Headed to a State Park Soon?

Once again this year, you can pick up a FREE Wisconsin State Park day pass from EFPL! (You even get a sweet swag bag to go along with it!) According to the WI DNR, "Check Out Wisconsin State Parks at Your Library is a collaborative effort between the DNR, the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The goal of the program is to expand access to Wisconsin State Park System properties to new visitors." So, if you or your family are the outdoorsy types who love to explore new State Parks or repeat visitors of a favorite one, then this is the program for you! Happy exploring! Learn more below.

Here's everything you need to know:

• To make it fair for all of our patrons, there will be a limit of one pass per family per month.

• Library staff will need to write the date that you plan to visit the state park on the pass. This could be the current day's date or any date this summer. The pass will only be valid on the date you select.

• You can visit more than one Wisconsin State Park System location on that same day!

• Passes are valid for one vehicle with Wisconsin license plates. (Excluding busses)

• You will also receive a swag bag filled with information about the state park system, maps, stickers, accessibility information, and more.

• Passes do not need to be returned to the library after being used.

• Passes and swag bags are available while supplies last.

Are You a Weyward?

Our Bookaholics Book Club will get together on Wednesday, July 17 at 6:30pm to chat about Weyward by Emilia Hart. If the gorgeous cover isn't enough to draw you in, below is more about Weyward, which happens to be Emlia Hart's first book. (Emilia's second book, Sirens, will be published in 2025.)

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With it tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that here great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But Unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives - and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death, The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the Initial W and the word weyward scratched in the baseboard of her bedroom.

We will meet in the Multipurpose Room, which is in the lower level of the Library. Feel free to bring snacks or treats to share. We hope to see you there!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

 The upcoming Friends of the Library Ice Cream Social and the hot weather has us thinking about cold, refreshing ice cream. Wouldn't you like some right now?

If you can wait until Friday (6/28), plan to attend the Ice Cream Social fundraiser at Emma's Table from 4-7pm with yummy cake with ice cream, root beer floats, and sundaes, plus an incredible selection of cakes to bid on. More info here. We appreciate the Friends of the Library and how their fundraising benefits the Eager Free Public Library.

Here are some books with lots of ways to enjoy ice cream.

 

 

Easy no-churn ice cream : the 'no equipment necessary' guide to standout homemade ice cream  – Heather Templeton

 

Sweet spot : an ice cream binge across America  – Amy Ettinger

 

À la mode : 120 recipes in 60 pairings : pies, tarts, cakes, crisps, and more topped with ice cream, gelato, frozen custard, and more  – Bruce Weinstein

 

The ice cream sundae book : a step-by-step guide to making America's favorite dessert  – Michael Turback

 

The ice cream book : over 400 recipes  – Lewis P. De Guoy

 

Mexican ice cream : beloved recipes and stories  – Fany Gerson

 

The perfect scoop : 200 recipes for ice creams, sorbets, gelatos, granitas, and sweet accompaniments  –David Lebovitz

"Fire Keeper's Daughter"

Our Antemeridian's Book Club will be discussing novels that feature women navigating between Native and White cultures both from a current perspective in June and during the late 1800's in August.

There are plenty of copies in regular and large print at the Library, so feel free to check one out even if you can't attend the book discussion on Thursday, June 20, at 10:30am.

Our June book is Angeline Boulley's Fire Keeper's Daughter. Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fountaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. After Daunis witnesses a murder, she's drawn into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. Fire Keeper's Daughter is an electrifying thriller layered with a rich exploration of the modern Native experience, a reckoning of current and historical injustices, and a powerful celebration of community.

If you want to get a head start for the August discussion, Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom is a richly detailed story about an Indigenous woman caught between two cultures that was inspired by the true story of Crow Mary.

Looking for Adventure

 

Are your kids looking for some adventurous reads this summer? 

There are so many wonderful books full of adventure that are sure to capture your young reader's attention and keep them entertained all summer.

Here are some longtime favorite adventure series that your kids (and you) might enjoy this summer. Keep in mind that audiobooks make a great way to enjoy stories together during a family road trip.

The Lightning Thief (#1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) -- Rick Riordan

Redwall -- Brian Jacques (this is Book 1 but you really can start anywhere)

Dealing With Dragons -- Patricia Wrede

My Side of the Mountain -- Jean Craighead George

Inkheart -- Cornelia Funke

Eragon -- Christopher Paolini

How To Train Your Dragon -- Cressida Cowell

The Borrowers -- Mary Norton

Lightningborn (Storm Dragon #1) -- Julie Kagawa

Hatchet -- Gary Paulsen

Artemis Fowl -- Eoin Colfer

Adventure Begins at the Eager Free Library!

The Summer Library Club for all ages starts June 10th!  The theme this year is “Adventure Begins.” Here’s a brief description of how each program works:

Children’s Reading Challenge

Make your own goal of how much you’d like to read this summer!  Pick up a log from the library starting June 10 and choose your path. When you make your goal, choose a book prize from our cart, available starting July 10, and enter the Grand Prize Drawing. Read more paths and earn more Grand Prize Drawing slips!

Bonus Adventure Path: Try at least 5 of the outdoor activities on our bonus sheet and earn an extra Grand Prize Drawing slip!

 

Teen Reading Challenge

Pick up a BINGO sheet from the library and read any 5 in a row, any direction to earn a Grand Prize Drawing slip and your choice of a book from the prize cart!  Each additional square completed earns another slip for the Grand Prize Drawing on Aug. 10^th! (Prizes include gift certificates to Culvers, Target, and area businesses as well as a DIY wood dragon model!)

 

Adult Reading Challenge

Pick up a BINGO sheet from the library and read any 5 in a row, any direction to earn a Grand Prize Drawing slip and your choice of a book to be purchased!  Each additional square completed earns another slip for the Grand Prize Drawing on Aug. 10^th for a bag of goodies!

 

Summer Programs Preview:  

The Storywagon events are back!  Join us for 4 big performers for all ages this summer on Tuesdays at 10 am: Snake Discovery, Mad Science, Fox & Branch (music group),and TNZ Magic Show!  We’ll also have a Saturday Adventure Movie Trivia event (with a movie gift card prize!) and don’t miss the Food Cart Fest Finale in August, with a picnic on our front lawn, food trucks, music, and Grand Prize drawings!

 

Other kids events include Planet Balloon prints and  a rocket craft, and we’ll have both kid and teen versions of tie dye and a Viking escape room!  Teens are also invited to participate in an Art Contest and our Teen Lock-In!

 

The Friends will be having their annual Ice Cream Social in June, and we have a number of crafting programs and kits for adults this summer, from mini serving trays and adventure signposts to vintage maps decoupage.  We also offer a monthly Spanish/English conversation group at El Vallarta restaurant and we’d love to see your suggestions for an adventure playlist!

 

Pick up our summer flyers at the library for more details, available now!

Read ‘em & Reap: goblin goop and other unusual gardening Books

 

The abundance of flowers and flowering trees lately combined with spying some strange new gardening titles has led us to think about some of the crazy and amazing ways plants have been used and cultivated and how they can help mental health. Here are a few titles we found intriguing:

 

Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck by McKayla Coyle 

Feel like you don’t fit in? The author shares advice on embracing your inner goblin through creating a moss lair and growing medicinal plants.

Floral Folklore: The forgotten tales behind nature’s most enchanting plants by Alison Davies

           Intriguing stories behind how plants got their names and other stories.

Secret World of Plants by Ben Hoare (Children’s NF)

             Weird plant-animal relationships, how the venus flytrap counts to trap prey…

New Naturalism by Kelly D Norris

                Suggestions on creating a home garden that can handle climate change                                   fluctuations.

 

American Roots by Nick and Allison McCullough and Teresa Woodward

 

The authors travelled the U.S. to discover creative, inventive gardens and share ideas that could be used in a home garden.

Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden by Jessica Walliser

 

Interesting perspective on introducing a natural balance to your garden by keeping plants that attract beneficial bugs.

 

The Green Witch’s Garden by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

 

                Thinks of gardens as sacred spaces, with ideas for plants that are useful for cultivation.