2013 Notable Children's Books

"This is Not My Hat" by Jon Klassen won this year's
Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustration. 

Each year, a committee made up of members for the American Library Association's Association for Library Service to Children (or ALSC) pulls together a list of Notable Children's Books.

Here we've highlighted some of the notable books that we have in our library collection. Stop in or order these online or over the phone today!

For Young Readers:
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead, illustrations by Erin E. Stead.
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs retold by Mo Willems
Let's Go For a Drive (an Elephant and Piggie book) by Mo Willems
Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

"The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
won this year's Newbery Medal for outstanding
writing in children's literature.

For Middle Readers:
Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin (on CD)
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles (on CD)
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (on CD)
Unspoken: a Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead by Rebecca L. Johnson

Stay tuned next week for more notable books, including those for older juvenile readers and young adult readers! 

Best Books of 2013: Adult titles

'Tis the season for "best of" end-of-year lists! For this week's blog post we took a look at the Best Books of 2013 according to review publication Publisher's Weekly. From there we located all the books on their list that we have here at Eager Free Public Library. Find these titles on our shelf or give us a call and we'll put them on hold for you!

Fiction titles

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Someone by Alice McDermott

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Tenth of December by George Saunders

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterston 

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Non-fiction titles

The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan

• Read the Publisher's Weekly Review
• Find it in RockCat

There are lots of good "best of" lists for 2013 - meaning you have plenty of books to choose from in case these aren't of interest to you, or if you've read all of these!

• Best Books of 2013: National Public Radio
• Best Books of 2013: Huffington Post
• The 10 Best Books of 2013: The New York Times
• Best Books 2013: Goodreads

Curl Up with a Classic

Our cozy classics corner!

As we start hunkering down for a Wisconsin winter, why not pick up one of the many classic books we have at Eager Free Public Library? It’s a great time of year to dig in to a work by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and many more.

A sampling of titles found in our classics section:

Emma by Jane Austen

The charming Emma Wodehouse is convinced that she knows better than just about everyone when it comes to matters of courtship and love.

The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Looking for a quick read? This classic detective story showcases the keen observation skills of Sherlock Holmes in all their glory.

The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain edited by Charles Neider

You may have read Tom Sawyer or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain in high school, but his short stories are wonderfully smart and funny too.

A Christmas Carol and Other Stories by Charles Dickens
The holiday ghost story is one of several short stories by this famous nineteenth century English writer.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
This award-winning novel tells the powerful, harrowing story of a family of former slaves in post-war Ohio.

Find these titles and many more in our classics corner - just look for the green spine labels! 

Holiday Anthologies

Believe it or not, there’s only one library due date between now and the end of 2013! That means that there’s never been a better time to check out an anthology of holiday stories to share with family and friends, or to snuggle up with on your own, armed with hot cocoa (candy cane swizzle stick optional).

For Grown-Ups

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris – a collection of irreverent short stories by humorist David Sedaris.

At Christmas the Heart Goes Home: a Holiday Treasury by Marjorie Holmes.
818.5409 H736

Christmas Poems, Stories, and Carols from Gramercy Books.
394.2 Christmas

Seven Stories of Christmas Love by Leo Buscaglia.
394.2 B96

Journey into Christmas, and Other Stories illustrated by James Aldrich.
F Aldrich

For Families

Christmas Stories for the Very Young selected and edited by Sally Grindley; illustrations by Helen Cooper.
+P Christmas-White H-C

Hark! A Christmas Sampler by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Tomie dePaola; music and arrangements by Adam Stemple.
J808.8 Yolen

A Family Christmas from the Readers Digest Association.
394.2 F21

A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrations by Garth Williams.
+J Wilder

The Christmas Book: Stories, Poems, and Carols for the Twelve Days of Christmas selected by Caroline Royds; illustrations by Annabel Spenceley 

J808.8 Christmas

Here's a tip: give us a call or put these on hold through RockCat now since holiday books tend to go really fast! 

ENDER'S GAME

Ender's Game was first published in 1985, so naturally I was late to the game and did not read this amazing novel until a week before the movie came to theaters.  I was able to read the book and see the movie right away; I really enjoyed both.  Although, I would recommend the book over the movie as there is much more depth to the characters and storyline.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card tells the story of Andrew "Ender" Wiggin.  Ender is only six years old when the story begins, and he is the most talented result of Earth's quest to create a military genius that the planet needs to win its war with an alien enemy.  The only way to know if Ender is capable of leading in battle is to throw him into harsh training.  Will he be the hero everyone has been hoping for?  Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Want more Ender?  Try one of the other books in the series.

Ender's Saga:

Ender's Game

Speaker for the Dead

Xenocide

Children of the Mind

Ender's Shadow

Shadow of the Hedgemon

Shadow Puppets

Shadow of the Giant

A War of Gifts

Ender in Exile

Shadows in Flight

Looking for something similar?  Try one of these titles.

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein tells the story of a young recruit's experiences in boot camp and as an officer during the interplanetary war against the "Bugs."

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix: Every Prince wants to become Emperor, and the best way to do so is to kill, corrupt, or otherwise eliminate any potential threat.  One Prince, Khemri, is sent on a secret mission where he meets a young woman named Raine.  She challenges his beliefs regarding the Empire, Princes, and himself.

Divergent by Veronica Roth takes place in a future Chicago where Beatrice Prior must choose between predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan: When a village is attacked by monsters, three young men flee in the company of Lady Moiraine, a sinister visitor.  The first in an adventure series set in a world of wonders and horror.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau follows Lina as she and her friend attempt to decipher an ancient message that could save their city.

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=0765317389/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

THE PRINCESS BRIDE

The November selection for our Book to Movie Club is The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman.  We will meet on Thursday, November 21st at 6:00 p.m.

Growing up, I had watched the movie The Princess Bride numerous times.  I just loved it!  I had no idea it was a book until I was in high school, and I never got around to reading it until I was in college.

The Princess Bride tells the love story of a farm boy named Westley and Princess Buttercup.  The movie follows these two on their adventures through foreign lands, sword fights, and evil plots while the book also includes comments from the author as writes the story.

Now's your chance to read the book, watch the movie, and discover which one you prefer.

Want more ?  Try one of the titles listed below.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult is narrated by Prince Oliver, who wants to break free of his fairy tale existence and by Delilah, a teen who is obsessed with Prince Oliver and the book in which he exists.  Together they work together to try and gain his freedom.

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl: Althea Crawley hopes to save her family and their home from a state of poverty.  To do so, she must marry a wealthy man.  She soon sets her sights on Lord Boring, but obstacles continue to get in her way.  A humorous take on the traditional fairy tale.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede is a children's book that follows a princess as she goes off to live with a group of dragons.  She soon becomes involved in the fight between the dragons and the wizards who want to steal the dragons' kingdom.

In Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney, Anaxndra is taken from her home as a young girl.  She calls on her goddess for protection while she poses as two different princesses over the next few years before she ends up as a servant in the company of Helen and Paris as they journey to Troy.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare tells the story of two pairs of lovers: Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero.  Shakespeare develops their story from antagonism to love and affection with a great sense of humor.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman is another children's book.  Elizabeth gets an after-school job as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository.  When she gains access to its Grimm collection of magical objects, she and the other pages are drawn into a world of adventure involving mythical creatures and stolen goods.
























Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780156035156/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

SPORTS BIOGRAPHIES

As the weather gets colder, we have plenty of sports to keep us occupied.  The World Series just ended, but Football is underway along with hockey and basketball.  What better way to enjoy the cold than to learn a little bit more about some of your favorite athletes, coaches, and sports?

Adult Biographies:
Driven: From Homeless to Hero, My Journeys On and Off Lambeau Field by Donald Driver
Mickey and Willie: Mantle and Mays: the Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age by Allen Barra
Dream Team by Jack McCallum
Rafa by Rafael Nadal
The John Carlos Story: the Sports Moment That Changed the World by Dave Zirin
Solo: A Memoir of Hope by Hope Solo
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel Brown
The Yankee Years by Joe Torre
Brett Favre: The Tribute by Sports Illustrated
Opening Day: the Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig
The DiMaggios: Three Brothers, Their Passion for Baseball, Their Pursuit of the American Dream by Thomas Clavin
Packers: Green, Gold, and Glory by Sports Illustrated
Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs, and Tradition by William Povletich
Eleven Rings: the Soul of Success by Phil Jackson
Sum It Up: 1,098 Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective by Pat Summitt
One Last Strike by Tony LaRussa
Alan Ameche: the Story of "the Horse" by Dan Manoyan
Dr. J: the Autobiography by Julius Irving

Children's Biographies:
Joyce Westerman: Baseball Hero by Bob Kann
Shaun White by Blaine Wiseman
Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares
Raising the Bar by Gabrielle Douglas
The Story of the Green Bay Packers by Sara Gilbert
The Milwaukee Brewers by Mark Stewart
Something to Prove: the Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio by Robert Skead

Picture from: http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780385349147/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12