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“A Faraway Island,” written by Annika Thor and translated by Linda Schenck. 2010 Batchelder Award winner. A touching book. Two sisters, Stephie, 12, and Nellie, 7, are sent to Sweden as part of a children’s refugee program to escape the Nazi occupation and repression in Austria. Nellie adapts to her family quickly, embracing the language [...]
“Eidi,” written by Bodil Bredsdorff. 2010 Batchelder Honor Book. The sequel to “The Crow-Girl.” Those who haven’t read “The Crow-Girl” (or who haven’t read it in a while) may find the first chapter or two a bit hard to follow. Not a lot of background is covered in “Eidi.” But after that, the story finds [...]
Big Wolf and Little Wolf: The Leaf That Wouldn’t Fall, written by Nadine Brun-Cosme, illustrated by Olivier Tallec. 2010 Batchelder Honor Book. A very charming picture book with an excellent and surprisingly layered message about friendship. Little Wolf spies an especially sweet, green leaf high on a tree and immediately wants it. Big Wolf tells [...]
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, by Kevin Wilson. 2010 Alex Award. This is a collection of short stories, each seemingly in a mundane setting, but with an added twist. For example, my favorite, Grand Stand-In, you have scenes of people talking, and occasionally complaining about their jobs. Sounds normal — except their jobs [...]
New York Times Bestselling author Linda Castillo comes to Hudson Library, 96 Library St. in Hudson, on June 22 at 7 p.m. Castillo will be talking about her second mystery novel set in an idyllic little town in Ohio Amish country, Pray for Silence (St. Martin’s). Castillo’s previous novel, Sworn to Silence, introduced Police Chief Kate Burkholder, of Painters [...]
Neil Zurcher, longtime host of “One Tank Trips” on Cleveland’s TV8, will bring his new book, Tales of the Road to the Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St. in Hudson, June 19th from 2 to 3 p.m. In this new book of memoirs Neil Zurcher tells entertaining stories from three decades as Ohio’s most popular [...]
The Children’s Museum of Cleveland will once again sponsor Fancy Nancy Girl’s Night Out June 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. Highlights include crafts, food, and of course, reading Fancy Nancy. Families will work together to decorate flower pots and plant a flower, participate in a cooking demo, make lip gloss and feathery boas. Call [...]
Soulless, by Gail Carriger. 2010 Alex Award Winner. This was an amusing story. The book centers around Alexia Tarabotti, a fun heroine who has resigned herself to being a spinster. She’s an interesting contradiction: Alexia insists on being up to date in fashions, but also loves to flout conventionality when it suits her. She’s an [...]
Stitches: A Memoir, by David Small. 2010 Alex Award Winner. An incredible memoir, done in more than 300 pages of illustrations. Small, now an artist, illustrates his life, from a small boy through adulthood. His family life as he grows up pulls farther and farther apart at the seams, especially after he is diagnosed with [...]
Tallmadge resident Amanda Flower recently published “Maid of Murder.” In Maid of Murder, India Hayes, a college librarian and reluctant bridesmaid, is thrown into the role of amateur sleuth as she hunts down the person who murdered her childhood friend and framed her brother for the crime. When bride-to-be Olivia turns up dead in the Martin College [...]