St. Louis County Library: December 2014

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Dewey Discoveries: "Spiders and Scary Creepy Crawlies" by Camilla De la Bedoyere

The ever-popular Ripley's has published a delightful new book sure to fascinate all the wierd- and gross-loving kids you know: "Spiders and Scary Creepy Crawlies" by Camilla De la Bedoyere. With amazing photos and disgusting up-close shots, your young scientist will be full of wonder (and slightly grossed out!). The interesting facts scattered across the pages will please any biology teacher, too! Great for all ages.

Dewey Number: 595.44

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Friday, December 19, 2014

Kids Music Friday: "$9.99" by Caspar Babypants

In what is perhaps the simplest yet most entertaining music video of all time, Caspar Babypants brings us the amusing story of a teddy bear in "$9.99." Watch and enjoy!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Staff Review: "The Eighth Day" by Dianne K Salerni

Percy Jackson and Harry Potter fans take note! “TheEighth Day” by Dianne Salerni will take you to a strange world-between worlds where magic is pitted against magic and family ties are strong. Leaning heavily on Arthurian legend, Salerni has created a world full of magic and danger. There is plenty of room left in the action-packed ending for a sequel or even a series, so eager readers will hopefully be delighted to wait for more stories of Jax and his friends.

Twelve-year-old Jax Aubrey’s dad dies, and instead of going to live with his older cousin Naomi, a young man named Riley Pendare shows up and claims to have legal custody of Jax, given by his dad. Jax hates living with Riley because he’s not much older than Jax, can’t seem to bother with the normal chores of a household, and he’s a stranger. Jax’s resentment all starts to change the day after his thirteenth birthday when he wakes to find his world frozen in time with no people in it. He learns that he, Riley, and his dad before him are Transitioners—people who can exist in normal time as well as a magical eighth day of the week. In the eighth day are clans of people called Kin, who exist only in the eighth day, and Riley is protecting one of the only Kin who has the power to destroy the eighth day. As Jax begins learning about his new life and the magic that comes with it, he stumbles into a dangerous plot to destroy the normal world. When everyone is suspicious, who can Jax trust? How do you live in the normal world with a magic gift? And is Riley really a reliable person after all?

This book is a great read for fourth to eighth graders. As a warning for parents, there is magical violence.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Dewey Discoveries: "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Kids: Fun Facts and Silly Stories--The BIG One!"

Everyone loves books of interesting, silly, and fun facts, right? Of course! This year Ripley has released a giant version of their "Fun Facts and Silly Stories," and it's chock full of crazy stuff and great pictures. Any grade school child would love to get their hands on this!

Dewey Number: 031.02

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Monday, December 15, 2014

Andrea's Best Of 2014 Second and Third Grade Books

This year I've have the joy and privilege of going into local schools and sharing my favorite books with second and third grade students. I read lots of early chapter books, but only the top twenty or so make it into the final cut. A few of the books are general crowd pleasers, there are several interesting non-fiction titles, some graphics, and hopefully there are some amazing books that I know most students would pass up because of the cover or subject matter. I am excited to present you with this year's list! Click on the titles to reserve a copy of a book.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Graphic Novels

"Extraordinary Warren" by Sarah Dillard

Warren wants to be special, but he's only a chick! What can he do when danger threatens the brood?

"Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000" by Dav Pilkey

Captain Underpants is at it again! This time he battles a returning evil toilet.

"Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List" by Michael Townsend

Mr. Ball runs into all sorts of trouble as he tries to complete his to-do list.

"Hello Kitty: Surprise!" by Jacob Chabot

Hello Kitty and her friends have many adventures in this wordless comic book.

"Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot" by Dav Pilkey

In this old series, but newly illustrated by the fabulous Dan Santat, quiet ricky befriends a robot designed for evil. Together they set out to save Squeakyville from Dr. McNasty.

Non-Fiction

"Dolphin Dive" by James Buckley

Learn all about dolphins in this colorful book.

"Monsters on the Loose!" by Bruce Hale

See if you can spot the monsters in this fun Halloween seek and find!

"Planes, Trains, and Cars" by Simon Abbott

Packed with fun illustrations and interesting trivia, if you read this book you won't look at transportation in the same way.

"Super Sniffers" by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Dogs can have jobs, too! Learn about bomb sniffers, search-and-rescue dogs, and many other jobs that dogs can do.

"Mad Margret Experiments With the Scientific Method" by Eric Braun

Mad Margret uses the scientific method to figure out why her friend Jasper always sneezes at Donna's house.

"Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes" by Nicola Davies

There are scads of tiny creatures all around (and on!) us called microbes. Learn all about them!

"Get the Scoop on Animal Puke!" by Dawn Cusick

This book contains everything you didn't need to know about animals and puke.

Adventure and Friendship

"Moldylocks and the Three Beards" by Noah Z. Jones

Get ready to laugh as Princess Pink discovers the mixed-up world of Fake Believe in her refrigerator.

"Bella's Birthday Unicorn" by Jessica Burkhart

In the kingdom of Crystal, Princess Bella is about to be matched with her very own unicorn! Why can't her friends be excited for her?

"Claude at the Circus" by Alex T. Smith

Claude and Sir Bobblysock heat to the park for an adventure and somehow end up in the circus!

"The Locker Ate Lucy!" by Jack Chabert

At a school with a life of it's own, Sam and Antonio must save their friend Lucy after she's swallowed by a locker.

"Brain Freeze!" by Todd Clark

Irwin Snackcracker discovers that ice cream gives him crazy superpowers. Is he willing to give up his video game time to save his town?

"The First Misadventure" by Doreen Cronin

When a strange object shows up in the yard, can four mischievous chicks figure out what it is without getting into trouble?

"Lost in Bermooda" by Mike Litwin

Young cow Chuck discovers a hu'man boy and passes him off as a cow on the all-cow island of Bermooda, where they are terrified of hu'mans.

"Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey" by Alex Milway

Pigsticks wants to set out on an epic journey, but he needs an assistant. Can he find the right one?

"The Miniature World of Marvin and James" by Elise Broach

Marvin the drawing beetle is nervous when his best friend, a boy named James, goes to camp. Will James forget Marvin?

Realistic Fiction

"Ukulele Hayley" by Judy Cox

Talentless Hayley discovers the ukulele and starts a revolution at her school.

"Fly Away" by Patricia MacLachlan

Lucy must reveal her special secret in order to save her brother.

"Cupcake Cousins" by Kate Hannigan

Two cousins try to prove that they can cook for their Aunt Rosie's wedding, but everything seems to go wrong.

"Quinny & Hopper" by Adriana Brad Schanen

Quinny becomes best friends with Hopper after she moves to a new town, only to discover that boys and girls aren't supposed to be friends.

"Winter Sky" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Siria chases fire to make sure that her fire fighter dad doesn't get hurt. What happens when she discovers signs of arson and suspects her best friend is involved?

Thursday, December 11, 2014

"Scaredy Squirrel's Tips for Worry Free Reading"

Friends, I know you may be a little concerned about being nervous at the library. Never fear! Intrepid explorer Scaredy Squirrel is here to give you a few helpful tips to make your library experience positive and fun.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Staff Review: "The Farmer and the Clown" by Marla Frazee

You know and love Marla Frazee for her illustrations of the Clementine chapter books--now she has a charming new picture book , "The Farmer and the Clown." I understand your squeamishness about clowns--they give me the willies, too. Frazee has taken the dreaded subject of clowns, removed the scariness, and made them adorable through this beautiful, wordless picture book.

We start with a lonely old farmer who notices something falling off a train as it passes on the far side of his field. Lo and behold, it's a little clown baby. The farmer takes the baby home, feeds him, and they spend a lovely day together around the farm, becoming fast friends in the process. When the circus train returns the next day, there are tearful good-byes and a little surprise for the farmer.

Frazee's muted illustrations convey so much emotion that you will fall in love with the clown baby and the farmer as they spend time together. Your little one will love telling the story as you look through the pictures together. For ages pre-K to second grade.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Monday, December 8, 2014

Holiday Gift Guide 2014

'Tis the season for finding gifts for all of the little people in your life! To help you out, we've compiled a list of our favorite books published within the last year for kiddos of all ages. Click on the links for each book to request them from the library or to read reviews.

BOARD BOOKS