UPCOMING CLOSURES

With the upcoming holidays and school breaks approaching, you might be wondering about the library's services and hours.  We will be closed Friday, December 23 through Monday, December 26. We will also be closed Friday, December 30 through Monday, January 2. 

While we are closed, you can take advantage of some of our online services. You might already be familiar with Libby and Hoopla as other options for borrowing materials, but have you tried some of our other online offerings? A couple of them are highlighted below in this week's blog post.

Gale Courses - This resource offers a wide range of instructor led courses that you can take entirely online. As a library card holder, you can enroll in these courses at no cost. Each course runs for 6 weeks and new sessions begin every month. Some popular classes include Speed Spanish, Accounting Fundamentals, Computer Skills for the Workplace, and Drawing for the Absolute Beginner.

Transparent Languages - This database allows for learners of all levels to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language. You can choose from over 100 languages, and it also offers English for speakers of other languages.

Brainfuse HelpNow - This resource provides tutoring services for a wide range of academic needs such as a specific homework problem or writing a paper. Students have access to live, on-demand help. There is also a test center that offers practice tests for math, reading, writing, and the SAT.

Historic Evansville: A Digital Collection - This digital collection showcases materials from our Local History Room. On this site, you will find photographs from the Hall family circus, photographs of historic houses, school registers, and the Oriole yearbook.

You can find a list of all our online tools on our website at https://www.als.lib.wi.us/EFPL/online-tools/.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

SNOWY DAY READS

December is here, and that means it is time for cold weather and snowy days. This week's blog post features books for all ages that are perfect for reading inside on a snow-filled day. Click on the links below for more information and to place a hold!

Children's Books

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

First Snow by Bomi Park

Winter is Here by Kevin Henkes

Andy and Sandy and the First Snow by Tomie DePaola

Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Snowy Surprise by K. George

Have Fun, Anna Hibiscus! by Atinuke

Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant

The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman

Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

YA Books

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Let It Snow by John Green

Six Months Later by Natalie Richards

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Locked in Ice by Peter Lourie

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

Adult Books

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

One by One by Ruth Ware

Winter by Ali Smith

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire

Pictures from https://ent.sharelibraries.info/client/en_US/evansint/?

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: ANN RADCLIFFE

This month we are reading The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe for our Antemeridians Book Club.  Ann Radcliffe was born in London in the 1760s and is often considered to be the most representative of gothic novelists, and she is often credited as helping to develop the gothic novel.  Gothic novels typically use castles and/or monasteries as the setting of the story along with underground passages, hidden rooms, and trapdoors.  Radcliffe's works focused on terror rather than horror, and she included strong heroines that were able to defend themselves. Her first novels were published anonymously, but she achieved some fame with the publication of her third novel. When she published The Mysteries of Udolpho, she became a very popular novelist in England. 

A few years ago, we read Jane Austen's novel, Northanger Abbey. Her novel mentions The Mysteries of Udolpho and was part of the reason this book was chosen for our classic read of the year.  A list of Radcliffe's works are below along with gothic novels written by other authors.  Happy reading!

Books Written by Ann Radcliffe

The Castles of Athlin & Dunbayne

A Sicilian Romance

The Romance of the Forest

The Mysteries of Udolpho

The Italian

Gaston de Blondeville

Other Gothic Novels

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Pictures from https://ent.sharelibraries.info/client/en_US/evansint/?dt=list

First Chapter Book Club and Beginning chapter books

 

First Chapter Book Club and Beginning chapter books

Do you have a young reader who is just starting to read chapter books?  We’d love to see them at the First Chapter Book Club tomorrow! (Tues, Nov. 29 at 3:30 pm)  We will be reading the first chapter of a Mercy Watson book together, then playing a round of Book Character Bingo! While the Magic Tree House series seems to fly out of the library, if you’re looking for some other beginning chapter book suggestions, here are a few that have been popular in our homes:

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett 

Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbot (a favorite at our house, luckily there are 35 in the series!)

Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows

Sofia Martinez series by Jacqueline Jules

Zoey and Sassafrass series by Asia Citro

Kingdom of Wrenly series by Jordan Quinn

Narwhal and Jelly series by Ben Clanton

Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale

Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi 

Happy Reading!

Pie in the Sky (and on your Thanksgiving Table)

 

Pie In The Sky (And On Your Thanksgiving Table)

One thing we’re always thankful for is pie, especially this time of year!  Another reason to be thankful this year is that the Friends are having a Pie Sale, so it is one less thing to add to our list of dishes to prep.  Pies will be available for pick up this Wednesday, Nov. 23^rd!

 

Do you have any special dishes you prepare on Thanksgiving?  A few dishes that we are fond of: carmelized sweet potatoes, scalloped corn, cheezy vegetables, ginger beets, Italian sausage and sage stuffing, wild rice with shitake mushrooms and chestnuts, butternut squash and toasted pecan pasta…

Looking for more recipe ideas?  We always love looking at the recipes in our cooking magazines (Taste of Home, Food Network Magazine, Midwest Living), and these books have some photos that are making our mouths water:

The Harvest Baker by Ken Haedrich

The Home Cook by Alex Guarnaschelli

Carla’s Comfort Foods by Carla Hall

The Complete Autumn and Winter Cookbook (America’s Test Kitchen)

Crisps, Cobblers, Custards & Creams by Jean Anderson

 

As always, we are thankful for you, our patrons, and all the wonderful stories you share with us throughout the year.  Wishing you all the best!

November is Native American Heritage Month

 

November is Native American Heritage Month

Happy Native American Heritage Month!  What does it mean to be Native American in modern times? The U.S. has a complex and fraught history with Native Americans and there are so many things that white Americans could learn in terms of the Native American experience, mired as we are in pervasive cultural stereotypes and prejudices, with a Hollywood veneer. 

To delve a bit deeper into hearing their own voices and experiences, here is a list of a few books that we believe offer great insight.  Please note that A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger was the winner of the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor award, and chosen as the 2022 Big Library Read (chosen by OverDrive/Libby as the global community read for the year.)  For more titles, we recommend Debbie Reese’s blog: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

 

If you’re interested in hearing more firsthand stories from other people/groups that are battling stereotypes, be sure to check out The Communication Project at the Library this Thursday, Nov. 24, starting at 5 pm.  Choose from a variety of topics and talk one on one with volunteers to hear their perspective.

 

Notable Native American Picture Books

(Non-fiction) Shaped by Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzalez

(Non-fiction) Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman by Sharice Davids

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia L Smith

Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck 

Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie

I Sang You Down from the Stars  by Spillett-Sumner, Tasha

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

Notable Native American Teen Books

(Graphic Novel) Borders by Thomas King

A Snake Falls to Earth by Little Badger, Darcie

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Gansworth, Eric L.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Notable Native American Books for Adults

(Poetry) Love at Gunpoint by Nila NorthSun

Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

There There by Tommy Orange

Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

Yellow Woman by Leslie Marmon Silko

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

Exploring Careers, Writing Inspiration & Challenging Stereotypes

 

Friends of the Library Used Book Donation Day

We get lots of questions from patrons about donating used books, well now's your chance! The Friends of the Eager Free Public Library will be having another used book donation day later this week. It will take place on Saturday, November 4 from 10:00am to 12:00pm in the library's Conference Room, which is located in the lower level. 

Please note that Library staff will not be accepting donations prior to the event.

The Friends will look over the books that you're offering to donate and accept the books they can use in future sales.

Here's a list of items that the Friends cannot accept:

• Reference books
• Textbooks 
• Magazines (except for quilting magazines)
• Damaged books
• DVDs
• CDs

Change Coming Soon: Prairie Lakes Library System

Eager Free Public Library is currently part of the Arrowhead Library System, along with the other Rock County libraries. Effective January 1, 2023, we will join the Lakeshores Library System (Racine and Walworth Counties) to form the Prairie Lakes Library System. As you can see in the graphic below, Arrowhead and Lakeshores, along with Kenosha County were already all part of the SHARE Consortium. This means that we share our materials back and forth between the three library systems. So while our library system name is changing, our catalog and delivery system will remain the same. This merger should make things behind the scenes more efficient, which will result in even better service for our patrons.

Author Spotlight: Sarah Addison Allen

 After a long hiatus, author Sarah Addison Allen is back with a brand new novel to get lost in. Sarah invents worlds full of magical realism that feel like you can just walk right into them. The characters she creates end up feeling like your own family or close friends. You find yourself speeding through the book to find out what happens next and then so disappointed when it's all over and you have to rejoin the real world. Other Birds was definitely worth the long wait! Summaries never quite do the book justice, but hopefully this is enough to suck you in: "Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It's called The Dellawisp and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn't yet written." If you've never read anything by Sarah Addison Allen before, now is the perfect time to dive in! 

Waverly Sisters Series:

Garden Spells

First Frost

Novels:

The Sugar Queen

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Peach Keeper

Lost Lake

Wisconsin Science Festival

The Wisconsin Science Festival is this week, October 10 - 16. There are all kinds of awesome in-person and virtual programs put together by libraries, schools, museums, and other venues statewide. We would like to highlight our two official Wisconsin Science Festival programs and encourage you to unleash your curiosity! 

DIY Color Changing Slime

Monday, October 10 at 11:00am

Slime that changes color when you touch it? So cool! Get messy experimenting with thermochromatic pigments in slime.

(Recommended for School Age Kids)

Eyes on the Skies: The Current Night Sky, What to Watch For, How to Observe It

Thursday, October 13 at 6:30pm

Speaker Jim Lattis will introduce bright planets, starts, constellations, and other interesting objects of the current seasonal sky. (Recommended for Adults)

In addition to these two programs, we will also have Science in a Bag STEM kits available to pick up beginning on Monday, October 10, while supplies last. These kits are courtesy of the Wisconsin Science Festival and have activities in them that are appropriate for students in grades K - 12.

"On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was."

 Today is Mean Girls Day! That's so fetch! Due to the slightly dorky quote to the left, October 3rd is officially Mean Girls Day. Mean Girls was directed by Tina Fey and is chock full of other former Saturday Night Live stars. So, while being totally hilarious, it also tackles a lot of issues that high school students face. While we don't condone being a "mean girl," this movie has definitely become a cult classic. This is a must watch for people of all ages. After you watch it, you just might need to embrace your inner mean girl. Try one of the books, movies, or TV shows below.

Books:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

My (not so) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Gossip Girl series by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Movies and TV Series:

Before I Fall

Pretty Little Liars

Big Little Lies

Gone Girl

Heathers

Gossip Girl

NOVELS WITH STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS

Who doesn't love a book with a strong female character? This character doesn't have to be the main character in order to win you over, but she does need to have some "anti-damsel in distress" qualities. She should be someone that is a fully developed character; someone that can have her own thoughts and ideas, can solve problems, and can overcome obstacles. The books listed in this week's blog post all feature female characters that you'll wish to read more of and/or feel they can hold their own anywhere.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (1st in series)

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal (1st in series)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (1st in series)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (1st in series)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1st in series)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (1st in series)

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (1st in series)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Pictures from https://ent.sharelibraries.info/client/en_US/evansint/?dt=list

SPORTS ARE IN THE AIR

Fall is here! For many people, this time of year is all about sports. It's the start of the season for many sports such as soccer, football, volleyball, and cross country.  Whether you are a former or current athlete, spectator, and/or a parent of an athlete, we know you will be busy over the next few months.

This week's blog post features sports books for all ages. Enjoy one today!

Children's Books

The Big Break by Megan McDonald: Taking place in the 1970s, Julie finds that the basketball team at her new school is for boys only. She is determined to earn a spot on the team. Will she get a chance to play?

Green Bay Packers by Kenny Abdo: As a library located in Wisconsin, I had to include at least one book on a local sports team. This work provides information on the team's beginnings, where they have been over the years, and highlights some of their best players.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson: This graphic novel follows a girl as she discovers roller derby.

Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander: This historical fiction novel tells the story of Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali as he grows up and discovers boxing.

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas: Enith is excited for school until she finds out that the only elective available to her is Swim 101. 

Crossover by Kwame Alexander: Twin brothers, Josh and Jordan, deal with highs and lows in their lives both off and on the basketball court.

Young Adult Books

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez: Camila is a rising soccer star in Argentina with dreams of playing professionally even if it is against the wishes of her family.

One Life by Megan Rapinoe: An autobiography of an Olympic and Women's World Cup champion.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown: This is the true story of nine working class boys who enter the 1936 Olympic games as a crew team.

Gravity by Sarah Deming: Gravity Delgado has started boxing with a legendary coach at a gym near her home. She will need to balance boxing with her homelife and relationships with her friends and family.

Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu: In this graphic novel, readers are introduced to Eric, a former figure skating champion. As he enters a new school, he must adapt to his new co-ed club hockey team while navigating a new school and new relationships.

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay: This stories centers on two friends, one who takes a basketball scholarship to a private school and the other who is left behind.

Adult Books

Moneyball by Michael Lewis: Before the season begins, the Oakland A's are forced to give up some of its best players, and everyone assumes they will be non-contenders for the year. However, they are able to challenge the American League record for consecutive wins. How does one of the poorest teams in baseball manage to win so many games?

Under the Lights and in the Dark by Gwendolyn Oxenham: This book takes the reader inside the world of women's soccer around the world.

Bloomer Girls by Debra Shattuck: This social history follows women baseballers who organized clubs for their own enjoyment and found spots on men's teams. These players helped shape the women's rights movement and helped transform the perceptions of women's athletic capabilities.

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand: This is the story of Seabiscuit, an "unpretty" horse that made racing history in the 1930s.

Dust Bowl Girls by Lydia Reeder: During the 1930s, the basketball coach of an Oklahoma college traveled around looking for hardworking young women on farms who might be interested in a better chance at life. They were offered free college tuition if they would play for his basketball team. This improbable opportunity leads to a showdown with the reigning national champions.

Pictures from https://ent.sharelibraries.info/client/en_US/evansint/?dt=list

BANNED BOOKS

Banned Books Week is just around the corner, and this week's blog post is here to get you ready.  Celebrating the freedom to read, Banned Books Week is an annual event that takes place every September. This year it runs from September 18 through September 24.  The books featured during this week have all been targeted for removal and/or restriction in schools and libraries. Banned Books Week attempts to discuss the harms of censorship and promote the unifying power of stories. For more information on Banned Books Week, visit https://bannedbooksweek.org/ or https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned

Place a hold on one of these frequently challenged books to read during Banned Books Week (or anytime!). 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Melissa's Story: Formerly Known as George by Alex Gino

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Holy Bible

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Looking for more banned book titles? Visit the American Library Association's website for a list of the top 10 most challenged books per year.

Picture from https://bannedbooksweek.org/promotional-tools/

CHILDREN'S & YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

This month, our Mixed Bag Book Club will be reading any book that is shelved in our children's or young adult section. Not sure what to read? This week's post highlights some recent award winners and bestsellers for both age groups.

Children's Books

Watercress by Andrea Wang is an autobiographical picture book and the winner of a Caldecott medal. While on a drive a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing on the side of the road. They stop the car in order to gather as much of it as they can. This provides an opportunity for the girl to learn about her mother's family and what life was like living in China. 

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom is another recent Caldecott medal recipient. This picture book is told from the perspective of a Native American child who is learning about the importance of defending Earth's natural resources.

Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba is a paranormal novel originally published in Japan and is the winner of the Batchelder Award. One night, Kazu sees a strange figure sneak out of his house. The next day at school, the same person is sitting in his class and all of his friends are convinced that the ghost/girl has been their friend for years. He also learns that his house is in the same spot as an ancient temple that could bring the dead back to life. Kazu sets out to discover what happened to the temple and unwittingly draws unwanted attention from his neighbor and the mysterious new classmate.

Telephone Tales by Gianni Rodart is another recent Batchelder Award winner. This collection of short and surreal stories told by a traveling salesman to his daughter over the phone was originally published in Italian.

Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisternos is a middle grade novel and winner of the Pura Belpre Award. The story follows Efren Nava as he cares for his siblings after their mother is deported.

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle is a book for beginning readers and is a winner of the Theodore Seuss Geisel Award. What happens when the book gets things wrong? This book keeps instructing readers to "see the cat." However, Max is a dog!

Stop! Bot! by James Yang is another recipient of the Theodore Seuss Geisel Award. This picture book follows a little boy and a kind doorman as they run up to each floor of the building trying to catch the boy's bot.

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming is a work of nonfiction detailing the life of a typical worker bee. It is also the winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal.

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera is the winner of the John Newbery Medal. This novel follows Petra who wakes hundreds of years after Earth is destroyed to discover that she is the only person who remembers Earth. 

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller is also the winner of the John Newbery Medal. Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother. While there, Lily traps a magical tiger out of her grandmother's folktales. She is offered a deal to restore her grandmother's health. Deals with tigers are never what they seem, and it is up to Lily, her sister, and her friend Ricky to face the tiger once and for all.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a New York Times Bestselling novel.  Auggie Pullman was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to live. The stories follows him as he stops home schooling and enters a private middle school where he must learn to endure taunts, fear, and misunderstanding from his classmates while trying to be like any other student. 

Refugee by Alan Gratz is another New York Times Bestseller. This novel follows Josef, a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, Isabel, a Cuban girl in the 1990s, and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in the 2010s. All three face unimaginable dangers, and surprising connections will bring their stories together in the end.

Young Adult Books

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez is a winner of the Pura Belpre Award. The novel centers on Camila Hassan, a rising soccer star. She dreams of playing professionally against her father's wishes and at the risk of a new romance.

If These Wings Could Fly by Kyrie McCauley is a winner of the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Leighton's hometown is overrun by thousands of crows which is not any stranger than living in a home that repairs itself every time her father loses his temper and breaks things. Her focus is not on the crows but on finishing school and leaving for her dream college. However, this dream may mean abandoning her sisters. 

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley is a winner of the Michael L. Printz Award. This novel tells the story of Daunis Fontaine as she struggles to fit in with residents of her hometown as well as on the nearby Ojibwe reserveration. Daunis witnesses a murder that thrusts her into an FBI investigation of a lethal drug. She agrees to go undercover to try and track down the source. The search for the truth is more complicated than she could have imagined.

Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story) by Daniel Nayeri is a Michael L. Printz and Pura Belpre Award winner. This autobiographical novel is about Khosrou, who everyone calls Daniel. At the center of this book is Daniel's story of how his family became refugees.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus is a New York Times Bestselling novel. It tells the story of a high school student who mysteriously dies in front of four other students. All four students become suspects, and it is up to them to solve the murder.

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is another New York Times Bestselling work. Julie was in love with Sam and had planned to go to college with him, but Sam died. Julie is struggling to move on and is desperate to hear his voice one more time, so she calls his phone expecting his voicemail. However, Sam answers and their phones become the connection between them and Julie finds it impossible to let go.

Pictures from https://ent.sharelibraries.info/client/en_US/evansint/?dt=list