For Adults - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

FDL Reads: Violeta

Violeta by Isabel Allende

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, library volunteer

Genre: Fiction

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the Book About?: Written in the form of a letter to her grandson, Violeta details the story of Violeta’s 100 years on planet Earth. Bracketed by two pandemics – born during the 1920 flu epidemic and ending during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 – the engrossing story of Violeta’s lifetime navigates family and national crises, tragedy, joy and passion.

My Review: Award-winning author Isabel Allende has created in Violeta, a saga that melds history and fiction. Set in an unnamed South American country, Violeta’s life story echoes Allende’s own story as Chilean exile. Reading Violeta’s story, one doesn’t know exactly what is fiction and what is taken from the pages of Allende’s personal history or Chile’s history. But that ambiguity only makes the story more intriguing; it draws the reader further into Violeta’s story and dares the reader to explore more of Allende’s and Chile’s histories. I enjoyed this book – its warmth, its heartaches, and its joys. I listened to the digital audio version and especially enjoyed the way narrator Yareli Arizmendi brought Violeta to life. I hope you will check out this engaging tale, in print or audio!

Three Words That Describe This Book: historical, passionate, heartbreaking

Give This a Try if You Like… Books or films that tell a person’s life history against a backdrop of history and national events, such as In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez or Bernhard Schlink’s Olga.

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2022-11-01T14:14:54-05:00October 27th, 2022|

#FDL: Book Giveaway for National Media Literacy Week

In honor of National Media Literacy Week, we are giving away a copy of Dr. Seema Yasmin’s book, What the Fact? Read more about this book below and tune in for an online interview of the author tomorrow at 7:00p.m.

Book Information:

“From acclaimed writer, journalist, and physician Dr. Seema Yasmin comes a much-needed, timely book about the importance of media literacy, fact-based reporting, and the ability to discern truth from lies.

What is a fact? What are reliable sources? What is news? What is fake news? How can anyone make sense of it anymore? Well, we have to. As conspiracy theories and online hoaxes increasingly become a part of our national discourse and “truth” itself is being questioned, it has never been more vital to build the discernment necessary to tell fact from fiction, and media literacy has never been more vital.

In this accessibly-written guide, Dr. Seema Yasmin, an award-winning journalist, scientist, medical professional, and professor, traces the spread of misinformation and disinformation through our fast-moving media landscape and teaches young readers the skills that will help them identify and counter poorly-sourced clickbait and misleading headlines.”

Program Information:

PBS Books, in collaboration with PBS Newshour Student Reporting Labs, is pleased to present a conversation with Emmy-winning journalist Seema Yasmin, author of What The Fact, in connection with The US and the Holocaust: A film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, and in celebration of National Media Literacy Week.

This free, online program will be at 7 p.m. this Tuesday, Oct. 25. Click here to access the live program.

During the program, Seema Yasmin will be interviewed by PBS Newshour Student Reporting Labs’ Isaac Harte, who is 10th-grade student at the Shipley School and a MediaWise Teen Fact-Checker. In addition, a PBS Newshour Student Reporting Labs story about misinformation and activism will be shared.

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win a copy of the book mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

#FDL is a weekly update on books and more at Fondulac District Library.

Susie Rivera2022-10-24T13:16:33-05:00October 24th, 2022|

#FDL: YA Gothic Novels Giveaway

YA Gothic Novels Giveaway

Creepy settings and frightful mysteries are perfect for this time of year. Read the descriptions below of these young adult new releases and put your name in to win copies of the books!

Never the Wind by Francesco Dimitri

1996 – Luca Saracino is thirteen and has been completely blind for eight months when his parents move to a Southern Italian farmhouse they dream of turning into a hotel. With his brother dropping out of university and the family reeling from Luca’s diagnosis, they are chasing dreams of rebirth and reinvention.

As Luca tells his story without sight – experiencing the world solely through hearing, smell, taste and touch – he meets the dauntless Ada Guadalupi, who takes him out to explore the rocky fields and empty beaches. But Luca and Ada find they can’t escape the grudges that have lasted between their families for generations, or the gossiping of the town. And Luca is preyed upon by the feral Wanderer, who walks the vineyards of his home.

As Luca’s family starts to crack at the seams, Luca and Ada have to navigate new lands and old rivalries to uncover the truths spoken as whispers on the wind.

The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter

Alone in the world, Asher Todd travels to the remote estate of Morwood Grange to become governess to three small children. Her sole possessions comprise a sea chest and a large carpet bag she hangs onto for dear life. She finds a fine old home, its inhabitants proud of their lineage and impeccable reputation, and a small village nearby. It seems an untroubled existence, yet there are portraits missing from the walls, locked rooms, and names excised from the family tree inscribed in the bible. In short order, the children adore her, she becomes indispensible to their father Luther in his laboratory, and her potions are able to restore the sight of granddame Leonora. Soon Asher fits in as if she’s always been there, but there are creatures that stalk the woods at night, spectres haunt the halls, and Asher is not as much a stranger to the Morwoods as it might at first appear.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

A house with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic.

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

-Annotations from the publishers

–Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win ARCs of the books mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

ARCs are “advanced reading copies.” These are free copies of a new books given by a publisher to librarians and other reviewers before the book is printed for mass distribution.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.

Susie Rivera2022-10-26T13:54:00-05:00October 21st, 2022|

FDL Reads: Peach Blossom Spring

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

Reviewed by: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant

Genre: Historical Fiction

Suggested Age: Adult

What is this book about? Peach Blossom Spring is the story of three generations of the Chinese Dao family who are in search of a permanent home from the late 1930s until 2005. Dao Xiaowen was married to Shui Meilin and they had a young son named Dao Renshu. Dao Xiaowen’s older brother, Longwei, was married to Xue Wenling, and they had two daughters, Liling and Lifen. Dao Xiaowen was killed in the war with the Japanese leaving Meilin to raise Renshu with the help of Longwei. As the Japanese raid their homeland during WWII, the Dao family must relocate. They scramble to seek shelter and to search for a new place to live. It is during one of these raids that Liling, Renshu’s favorite cousin, suffocates in a cave. Renshu, Meilin, and Wenling never recover from Liling’s death. After this tragedy, Longwei insists that the family move to Shanghai by way of steamer ship. Meilin agrees that she and Renshu will join the family on the ship, but she changes her mind and they do not board. Instead she guides Renshu up into the hills in search of her family’s compound. To her dismay, her childhood home has been destroyed by the Japanese, and she and Renshu decide to head for Shanghai in search of their family. Following WWII, the Chinese engage in a Civil War. The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. Fearing the Communists, Meilin and Renshu leave the mainland and head for Taiwan. Meilin makes her home in Taiwan, and Renshu leaves for the United States following his graduation from National Taiwan University. He receives a scholarship to study engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Though he is happy to be in the United States, he is fearful of socializing with Chinese immigrants and engaging in Chinese politics. He fears for the safety of his mother in Taiwan. Dao Renshu changes his name to Henry Dao and he marries an American girl named Rachel. He becomes a citizen, they move to Los Alamos, New Mexico where he works for Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, and they have a child named Lily. Though Lily wants to know her Chinese heritage, Henry is reluctant to share. He wants to protect her from what he fears can harm her, and he does not want to talk about his traumatic childhood. When his mom passes away, Lily and Henry go to Taiwan to lay her to rest. It is in Taiwan that Henry decides to share with Lily some of her Chinese heritage.

My review: The title of this novel is from an ancient Chinese fable that Meilin shares with Renshu. The fable is etched on a scroll that Meilin carries with her. The scroll pictures an old fisherman who happens upon a peach grove in full blossom. The fisherman enters the grove and discovers a village of paradise where all of the citizens are happy and they have everything they want and need. The fisherman is welcome to stay, but if he chooses to leave, he may never return. So the fisherman decides to stay. Throughout the story, Meilin shares a variety of fables with Renshu, Liling, and Lifen. These fables are a great addition to this novel. I also liked how the author included locations, dates, and maps in addition to the chapters. This is my favorite novel so far that I have read for FDL Reads. If this book sounds appealing, give this picture book a try: Peach Blossom Spring by Fergus M. Bordewich

Rating: 5/5

Three words that describe this book: historical, engaging, traumatic

Give this a try if you like… Pachinko by Lee Min-jin, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

If you are interested in viewing East Asian Scroll Paintings, visit https://scrolls.uchicago.edu/view-scroll/53

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2022-10-21T14:27:51-05:00October 21st, 2022|

#FDL: What We’ve Been Reading

FDL staff has been busy reading all kinds of things this fall. Check out our recommendations below!

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Kean

I just finished Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, as it was recommended to me by another librarian. This story of two families gripped me from the beginning and allows the reader a glimpse into their joys and struggles as the families tackle love and marriage, addiction and recovery, and illness and treatment. While that seems like it might be a recipe for a depressing downer of a book, perseverance and hope made me as the reader want to get to the end of the story. – Genna, Library Director

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

A warrior princess, Isolde, and her father, the king, are losing a war with the vampire nation. To end the war and avoid complete destruction, they must surrender to Vampire King Adrian in exchange for peace and protection. To seal the deal, Princess Isolde will have to forge an alliance by marrying the vampire king, thus becoming queen of the vampires. – Jeremy, Adult Services

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

This book is a sequel to Richardson’s earlier book, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Both books are true stories based on the program that began in the 1930’s of horseback delivery of library and literacy materials through the Appalachian mountains in southeastern Kentucky. Honey Lovett is the daughter whose story takes place in the 1950’s and details the struggles that women faced in all areas of their lives whether working in forestry, mining, literacy efforts or simply as wives. – Becky, Adult Services

Horus Rising: Book 1 of the Horus Heresy by Dan Abnett

I’ve played Warhammer 40,000 for 24 years and have recently decided to read some books that detail the history of the setting in more depth. The book was much better than I expected. – Nick, Circulation Manager

Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin

This novel is about an isolated community living amongst the clouds in a mountain valley. Idyllic, except for the ‘affliction’ that marks their community: the regular disappearance of young mothers. Atmospheric and culty, I love the framing and how the mystery is unfolding. – Beth, Communications

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Verity Crawford is an esteemed and respected author, most famous for her series of fictional novels written through the viewpoint of the villain. When she has a terrible and mysterious accident that leaves her unable to finish the last three installments of the series, her husband and publisher seek out Lowen Ashleigh to ghost write the remainder of the series. Lowen, unqualified and virtually unknown as an author, soon finds herself in Verity’s home office sifting through her personal notes and records when she comes across some very troubling documents. Was the death of not one, but two of Verity’s children the result of two separate freak accidents? Was Verity’s injury due to yet another freak accident, or was something more sinister at play? Are Verity’s injuries as severe as they seem? Why is Jeremy so adamant to have Lowen of all people finish the series his wife spent so many years carefully crafting? This thriller will keep you guessing all the way to the end and have you split between what to believe. – Katie, Circulation

Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua

I was drawn to this book by its title. I have always been fascinated with China’s Forbidden City, the fortified gilded palace of its past emperors. But the novel is not about the Forbidden City. Rather, it’s about Chairman Mao Zedong’s Communist Cultural Revolution and a sixteen year old girl who becomes his lover and a model revolutionary. – Deb, Circulation

Normal People by Sally Rooney

This is the coming-of-age story of Connell and Marianne, two students from a small Irish town. Despite differences in social standing and class, they are drawn to one another and begin a secret relationship while in high school. There are intense feelings and communication disasters, but Connell and Marianne continue to connect and reconnect during their college years, discovering a bond that is irresistible to ignore. – Susie, Adult Services

Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries by Greg Melville

Just in time for spooky season, this is an engaging book on what makes America’s cemeteries unique. From the first burying grounds at Jamestown, to the development of cemeteries as real estate investments, to modern “green” burial, there is a wealth of interesting information in this quick read. – Sylvia Shults, Circulation

Flash Fire by T.J. Klune

I read Flash Fire as an audiobook, and the narrator brought life to all of these lively characters, especially the teenage protagonist Nick. As a sequel to The Extraordinaries, it built on the story with new challenges to overcome and a couple twists, and the ending made me immediately put book three on hold. – Alice, Youth Services Manager

Books by author/illustrator Jon Klassen

These picture books have a great autumn vibe! I love the simplistic art style as well as the dry humor – these titles are great for kids and adults! – Chelsea, Youth Services

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Thrawn Ascendancy Series by Timothy Zahn

Right now I am reading the Thrawn Ascendancy series by Timothy Zahn. This series is the origin story of Grand Admiral Thrawn – first seen on screen in the Star Wars Rebels series. It follows him on his rise in the ranks of the Chiss Ascendancy and shows how he developed his unparalleled tactical skills that he uses for what he views as the greater good. – Rebecca, Business Manager

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2022-10-19T15:49:01-05:00October 15th, 2022|

Celebrate the Friends of FDL!

Join us in celebrating the Friends of Fondulac Library during National Friends of Libraries Week, October 16-22! The Friends of FDL provide crucial support to the library through advocacy, financial support, and volunteerism. Our Friends are an amazing group of volunteers who dedicate countless hours of their time to the library. The Friends of FDL maintain our ongoing Book Sale and host the annual BIG Book Sale, volunteer for events like Star Wars Day and the Big Rig Petting Zoo, sponsor our summer reading programs and babysitting classes, and more! We’re so grateful for all they do!

The best way to support the Friends is to join them (annual dues are only $5), but there are many others ways to support them throughout the year. Donations of gently used books are always needed to keep the book sale stocked. Visit the library on October 27 to sign holiday cards for members of the U.S. military and watch for them in the Veterans Day Parade on November 5. After the parade, they’ll pass out book sale coupons and give free books to veterans.

The Friends always bring some holiday cheer to the library with their Holiday Basket drawing in December – enter for the chance to win one of three amazing family baskets! And find wonderful treats, gifts, stocking stuffers, and handmade items at their annual Holiday Craft and Bake Sale on December 1-3. Proceeds from the sale support the library and its programs.

Beth Weimer2022-10-24T16:46:36-05:00October 14th, 2022|

FDL Reads: The Girl Who Takes and Eye for an Eye

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz

Reviewed by: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Age Group: Mature Teen, Adult

What is this book about? With this book Langercrantz continues the Millennium Series written by Stieg Larson which began with the well-known book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and other titles. As this new book begins, Lisbeth Salander, noted hacker and seeker of justice, is serving a prison sentence in Flodberga prison where a fellow prisoner Faria Kazi is being abused and mistreated by the leader of a prison gang. As a result of protecting Faria, the gang leader issues a death sentence for Salander which follows her even once she is released from prison. Lisbeth is also seeking to uncover secrets from her traumatic childhood with the help of her former guardian, Holgar Palmgren and the noted journalist, Mikael Blomkvist. Once she is released, both these story lines combine to make for an action filled and fast-moving tale with many twists and turns.

My review: I enjoy this series of books despite my difficulty with the Swedish names for characters and locations. The book lived up to my expectation that the story would be exciting and full of intrigue. I enjoy the complexity in plot that all the books in this series have. The story is fast-paced, taking place in only a week with flashbacks to the events which brought the characters to their current circumstances. Salandar traces her childhood experiences back to a project called Project 9, a nature verses nurture project conducted by the Registry for the Study of Genetics and Social Environment. This was a twin project which involved not only Lisbeth and her twin Camilla, but also involved a set of male twins, Leo Mannheimer and Dan Brody who factor heavily in the plot. While tracing information about Project 9, Salandar is also tracking down the killers of Jamal Chowdhury, the lover of Faria Kazi who Lisbeth protected while in prison. This fast- paced book is available for checkout in print at Fondulac District Library and electronically through Libby.

Give This a Try if You Liked: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest or The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Three words that describe this book: Exciting, Fast moving, Intriguing

Rating: 4.5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2022-12-02T14:02:25-06:00October 11th, 2022|

FDL Reads: Somersett

Somersett: Benjamin Franklin and the Masterminding of American Independence

By: Phillip Goodrich

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Genre: Nonfiction, History – American Revolution

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the book about? What do you envision when you think of Benjamin Franklin? An eccentric inventor? A sage, elder Founding Father? How about a cunning schemer who spent decades laying the groundwork for the success of the American Revolution? The latter is what author, Phillip Goodrich, contends in this fleshed-out, extensively-researched account. Benjamin Franklin wanted his beloved Pennsylvania out from under the thumb of the Penn family. He saw the only way to do that was to gain independence for ALL the colonies. Together with a secret cabal of other Englishmen, Benjamin Franklin plotted and planned, biding their time and watching for the British courts to make a critical ruling. What was the auspicious ruling they were waiting for? Somersett v. Stewart: a case where the British court freed a black man who had been born into slavery in the colonies.

My Review: I listened to the audiobook which has some dramatized conversations included in the narration that are not in the printed book. I enjoyed it very much. The author even says that you can start with the Interlude (which details Somersett v. Stewart) first if you want to read it separately from the Benjamin Franklin narrative. I did not do that, but I can see the appeal. I found the audiobook to be very detailed and comprehensive regarding Benjamin Franklin’s role in bringing about and supporting colonial independence. There are so many things that Goodrich lays out as directly occurring due to Benjamin Franklin, it’s easy to wonder if things could have gone the other way if he not had his hand in so many aspects of the conflict between the colonies and the Crown.

Side note: The print edition on our shelf has a slightly different title; Somersett: or Why and How Benjamin Franklin Orchestrated the American Revolution.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Illuminating, Revelatory, Wide-Reaching

Give This a Try if You Like…Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight, The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis, and Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2022-10-05T11:18:16-05:00October 5th, 2022|

#FDL: October Reads

Try a witchy read, a gothic mystery, or a cozy book for the month of October!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

The Lake House by Kate Morton

An abandoned house…
June 1933, and sixteen-year-old Alice Edevane is preparing for her family’s Midsummer Eve party at their country home, Loeanneth. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.
A missing child…
Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Detective Sadie Sparrow retreats to her beloved grandfather’s cottage in Cornwall. Once there, she stumbles upon an abandoned house, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.
An unsolved mystery…
Meanwhile, in her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family’s past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape…

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.

It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.

As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.

Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself — all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter’s story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.

As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida’s storytelling but remains suspicious of the author’s sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

-Annotations from publishers

-Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2022-10-05T16:35:00-05:00October 4th, 2022|

FDL Reads: Padawan

Padawan by Kiersten White

Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager

Genre: Fiction

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Obi-Wan Kenobi wants to be the best Padawan and best Jedi that he can be but he is constantly at odds with his Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan longs for adventure but Qui-Gonn believes in meditation and mastering the basics first. Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gonn to go on a mission to find a lost planet, but Qui-Gonn doesn’t show up for their departure time. Obi-Wan takes off on his own to find the missing planet. Once there he encounters a group of teenagers who seem to have some connection to the Force. Obi-Wan is conflicted between joining them in their daring adventures or further questioning what he sees around him on this strange planet.

My Review: I loved this dive into the background of my favorite Jedi! The Obi-Wan we know in the movies is a wise and powerful Jedi but he wasn’t always that way. This coming of age story shows his trials with connecting to the Force as well as connecting to himself. The confident Jedi Master was once a teenager with insecurities about where he belonged – something that I think everybody can relate to. And the setting of Lenahra, the lost planet provided mystery and another brilliant setting within the Star Wars Galaxy. A very fun adventure read.

Three Words that Describe this Book: Fast-paced, Entertaining, Adventurous

Give this a try if you like… Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2022-09-23T17:16:00-05:00September 25th, 2022|