Monday, October 26, 2015

Picture Books About Monsters

Ms. Laura, one of the librarians here at Eager Free Public Library, LOVES monsters in pretty much any form—craft projects, movies, songs, and books! Since Halloween is coming up, we thought we’d share a list of monstrous (and not too scary) titles that are perfect for storytime and book sharing with young readers.











Pick up one of these titles at your library or put one on hold through RockCat today!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Spooky Reads & Views for Grown-Ups

Today's roundup is mostly of adult books and DVDs, but a simple search in RockCat (limit to Eager Free Children or Eager Free Young Adult) will find similarly spooky stuff for younger readers.

Spooky Books

Ghostly Movies & Documentaries
Get in the Halloween mood with one of these titles - call us to reserve one of these books or movies, or stop in to browse for more ideas. 

Monday, October 12, 2015

Great Non-Fiction Books for Kids

There are a lot of kids who prefer to read non-fiction over fiction, but for many adults, non-fiction titles may not come to mind quickly when helping your child or student choose a book to read together or on their own. Here are some great non-fiction books for kids that we can recommend!

I have to put a plug in also for the Cooperative Children's Book Center's Bibliographies and Booklists, which include a wealth of non-fiction titles that are also outstanding for kids, with ideas for topics like Food, the Environment, and Science and Scientists, to name just a few!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Fun Beginning Chapter Books

This week's book list comes to us from Imagination Soup. This is a roundup of fun and relatively new beginning chapter books for kids who have graduated from easy readers and are ready to take on chapter books (but not quite ready to jump in to juvenile fiction). These books are fast-paced, with interesting characters, illustrations, and print that is a little bit bigger than your average juvenile novel to make for easier reading. Enjoy!
Remember, you can put any of these books on hold through RockCat, or you can call the library and we can place a hold for you. 

Monday, September 28, 2015

ROYAL FICTION

The Taming of Queen, Philippa Gregory's latest novel, is the inspiration for this blog entry.  Many historical fiction fans are specifically fans of historical fiction involving royal families.  Philippa Gregory's newest book takes place in Henry VIII's court during the time of his marriage to his sixth and final wife Katherine Parr.


If you are a fan of royal fiction, then you may want to try some of the books listed here.  This is just a brief list as there are many more out there!

The Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle
Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
Katherine by Anya Seton
The October Horse by Colleen McCullough
The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland
Elizabeth I by Margaret George
The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Second Empress by Michelle Moran
Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey
The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson
The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
Anastasia and Her Sisters by Carolyn Meyer

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9781476758794/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

Monday, September 21, 2015

JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL



Next month, we will be reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke for book club.  The story takes place in 19th century England and follows Mr. Norrell and his pupil Jonathan Strange.  Clarke's work was recently turned into a miniseries that received positive reviews.

You can place a hold on the book, or the miniseries, through RockCat or by calling the library at 608-882-2260.

If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, you may like some of these works as well.






The Prestige by Christopher Priest: Two you magicians clash during a sĆ©ance, and from then on their lives become intertwined.  Both men try to outdo and expose the other.  This rivalry takes them to highs in their careers, but comes at a cost.

The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates takes place in twentieth century Princeton, NJ.  A curse causes the disappearance of a young woman, and her brother sets out to find her. 

The Magician King by Lev Grossman follows Quentin and his friends who are now the kings and queens of Fillory.  Quentin and Julia set off an a ship to the outer edges of their kingdom.  However, their trip turns into an adventure when they are returned to Quentin's parents' home.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Behind the scenes at the circus is a fierce competition between two young magicians: Celia and Marco.  As they compete, the two fall in love.  Who will win, and how will everything play out?


The Quick by Lauren Owen tells the story of James Norbury, a poet in London.  As he navigates the world of high society, he finds love and happiness.  However, he vanishes without a trace.  His sister Charlotte sets out to find her brother, and her search leads her to a mysterious institution: The Aegolius Club.


Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson follows Daniel Waterhouse in his pursuit of knowledge from the greatest minds in Europe.


Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=1582344167/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12


Monday, September 14, 2015

MARY POPPINS


Book to Movie Club meets on Thursday, September 24th, and our book for this month is Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers.  Growing up, Mary Poppins was a favorite movie of mine, but I never read the book until this year!

P.L. Travers was born in Australia as Helen Lyndon Goff.  She eventually moved to London where she wrote and published Mary Poppins.  The first book was published in 1934, and she continued to write more books about Mary.  For more information on P.L. Travers, you can visit http://www.biography.com/people/pl-travers-21358293#life-as-a-writer

Mary Poppins Series:
1.  Mary Poppins
2.  Mary Poppins Comes Back
3.  Mary Poppins Opens the Door
4.  Mary Poppins in the Park
5.  Mary Poppins From A to Z
6.  Mary Poppins in the Kitchen
7.  Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane
8.  Mary Poppins and the House Next Door

Already finished with Mary Poppins?  Give one of these books a try!

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Bed-Knob and Broomstick by Mary Norton
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty Bard MacDonald
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming


Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9780544340473/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12