FDL Reads: Super Pancake
Super Pancake by Megan Wagner Lloyd
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Superhero fantasy (graphic novel)
Suggested Age: Kids (Ages 7-12)
What is This Book About? Peggy Pancake’s parents think she’s completely irresponsible and unreliable. She can’t wake up with her alarm, misses the bus, gets detention, and is so late after school that her parents have to keep rescheduling their family pictures. At Career Day, the Bacon Bullies put a mysterious serum from Dr. Egglentine Egg in Peggy’s lunch that gives her superpowers! Unfortunately, this gets the attention of the evil Dr. Breakfast Sandwich and his henchtoasts.
My Review: Peggy is a character that is easy to sympathize with, from being constantly compared to her brother, getting in trouble at school, and wanting to make friends. The art in this book is really cute! I loved the syrup used to style Peggy’s hair. The world of Breakfast Town is delightful, from the waffle-shaped Winifred Waffle Elementary School to the Bacon Bullies that need to rhyme all of their sentences. I had a fun time reading this book and watching Peggy grow as a person, getting brave enough to stand up for herself and her new friend.
Three Words that Describe this Book: breakfast, self-confidence, friendship
Give This A Try if You Like… Captain Underpants and Dog Man by Dav Pilkey, Investigators by John Green, Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song
Rating: 4/5
World Nursery Rhyme Week!
Nursery Rhyme Week!
November 13-17 is World Nursery Rhyme Week! According to internationally-acclaimed literacy expert Mem Fox, “If children know 8 nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are 4 years old, they are usually among the best readers and spellers in their class by the time they are 8”.
Click to learn more about World Nursery Rhyme Week.
And check out some of the books from our library’s catalog, in print, or digital formats on Hoopla!
Detective Blue by Tedd Arnold
The Farmer in the Dell by Pam Adams
Five Little Ducks by Denise Fleming
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Zita Newcome
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush by Annie Kubler
Humpty Dumpty and Other Rhymes by Rosemary Wells
The Lucy Cousins Book of Nursey Rhymes by Lucy Cousins
Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand
Nursery Rhyme Comics by Chris Duffy
Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines
The Orchard Book of Nursery Rhymes by Zena Sutherland
‘Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis
Old Mother Hubbard and Her Wonderful Dog by Sarah Catherine Martin
Pete the Cat: Hickory Dickory Dock by James Dean
Playtime Rhymes for Little People by Clare Beaton
Rufus and Friends: Rhyme Time by Iza Trapani
Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney
Truckery Rhymes by John Scieszka
FDL Reads: A River Enchanted
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: The isle of Cadence is a Scottish-inspired land full of enchantment that is split between the East and West by feuding clans, the Tamerlaines, and the Breccans. Spirits of nature inhabit the realm where the locals use enchantments for protection. Jack Tamerlaine, a gifted bard, has been studying music on the mainland for several years when he is called back to Cadence to help solve a mystery of disappearing girls. He is met by his childhood nemesis, Adaira, heir to the lairdship of the isle. Jack and Adaira race against time to find the missing lasses but also find out much more than they bargained for about their own lineages and hearts in the process.
My Review: Expertly narrated by Ruth Urquhart, this novel is like warm hug! The writing style is descriptive and lyrical. I could not wait to start the next book in the series, The Fire Endless. This is a duology which is great for those who don’t want to start a long fantasy series. But, I enjoyed the characters so much that I wish Ross would write another novel in this world. At times I wanted the plot to would move forward a little faster, but other than that, I didn’t have any complaints.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Cozy, Magical, Enchanting!
Give This a Try if You Like… The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Rating: 4/5
FDL Reads: The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Reviewed by: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Recommended for Grades 9 – 12
What is this book about? This book takes place during the era of the American Civil War. The main character, Henry Fleming, or the “youth” as he is often called, is a teenage boy who leaves home and enlists in the Union Army because he wants to experience what he imagines to be the glory of war. The story begins with the fictional 304th New York Infantry Regiment waiting to engage in battle. When battle finally begins, the Confederates are repelled. Henry survives the scuffle only for his regiment to be attacked again. This time his fear gets the best of him and he flees, shamefully deserting his regiment. Henry runs off into a nearby forest and encounters a group of wounded soldiers. He bumps into a tattered soldier who has been shot twice and who proudly declares that his regiment did not flee from the fighting. The tattered soldier asks Henry where he has been hurt, and knowing that he is not hurt, Henry scurries away feeling embarrassed and ashamed by the soldier’s question. After encountering the wounded soldiers, Henry wishes that he too could earn a Red Badge of Courage, or a wound obtained bravely in battle. Moving on from the wounded soldiers, Henry finds his regiment. In the final battle, he experiences a rush of new found courage and proudly carries the Union flag after the color sergeant falls. As described by Crane, the “sickness of battle” transformed the “youth” from a boy into a man.
My Review: Stephen Crane was born after the Civil War, yet The Red Badge of Courage reads as if it was written by someone who was there. Crane obtained his facts about the war by spending time with Civil War Veterans and by reading articles published about the war in Century Magazine. Many Civil War scholars are impressed with Crane’s work, especially with his detailed descriptions of the battlefields, the military maneuvers, and the artillery and infantry engagements. Some historians even believe that the battle described in the book is based on the real Battle of Chancellorsville.
I chose to read The Red Badge of Courage because I recently took a vacation to visit Civil War museums and battlefields. I visited the Chancellorsville Visitor Center and that is where I saw a first edition copy of The Red Badge of Courage published in 1895. Placards highlighted the plot and setting of the book and encouraged visitors to read it, especially for a genuine Civil War experience. After taking tours and exploring museums and battlefields, The Red Badge of Courage brought to life all that I had seen and heard. I highly recommend reading it.
Three Words that Describe this Book: historical, traumatic, riveting
Give This a Try if You Like: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen; Jack Hinson’s One-Man War by Tom C. McKenney; Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
Rating: 5/5
#FDL: Popular Paranormal Fiction
It’s that spooky time of year! Check out this list of titles that have been popular in 2023! Click on a title to view it in our catalog and place a hold.
Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher
The Spite House by Johnney Compton
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Cursed at Dawn by Heather Graham
Shadow Dance by Christine Feehan
The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
Bad Luck Vampire: An Argeneau Novel by Lynsay Sands
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
Howl at the Moon: An Urban Fantasy Fairy Tale by Deborah Wilde
–Post by Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
FDL Reads: Sunflower Sisters
Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
Reviewed by: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant
What is This Book About?: Told from the perspective of three women during the U.S. Civil War and based heavily on fact and historical documents, Sunflower Sisters details the roles of women during the war from nurses to spies to slaves. Georgianna “Georgy” Woolsey takes a very active role in the war by training and serving as a field nurse in Maryland, the Capital in Washington and the Gettysburg battlefield. Georgy, her mother, and sisters all aid the Union war efforts in various ways as abolitionists. In contract, Anne-May Watson is a southern slave owner originally from New Orleans, but an inheritor of a tabaco plantation in Maryland. Through a cruel, abusive overseer, Anne-May mistreats those working on her farm and does all she can to keep the institution of slavery alive and well in the south. Jemma, a young slave girl, and her family are Anne-May’s property and their efforts to escape slavery and serve to end the institution comprise the third perspective of the story. Told chronologically through each of these women’s stories, a gripping, vivid tale of the Civil War years is revealed.
My Review: I loved this book! Kelly’s writing style of relating the events through the eyes of three different women from very diverse backgrounds gives a strong sense of accuracy to her accounts and draws the reader into the story that she tells. While some events related are not pleasant, Kelly’s strong characters and how they handle the events kept me engrossed in story. It is realistic because many of the characters and events portrayed actually existed as is revealed in the author’s note at the end of the novel. I have always enjoyed both fiction and non-fiction about the civil war, so highly recommend this book to the lovers of historical fiction!
Three Words that Describe this Book: Gripping, Powerful, Realistic
Give This A Try if You Like… Martha Kelly’s previous titles Lost Roses or Lilac Girls or if you just enjoy books about the tumultuous Civil War years in the United States.
Rating: 5/5