There's a Little Wheel A-Turning....

...somewhere in a Fauquier County Public Library branch. We're into the second week of early registration at our branches, and our prizes wheels are turning, thanks to our terrific readers!



I think I'm going to have to go back on my "I usually don't like verse novels, but..." mantra, because I think I've repeated that a bit too often on this blog! However, I'm very pleased to make an exception for Make Lemonade, the first title in the Make Lemonade trilogy. Fourteen year old LaVaughn accepts a babysitting job in order to save for college. She quickly becomes involved in the baby's mother, a high school dropout (much to the consternation of her mother). Make Lemonade is a deeply affecting look at teenage pregnancy and parenthood (without lionizing or demonizing the mother) that will definitely make you want to read the next two books in the series.



A Caldecott Celebration is a quick read, but it's an enjoyable look at 6 Caldecott-winning artists. It might be of more interest to librarians/teachers than most children, but it's a neat book.




17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore is a hilarious picture book about a rambunctious young girl. She's always getting into trouble, which accounts for her list of 17 things forbidden to her.



Finally, I Dreamed I Was a Ballerina is a beautiful picture book autobiography by Anna Pavlova, one of the greatest ballerinas of all time. Pavlova tells her of her first trip to the ballet, which inspired her to become a ballerina. Degas prints are ingeniously sprinkled throughout the story, lending a grand presence to this perfect biography for young ballerinas.

Summertime....And the Reading is Easy

Hello, readers!


I recently read The Middle Moffat. I'm working my way through the Newbery Medal and Honor books. Having read Ginger Pye some time ago, I was familiar with Eleanor Estes's charming books about small-town children. Just like in Ginger Pye, not much happens other than amusing incidents in the children's lives (featuring Jane, the Middle Moffat), but they are fun to read. Unlike Ginger Pye, there weren't many indicators that this was a book published in 1942 (other than a Civil War veteran that turns 100years old0; not even a mention of war. Jane is an adorable character and often finds herself in little troubles, which makes it a darling read.



If you've ever wanted to know more about mehndi, check out Mehndi: The Art of Henna Body Painting (Note: what a weird cover. Our cover is different.). Carine Fabius does a terrific job in explaining the significance behind the art of mehndi, and includes fabulous designs. Really worth a look.



I had never heard of Tressa Prisbey before I read Bottle Houses. Prisbey's startling bottle architecture is amazing! This would work well as a read aloud.




I'm planning a Jackson Pollock activity for Tween Scene, so Action Jackson immediately caught my eye while I was browsing the shelves. While centered around his unique painting technique, it does offer a brief biography and mention of his other work. It's rather long for a read aloud, though.

Have you signed up for our summer reading program yet? We have a lot of fun activities planned!

The Season

Yes, it is the season for summer reading program (registration starts today!). I'm talking about The Season by Sarah MacLean.

Admittedly, when I saw the cover, I immediately thought, "Luxe knock-off!" And indeed, it does have an enthusiastic blurb from Anna Godbersen. However, if The Luxe made you reach for your smelling salts, The Season should do quite nicely. It's not as....hmmm...racy (!) as The Luxe, for one thing. What it does have are a few breathless kissing scenes, your ubiquitous handsome rake, tons of dukes, earls, and duchesses, a heroine longing to break the bonds of society that strain her, a friendship that threatens to turn to love, and a murder mystery. The raciest things that happen are a few stolen kisses and some talk about a woman's reputation being "ruined" (basically, for being caught unchaperoned with a man, which means that the two must be married immediately! Oh, the drama!). You pretty much know what's going to happen and who is going to end up with who (although it is all very exciting).... meaning that this is a great fun summer read. Meg Cabot fans should love this. If you're looking for (or know a teen who's looking for) a romantic YA book that doesn't have the more "adult" themes of The Luxe or Gossip Girl or adult historical romances, read this one. Hopefully, Sarah MacLean (who wrote an adorable essay about her love of Jane Austen and the Regency period) will turn this into a series (the ending seemed pretty final, though), or at least write more YA fiction.