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Sasquatch Winner Announced

Saturday, May 5, 2012 – 12:05 am

NERDS by Michael BuckleyEvery year the Sasquatch Award is given to a book chosen by Washington kids, grades 4 to 8.  This year's winner is NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley. You can probably tell from the title and the cover that this book, filled with spies, danger, and high-tech gadgets, will have you laughing through all of the adventures.  So far, there are three books in the series. After you read NERDS, check out M is for Mama's Boy, and The Cheerleaders of Doom (in that order). You can see the nominees for next year's Sasquatch Award here.

~Sumi, Downtown YS Librarian


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One Dog, One Boy, a Girl and Four More Dogs

Monday, April 23, 2012 – 5:28 pm

One Dog and His BoyI really enjoyed One Dog and his Boy by Eva Ibbotson. Hal is an only child. His parents are very wealthy and don’' have much time for Hal, so they give him lots of presents. But the only thing Hal wants is a dog. When his father forgets Hal's birthday, he rents Hal a dog for the weekend. Hal doesn’t know the dog is a rental and he and Fleck, a young terrier mix, love each other immediately. When they have to return Fleck on Monday, Hal is heartbroken. He decides to steal Fleck back and journey to his grandparents in Northumberland. Meanwhile, at the dog rental store, Pippa is caring for the dogs while her older sister is sick. Her four favorites have given up on ever finding homes. When Hal takes Fleck, Pippa lets the other four dogs loose to follow. Hal's parents think he has been kidnapped and offer a reward. Soon Hal, Pippa and the five dogs are on the run from a variety of greedy and unsavory characters. This was a very satisfying book, filled with action and humor. I recommend it to readers in grades 3-6 and dog lovers of all ages.

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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Saving Arm Pit

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 – 7:18 pm

saving_arm_pit.jpgIn the book Saving Arm Pit by Natalie Hyde, Harmony Point Ontario is falling apart. The town no longer has a mayor, just a seat on the Holmesville city council. Holmesville also has taken over the fire and police departments. Even the welcome sign has been spray painted so it no longer reads Harmony Point, just ARM PIT. All the sports teams from Harmony Point lose, but especially the kid's baseball team, the Terriers. Then Harmony Point gets a new postmaster, and the kids get a new coach. Things start to turn around for the team. Then they find out Canadian Postal may close their post office because there is not enough business. That means they will lose their best ever coach. So the kids start a letter writing campaign to get more and more letters back. Will it be enough? Will it be in time? I really enjoyed this fun page turner. I didn't even know they played baseball in Canada. And the US Postal Service is certainly closing many small town post offices. I recommend it to kids in grades three to six. Whether you like baseball or not, you will like this book.

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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Guinea PI (g that is) on the Case

Monday, February 20, 2012 – 7:46 pm

hamster_and_cheese.jpgI don't read a lot of graphic literature, but this one had me rolling on the floor. The Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye series by Colleen Venable is very funny. Hamster and Cheese is book one. Mr. Venezi, the pet shop owner, doesn't know much about animals. He has labeled the animals incorrectly and forgets to unlock the door to open the shop. Sasspants the guinea pig is labeled correctly but the G has fallen off. Mr. Venezi's daily lunch sandwich keeps disappearing and he is convinced it is the koalas (hamsters to you and me). If one more sandwich vanishes, its curtains for the koalas. Hamisher the hamster is convinced that Sasspants is a private detective and begs her to solve the mystery. The illustrations by Stephanie Yue are clever and endearing. There are lots of sight gags. The Camels (I mean chinchillas) actually keep a white mouse as a dress up doll. You will definitely want to read all the books in the series.

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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Pie in the Sky

Friday, January 20, 2012 – 7:01 pm

pie.jpgWhen I saw the new book Pie by Sarah Weeks come through, I thought, "I like pie, I like cats". And it turned out I liked this book. Alice's Aunt Polly is the Pie Queen. She put the town of Ipswitch on the map by winning thirteen Blueberries (the yearly national pie contest trophy). When Aunt Polly unexpectedly passes away, she leaves her secret pie crust recipe to her very large, very grumpy cat, Lardo. Polly leaves Lardo to Alice. No one can figure out how you leave a recipe to a cat. Is it tattooed on him? Does he have it memorized? Soon, the whole town is baking pies, and very bad pies at that, in an attempt to win the next Blueberry. Alice and her friend Charlie are convinced that someone is trying to catnap Lardo. The police don't believe them, and Alice's mother says Alice has an overactive imagination. It is up to Alice and Charlie to put the clues together and figure out what is really happening in this pie-crazy town. This is a very nice story about friends, family, and having the courage to do what you are good at. I recommend it to readers in grades four through six. And it includes some good pie recipes you can try with your mom.

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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Express Yourself!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 – 7:27 pm

kikicover.jpgWe got a new magazine last year! It's called Kiki Magazine: For girls with style and substance. It's got a little bit of everything: fashion, art, DIY projects, international city profiles, and tips for success in the real world. It's a fantastic magazine filled with interesting information and ways to expand your awareness of the world. Read through an issue and prepare to be inspired!

You can stop in at the Downtown, Hillyard, or Indian Trail libraries to take a look at the magazine or you can ask your librarian to have issues sent to your local library for you.  If you like it, let us know. Your feedback helps us figure out what people are interested in.


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A Curse of Shoes and Naps

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 – 1:56 am

princess_curse.jpgIf you love fairy tales (and who doesn't), I recommend the Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell. In Romania during the middle ages, thirteen year old Reveka, the herbalist's apprentice, would dearly love to buy her way into an abbey and have her own herb garden. But, as daughter of the castle gardener, she will never have enough money to do so. The Prince of Sylvania has twelve daughters who are suffering from a puzzling curse - each morning their slippers are worn through with holes and they are so tired that they nap all day. The Prince has promised that the man able to break the curse will get to marry the princess of his choice. If a woman can break the curse she will get a dowry of gold. Reveka's only chance at the future she wants is to solve the mystery of the curse. This story borrows from the tales the twelve dancing princesses and Beauty and the Beast to enchant you with a charming original.

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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Where Every Puppy Finds a Home

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 – 7:00 pm

buddy.jpgI really liked Buddy by Ellen Miles. This is one of the Puppy Place series for readers in 2nd grade on up. Lizzie and Charles Peterson really want a puppy. For now they and their parents foster dogs from Caring Paws, the animal shelter where Lizzie volunteers. The shelter is full and there is no room for new arrival Skipper. And Skipper has three puppies! Can Lizzie convince Mom and Dad to foster all four? If you are crazy about dogs, you are going to love this series!

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 – 11:58 pm

family_hitchcock.jpgI greatly enjoyed The Family Hitchcock by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. Maddy, a typical 7th grade girl, and her brother Benji, a nine year old boy genius, are relieved when Dad says money is tight and they may have to cancel their summer vacation trip. Those trips are always disasters and Mom and Dad are fighting enough already. Maddy plans to spend all her time at the pool getting to know ninth-grade lifeguard Noah Willis. Benji can't wait to go to music camp. Then Dad arranges a week-long house swap with a Parisian family, the Vadims. But once the Hitchcocks get to Paris, things seem oddly wrong. Shady characters start following them looking for a mysterious object. Suddenly they are fleeing villains over the Parisian rooftops caught up in a web of mistaken identity and industrial espionage. This is a fun, action filled romp with a family you will be rooting for.

~Susanne Miller, Youth Services Librarian, South Hill Library


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There's mystery and adventure on every floor!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 – 12:08 am

Floors by Patrick Carman

Walla Walla author Patrick Carman has a new book out! You might recognize his name from the Land of Elyon series and one of the 39 Clues books. The new book is called Floors and it looks like a fantastic adventure. Leo Fillmore lives at the Whippet Hotel because his dad is the hotel's maintenance man. That means that Leo knows the place about as well as anyone possibly could. It's an interesting place to be - each floor has its own strange design, the guests are odd, and there are lots of ducks. One day Leo comes across four mysterious boxes that show him there's more going on at the Whippet Hotel than even he knows about. Suddenly, he finds there are hidden floors and puzzles that must be solved. As he goes deeper and deeper into the mystery of the boxes, he finds that the future of the Whippet Hotel rests on his shoulders. If you are interested in mysteries and amazing places, give this one a try.

~Sumi, Downtown YS Librarian


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