Find Your Voice! Summer Reading 2023
Our voices have power! This summer, we encourage readers of all ages to share stories, express yourselves, spark change, and get creative with FDL for the library’s 2023 Summer Reading Program: Find Your Voice! Join us June 1 through July 31 for a fantastic summer reading program offering fun and prizes for readers of all ages! Readers can register and track their progress online at fondulaclibrary.beanstack.org or on-the-go with the Beanstack app, or pick up a reading log from the library.
Engaging programs are planned throughout the summer focusing on a variety of creative activities, such as writing contests, a photography contest, comic book workshops, art projects, a musical instrument petting zoo, and more! We’ll also have family favorites like story times, movie nights, and crafts, as well as a lineup of exciting presenters to share magic, music, wildlife, science, and more! Find programs and register to attend through our online calendar.
Start Reading!
• Borrow books, audiobooks, and magazines from Fondulac District Library or download or stream eBooks and audiobooks from our digital collections.
• Whether it’s reading a graphic novel, listening to an audiobook, or reading an article, it counts! All reading must occur within the program dates.
Earn Badges
• Record your minutes in Beanstack.
• Earn 1 badge for every 50 minutes (PreK-2nd graders), 100 minutes (3rd-8th graders), or 150 minutes (high schoolers and adults).
• Earn one badge for completing an activity or attending any three Fondulac District Library programs.
• Earn 10 badges to complete the program. Kids can pick up badges at the Youth Services desk, and teens can pick up badges from the 2nd floor Information desk).
Win Prizes
• Participants receive prizes for reaching the halfway point by earning 5 badges AND for completing the program by earning 10 badges.
• Participants who complete the program will also be entered into a prize drawing!
• Halfway prizes can be picked up starting June 12, and completion prizes can be picked up starting June 26. Prizes are available while supplies last.
• The last day to pick up prizes is August 13.
Our 2023 Summer Reading programs and prizes are made possible thanks to our amazing community sponsors!
FDL Reads: King of Battle and Blood
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant
Genre: Fantasy
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? There are many great houses that rule the kingdoms of Cordova. Isolde is a warrior princess from House Lara, but the vampire king of Revekka has set out to conquer her kingdom and he’s powerful enough to do it. Upon House Lara’s night of surrender, Vampire King Adrian strikes a deal with Isolde and her father. The House of Lara can continue their way of life, unhindered, if Isolde becomes King Adrian’s wife and queen. Now, Isolde will have to marry a monster for the sake of her people’s security and become queen of the vampires.
My Review: This book is like pizza. It may not be the best in the world, but it’s still pretty good. Set in a fantasy world where witches, vampires, and zombie-like creatures lurk in the shadows, the reader follows Isolde de Lara on her journey into marriage, love, magic, and power. This is certainly a steamy book, full of wildly explicit scenes, but it also depicts some interesting political intrigue, magical elements, and outright sword battles. What I like about this novel is that Isolde, from the very start, is a warrior first and a royal second. When she enters King Adrian’s palace as queen, she’s more than willing to slay anyone trying to take advantage of her mortal weaknesses. With her finely-tuned combat skills and forceful demeanor, Isolde is extremely capable of ruling the vampires.
Three Words that Describe this Book: paranormal, fantasy, steamy
Give This A Try if You Like… Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake Series), Dead Witch Walking, Behind the Throne, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Rating: 4/5
#FDL: Big Library Read
Fondulac District Library provides access to a large collection of eBooks and audiobooks through the Libby app. Several times during the year, Overdrive hosts a Big Library Read, an online book club for readers around the world. Featured books are chosen by librarians and announced shortly before the Big Library Read begins. Our library is provided with unlimited copies of the eBook or audiobook, and our patrons can read without wait time through the Libby app from May 3-17 . A library card number and PIN are required to access the book. This spring, the Big Library Read has chosen Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho. Below is a little about the book from The Big Library Read’s website:
“Grace M. Cho grew up as the daughter of a white American merchant marine and the Korean bar hostess he met abroad. They were one of few immigrants in a xenophobic small town during the Cold War, where identity was politicized by everyday details—language, cultural references, memories, and food. When Grace was fifteen, her dynamic mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia, a condition that would continue and evolve for the rest of her life.
Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War is a hybrid text about a daughter’s search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia. In her mother’s final years, Grace learned to cook dishes from her parent’s childhood in order to invite the past into the present, and to hold space for her mother’s multiple voices at the table. And through careful listening over these shared meals, Grace discovered not only the things that broke the brilliant, complicated woman who raised her—but also the things that kept her alive.”
Check it out on the Libby app and join the Big Reads discussion at biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion/tastes-like-war/!
–Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
Board Accepting Applications for Upcoming Trustee Vacancy
Fondulac District Library’s Board of Trustees is looking for a civic-minded and motivated individual to serve as a Library Trustee and to participate in the continued growth of the library. Interested candidates must reside within the boundaries of Fondulac Public Library District and should have a strong interest in serving on an active board that represents the residents thereof.
Current Trustees will fill an upcoming vacancy by appointment. The appointed Trustee will serve under the appointment through May 2025, which is the remainder of the term. The seat then will be elected as a regular, full-term seat by ballot in the April 1, 2025, Consolidated General Election. A regular, full term of a Library Trustee is six years. More information about the library’s Board of Trustees, including membership, meetings, minutes, and more, can be found at https://fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/trustees. A description of the Trustee role follows on this page.
Individuals interested in appointment by the Board to the upcoming vacancy should submit the application information in writing to Genna Buhr, Library Director, 400 Richland Street, East Peoria, Illinois, 61611, or genna@fondulaclibrary.org.
Applications will be accepted until the seat is filled. All applications will be forwarded to the Board for review. The Board will initially review applications at their May 22 meeting. Please have applications submitted by May 18 for review at that meeting.
Please contact Genna Buhr, Library Director, at 309-699-3917 x1121 or genna@fondulaclibrary.org with questions.
Trustee Application Information
First and Last Name
Residential Street Address, City, State, Zip Code
Phone Number
Email Address
Please tell us something about your interest in public libraries, specifically Fondulac District Library.
What do you envision your role of the library trustee/board member to be?
Do you have any experience serving on boards, committees, or commissions? If so, please describe.
If you have had board experience in the past, what did you enjoy about it? What did you like the least?
What strengths can you bring to the Fondulac District Library Board of Trustees?
Based on your knowledge of libraries or your impressions of what might be challenging to libraries in the 21st century, what do you see as being possible issues of concern to libraries and librarians in changing times? Challenges and issues can be positive…not necessarily negative.
Based on your knowledge of Fondulac District Library and the population it serves, what specific challenges and opportunities do you see for the library, now and in the future?
Board of Trustees Member Description
Fondulac District Library is governed by a board of seven publicly-elected district residents. Trustees serve six-year terms without compensation and are members of the official policy-making body of the Library.
Library Trustee Responsibilities Include:
- Fulfill the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act requirements as defined by the Illinois Statutes.
- Financial oversight, including adopting a tax levy and annual budget that meets the financial needs of the Library.
- Hire a qualified Library Director and provide ongoing evaluation for the director.
- Adopt formal policies that govern the Library.
- Participate in strategic process to determine Library direction and priorities.
- Advocate for the Library in the community and with elected officials.
- Prepare for, regularly attend, and actively participate in board and committee meetings; review and comment on minutes and reports.
- File a Statement of Economic Interest as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.
- Know the community and its library needs; keep current on library matters, standards, and trends; and support staff and director in carrying out library services.
- Participate in the Library’s outreach and fundraising events as needed.
- Volunteer for and willingly accept assignments and complete them thoroughly and on time.
- Know local and state laws and library legislation in the Illinois and federal governments.
- Get to know other committee members and build a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus.
#FDL: Gear up for Gardening Season
If you’re feeling inspired by the change in seasons, check out these newer books about planting flowers, vegetables, and caring for house plants.
Veg Out: A Stress-Free Guide to Creating Your First Vegetable Garden by Heather Rodino
Gardening expert Heather Rodino teaches the basics of growing your own vegetables, such as how to choose the right plants for a climate and guarding the crop from hungry critters. Included are 30 profiles of beginner-friendly vegetables and herbs with detailed instructions on where to grow, when to harvest, as well as their sunlight, watering, and soil needs.
The Creative Vegetable Gardener by Kelly Smith Trimble
With The Creative Vegetable Gardener, lifestyle editor and master gardener Kelly Smith Trimble encourages readers to widen their focus, be playful, and imagine a vegetable garden that reflects their own unique aesthetic and offers a meditative sanctuary as well as a source of fresh, homegrown food.
Holistic Homesteading: A Guide to a Sustainable and Regenerative Lifestyle by Roxanne Ahern
Ahern’s book guides new and seasoned homesteaders in improving personal and environmental health. The Happy Holistic Homestead is geared toward people who are interested in pursuing intentional lifestyles and organic farming methods. It is both for those who have access to land and those who are interested in retrofitting urban and suburban lifestyles and landscapes to shift towards sustainability. Learn about permaculture design, holistic nutrition, and sustainable farming in rural and urban settings.
100 Plants to Feed the Birds: Turn Your Home Garden into a Healthy Bird Habitat by Laura Erickson
The growing group of bird enthusiasts who enjoy feeding and watching their feathered friends will learn how they can expand their activity and help address the pressing issue of habitat loss. Readers will learn about plants they can add to their gardens and cultivate, such as early-season pussy willow and late-season asters, as well as wild plants to refrain from weeding out, like jewelweed and goldenrod.
The Unkillables: 40 Resilient House Plants for New Plant Parents by Jo Lambell
In The Unkillables, Jo Lambell shares her houseplant knowledge so that even the biggest plant serial killers can have an abundant indoor garden.
-Annotations from the publishers
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
FDL Reads: The Door of No Return
The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander 
Reviewed by: Chelsea Bunton, Youth Services Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Middle School (6th-8th grade)
What is this book about? Kofi is a young boy living in the Asante kingdom of Africa around the year 1860. The story follows his daily life, learning the “Queen’s” English at school, swimming with his friends, and getting embarrassed in front of his crush, Ama. As with his other middle grade novels, Alexander uses verse-poetry to tell the story, interspersed with free-written chapter beginnings to set the tone of each section. The author states that he wanted to tell an African history story that started from the beginning, not the “middle,” which he considers to be slavery. The book accomplishes that as we follow a young boy living a rich culture before ultimately being captured. Kofi’s story is one of vibrant lifestyle, heartbreak, and the harrowing journey of a young boy who feels very real and easy to connect with.
My Review: “…until the lions tell their side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always celebrate the hunter…”
This book was a very compelling tale of the life lived BEFORE slavery. I agree with the author, that too often historical accounts focus on slavery when there is so much rich history that happened before. Especially in this case, where we get to see an individual’s life before captivity- it is humanizing, heartbreaking, and engrossing. I actually wasn’t sure if this was a story leading to slavery throughout much of the book- and I think that was the correct assumption as it is simply a vignette into a culture and a story of a boy coming of age. I enjoyed the writing style as well- books written in verse are a nice break from prose every once in a while. It is nice to move through the pages quickly, while still feeling like you are absorbing and perceiving the right things. This was a quick read that feels essential to a comprehensive understanding of lives lived before enslavement.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Poignant, Authentic, Passionate
Give This a Try if You Like… Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by: Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, Books written in verse (like The Crossover or The One and Only Ivan), Stella by Starlight by: Sharon M. Draper, It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime by: Trevor Noah
Rating: 5/5