Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle

The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle  (#6)
By Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2019

The next book in the Princess in Black series is full of foul-smelling humor. When a cloud of stink takes over the goat pasture, it is up to Princess in Black and other masked heroes to figure out what is causing the smell and how to get rid of it. 

This book (and series) is perfect for those who are beginning to read chapter books and love a little adventure and humor.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Friday Focus: STEM Stories

Reading about STEM subjects -- science, technology, engineering, and math -- is almost as much fun as doing STEM projects yourself. Here are a few new children's storybooks and novels featuring characters exploring the world of STEM. They're all available for loan at Galesburg Public Library. Come check one out today!

The Dinosaur Expert
By Margaret McNamara; illustrated by G. Brian Karas
New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2018.
Future scientist Kimmy eagerly shares information about dinosaurs during a school field trip until classmate Jake tells her "girls aren't scientists." Let's just say a certain famous scientist comes along to set Jake straight.





Fairy Science
By Ashley Spires
New York: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2019.
All the fairies in Pixieville believe in magic--except Esther. She believes in science. When a forest tree stops growing, all the fairies are stumped--including Esther. But not for long! Esther knows that science can get to the root of the problem--and its solution.



Parker Bell and the Science of Friendship
by Cynthia Platt; illustrated by Rea Zhai
Boston & New York: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.
Parker Bell wants nothing more than to win her school's Science Triathlon, teamed up with her best friend Cassie. But when Cassie invites her new friend Theo to join then, Parker is worried that Theo might not help them win... and might even hurt their friendship.





For more stories of scientific fun, check out our STEM Stories booklist.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Kid Review: Catwad: It’s Me by Jim Benton


Catwad: It's Me (book 1 in the series)

By Jim Benton

New York: Graphix (an imprint of Scholastic), 2019


From the Publisher:

From New York Times bestselling author Jim Benton, meet Catwad! He's blue, he's a bit of a grouch, and his best friend is a dim-witted cat named Blurmp who can see the bright side of anything. From pizza and computers, to love and happiness, this crabby tabby has a funny take on just about everything, and he's not afraid to share it. This collection of short comic stories will make even the grumpiest of grouches crack up and is not to be missed!



Reviewed by: Henry, Age 8

Catwad is way smarter than Blurmp. Blurmp is really really really dumb. He and the things he does are super super funny!

My favorite character is Blurmp because he is really funny!!

I would totally recommend this book to another kid because it's super funny and it will make other children laugh!

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Book clubs: they aren't just for grownups anymore

Sometimes you read a book that’s so good, you just have to talk about it with someone!

Look no more for someone to talk to about the crazy twist your latest read just took on its way to The End. Join Galesburg Public Library's monthly book club for readers in grades 3-5 where you and your friends, or friends-you-haven’t-met-yet, all read the same book. Meet on the third Thursday of each month to talk about the latest book and do fun activities related to the book.

Books like Nothing But Trouble by Jacqueline Davies, led to book club discussions of the epic pranks played by Maggie and her new friend, Lena, at Odawahaka Middle School. Purple smoke and parachuting mice, anyone? Club members even sent a few (plastic) mice flying on handmade catapults to see if they could replicate one of Maggie & Lena’s pranks.

“Doesn’t anyone stay with the ship anymore?” Mamie Anderson wonders in I Love You, Michael Collins by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. This book transported book club members back to 1969, the summer of the first moon landing. Mamie’s family seems to be falling apart around her, while she writes letters to Michael Collins, the astronaut who will stay with the ship during the moon landing. Club members worked on a puzzle model of the spacecraft that went to the moon.

Free ice cream, “Croaky Karaoke” and a treasure hunt keep P.T. Wilkie and his friends busy in Wonderland, Home Sweet Motel by Chris Grabenstein. P.T.’s family needs to raise $100,000 fast or the bank is going to take over Wonderland, the family’s motel. P.T. and his new friend, Gloria, are determined to save Wonderland, but a couple of suspicious motel guests have other ideas.

Make plans to come to book club on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. to discuss our latest book, Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant. Flora enjoys her hometown, Rosetown, Indiana, but recently things have changed. Her dog died, her parents are living in separate houses and as she starts fourth grade, her classmates all seem different, so much more confident than she is. Fortunately for Flora, there’s a new boy in her class, Yury, and he seems as uncertain about fourth grade as Flora. Join us as we explore Rosetown with Flora and Yury.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Kid Review: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

The Goldfish Boy
By Lisa Thompson
New York: Scholastic Press, 2017.

From the publisher: Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac.

When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child's life... but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?

Reviewed by: Isaac, Age 9

The Goldfish Boy tells the story of Matthew, Melody, and Jake, who try to solve the mystery of Mr. Charles' missing grandson Teddy. Except for there's one problem: Matthew has a huge fear of germs, which cuts off a large amount of what he wants to do.

My favorite character in the book is Matthew. I don't know why I enjoy him - he's just cool.

I would recommend this book to another kid because there are so many different emotions throughout the story.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Extraordinary: A Story of an Ordinary Princess

Extraordinary: A Story of an Ordinary Princess
By Cassie Anderson
Oregon: Dark Horse Books: A division of Dark Horse Comics LLC , 2019


When Princess Basil was born, she, too, was blessed with a "gift" like her other 6 sisters. However, unlike the gifts of beauty, dance, cooking, voice, being wise, and being humorous, Princess Basil was blessed with the "gift" of being ordinary. 

After escaping from Frederick  (the dragon who loves historic preservation), Princess Basil seeks out the fairy godmother who blessed her with being ordinary. Along the way, she meets an ally, rescues gnomes from a badger, and deals with snarky foxes. 

Will Princess Basil ever become extraordinary like her sisters?  

Read this graphic novel to find out how Princess Basil's quest ends!

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Just like Beverly

Here in the GPL Children's Department, we might be just a teeeeeeeeeeensy bit obsessed with our Ramona books.
















So you can imagine our excitement when this brand new biography of Beverly Cleary hit our shelves this afternoon:




















Just Like Beverly
by Vicki Conrad; illustrated by David Hohn
Seattle: Little Bigfoot, 2019.

Just Like Beverly is a picture book biography (otherwise known as the BEST kind of biography) of Beverly Cleary, children's librarian and author of the Ramona Quimby series, along with many other well-loved children's books like The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the Newbery Award-winning Dear Mr. Henshaw.

You might think that someone who grew up to write books for kids would have been an avid reader as a child... but actually, Beverly Cleary was so slow to read that she almost flunked first grade! The books her teachers handed her were boring and serious. Weren't there any books about kids like Beverly and her friends, kids who were silly and liked to have adventures?

Turns out that Beverly would have to write them herself. But first, she had to start small... with a prizewinning fourth-grade essay on the Oregon beaver!

Want to find out how our hero went from winning that $2.00 essay prize to receiving the Library of Congress' Living Legend award some 70 years later? You'll want to give this fabulous new bio a try.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey




All the Impossible Things
By Lindsay Lackey

New York: Roaring Book Press, 2019*
*This book is being released in Sept. - it was was reviewed as an advanced reader's copy.

Have you ever thought that something was so difficult and frustrating and so nearly IMPOSSIBLE to complete? Have you moved to a new area and had to make new friends?  Let me introduce you to 11- yr old Ruby “Red” Byrd.  Red is in foster care (after the death of Gramma and her Mom got sent to prison for drugs) and she can’t seem to find a place to call home.  When Ruby goes to live with Jackson and Celine things are beginning to look better. She finds happiness and comfort with the animals of the Groovy Petting Zoo and even meets/ becomes friends with the boy down the road, Marvin.  When her mom re-enters her life Ruby wants nothing more than for her mom to prove to the judge that she is fit to take care of her daughter once again, or so Ruby thought.  As she spends more time with Jackson and Celine, a new definition of ‘family’ and what it is like to be loved slowly emerges. Is it wrong to want a life where she isn’t living with her mom?Will she ever find a place to call home? Sometimes impossible  decisions have to be made.

This is a loving, heart-wrenching, and heartwarming story of made families and finding a place where you belong. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Back to school with brand new books

It's back to school time here in the 'Burg. Take a look at some of our favorite new picture books about those exciting first days of a brand new school year.

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School
By Mo Willems
New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2019.
It's everybody's favorite bird, back for another laugh-out-loud adventure. This time, Pigeon's reporting for the first day of school, but he'd like you to know that he is NOT happy about it. He's worried about math, learning the alphabet, and most of all - what the teacher and his classmates will think of him.




The King of Kindergarten 
By Derrick D. Barnes; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019.
From the author who brought you the Newbery Honor book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, The King of Kindergarten introduces us to a confident little boy who is ready to rule the first day of school.






Big Boys Cry
By Jonty Howley
New York: Random House, 2019.
It's Levi's first day at his new school, and he is so nervous! His dad tries to comfort him by telling him that "big boys don't cry," so Levi does his best to be brave through the day. When he returns home after school, however, he finds his dad waiting for him with tears in his eyes. Turns out big boys DO cry, and that's just fine!

Welcome to Bookworms in the 'Burg

Are you a kid looking for a really great book to read? How about a grownup who knows a kid looking for a really great book to read? Look no further! The staff of the Galesburg Public Library Children's Department, along with our crew of local kid readers and writers, would like to share our book suggestions with you.