For Adults - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

#FDL: Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2019

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 377 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2019. Of the 566 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books. Click on the titles to find them in our library system!

1. George by Alex Gino
Reasons: challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”

2. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased

3. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
Reasons: Challenged and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning

4. Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content; for discussing gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate”

5. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Reasons: Challenged and restricted for featuring a gay marriage and LGBTQIA+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint

6. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
Reasons: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content, for a transgender character, and for confronting a topic that is “sensitive, controversial, and politically charged”

7. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”

8. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: Challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and for concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”

9. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Reasons: Banned and forbidden from discussion for referring to magic and witchcraft, for containing actual curses and spells, and for characters that use “nefarious means” to attain goals

10. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson illustrated by Henry Cole
Reason: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content

*www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks

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

Susie Rivera2020-10-01T14:37:33-05:00October 1st, 2020|

Candidate Petitions Available

Two six-year Fondulac Public Library District Board of Trustee seats are up for election in the April 6, 2021, consolidated election. Terms are May 2021 through April 2027.

Petition packets, including instructions, will be available for pickup at the library Business Office starting September 29,2020, and can be filed with the library Business Office between December 14 and 21, 2020. If you come in the evening, on the weekend, or when the Business Office is closed, staff at the Checkout Desk will be able to assist you.

Petitions will be required to have 50 signatures of qualified voters residing in the district. More information regarding the election can be found in the State of Illinois Candidate’s Guide. Page 45 of the Candidate’s Guide relates to Public Library Districts and is available from the Illinois State Board of Elections. (Direct download from https://www.elections.il.gov/DocDisplay.aspx?Doc=/Downloads/ElectionOperations/PDF/2021CanGuide.pdf&MID=367.)

More information about the library’s Board of Trustees can be found at https://www.fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/trustees/.

genna2020-09-29T15:46:17-05:00September 29th, 2020|

Banned Book Week

September 27 – October 3 is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the value of free and open access to information. At FDL we believe in the power of words and that censorship is harmful, so join libraries, authors, publishers, journalists, and readers across the country to support your favorite banned books and add a few to your reading list! Learn more at bannedbooksweek.org.

Beth Weimer2020-09-25T17:38:55-05:00September 28th, 2020|

FDL Reads: One Day in December

One Day in December by Josie Silver

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, Library volunteer

Genre: Romance

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About?: Laurie is on a bus one wintry day, on her way home after a grueling week of work. She’s so tired that she can barely stay awake despite the crowd, the coughers, and the noisy holiday shoppers. At one bus stop, she peers out the window and notices a guy “perched on one of the fold-down seats in the bus shelter.” He’s engrossed in reading a book, oblivious to all the commotion around him. Laurie is intrigued by his sandy hair, “the coolness . . . of his attire,” and his book. As she wipes the steamed-up bus window to try to see what the man is reading, the man looks directly up at her. Suddenly, neither can look away. Laurie feels impelled to hop off the bus, and the guy is torn by the impulse to get on the bus. While both ponder whether they should follow the impulse, the bus pulls away. Laurie tells her roommate and best friend, Sarah, about “bus guy.” They spend a lot of time trying to find him, with no luck. A year later, Laurie meets Sarah’s new boyfriend and – surprise! – it’s the bus guy, Jack.

My Review: This book follows Sarah, Jack and Laurie through a decade of life’s ups and downs. The text, sweetly and evocatively written and read in both Laurie’s and Jack’s voices, reveals the characters’ love for each other, their friendship, integrity, happiness, and sadness. This makes it easy, as a reader, to sympathize with the characters and put yourself in both Laurie’s and Jack’s shoes: Does love at first sight exist? You think it might, and you feel happy until, devastatingly, you find it slipping away. Listen to or read the book to find out whether Laurie, Jack and Sarah find lasting happiness! Highly recommended!

Three Words That Describe This Book: sweet, poignant, romance

Give This a Try if You Like… The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo or books by Jasmine Guillory or Sophie Kinsella

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the Library?

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

Susie Rivera2020-09-24T14:02:09-05:00September 24th, 2020|

National Voter Registration Day

It’s National Voter Registration Day! Did you know 1 in 4 people are not registered to vote?? Help change that by registering yourself and reminding your friends and family to register as well! Even if you voted in 2018 or the 2020 primary, check your registration status to make sure your records are correct. Your registration will need to be updated if you’ve changed your name or address recently, too. Check your status through the State Board of Elections site. Then you can register online, by mail, at the library until Tuesday, October 6, or at the Tazewell County Clerk’s Office or East Peoria City Clerk’s Office.

To vote In Illinois:

You must be a United States Citizen.
You must be 17 years old on or before the date of the Primary Election and turn 18 on or before the date of the General or Consolidated Election.
You must live in your election precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
You must not be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of a conviction.
You may not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

Register In Person

Did you know that you can register to vote at the library? It only takes a few minutes, and all you need are two forms of identification. At least one form must include a current residence (i.e. driver’s license, check book, utility bill, a postmarked piece of mail, etc.). Ask about voter registration at the Circulation Desk, and a staff member will be glad to help you. The normal registration period ends 27 days prior to the election, so this service is available until Tuesday, October 6, 2020. You can also register at the East Peoria City Clerk’s Office and the Tazewell County Clerk’s Office, listed below. During the Grace Period for registration (end of the normal registration period until two days before the election), you may register at the Tazewell County Clerk’s Office.

Always check your status before registration deadlines and remember to update your registration if you’ve changed your name or moved to a new address: ova.elections.il.gov/RegistrationLookup.aspx.

East Peoria City Clerk’s Office
401 W Washington Street
East Peoria, IL 61611
309-698-4715

Tazewell County Clerk’s Office
11 S. 4th Street #203
Pekin, IL 61554
309-477-2267

Register Online through October 18

A super easy way to register! Visit ova.elections.il.gov/ to get started.

Register by Mail

Download the PDF and then mail the completed form to:

Tazewell County Clerk’s Office
11 S. 4th Street #203
Pekin, IL 61554

English PDF

Spanish PDF

Motor Voter/Automatic Voter Registration

The Motor Voter service (or Automatic Voter Registration) is a bipartisan initiative to establish electronic voter registration at multiple Illinois state agencies, including at Secretary of State Driver’s Services facilities. Currently, you can automatically register when you obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or ID card at the DMV. You will not be registered to vote if you obtain a regular license /ID or choose to “opt out.” The program is still being rolled out at other state agencies. Visit the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State site for more information.

Same Day Voter Registration

Illinois law allows any qualified resident of the state to go to register to vote and cast a ballot on election day. To register, you must bring two pieces of identification: one must have your current address, and the other should be another form of ID. For more info, contact the Tazewell County Clerk’s Office at 309-477-2267.

Visit our Voting Registration and Resources page for more information!

Beth Weimer2020-09-22T13:52:40-05:00September 22nd, 2020|

Read an eBook Day!

Today is Read An eBook Day! Real books will always be our first love, but eBooks enable you to take stories and books with you on your devices anytime, anywhere! Celebrate eBook access today by checking out an eBook from FDL and explore our amazing digital collection with thousands of titles. Contact the library for help getting started or to change your FDL card PIN.

Axis 360
Use your FDL card and the Axis 360 app to access the eRead Illinois eBook and audiobook collection for children and adults. Axis 360 is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, Kindle Fire/Fire HD, NOOK, and Kobo devices. Books can be downloaded or streamed and placed on hold. Patrons may have five items checked out at one time, and checked out titles will automatically return at the end of the two-week loan period.

Libby
The Libby app allows users to borrow eBooks and audio-books from the ADML collection on their devices with an FDL card. Libby is available for Android, iOS, Kindle, Windows 10, and some Chromebooks and web browsers. Books can be downloaded or streamed to devices. Libby is recommended for patrons who use one device to browse, download, and read or listen to digital books. If you have a device that’s not compatible with Libby, you can use the OverDrive app to borrow and enjoy the same digital titles instead.

OverDrive
The OverDrive app allows users to borrow eBooks and audio-books from the ADML collection on their devices with an FDL card. OverDrive is compatible with iOS, Windows, Chromebook, Android, Kindle, Kobo, and NOOK tablets. OverDrive is recommended for patrons who like to browse for titles on a computer and use multiple devices for reading digital books. OverDrive also provides accessibility options for visually impaired readers, as well as support for streaming video, options for a multilingual user experience, and settings to block mature content for children and teens.

hoopla digital media
Hoopla is a media streaming platform for eBooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, movies, music, and TV. FDL cardholders may check out up to six items each month and instantly stream content to iOS, Android, Windows, or Fire HDX devices with no holds or late fees. Movies and TV shows can be streamed to mobile devices or smart TVs via Chromecast, AppleTV, AndroidTV, FireTV, or Roku. Parents can also enable KidsMode to filter appropriate content for children. Borrowed titles can be read/played immediately after check out and will return automatically at the end of the lending period.

Tumblebooks
FDL offers Tumblebook collections for all ages. Tumblebooks are streaming collections of eBooks, audiobooks, and read-along picture books that can be accessed in the library or remotely with your FDL card. Books stream instantly with no apps, downloads, or holds needed.

Biblioboard
Biblioboard is a free eBook collection filled with classic literature, local authors, and other digital content. Visit library.biblioboard.com/welcome or download the free app to browse books, videos, or curated collections with no holds, late fees, or borrowing limits.

Beth Weimer2020-09-18T10:25:46-05:00September 18th, 2020|

#FDL: Libraries Transform Book Pick

**Check out Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma (above) on Libby/Overdrive today!**

The Libraries Transform Book Pick is a popular digital reading program through the ALA that connects readers nationwide by offering free access to the same eBook through public libraries.

Participating is easy! Do you have a library card? Great! If not, find out how to get one from our library here. Download our Libby or Overdrive app from your app store. Log in with your library card number and PIN to checkout the digital copy of Book of the Little Axe without wait time.

All public libraries in the U.S. currently participating in OverDrive are able to lend unlimited copies of the eBook to borrowers during the reading period September 14-28, 2020. Discuss Book of the Little Axe with on social media using the hashtag #LTBookPick.

Note: If you borrow an eBook copy on September 28, you will still receive the full lending time allotted.

Synopsis of the Book

Ambitious and masterfully wrought, Lauren Francis-Sharma’s Book of the Little Axe is an incredible journey, spanning decades and oceans from Trinidad to the American West during the tumultuous days of warring colonial powers and westward expansion.

In 1796 Trinidad, young Rosa Rendón quietly but purposefully rebels against the life others expect her to lead. Bright, competitive, and opinionated, Rosa sees no reason she should learn to cook and keep house, for it is obvious her talents lie in running the farm she, alone, views as her birthright. But when her homeland changes from Spanish to British rule, it becomes increasingly unclear whether its free black property owners — Rosa’s family among them — will be allowed to keep their assets, their land, and ultimately, their freedom.

By 1830, Rosa is living among the Crow Nation in Bighorn, Montana, with her children and her husband, Edward Rose, a Crow chief. Her son Victor is of the age where he must seek his vision and become a man. But his path forward is blocked by secrets Rosa has kept from him. So Rosa must take him to where his story began and, in turn, retrace her own roots, acknowledging along the way, the painful events that forced her from the middle of an ocean to the rugged terrain of a far-away land.

–http://www.ilovelibraries.org/libraries-transform-book-pick

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

Susie Rivera2020-09-21T10:01:32-05:00September 17th, 2020|

Spanish Language Collection Survey

If you check out Spanish-language children’s books from any library, we need your input! Please take this brief survey if you or your kids speak Spanish or you’re planning on teaching your kids Spanish. We’re working on improving our selection of Spanish picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and audiobooks at FDL, and we would love to hear from you about which books and other Spanish-language materials and services you’d like to see at the library. We appreciate your response!

Beth Weimer2020-09-28T10:02:02-05:00September 16th, 2020|

Latinx Heritage Month

Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide September 15 – October 15 as a way to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. One of the best ways to learn more about the rich diversity of the Latinx community by reading books by Latinx authors and about Latinx leaders, history, and culture. Explore our collection, try making some authentic recipes, or brush up on your Spanish skills with the Mango app or our growing collection of Spanish language titles. ¡Hay mucho que celebrar!

Fiction:

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis

The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel Jose Older

Drown by Junot Diaz

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vasquez

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

Nonfiction:

AOC by Lynda Lopez

An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

The Crusades of Cesar Chavez by Miriam Pawel

Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel Presilla

Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities by Guillermo Del Toro

A House of My Own by Sandra Cisneros

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A. by Danny Trejo

Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook by Enrique Olvera

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Beth Weimer2020-09-15T16:56:16-05:00September 15th, 2020|

FDL Reads: Foundryside

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

Reviewed By: Katie Smith, Reference Specialist

Genre: Fantasy

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Sancia Grado is a masterful thief, tasked with a high-stake mission – one that’ll push her magical abilities to their limit, in order to bust open an uncrackable safe – all to get her hands on a small box with undisclosed contents. Her patron also wishes to remain anonymous, but the reward seems worth it. At least, until Sancia opens the box and finds herself politically entangled with the powerful Merchant Houses …

In the world of Tevanne, the Merchant Houses jealously guard the knowledge of how to inscribe objects with “scrivings” – a magical language that can bend the laws of nature – which allows them to solely amass political influence and economic supremacy. Inside that small, unassuming box that Sancia carries is a well-guarded secret that will redefine the rules of magic, which is why the Merchant Houses will do anything to possess it. Once their lackies are unleashed – equipped with powerful magical weapons of their own – Sancia must go into hiding. But along the way, she’ll have to team up with some unconventional allies in order to survive!

My Review: This series is fantastic! Fans of Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch will appreciate the climatic worldbuilding that Robert J. Bennett skillfully employs. Plus, Foundryside is cleverly constructed, filled with quirky, memorable characters and plenty of cinematic flare. The stakes get incredibly high – and even at the end, there’s so much yet to be revealed! I would suggest this to anyone who enjoys reading epic fantasy in an urban setting, high-stake heists, and well-timed levity to balance out a dark, gritty story.

(Note: The beginning is a little slow – since it’s one long heist scene – but once I got past that section, I couldn’t put the book down!)

Three Words That Describe This Book: Heists, Teamwork, Suspense

Give This a Try if You Like … Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, and Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

Susie Rivera2020-09-12T10:18:37-05:00September 12th, 2020|