4 Books for Kids Who Need Braces
According to Stanford Children’s Health, most children who need braces first get them between the ages of 9 and 14, but everyone is different. Despite being a common life event, it’s surprisingly hard to find books about getting braces and pretty much impossible to find a children’s book about other orthodontic appliances, such as retainers and headgear. Most orthodontists or dentists will hand out pamphlets and provide information for patients, but it’s nice to have something a little more fun for your kid to read. Getting braces requires a big adjustment period, and reading stories about other people who wear them can help kids know that they are not alone and their situation can get better. Here are some options:
Wearing Braces by Harriet Brundle. This informational picture book can help younger kids understand what braces will do for their teeth or perhaps those of an older sibling. Recommended for ages 6-9.
Braces for Cori by Christine Florie is an easy reader that fits well with elementary age kids who are feeling insecure about getting braces. Recommended for ages 6-9.
How Do My Braces Work? by Steve Parker is a practical guide to help preteens learn basic facts about dental hygiene and braces. Recommended for ages 9-13.
Smile by Raina Telgemeier. This is by far the most popular book on the list and an awesome graphic novel in its own right. It’s another good choice for kids who are insecure about having braces or struggling to deal with changes in their appearance and friendships during puberty. Recommended for ages 9 & up.
– Cindy, Youth Services Assistant
2021 Summer Reading Program: Reading Colors Your World!
Join us for the library’s 2021 Summer Reading Program – Reading Colors Your World! – June 1 to July 31.
We encourage readers of all ages to explore humanity, nature, culture, and science. Be creative, try new things, explore art, and find beauty in diversity. Expand your world this summer and READ!
Kids, teens, and adults can earn badges for reading materials from FDL and for attending library events — and earn prizes! Fun online and outdoor programs are scheduled throughout the summer for all ages, including outdoor Family Movie Nights, weekly online story times, and programs for exploring creativity, diversity, nature, science, and more! Aside from all the fun, summer reading is especially important for students to prevent the “summer slide” so they don’t fall behind when they return to school in August. Readers can register and track their progress online at fondulaclibrary.beanstack.org or on-the-go with the Beanstack app! Follow FDL on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and summer surprises!
Sign Up
- Register through the Beanstack Tracker app, fondulaclibrary.beanstack.org, or at FDL.
Check Out
- Borrow books, audiobooks, and magazines from Fondulac District Library, or download or stream eBooks and audiobooks from Axis 360, hoopla, Overdrive, and Tumblebooks. Search the online catalog and our digital collections at fondulaclibrary.org.
- Whether it’s reading a graphic novel, listening to an audiobook, or reading an article, it counts! Materials must be borrowed and read within the program dates.
Earn Badges
- Record your minutes in Beanstack or on your reading log.
- Earn one badge for every 50 minutes (PreK – 2nd graders), 100 minutes (3rd – 8th graders), or 150 minutes (high schoolers and adults) of reading.
- Earn one badge for attending any three Fondulac District Library programs. Register online for programs at fondulaclibrary.evanced.info/signup/calendar.
- Earn 10 badges to complete the program.
- Kids can collect their badges from the Youth Services desk.
Win Prizes
- Participants receive prizes for earning 5 badges AND for completing the program by earning 10 badges.
- If using a reading log, participants must present it to a librarian to redeem badges.
- Participants who complete the program will also be entered into a prize drawing!
- Prizes are available while supplies last. The last day to pick up prizes is August 14.
SRP 2021 Brochure and Reading Log
FDL Reads: The Wife Upstairs
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Reviewed by: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant
Genre: Mystery
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this book about? Jane, a young woman in her 20’s, has recently relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, and is working as a dogwalker for the wealthy residents of a gated community known as Thornfield Estates. She also supplements her income by “finding” and pawning just a few valuable trinkets abandoned carelessly by the residents. One day while walking the dogs, she is nearly run down by one of the residents, recently widowed Eddie Rochester, as he pulls his car out of his driveway. Eddie’s wife, Bea, died tragically in a boating accident along with her best friend, Blanche, who also lived in the neighborhood. Jane and Eddie quickly begin a relationship and fall in love, but Bea’s influence and death looms large between the two who each have suspicious pasts. Their lives, the circumstances of the boating accident, and Jane’s efforts to be accepted by the residents of Thornfield Estates as one of them make this reimaging of the classic Jane Eyre an interesting tale.
My Review: I enjoyed this book and Hawkins’ way of slowly revealing key elements of each character’s past life. The story is told by the characters themselves, giving the reader different perspectives on some of the key events. Hawkins is a good storyteller and knows how to create suspense for her readers. This is her first adult novel, having previously written primarily for young adults. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a gothic story that will keep them guessing even at the very end.
Three words that describe this book: Intriguing, Gothic, Unresolved
Give this a try if you like: The Woman In the Window by A. J. Finn or books by B. A Paris.
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
We’re Hiring!
The library currently is hiring for three part-time positions: Circulation Assistant, Youth Services Assistant, and Reference Assistant. Please visit fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information, including job descriptions and qualifications.
Promoting Body Confidence Through Picture Books
From an incredibly young age, children start to recognize the expectations others have for the way they should look and act. I remember my then six-year-old sister asking me if she looked fat while playing dress-up, and I couldn’t believe how quickly she had learned to feel ashamed of the extra weight helping her grow. I also grew up hating my curly hair because of comments from well-meaning people. When I would straighten it, I would always hear, “It looks so good! You should wear it like that all the time.” But now it’s one of my favorite things about my appearance, and I attribute that to seeing so many beautiful women with curly hair in my own life and depicted on TV and other media.
It can be difficult as a caregiver to find child-friendly media that doesn’t feed into the harmful body image standards that are so common today, especially when raising children of color in a world that rewards white-centered beauty ideals. However, in the past 10 years we have seen a huge increase in the number of children’s books focused on body positivity and acceptance, which has allowed me to cultivate this short list of picture books as an accessible starting place. As always, feel free to reach out to us by phone or in person and we would be more than happy to help you find even more body confidence books for children of all ages.
- Sulwe written by Lupita Nyong’o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison
- It’s OK to be Different written by Sharon Purtill and illustrated by Sujata Saha
- I Love Me! written by LaRonda Gardner Middlemiss and illustrated by Beth Hughes
- Eyes That Kiss in the Corners written by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho
- I Am Jazz! written by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
- Her Body Can written by Katie Crenshaw & Ady Meschke and illustrated by Li Liu
- I Am Enough written by Grace Byers and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo
- I Am Every Good Thing written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James
- Under My Hijab written by Hena Khan and illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel
- When Aidan Became a Brother written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
– Haley, Youth Services Assistant
Aspiring Student Journalists
As an aspiring journalist, you’re probably craving some inspirational reads! Here are three great titles on our YA shelves. You can either check them out in person or reserve them through FDL’s online catalog.
Looking to do journalism professionally? We’ve included some articles, academic links, and scholarship info as well!
A NewsHound’s Guide to Student Journalism by Katina Paron and Javier Güelfi (Non-Fiction)
Covering the basics of journalistic values and practice, this graphic textbook offers cub reporters a primer on the drama, adventure and ethical conundrums that make journalism rewarding and fun. Using ripped-from-the-headlines examples, the authors challenge students to engage with the big issues. – annotation from the publisher
Sources Say by Lori Goldstein (Fiction – Elections/High School Newspaper)
The newsroom is Cat’s home away from home, and now, as a high school senior, she is finally editor-in-chief of the school paper. Not that anyone reads it: Her earnest exposé of an unhealthy student culture don’t sit well with many. Her sister, Angeline, is a popular social media influencer who has worked hard to make her YouTube channel, “Ask an Angel,” a success, even though Cat dismisses the work and focus that go into being a vlogger. The upcoming student council election sees Angeline and her ex-boyfriend, Leo, running for class president in a very public battle. While Angeline starts by making campaign promises based on popular demands, she comes to realize there are real problems that need to be addressed. Meanwhile, Cat’s reporting skills and journalistic ethics will face their greatest challenge against the competition of social media and the danger of fake news. – adapted from jacket
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Smith (Fiction – Photojournalism/Native American Heritage)
When Louise Wolfe’s boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. She’d rather spend her senior year with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, an ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper’s staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey. But ‘dating while Native’ can be difficult. In trying to protect her own heart, will Lou break Joey’s? – adapted from jacket
Articles
The Future of the News Industry, According to Student Journalists by Rainesford Stauffer (TeenVogue)
Student Journalists Are Fighting for Protection After Covering the Crises of 2020 by Raines Stauffer (TeenVogue)
How to Fact-Check Social Media Posts and Avoid Fake News Online by Cindy L. Otis (former CIA Analyst)
Five Reasons You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of “Fake News” by Cindy L. Otis (former CIA Analyst)
Journalism Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2021 (Reuters Institute) by Nic Newman (former BBC journalist)
How Young People Consume News and The Implications For Mainstream Media (2019) by Flamingo (commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford University)
Helpful Links
Code of Ethics – Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Journalism Guidelines during COVID-19 Pandemic (2020) (University of Massachusetts)
Ethics Guideline for Student Media
Visual Ethics Guideline for Student Media
**Reporting Safely and Ethically (SPJ)
**Guide to Legal Rights in the U.S. (SPJ)
**Your safety is more important than the story – please be extra cautious when covering public speeches, protests, social unrest, and/or other events that may escalate and become dangerous. If you wish to be present, please contact event organizers and law enforcement before attending the event. They will help you strategize a safe way to observe and report the event. NEVER PARTICIPATE – it’s against professional journalistic practice! Also, never let your purpose for being there be in doubt – meaning, you should wear large, visible media credentials that clearly mark you as a member of the press – and NEVER GO ALONE.
Organizations
Journalism Education Association*** (In addition to scholarships, JEA has middle school & high school award opportunities!)
Society of Professional Journalists*
National Student Press Organization*
* scholarship opportunities for members
*** scholarship opportunities without membership
– Katie Smith, Reference Specialist