Nature Photography Contest
Fondulac District Library is hosting a Nature Photography Contest for teens and adults aligned with our Summer Reading Theme, “Find Your Voice.” Showcase your artistic voice by submitting photographs from June 2-30. Entries will be displayed in the Adult Services Department for library patrons to vote for their favorite piece throughout the month of July. Winners will be announced during the first week of August. There will be prizes for first, second, and third place winners.
- All interested photographers should read the library’s policy regarding Art in the Library
- Entries must be framed or matted, with the appropriate hardware to be hung on a Walker display system
- The final piece, including frame or matte, should be no larger than 12”x18” (landscape or portrait layout).
- Please include name, phone number, and email address attached to the back of the piece.
- Limit of one entry per person.
- Original works only.
- Only photos with a nature theme (animals, plants, landscapes, etc.) will be accepted.
- Turn in the entry to a staff person at the 2nd floor Information Desk.
Please email Julie at julien@fondulaclibrary.org with any questions.
FDL Reads: Fantastic Planet
Fantastic Planet by Stephan Wul
Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is This Book About? Fantastic Planet was first published in French in 1957 under the title Oms en Serie. It wasn’t until 2010 that it was translated into English. The story takes place in the far distant future on the planet Ygam where giant blue, red eyed humanlike creatures known as Traags dominate tiny humans who they brought to their planet from Earth. The Traags consider themselves the master race and treat the Oms like animals. Some Traags place collars on their domesticated Oms and treat them as pets. Other Traags consider Oms to be filthy, wild, nefarious creatures who pose a threat to their superior way of life and desire to control their populations through extermination. The main character of the story is an Om named Terr. Terr was owned by a Traag named Tiwa. He was naturally intelligent, and like all Oms, grew quickly. He used Tiwa’s learning headsets to gain Traag knowledge, and he learned to read and talk. He eventually escaped captivity and met up with some wild Oms. These Oms lived in a park and they pillaged Traag factories and warehouses to survive. One day, Terr noticed a sign at the park entrance. It stated that the Traags were planning to conduct a mass extermination of the Oms. The wild Oms, lead by Terr, banded together to plan and execute a mass exodus to the Wild Continent where no Traags live. Terr stole Tiwa’s learning headset and shared it with the others. The Oms used their new technical knowledge and their plunder to build three sea faring ships that will take them to freedom, not without complications and tragedies, however. The Traags eventually catch up with them, but the Oms are now technologically advanced enough to defend their new home. In the end, the Traags and the Oms agree to a peace in which there is no master race.
My Review: There is an interesting reason why I chose this book to review. A few months ago, a young man drove from Grand Rapids, Michigan on a Sunday afternoon to borrow FDL’s copy of Fantastic Planet. He couldn’t check it out, so we let him read it that afternoon in the library. He was so grateful. Apparently, there are very few copies available in libraries across the country and it’s not easy to find an available copy to purchase. FDL is fortunate to own a copy. The young man’s enthusiasm peaked my interest so I decided to read it. It was a great read with a great message. When the Supreme Tragg shows concern at the end of the novel that the Traggs will now be at the mercy of the Oms, Terr says, “Not at all. If you look closely at article 10 of the treaty…you will see the significance for both our peoples. It allows for a partnership between our two civilizations. There will be no master race anymore, but two equal races working side by side and mutually benefitting from their progress.” Though the novel is fiction and takes place during the future, what an applicable and hopeful message for our time.
Three Words That Describe This Book: insightful, allegorical, thought provoking
Give This a Try if You Like: Definitely give this novel a try if you have seen the 1973 award-winning animated movie Fantastic Planet. The movie is based on the book. Also, if you like the films or the book Planet of the Apes by, Pierre Boulle, you may like Fantastic Planet.
Rating: 5/5
Summer Writing Contests at the Library
The library is hosting writing contests this summer to go along with our summer reading theme “Find Your Voice.” Read over the guidelines and submit starting June 1st.
Children
Age Groups:
5-7 (250 Words)
8-10 (500 Words)
11-14 (1000 Words)
Keep your creative juices flowing this summer by participating in our writing contest! The writing theme is “summer” and contest entries can embody this theme in any way the author chooses. Entries must be submitted via email to alice@fondulaclibrary.org. Winners will be chosen in each age group. Please make sure submissions meet the requirements for that age range. The deadline is 7-21-23.
Prizes will be awarded in each age group.
Submission Guidelines:
- In the email, please use “Find Your Voice Writing Contest” in the subject line.
- Attach submission as a document
- Include name, age, and phone number of participant
- Include a note indicating permission (or not) to share your writing.
- Only original writings will be accepted.
- Make sure to include the theme of “summer” in some way in your writing.
- Write “The End” at the completion of your entry.
- One entry per person.
Teens and Adults
Enter the library’s Flash Fiction Writing Contest for adults and teens! Our wonderful panel of judges will select two winning adult authors and two winning teen authors. All manuscripts must be 1000 words (or less) and a work of original fiction that uses the theme of “Find Your Voice,” which can be interpreted in any way the author chooses. All entries must be submitted to Jeremy at jeremy@fondulaclibrary.org by August 24, 2023. See below for specific guidelines.
Prizes (for each age category):
First Place: $50 Gift Card & Swag Bag
Second Place: Swag Bag
The four winning entrants will have their stories published on the library’s website and/or social media.
Submission Guidelines:
- In the email, please write in the subject area: “FIND YOUR VOICE WRITING CONTEST.”
- Attach your manuscript to the email in a .doc or .docx file.
- Manuscript should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
- Include your name and phone number in the message section, indicate teen or adult, and if you give permission to post your short story with your name (or if you want to be anonymous) if you win.
- Only original materials may be entered.
- Entries must be in good taste and refrain from profanity.
- On the last page of your story, below the ending write: “THE END”
- Limited to one entry per person.
- Winners must be able to pick up prizes at Fondulac District Library.
- Submission deadline is August 24, 2023.
Join the FDL Team!
The library is hiring! We’re seeking a full-time Communications Specialist to join our team and spread the word on all of the great things the library has to offer. Please visit fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information, including job descriptions and qualifications.
FDL Reads: The Fourth Wing
The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Reviewed by: Katie Grant, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Fantasy
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? After studying to become a scribe in Navarre for most of her life, twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail suddenly finds herself in an impossible situation on behalf of her mother, the commanding general of Navarre. Although she has a medical condition that causes her to have brittle bones, she must enter the riders’ quadrant and compete against the most elite candidates from all over the land to earn a chance to match with a dragon. At Basgiath War College anything goes, including sabotage, betrayal, and even murder. Only the toughest, and most cunning, will make it out of first year. Violet must find the strength within herself to survive.
My Review: This book was such a fun read, and a wild ride from start to finish! There is mystery, suspense, and a whole lot of romance! I’m not normally a big fan of fantasy but Rebecca Yarros has written some other great novels in the past so I gave it a shot. It fully exceeded all my expectations. Violet begins her journey at the Basgiath war college facing major disadvantages, having never trained for the rider’s quadrant like most other candidates. In order to survive, she has to rely on the what she’s learned from her many years studying for the scribe’s quadrant. Unfortunately, she soon learns that not everything that’s been recorded in the history books seems to be true. Just when it seems Violet’s situation couldn’t get any worse, she meets Xaden, the son of Navarre’s most infamous traitor. Tension and danger build when Violet realizes Xaden will be her wingleader, who is responsible for training her on how to survive her first year at Basgiath.
Three Words that Describe this Book: captivating, suspenseful, entertaining
Give This A Try if You Like… A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, and the Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckman and Susanne Valenti
Rating: 5/5
Secrets and Gossip-May Book Giveaway
Secrets and Gossip – May Giveaway
Want to know a secret? The juicier, the better! These novels explore secret worlds, haunting disappearances, celebrity gossip, and family intrigue. Want to find out more? Dive in!
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
Expected Publication Date: May 2, 2023
When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.
In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.
But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.
Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?
As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. An astonishing twist ultimately reveals the truth in this transporting and refreshingly original novel about the bond between sisters, the complications of conflicted love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.
Do Tell by Lindsay Lynch
Expected Publication Date: July 11, 2023
As character actress Edie O’Dare finishes the final year of her contract with FWM Studios, the clock is ticking for her to find a new gig after an undistinguished stint in the pictures. She’s long supplemented her income moonlighting for Hollywood’s reigning gossip columnist, providing her with the salacious details of every party and premiere. When an up-and-coming starlet hands her a letter alleging an assault from an A-list actor at a party with Edie and the rest of the industry’s biggest names in attendance, Edie helps get the story into print and sets off a chain of events that will alter the trajectories of everyone involved.
Now on a new side of the entertainment business, Edie’s second act career grants her more control on the page than she ever commanded in front of the camera. But Edie quickly learns that publishing the secrets of those former colleagues she considers friends has repercussions. And when she finds herself in the middle of the trial of the decade, Edie is forced to make an impossible choice with the potential to ruin more than one life.
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
Expected Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake–a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led–her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.
But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband’s infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor’s wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling’s problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she’s decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.
Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces–one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.
What We Kept to Ourselves by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Expected Publication Date: October 10, 2023
1999: The Kim family is struggling to move on with their lives after their mother, Sunny, vanished a year ago. Sixty-one-year-old John Kim feels more isolated from his grown children, Anastasia and Ronald, than ever before. But one evening, their fragile lives are further upended when John discovers the body of a dead stranger in the backyard. The tragedy seems random until it’s revealed that the dead man was carrying a letter to Sunny, sparking a desperate investigation into the stranger’s history and possible connections to Sunny—only to discover that someone has been watching them.
1977: Sunny is pregnant and has just moved to Los Angeles from Korea with her work-obsessed husband. America is not turning out the way she had dreamed it to be, and the loneliness and isolation is broken only by a fateful encounter at a bus stop. The unexpected connection spans the decades and echoes into the family’s lives in the present as they uncover devastating secrets that put not only everything they thought they knew about their mother at risk, but their very lives as well.
Both a riveting page-turner and moving family story, What We Kept to Ourselves masterfully explores the consequences of secrets between parents and children, husbands and wives, the search for home when all seems lost, and what it means to dream in America.
Annotations from the publishers
–Post by Melissa Friedlund, 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.
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