Autobiographies for Children

August 8, 2016July 21, 2016 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

The biography’s in the children’s room are all shelved together, in order alphabetically by the last name of the person they are about. Well, all but the Who Is/Was series which has a special display and place of honor. So finding a biography (a book written by an author about someone else) is not hard, as long as you know who you want to read about. What is difficult is finding an autobiography (a book that a person writes about their own life). Often there is no way of knowing which books are regular biographies and which are autobiographies until you pick the book up off the shelf and read the author’s name. Finding a well done and interesting autobiography, or one by someone you want to read about, can be even more challenging.

So, I decided to get busy and find a list of autobiographies for children to make the search a little easier for young readers, their parents, and my fellow seekers. Here are some of the best autobiographies for children that are part of our library’s collection. I have them divided into three groups. The groups are authors and illustrators, important figures in history and civil rights, and athletes.

Authors and Illustrators:
Knots in My Yo-Yo String: the Autobiography of a Kid by Jerry Spinelli
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Bill Peet: an Autobiography
26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
It Came from Ohio!: My Life as a Writer by R.L. Stine as told to Joe Arthur
Guts: the True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books by Gary Paulsen
No Pretty Pictures: a Child of War by Anita Lobel
A Girl from Yamhill: a Memoir by Beverly Cleary
Down a Sunny Dirt Road by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Looking Back: a Book of Memories by Lois Lowry

Important Figures in History and Civil rights
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
Escape from Slavery: the Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in his Own Words edited and illustrated by Michael McCurdy
Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins
I am Rosa Parks by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Behind the Secret Window: a Memoir of a Hidden Childhood During World War Two by Nelly S. Toll
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible..on Schindler’s List by Leon Leyson; with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson

Athletes
Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder by Tony Hawk with Sean Mortimer
Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Fa mily, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton with Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh
Oksana: My Own Story by Oksana Baiul; as told to Heather Alexander
Michelle Kwan, Heart of a Champion: an Autobiography by Michelle Kwan as told to Laura James
Cal Ripken, Jr.: My Story by Cal Ripken, Jr. and Mike Bryan; adapted by Dan Gutman
Chamique Holdsclaw: My Story by Chamique Holdsclaw with Jennifer Frey
Dominique Moceanu, an American Champion: an Autobiography as told to Steve Woodward
Fire on Ice: autobiography of a Champion Figure Skater by Sasha Cohen with Amanda Maciel

There are several more great autobiographies that I just could not fit in these lists,or that are accessible to willing children and teens, but shelved with the adult biographies. In no particular order, these include: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, More About Boy: Roald Dahl’s Tales from Childhood by Roald Dahl, Tara Lipinski: Triumph on Ice: an Autobiography as told to Emily Costello, I am Malala: the Girl who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai, Caught by the Sea: My Life on Boats by Gary Paulsen, Bad Boy: a Memoir by Walter Dean Myers, The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland, A Pioneer Woman’s Memoir: Based on the Journal of Arabella Clemens Fulton by Judith E. Greenberg and Helen Carey McKeever, Positive: Surviving My Bullies, Finding Hope, and Living to Change the World: a Memoir by Paige Rawl with Ali Benjamin, and The Year We Disappeared: a Father-Daughter Memoir by Cylin Busby & John Busby.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

August 6, 2016July 13, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

what's trending

It’s not only the newest titles that are popular among our patrons. Here are the top ten older fiction books trending at the library.

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy.
In 1969 in Kerala, India, Rahel and her twin brother, Estha, struggle to forge a childhood for themselves amid the destruction of their family life, as they discover that the entire world can be transformed in a single moment.

The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt.
Taken in by a wealthy family friend after surviving an accident that killed his mother, thirteen-year-old Theo Decker tries to adjust to life on Park Avenue.

Orphan Train -Christina Baker Kline.
Close to aging out of the foster care system, Molly Ayer takes a position helping an elderly woman named Vivian and discovers that they are more alike than different as she helps Vivian solve a mystery from her past.

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn.
When a woman goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, her diary reveals hidden turmoil in her marriage, while her husband, desperate to clear himself of suspicion, realizes that something more disturbing than murder may have occurred.

The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins.
Obsessively watching a breakfasting couple every day to escape the pain of her losses, Rachel witnesses a shocking event that inextricably entangles her in the lives of strangers.

The Kitchen House – Kathleen Grissom.
Working as an indentured servant alongside slaves on a tobacco plantation, Lavinia, a seven-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, finds her light skin and situation placing her between two very different worlds that test her loyalties.

Big Little Lies – Laine Moriarty.
Follows three mothers, each at a crossroads, and their potential involvement in a riot at a school trivia night that leaves one parent dead in what appears to be a tragic accident, but the evidence shows it might have been premeditated.

The Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd.
Traces more than three decades in the lives of a wealthy Charleston debutante who longs to break free from the strictures of her household and pursue a meaningful life, and the urban slave, Handful, who is placed in her charge as a child before finding courage and a sense of self.

One Plus One – JoJo Moyes.
A single mom trying to raise a bullied stepson and a mathlete daughter finds an unexpected rescue in the form of an obnoxious tech millionaire named Geeky Ed.

Winter Garden – Kristin Hannah.
Reunited when their beloved father falls ill, sisters Meredith and Nina find themselves under the shadow of their disapproving mother, whose painful history is hidden behind her rendition of a Russian fairy tale told to the sisters in childhood.

Audiobook Picks for a Family Road Trip

July 27, 2016June 28, 2016 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

If you are planning a fun family road trip this summer, or anytime really, it could involve many hours trapped in a vehicle with bored, overtired, and otherwise cranky individuals. Let’s be honest, no matter how fun the trip, there are moments in which the boredom or irritation levels rise. So, instead of fighting over radio stations and whatnot while on the road you might want to listen to an audiobook (or more) to pass the time.

I usually check out a selection of audiobooks for my children to choose from and make them take turns with said selections, before I even start the car if only to avoid arguments later. You can also download audiobooks to listen to via OneClick Digital, Overdrive or Hoopla. The good thing about the digital audiobooks is that if you finish earlier than you expected or do not enjoy the book and want a new one, you can always download a new one anywhere you have internet access. With the digital version you also do not have to worry about due dates or missing discs, which can be a big bonus.

If you are willing to give some family listening a try during a road trip you might need some suggestions. Here are some of my favorite reads and listens that are entertaining for the entire family.

The Bad Beginning and rest of the The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, read by Tim Curry

Fortunately, the Milk written and performed by Neil Gaiman

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, read by Simon Jones

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L Konigsburg, read by Jill Clayburgh

How to Train Your Dragon (and the rest of the series) by Cressida Cowell, read by Gerard Doyle

Wonder by R.J. Palacio, read by Diana Steele, Nick Podehl, and Kate Rudd

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, read by Paul Boehmer

Further suggestions include revisiting some classics like; Because of Winn Dixie, Charlotte’s Web, Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, The Wizard of Oz,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Chronicles of Narnia, The Tale of Despereaux, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and other favorites. Some newer or unexpected but wonderful listens like; Skulduggery Pleasant, Chasing Vermeer, Little House in the Big Woods, Savvy, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and the rest of the series), Nicholas St. North and the battle of the Nightmare King, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, and Half Moon Investigations might also keep your vehicle full of happy listeners.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

July 16, 2016July 13, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

what's trending Wondering which new fiction titles have been trending recently at the Cheshire Library? Here they are!

The Murder House – James Patterson.
Returning to the luxurious Hamptons of her youth to investigate the murders of a Hollywood power broker and his mistress, Detective Jenna Murphy uncovers links between the case and a series of unsolved killings.

Rogue Lawyer – John Grisham .
A nomadic lawyer because of frequent death threats, Sebastian Rudd takes on a case involving a brain-damaged young man accused of murdering two little girls.

X – Sue Grafton.
A serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes challenges Kinsey Milhone’s skills to solve the case before she becomes his next victim.

Cross Justice – James Patterson.
Returning to his North Carolina hometown to defend a cousin accused of a heinous crime, Alex Cross is drawn into the search for a brutal murderer before his world is shattered by the revelation of a devastating family secret.

The Guilty – David Baldacci.
When his father is charged with murder and refuses to do anything to prove his innocence, Will Robie returns as an outsider to his hometown of Cantrell, Mississippi–where is he is met with distrust–to conduct his own investigation.

Memory Man – David Baldacci.
More than a year after the most tragic event in Amos Decker’s life, a man confesses to murdering his family and Amos, called to help with the investigation, struggles with the memories.

Blueprints – Barbara Delinsky.
The bond between a talented carpenter and her architect daughter is challenged by a career-shifting television network decision, a family death, sudden parenting responsibilities, and changing romantic prospects.

All Dressed in White – Mary Higgins Clark.
Laurie Moran recreates the events surrounding a bride’s disappearance five years earlier and learns that all of the woman’s acquaintances have a theory about why she vanished, including someone who will do anything to keep the truth hidden.

Breakdown – Jonathon Kellerman.
When an actress turns up dead after a public breakdown weeks earlier, Alex Delaware assists lieutenant Milo Sturgis with the case and wonders if there is a connection to the victim’s missing daughter and a second celebrity killing.

Alert – James Patterson.
While pursuing terrorists responsible for two high-tech attacks and an assassination, detective Michael Bennett realizes that the attacks are a prelude to a bigger and more devastating event.

Author Highlight – James Patterson

James Patterson has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. As of January 2016, he has sold over 350 million books worldwide and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers. In addition to writing the thriller novels for which he is best known, he also writes children’s, middle-grade, and young-adult fiction and is also the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on the New York Times adult and children’s bestsellers lists.

For more about James Patterson, here is a link to his official website.

Staff Picks for Conquering Concepts with Kids

July 13, 2016June 1, 2016 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Sometimes a book or series is so striking to me that I have to share and recommend the books to anyone I think would also appreciate it. One series for young readers is on my recommended list for everyone who works with Preschool through first grade level learners who need to tackle or reinforce important concepts. Jane Brocket has a series of great books called Clever Concepts. They tackle things like color, texture, and shape. Things that are important but can be hard to explain fully, because of the vast amount of possible examples. Each of the books includes full color photographs and clever text that does a great job of exploring the topics in ways that make the ideas a little more accessible to young readers.

Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What Is Texture?
Ruby, Violet, Lime: Looking for Color
Spotty, Stripy, Swirly: What are Patterns?
Circles, Stars, and Squares: Looking for Shapes
1 Cookie, 2 Chairs, 3 Pears: Numbers Everywhere
Cold, Crunchy, Colorful: Using Our Senses
Rainy, Sunny, Blowy, Snowy: What are Seasons?
Stickiest, Fluffiest, Crunchiest: Super Superlatives

I really love this series and immediately began singing its praises to everyone who would listen, including those who order our children’s books and the members of the library staff who also work in elementary schools.

If these books only whet your appetite on conquering concepts with the children in you life you could also take a look at: 10 Hungry Rabbits: Counting and Color Concepts by Anita Lobel, Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett,
You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang, Hello, Squirrels!: Scampering Through the Seasons by Linda Glaser, You Can’t Taste a Pickle with Your Ear by Harriet Ziefer, or any number of the board books from DK, National Geographic or Scholastic.