This is the story of Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet, and their journey to friendship. Erin Entrada Kelly’s 2018 Newbery Medal Winner has given a very important voice to diversity while at the same time disproving stereotypes. This character-driven novel reads like one of the fables, told by Virgil’s grandmother or Lola, interspersed throughout the […]
A. J. Jacobs has amused and informed us by living for a year following the tenets of the Bible, reading the Encyclopedia Britannica to become the smartest person in the world, becoming a human guinea pig, and attempting to become the healthiest person in the world. He now tackles genealogy and what is means to […]
Today’s featured titles come courtesy of the library’s High School Book Club. At their last meeting, these awesome folks opted to read books which had been made into movies. Their inspiration led me to a book which spawned a modern classic film then right to a book about the making of the film itself. Chances […]
Writing about social justice issues can be difficult when the audience is composed of middle school students because of the complexity inherent in such discussions. RENEE WATSON’s “PIECING ME TOGETHER” addresses issues of race and social justice deftly and accurately while maintaining authenticity of character. The main character, Jade, is a poor, black teenager who […]
The First Day of Spring is but two days away: Easter Lilies, jonquils, irises, and daffodils push up through soil; buds return to trees; avid gardeners start seeds; and the cat pounces Springtime prey. Indeed, Spring is upon us. As are the allergies, the thunderstorms, and the…bugs!!! I thought I would try to appreciate these […]
Before Betty Shabazz became an activist, educator, mother and wife to Malcolm X, she was Betty Dean, a young and ambitious girl growing up in Detroit. For the first seven years of her life, Betty lived in Georgia, where she was raised by her aunt, Fannie Mae. “BETTY BEFORE X” follows a young Betty as […]
Reviewed by Tammie Benham February is Black History Month. Introducing the accomplishments of some of our descendants to children when they are very young is a good way to honor these extraordinary Americans. I took a look at offerings from the Children’s Department at Joplin Public Library and chose some old and new favorites to […]
Jennifer Egan began the research for her latest book years ago. It was 2004 when she first learned of the significance of New York’s waterfront and the Brooklyn Naval Yard. The result of her years of research and interviews is a very compelling read titled Manhattan Beach. The novel is in a way three different […]
Of all the treasures in the Smithsonian, the exhibit that sticks with me the most is a pair of petite, scuffed, rundown, women’s loafers worn during the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. I found the shoes in a distant corner on the upper floor of the National Museum of American History, […]
When perusing the library’s new book offerings, Kate Moore’s The Radium Girls shone from the shelf. Particularly, the subtitle: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women. Intrigued and unfamiliar with these shining women and their dark story, I trusted Moore to shed light on the matter. She begins by introducing us to a list of […]
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