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Wacky Weather Picture Books to Share

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Even without the snow filled and freezing cold winter we have just had weather is always an interesting topic to discuss with your children. From snow storms and the school free days they often bring to sunny days at the beach weather is always with us and affects our daily lives and activities. Here are some picturebooks about wacky weather than can make children of all ages laugh and start a discussion about nature and weather in your house.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett; drawn by Ron Barrett. Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers–until the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Hello, Sun! by Dayle Ann Dodds; pictures by Sachiko Yoshikawa. A young girl and her cat must change clothes many times as the weather goes from sunny to cloudy to rainy to snowy.

Aunt Minnie and the Twister by Mary Skillings Prigger; illustrated by Betsy Lewin. After a tornado rearranges their Kansas house, Aunt Minnie and the nine nieces and nephews living with her add on a much-needed new room.

Un-brella by Scott E. Franson. In this wordless book, a little girl uses her magic umbrella to give her the weather she wants, regardless of what the conditions really are outside.

Bartholomew and the Oobleck written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. The King, tired of rain, snow, sun and fog, commands his magicians to make something else come down from the sky, but when oobleck falls, in sticky greenish droplets, Bartholomew Cubbins shames the King and saves the kingdom.

As usual, there are too many great books to limit myself to the size allotted here, so I will offer a few more and invite you to offer more suggestions in the comments. My other suggestions include; Sector 7 by David Wiesner, Miss Mingo Weathers the Storm by Jamie Harper, Sun, Snow, Stars, Sky by Catherine and Laurence Anholt, Mouse & Mole and the All-Weather Train Ride by Doug Cushman, and The Magic School Bus Kicks up a Storm adaptation by Nancy White and illustrated by Art Ruiz.

Linda Reads: Do or Die (Reluctant Heroes) by Suzanne Brockmann

/ Linda / Leave a comment

do or dieDo or Die (new series, Reluctant Heroes) by Suzanne Brockmann is a heart pounding, non-stop action, suspenseful, character driven, romantic, passionate, emotional, wonderfully written story that, despite it’s long length, you won’t be able to put down.

It is a spin-off of Ms Brockmann’s very popular Troubleshooters series and I must say, she takes this book to a whole new level.

The story centers around a supposedly dishonored Navy SEAL, Ian Dunn, who is in prison under suspicious circumstances, and his feisty lawyer, Phoebe Kruger, who is determined to get him out.  It’s a complicated story with multiple sub-plots, but told with clarity through Ms Brockmann’s exquisite writing and a cast of interesting, multi-dimensional characters.  The FBI wants Ian to lead a covert operation to rescue some kidnapped children from their ruthless father, but Ian has family issues that cause him to refuse.  Phoebe is determined to find out what Ian’s issues are so they can rescue the children.   Characters from the Troubleshooters series cross over to add support to this story.  There are great surprises when some of the characters’ full stories are finally revealed.  There are multiple love stories, but the book is more suspenseful than romantic.  It’s infused with humor and  the characters are written with such delicious detail, you can imagine yourself inside their heads.

The book is quite lengthy and I was hoping to skip parts here and there, but it was so well written, so entertaining, I just had to read every word!  Great characters were introduced in this book that are going to lead to an exciting series!

Sharon Reads: Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody is a new look at the time of Robin Hood, from a completely new angle. Thirteen year old Will Shakley is the son of a lord, and has led a fairly charmed life. However, when his father is off at war fighting beside King Richard the winds change and treason is in the air. Will ends up in the forest struggling to survive. It is there that we all met up with a group of bandits. Through their trials and adventures young Will is a part of Robin Hood’s rise to power and fame.

This is an exciting tale that will keep boys and girls from around 9 through high school interested. The story follows a thirteen year old struggling with his own identity and values. He faces challenges many of us cannot directly relate too, like fights with wolves, crazy chases through the woods, facing off with a bandit leader, and quite the fire. However the story also brings up things anyone today could face, such as dealing with an over protective mother, coping with an absentee father, and trying to live up with the exceptions others have for him. The adventures of Will and the unlikely crew of comrades he acquires has moments that made me want to hold my breath to see how things turned out, while others just had me reading faster so that I discover how everything would turn out in the end. Cody certainly offered a fan of the Robin Hood legends a fresh look at Rob, Little John, Sir Guy, the Sheriff, and the rest. I also appreciated the addition of Much, who really pulled through and saved the day on more than one occasion. I think readers new to the legend might find this a great motivator to take a look at other versions of the story.

I highly recommend Will in Scarlet to all middle grade readers. The book had serious elements, excitement, and humor. Above all else, Cody does not dumb anything down just because he is writing for children and young adults. It is intelligently written, with a authentic feel in the dialogue. The details and politics of the day are well described, because they are central to the plot, but in a way that might inspire further research or reading more historical fiction rather than feeling educational. I gave this book four stars on Goodreads.  (This review was originally published on Sharon the Librarian.)

Young Adult Road Trip Books

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

As we are all hiding indoors because of the cold weather it is a perfect time to read something different. In particular, I think it is a great time to read about road trips and grand adventures that we could only hope to take once the thaw comes. Here are some of the best young adult books about road trips that I have seen in the last year or so. Readers that just happen to be a decade (or more) past the ‘young adult’ years (like myself) should not be afraid to venture into the teen stacks to pick one of these up. You will thank us later.

Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez.
On a road trip across an enchanted America, Helen and Troy will discover all this and more. If the curse placed upon them by an ancient god doesn’t kill them or the pack of reluctant orc assassins don’t catch up to them, Helen and Troy might reach the end their journey in one piece, where they might just end up destroying the world. Or at least a state or two. A minotaur girl, an all-American boy, a three-legged dog, and a classic car are on the road to adventure, where every exit leads to adventure.

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger
Sixteen-year-old Hattie and eighteen-year-old Delores set off on a road trip that takes unexpected turns as they discover the healing power of friendship and confront what each of them is fleeing from.

Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson.
When fifteen-year-old Rick’s mother finally leaves for good, Ricki’s absentee father steps in, taking Ricki with him as he chases bail “skips” across the country, but their fledgling relationship is tested as they pursue attractive, manipulative, seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham.

How my Summer Went up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski.
Placed under a temporary restraining order for torching her former boyfriend’s car, seventeen-year-old Rosie embarks on a cross-country car trip from New Jersey to Arizona while waiting for her court appearance.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham.
Alice, Summer, and Tiernan were best friends who broke up at the same time as their favorite band, but four years later, just before they are preparing to go off to college, the girls reluctantly come back together, each with her own motives, for a road trip from Massachusetts to Austin, Texas, for the band’s one-time-only reunion concert.

Of course I cannot end a list at just five, so here are some more great young adult books about amazing road trips.  Going Bovine by Libba Bray, In Honor by Jessi Kirby, Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown, Paper Towns by John Green, Catch and Release by Blythe Woolstone,
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour, Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Saving June by Hannah Harrington, Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard, and Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer.

IndieFlix Picks – Winter Sports Shorts

/ Louise / Leave a comment

Are you still in the grips of Olympic Fever? If you couldn’t get your fill of cold-weather sports from the Winter Games, here are three independent short films available on IndieFlix that might fill the gap:

1) Wapos Bay: There’s no “I” in Hockey (24 min) All ages. Awesome animation is used to tell the story of a traditional community in Canada. A neighboring town’s hockey team comes to play Wapos Bay. Will teamwork help them win? Lots of lessons to be learned in the family-friendly Wapos Bay web series.

2)  Appointment in Vancouver  (34 min)  All ages. The amazing, true story of Casey Puckett, who battles injury and long odds to compete in numerous Olympic Games – including the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. After retiring from alpine racing, Puckett finds that the new extreme sport Skier Cross suits his talent perfectly.  A selection at the Heartland Film Festival.

3)  The Rink  (13 min)  All ages. A short film that tells the story of Charlie, a misfit disrespected by his brothers in a family coping with the loss of their wife and mother. Charlie’s journey is a coming-of-age quest to earn his older brothers’ respect and fit in by learning to play the game of hockey. He is aided in his quest by the sudden appearance of his deceased grandfather’s ghost, who has returned with some unfinished business.

If you’re in the mood for something a little longer, try:

ways2winter (105 min) Ages 13+. This documentary follows two Brits (Will and Heather) who live and work at a mountain resort in the French Alps, which feature some of the top skiing destinations in the world. Video diaries and interviews bare Will and Heather’s souls as they overcome personal and work issues, struggling to find a balance between life on and off the mountain. It gets pretty intense at times, and their honesty gives viewers an insight into their feelings and contradictions.

Valdez Goes Extreme (60 min) All Ages. The oil spill in Valdez leaves some guilt money for Exxon to hand out. Some people dream up an extreme skiing event to be held each year and soon the whole town of Valdez embraces the championships. Amazing scenics and true extreme skiing, starring the late Doug Coombs, also Jim Conway, Kristen Ulmer, and many old school greats shred away.

IndieFlix is one of many online services we offer at Cheshire Library. With your Cheshire Library Card, you get free access to thousands of streaming movies (full length, shorts and documentaries) from independent filmmakers and more than 2,000 film festivals worldwide, including SXSW, Sundance, Cannes, and Slamdance.   Have you tried IndieFlix yet?