abilities are evil rather than good? There are four books in this series so far with a fifth, The Golden Tower, coming out September of 2018.
Puddlejumpers by Mark Jean and Christopher C. Carlson
Like Harry Potter, the main character of this stand-alone book, Ernie, is an orphan. With his mother dead and his father a mystery, he has no idea of his not-so-average start. The reader soon finds out however that Ernie is actually a Puddlejumper, a fairy-like creature who lives on the flipside of puddles in our world. At birth he was tasked with an important job, prophesied to protect the Puddlejumpers from their greatest enemy, the Trogg. This, however, is all a world away from the group home he lives in with a guardian who dislikes him as much as he dislikes her. Fate puts things in motion though, and Ernie is reunited with his father and the Puddlejumpers to fulfill his destiny.
The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell
The Uncommoners series
Ivy and her brother, Seb, live with their Grandma Sylvie. When Grandma Sylvie breaks her arm and a bracelet she always wears, one that she has worn since a tragic car accident stole all of her memories when she was only sixteen, must be cut off their world flips upside down. The world of Lundinor can all of the sudden see them and the hunt is on to call their family on the carpet for dark crimes committed in a world they know nothing about. Ivy and Seb are desperate to defend their grandmother and navigate Lundinor with the help of their newfound friend, Valian. Navigating Lundinor is no easy task though. The most common objects do uncommon things. Belts can make you fly, police officers can arrest you with toilet brushes, and candles hide more than they reveal. The world of Lundinor definitely filled my homesickness for Hogwarts and the world of Harry Potter. Bell did an excellent job building and exciting magical world for readers to explore. The second book in this series will have it’s US release in February of 2019. Also like Harry Potter, the titles may be slightly different on this side of the pond!
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Nevermoor Series
Morrigan Crow is a cursed child born an Eventide. This destines her not only to die young but to also be the scapegoat for every awful thing that happens to her village. From weather to broken bones to spoiled jam, Morrigan is always to blame just because she smiled at someone, commented of the lovely weather, or wished someone good luck! On the night she is to die, a stranger shows up at her house and whisks her away to Nevermoor where she is relieved beyond belief to have escaped death. What waits for her there however is daunting and will require her to face her biggest fears to find her greatest rewards. She is apprentice to Jupiter North of the Wundrous Society, the city’s most prestigious organization. In order to become a member she is tasked with 4 trials which she must pass to be admitted. The trials require bravery, cunning, honesty, and a unique talent that Morrigan must possess, even if she has no clue what it is. Will she be admitted? Find out what her talent is? This is book one of a series. Book two, Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, will be released in November of 2018.
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
The Pandavas series
Aru Shah is a bit of a fibber. To compensate for her workaholic mom who never takes her anywhere exciting Aru has a very vivid fantasy life. Her lies land her in a spot of trouble when three classmates confront her and challenge her light the Lamp of Bharata, which happens to be cursed. One quick light of the lamp launches Aru into an adventure to save her mom and friends who have been frozen, the result of a demon named The Sleeper being awakened and freed from the lamp. Aru’s adventure leads her to discover that fate has more in store for her than even her wild imagination can dream up. This is book one in a series. Book two, Aru Shah and the Song of Death, will be released in April 2019.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
The School for Good and Evil series
Sophie and Agatha are best friends despite being total opposites. Together they are kidnapped and brought for training at the school of Good and Evil, where one will be trained to be a storybook hero and the other, a villain. Sophie, who has been training for the role of storybook princess and hero her whole life gets a shock when it is determined she has just the right skill set for the School of Evil. Meanwhile Agatha, who is not really a people person and loves black almost as much as her wicked pet cat, is shipped off the the School of Good. What appears at first to be a crazy mistake just might be the clue to discovering who they really are. There are 4 books in this series. Book five, A Crystal in Time, will be released in March 2019.
The Shadows by Jacqueline West
The Books of Elsewhere series
Olive is not thrilled when her parents decide they are moving into an old crumbling house. Not only did the previous owner die but she left behind tons of paintings. The one outside her room especially gives her the creeps. The strange thing is that none of the paintings can be taken down. They are all stuck fast to the walls. After exploring her creepy new home, Olive discovers that she can travel in and out of the paintings to a world called Elsewhere. It is a dark world, yet familiar. Though Olive makes friends in Elsewhere, she also makes enemies and must unravel the mysteries of Elsewhere to save her home and her family. There are five books in this series.
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
Sea of Trolls trilogy
Jack and his sister, Lucy, are kidnapped by Vikings. If that isn’t bad enough, Lucy manages to offend the Viking Queen which causes her hair to fall out. To save Lucy from the Queen’s wrath, Jack must go on a quest to the Well of Mirmir. This well possess magical qualities to regrow the queens hair however, the journey to get their is perilous, filled with fantastical creatures and at the well, trolls. Will Jack be able to save his sister from a terrible fate? This series contains three books.
Miss Marta
