The Public Library of Brookline

In the Children’s Room

Colleen AF Venable is coming for a visit!  She’s the author of the very funny graphic novel series starring a reluctant detective guinea pig, Sasspants, and her intrepid sidekick, Hamisher.  If you haven’t read her Guinea Pig Detectives series yet, now is your chance!  She’ll be speaking about her work, reading from the newest book and you’ll even get to try your hand at creating your own graphic novel!  Join us, Friday, September 28th at 3:00pm on the 2nd floor in Hunneman Hall.

In Children’s Librarianship

With all of the holds on Shannon Hale’s newest Princess Academy book, Palace of Stone, I can tell many of you are as excited as I am!  Miri, Britta and other familiar faces are back for another adventure this time in Asland.  Get ready for more intrigue and, quite possibly, a revolution.  Here’s a great interview with Hale, from School Library Journal, discussing her newest book.

New book trailers for some new releases!  They’ll suck you in, be careful!  I recommend only 1 at a time, for proper savoring.

• National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry
• This is Not My Hat
• In a Glass Grimmly
• Project Jackalope
• You’re a Hero, Daley B

In Children’s Books

We read all of the fiction that we put into the collection here in Brookline, and lately I’ve been getting an awful lot of books about cooking.  Now I’m not talking cookbooks, though usually there’s a recipe or 5 included, these are realistic fiction books that happen to be about cooking.  Books dealing with real life issues and cooking…what could be better?  Take a look at some of my recent favorites; but there are plenty more to choose from if none of these fit your bill!

• Eggs Over Evie by Jackson.  Twelve-year-old Evie lives with her mom.  In an apartment across the lake, Evie’s celebrity-chef dad is starting a new life with his second wife, Angie, who’s expecting twins.  Navigating her new family situation is difficult, and Evie turns to her love of cooking as a way to cope.  Through cooking classes, she finds an unexpected friend in Corey.  Evie learns to look outside herself, help others, and make friends where she never thought she could (she also learns to make a pretty darn good soufflé!)
• Just Add Magic by Callaghan.  Take three friends.  Add an old cookbook.  Combine with cute boys and a pinch of magic…and see what kind of chaos ensues!  When Kelly Quinn and her two best friends discover a dusty old cookbook while cleaning out the attic, the girls decide to try a few of the mysterious “magical” recipes that are inside. To their surprise, the Keep ’Em Quiet Cobbler actually silences Kelly’s pesky little brother and the Hexberry Tart puts a curse on mean girl Charlotte.  Is it possible that the recipes really are magic? Who wrote them and where did they come from? And most importantly of all, when boys get involved, what kind of trouble are the girls stirring up for themselves?
• Close to Famous by Bauer.  Foster McFee dreams of having her own cooking show like her idol, celebrity chef Sonny Kroll.  Macon Dillard’s goal is to be a documentary filmmaker.  Foster’s mother Rayka longs to be a headliner instead of a back-up singer.  And Miss Charleena plans a triumphant return to Hollywood.  Everyone has a dream, but nobody is even close to famous in the little town of Culpepper.  Until some unexpected events shake the town and its inhabitants–and put their big ambitions to the test. Full of humor, unforgettable characters, surprises, and lots and lots of heart.
• It’s Raining Cupcakes by Schroeder.  Twelve-year-old Isabel is dying to get out of her small town of Willow, Oregon, and travel like her best friend, Sophie.  But when Isabel’s mother decides to open up a cupcake shop across town, Isabel is once again stuck in Willow for the summer, until she learns of a baking contest where the finalists get an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to compete in the final bake-off!  But Sophie is also entering the contest, and Isabel’s mother has reservations.  Can Isabel finally realize her dreams of leaving Willow without hurting two of the most important people in her life? A sweet coming of age story where Isabel discovers that life is not always about where you go—sometimes it’s about enjoying the view from where you are.

Happy reading, Brookline!  We’ll see you soon!