Summer Olympics for Kids
Did you know that breakdancing is making its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2024 Summer Games? The Opening Ceremony is on July 26th, so there is plenty of time to get in the Olympic spirit! Our Children’s Department has some great books about the history of the Games, some amazing Olympic athletes, and this year’s host country, France!
History of the Olympics
What are the Paralympic Games?
A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Olympic Games
G is for Gold Medal: an Olympics Alphabet
Great Moments in Olympic Basketball
Great Moments in Olympic Gymnastics
Great Moments in Olympic Track & Field
Olympic Athletes
I Got This: To Gold and Beyond
She Persisted in Sport: American Athletes Who Changed the Game
Sakamoto’s Swim Club: How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team
Inaugural Ballers: the True Story of the First US Women’s Olympic Basketball Team
History & Culture of France
France: The Culture and Recipes of France
Claude Monet: The Painter Who Stopped the Trains
by Alyssa Young, Youth Services Assistant
FDL Reads: When the Moon is Low
When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi
Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: Fereiba, a teacher, and her engineer husband, Mahmoud, are middle class parents in Afghanistan, raising their family of two amidst a quickly changing and dangerous political scene. After Mahmoud is murdered, things change drastically and for the worse for Fereiba. She plans a daring escape with her three children, the youngest of whom would never meet his father.
My Review: Opening this book, I was instantly drawn into Fereiba’s story. The characters and their experiences are true to life and could have been drawn from the news. Their story is compelling, containing both joy and tragedy and dangers I could never have imagined. I marveled at their courage, cried at their misfortunes, and was thankful for the help they received during their dangerous adventures. The tale alternated voices between Fereiba and her son, Saleem. This dual perspective made the audio book especially enjoyable. I highly recommend this book, in text or audio format!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Courageous, enlightening, hopeful
Give This a Try if You Like… We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls around the World by Malala Yousafzai or A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende or While the Earth Sleeps We Travel by Ahmed M. Badr
Rating: 5/5
Road Trip!
Summer often means it is time for a road trip! The last thing you want to hear is ‘I’m bored!’ or ‘Are we there yet?’. So come to the library and check out books, audio books, or launch pads to keep them occupied for the duration. Or maybe you are not going anywhere – travel along with the characters in the book. Remember you can use your library card to check out e-books in one of our many digital apps, like Hoopla, Boundless, and Tumblebooks. They will never run out of things to read!
Check out these stories about characters on vacation:
Picture Books:
Fly High, Fly Guy! By Tedd Arnold
Wherever You Go by Pat Miller
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Vacation by Stan Berenstain
Duck’s Vacation by Gilad Soffer
1001 Things to Spot on Vacation by Hazel Maskell
Easy Readers:
The Haunted Road Trip (Scooby Doo) by Gail Herman
I am Brave by Suzy Capozzi
Pete the Cat’s Family Road Trip by Kim Dean
What a trip, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger
EZ Chapter section:
Pug’s Road Trip by Kyla May
Heidi Heckelbeck and the Wild Ride by Wanda Coven
Lola Levine and the Vacation Dream by Monica Brown
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon Hale
Chapter Books:
Thea Stilton & the American Dream by Thea Stilton
Amelia Bedelia Road Trip! by Herman Parish
Charlie Joe’s Jackson’s Guide to Summer Vacation by Tom Greenwald
The Someday Birds by Sally Pla
The Vanderbeekers on the Road by Karina Yan Glaser
–Julie Fonseca, Youth Services Assistant
#FDL: LGBTQ+ Books
Finish out Pride Month with one of these LGBTQ+ book recommendations from our library!
Delilah Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Blackmail, My Love by Katie Gilmartin
Bodies of Water by T. Greenwood
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Let’s Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan
Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve
Nightcrawlers by Bill Pronzini
Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
FDL Reads: I’m an American
I’m an American by Darshana Khiani
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Picture book
Suggested Age: Kids (4-8)
What is This Book About? A classroom of diverse children share bits of their family history and highlight ideals they value that make them American, each family working in their own way to make our country great. Some describe how their family fled hardships in their homelands, and others describe their lives in this country. Indigenous nations are also highlighted through the story of a Muscogee child. While each story describes challenges these families faced or continue to face, they each have a message of determination and hope that we can continue to improve our communities and country as a whole. For every group highlighted there is a note in the back about the impact these groups have had on our country, as well as factors effecting immigration and their lives once they arrived here.
My Review: I greatly enjoyed this story and learning more about the vast number of diverse experiences of people in this country. Presenting each story as it relates to an American ideal like determination and freedom of expression made them stories I could easily relate my own family to. The back matter taught me a great deal that I want to read more about, like how there were laws allowing Indian men but not Indian women from immigrating to the United States and how, despite immigration from other Asian countries being barred, exclusion laws didn’t apply to Filipinos because it was a U.S. territory. While not hiding the challenges and discrimination that people faced, this book still presents an optimistic outlook for the future.
Three Words that Describe this Book: patriotic, hopeful, historical
Give This A Try if You Like… Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus; The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; America My Love, America My Heart by Daria Peoples-Riley; My Red, White, and Blue by Alana Tyson; I is for Immigrant by Selina Alko; A is for Asian-American by Virginia Loh-Hogan
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads: Just for the Summer
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? Just for the Summer is a romantic comedy centered around travel nurse Emma and software engineer Justin who meet thanks to a Reddit thread. Emma and Justin realize that they have the same “curse” that whoever they date then goes on to find their soul mate immediately after they break up. They decide to try to break their curses by dating each other.
My Review: I honestly thought that this was going to be an incredibly predictable romantic novel (which, honestly, I sometimes like – especially in the summer for a bit of hammock reading) but this book brings equal parts romance and real world. Emma and Justin are very relatable characters each dealing with their own huge issues – much bigger than not finding the right person to date. Seeing them adjust to their lives and deal with their respective traumas brought a depth to this book that a lot of rom-com novels are lacking. And it helps that the writing was so good that I couldn’t put it down!
Three Words that Describe this Book: Witty, Romantic, Engaging
Give this a try if you like… Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune, Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
Rating: 5/5