The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

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What does a youth worker, a retired farmer, a teenage computer hacker and a septuagenarian Miss Marple wannabe have in common? In The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson it is the St. Tredock Community Book Club.

Nova Davies, the youth worker, is an employee of the St. Tredock Community Center and the book club was her idea. She is disappointed in the low turnout but determined to make the club a success. Septuagenarian Phyllis Hudson is our Agatha Christie fan and loves to involve herself in every crime she can, much to the displeasure of the constabulary. Arthur Robinson, a retired dairy farmer, was not much of a reader until he became his wife’s eyes. Now he is Nova’s most enthusiastic participant. Teen-ager Ash tends to keep quiet but his sporadic observations make it clear he has read the book.

The selection for the evening’s meeting was Where the Crawdads Sing and discussion has already begun when another participant comes in, Michael. Michael appears to be miserable but does add to the discussion until his phone pings. After looking at the message he jumps up, knocking over his chair, and runs from the room. Michael hasn’t reappeared by the end of the meeting so Nova locks up and goes home.

Home is her fiancé parent’s house. She and Craig moved from London a few months ago and are having trouble finding their own place. Pamela, Craig’s mother, is delighted they are there and has completely taken over planning their wedding. Nora’s own mom is in Colombia but will be back for the wedding in just 9 days.

It is storming the next morning so Nova goes in expecting to spend the day mopping up from the center’s leaky roof. However, what she finds is her boss, her co-worker/friend and the police waiting for her. The money for the center’s roof repair, ten thousand pounds, is missing and Nova was the last one in the building. When they look at the security footage they see Michael running out of the building. Since the cameras are at the entrance they don’t know where he was in the building so he also becomes a suspect.

Without the money for the roof repair the cash-strapped village council is threatening to close the center so it is imperative they find the missing ten thousand pounds. Phyllis, who has eavesdropped on the conversation, is certain Michael is the culprit. Using Miss Marple’s cases as a guide she sets off with her trusty companion, bulldog Craddock, to find the thief.

Her first stop is Michael’s home where she sees a body being removed. His mother was found at the bottom of the stairs and the police think she was pushed. After a loud argument, Michael was seen running out of the house and Phyllis is now sure she is chasing not only a thief but a murderer.

To save Nova’s job and the community center, the whole book club becomes involved in catching the thief. But as the clues are uncovered, the club finds things are really not what they seem and life can take some unexpected turns.

This feel-good novel has a little humor and a lot of heart. Sampson creates characters with depth and this book is as much about the relationships and lives of the book club members as about the mystery of the stolen money. You will find this in the New Large Print collection at the library. Read-alikes are book related cozy mysteries, The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, and Charlaine Harris’ Sleep Like a Baby.

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Review by Patty Crane, Reference Librarian

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Klara is an Artificial Friend. She lives in a store with other AFs, waiting for a child to come in and choose her to be their companion. Every day the AFs are given a place in the store to stand as customers come in. The best part of the store is the area behind the big front window, where Klara is able to observe people passing by and feel the Sun.

AFs are solar powered, so the sun is important to all of them. But Klara sees the sun as a presence, with feelings and emotions like her.

She observes the Sun’s happiness when two people reconnect on the street in front of the store. She also sees the Sun’s special ability to heal when a homeless person and his dog are miraculously revived by the sun’s rays.

Not long after that experience, Klara is chosen by a girl named Josie. Josie and her mother have a house out in the countryside, but her mother commutes to work every day. Klara will be there to spend time with Josie and help keep her happy.

Like many children in her peer group, Josie has been “lifted” – genetically modified to improve her intelligence. Unfortunately, Josie suffered some side effects from this procedure and is frequently ill.

The illness is unpredictable, forcing Josie to stay in bed for weeks at a time. It is also very serious. Some children who exhibit these symptoms do not survive.

As Klara gets to know Josie and her world, she presents anecdotes largely without opinion. But she does possess deep insight into what people are feeling or thinking. When she lets these insights slip, it is a reminder to the reader not to underestimate her abilities – her intelligence may be artificial, but it is well-honed.

The focus of KLARA AND THE SUN is on interpersonal relationships between the people in Josie’s limited world. Klara is able to interact with each of them and develop her own relationships with them.

Readers only get a sense of the larger world: glimpses of persistent anti-robot sentiment and the ways that people’s lives have adjusted in this version of the future. Josie’s friend Rick is very smart, but he is not lifted. As Josie and Rick grow up, Klara observes how that affects what he can expect from his future.

Throughout the novel, Klara is looking back on her life. She is reminiscing about her own history. She lets the reader know that these events have all passed, but keeps the outcome to herself until the end.

Klara herself is a very interesting character. She uses unusual speech patterns when speaking to other characters, but her internal monologue flows very smoothly. Although she is not human, she feels real. The reader never questions the validity of her experience, even when confronted with the facts of her artificial nature.

 

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Book review by Alyssa Berry, Technical Services Librarian

The Word is Murder: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, 1) by Anthony Horowitz

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New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz takes a crack at writing a modern-day classic crime novel. In this series he casts himself as Dr. Watson to disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne’s Sherlock Holmes.  It is an intriguing premise that allows the author of the book to be one of the main characters.  At first I was not sure how I felt about it, but I ended up really liking it, and  I had no idea who the killer was until the big reveal at the end. 

Book one features a mystery that revolves around a woman who visits a London funeral parlor on a bright spring morning, to plan her own service, and then six hours later she is found strangled in her home. 

Daniel Hawthorne, former police detective turned consultant, is called in by the police to help solve the case; and while he’s sharp and intelligent, he is not very likeable. So when Hawthorne first asks celebrated novelist Anthony Horowitz to write a book about him and the case, Horowitz is not sure it is a winning idea. He is a bit hard up for material though, so decides to partner with Hawthorne and reserve judgement about how likely a book is until later. However, as the case unfolds, Horowitz gets sucked into the case and starts to see the potential in writing a book.  So much so that he finds himself trying to solve the murder himself because Hawthorne is very secretive and a mystery himself.

This mystery offering by Horowitz is intriguing and will keep most readers guessing up until the end. The characters are well drawn, with Hawthorne stealing the show. 

It is interesting that Horowitz is writing about himself, as a writer, and includes insight into his professional life. This includes what has worked well for him–his Alex Rider series–but also where he has had challenges.  He never takes himself too seriously and this behind the scenes style is unusual, but effective. I just finished the third book in this series and enjoyed the second and third, just as much as the first, maybe more because I already knew the characters and the story background so it took me less time to understand all the relationships.  

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

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POPCORN by Rob Harrell

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All seventh grader Andrew Yeager, the protagonist of Rob Harrell’s Popcorn, wants is to have a nice picture for Picture Day this year. The new seventh grader struggles with anxiety and OCD anyway, but he has a lot on his plate lately. His mom is starting a new job and is under a lot of stress. His grandma, who he calls G, has moved into their two-bedroom apartment and Andrew is stuck sleeping on the couch. G also has Alzheimer’s and his once funny and lively grandma sometimes doesn’t even recognize him. Andrew’s mom took on a higher paying job to pay for G to move into a nursing home. Money has been a struggle for them, so this job has to work out. With so much out of his control, Andrew just wants to be sure that he takes a nice photo. His mom even splurged on an expensive button-up shirt from Banana Republic.

You see where this is going. Andrew hoped for a normal day that would end in a good picture and a clean t-shirt. Instead, he ends up navigating a day that might as well be titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: the Middle School Years. Andrew is lucky to have his lifelong best friend Jonesy by his side, but he is worried that she is more interested in hanging out with her basketball teammates. His anxiety, which is depicted as an increasingly warmed popcorn kernel, only worsens as he worries about his G’s sudden disappearance, is bullied by Gene Phillips, and is inexplicably squirted in the face with ketchup, which triggers his germaphobia.

Harrell has made a name for himself with the Batpig series and Wink, which was nominated for Missouri’s Mark Twain Award. As he notes in the afterword, Popcorn was inspired by his own struggles with anxiety and OCD. The author marks the perfect balance between heavier topics and lighter moments. Harrell never chooses one over the other; as Andrew’s anxiety spirals into a panic attack, his art teacher is right there with him, co-regulating. Sometimes his anxiety makes him mean, but readers get to witness adults, and even a few of his peers, who step up and help him navigate difficult emotions. Andrew is also humorously perceptive about the people around him, though never in a way that feels cruel. These funny observations are reinforced through Harrell’s hand-drawn sketches, which appear on most pages. Sometimes they take the form of comics featuring his anxiety-ridden alter ego, Tense Kid. Other times, the drawings are small and act as a humorous commentary on the subject at hand. Andrew’s picture day may not go as he planned, and he may be struggling with mental health issues, but Popcorn does not feel especially heavy or too much for the average middle school reader. Through Andrew’s therapist, teachers, friends, and mom, readers will gain insight into coping skills and positive relationships. Not every reader will relate exactly to Andrew’s struggles, but every reader could use the reminder that, like Andrew, they will be okay.

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The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

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Sybil Delling is a Diviner. She and the other five Diviners she lives with in Aisling Cathedral in the kingdom of Traum are visited by Omens in their dreams, and the Omens tell them the future. Royalty and common people alike travel across the kingdom to visit the sacred Diviners and receive tellings of their future. To look upon a Diviner and receive a prophecy from one is a great privilege. The Diviners are all foundling girls (orphans) and have agreed to trade a decade of service in exchange for a home and the opportunity to be a great prophetess.

Sybil’s life at the cathedral doesn’t have much variety: she works on repairing the stone of the cathedral, interacts with the stone gargoyles that take care of the Diviners and the cathedral, and she spends time with her fellow Diviners, the closest thing she has ever known to family. Sybil’s routine is disturbed when a group of knights arrives at the castle, among them the newly crowned King.

Sybil is chosen to Divine for the new King and is quick to notice one knight in particular that so obviously does not buy what the Diviners are dishing out. He leaves during Sybil’s dream of the King’s future, something that is simply not done and labels him a heretic in Sybil’s opinion. From then on out the knight is a thorn in Sybil’s side.

Unfortunately for Sybil, she won’t be able to ignore the knight as she wishes, for her fellow Diviners begin to go missing, one each night. Sybil and her dwindling group of Diviners are panicked and understandably scared, their caretaker the Abbess seemingly unfazed. The Abbess sends gargoyles to find the missing Diviners, but for Sybil things are not happening quick enough and her protectiveness for her fellow Diviners has her turning to the one person she wanted nothing to do with: the knight. 

Sybil sets off on an adventure that will ultimately change the course of her life. She will not rest until she finds her Diviners. Sybil is very much a character that is driven by protecting those she loves. On her journey she is joined by the heretical knight, the King and one of his other knights, and her trusty gargoyle friend Bartholomew, who offers frequent comic relief and was admittedly my favorite character. With their help Sybil intends to figure out what is happening to her Diviners, and stop it at all costs. Along the way Sybil encounters fantastical creatures, Omens brought to life, magic, and her own true potential. 

If you are a reader that enjoys gothic fantasy with a sprinkle of romance, run, do not walk, to get this novel. Released in May of 2025 it has been a popular fantasy novel across various social media and reading platforms. Part of this is because of the fantastic plot and writing. Part is because this is not the first gothic fantasy novel by Rachel Gillig that has become a bestseller. Her previously released duology The Shepherd King was her debut and got me hooked on her writing. If she writes it, I’m reading it, and The Knight and the Moth did not disappoint. It is the first in The Stonewater Kingdom duology. The plot is unique and consuming. The atmosphere is moody and gothic. The romance is slow burn. The worldbuilding is rich and developed. The setting is dark and chilling. The main character is super cool and her love interest has the potential to be your next book boyfriend. I’m not sure what Rachel Gillig puts in these pages, but I’m sat and waiting for more.

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Review by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

The Fact Checker by Austin Kelley

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A quick glance at the cover of Austin Kelley’s novel, The Fact Checker, and you’ll recognize by font alone that the fact-checking taking place is at The New Yorker. The magazine in the novel is unnamed, but we get the gist. Plus, Kelley’s bio states that he was once a fact checker at—you got it—The New Yorker. The narrator, known to us as the Fact Checker, describes his life during a story he was assigned in 2004. An entertaining and sprightly read, it’s also a novel describing a world that manages to be both foundational to our current world and yet long gone at the same time.

Our fact checker is good at his job. We meet him as he describes investigating one story’s accuracy by quizzing (almost badgering) the widow of a fallen CIA officer. It’s all in service to the article, to its veracity. We also get the impression that he doesn’t mind name-dropping during casual conversation that he works for an esteemed New York magazine (even if he’s not authoring any of its stories). Still, he confesses that he’s “always drowning in a storm of information and doubt.” And he freely admits that he confuses his desires and disdains in both his personal and professional lives.

It’s pretty clear his girlfriend left him because she found his encyclopedic conversation corrections exhausting. It’s also evident he’s unsure of what to do about this pedantic trait of his. And it’s more than certain he doesn’t recognize that his internal moral outrage to boorish behavior he sees in others belies his own personal actions.

What provides him a singular purpose is a low-stakes story he’s assigned. A vendor at a city farmer’s market is selling a particular type of tomato that’s blowing everyone’s hair back. In the article, the Fact Checker is intrigued by a quote from a vendor employee, Sylvia, who says there’s also some “nefarious business” at the market. He finds Sylvia at the market and is completely beguiled by her. His opposite in almost every way, she takes him out one night to an underground supper club in the city. He learns a fair bit about her (she says she was raised in a cult). Yet, despite his repeated questions, he learns nothing about the supposed nefarious business.

Kelley captures the early aughts well. It’s a world where the George W. Bush administration had already presented their case for invading Iraq. To many, this presentation strained credulity as not only were there disagreements over what can be considered as fact, but also of what truths one can responsibly glean from said facts. Regardless, a presidential administration believing that they even need to justify its actions—to publicly persuade—seems like a bygone era.

We see the emerging urban hipsters, with some sporting a “jug band chic” look. The Fact Checker finds himself at a meeting of self-professed anarchists where there’s an unironic call to conduct a feasibility study of the group’s proposed actions. Food culture is taking off in New York City. One magazine writer, having just spent some time with a group of people who raise and harvest their own meat, decides to export the practice to his high-end NYC apartment.

In a tragi-comic scene, the Fact Checker stops by the author’s apartment and discovers that in the swanky bathroom there’s a lamb to be slaughtered. And kill it they do, the dead lamb ending up strung along the author’s back like a cape, which reminds our narrator of a skinny Hercules statue “with carefully coiffed hair and a dead sheep on his back, a lanky, stooped Hercules in a Picasso painter’s outfit in his blond Japanese soaking tub in his SoHo loft.”

Sylvia leaves the Fact Checker a cryptic note and promptly disappears. Hoping to find answers, he travels out to the communal New Jersey farm where she worked only to find that the commune’s inhabitants are just as clueless to her whereabouts. The Fact Checker is struggling to determine the facts and—without a doubt—the truth. The only thing he’s certain of is that the commune’s leader is “a lecherous hypocrite” who’s hiding something.

At the beginning of the novel, the Fact Checker chats with a woman he just met in a coffee shop, back when all “tentative and ambitious New Yorkers” had to meet each other through face-to-face conversation. Noticing that he’s nearsighted, she suggests he break periodically during the work day, look out a window, and then focus on the farthest object in view. He doesn’t believe this will benefit his eyesight, yet he does it at times. When helping with some farming work at the commune, he stops and looks out into the distance. “Someday it’s going to help, this staring into space, I thought, even if that help is nothing but a psychological balm, a sort of placebo effect on the problem of existence.”

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Review by Jason Sullivan

Every Deadly Suspicion by Janice Cantore

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Janice Cantore’s Every Deadly Suspicion is set in present day Dry Oaks, California but the story begins in December 1990 when Joe Keyes’s wife announces she’s pregnant.

Once he gets over the shock, Joe is elated but knows he has to make some changes. Joe’s current source of income is cooking meth. He finds a job but it won’t be full time until the spring. His plan is to make one more batch of meth but cut out his partners. With the money all his, the proceeds should last until his job starts.

But something goes wrong. By the time baby Hanna arrives, Joe had pled guilty to the murder of his partners, Sophia and Blake, and is sentenced to life in prison. Details on the case are sketchy but whatever happened the bodies of the victims were never found, another man was badly injured, and a DEA agent went missing.

In present day Dry Oaks Hanna, all grown up, is now sheriff. Growing up as the child of a murderer was not easy but she had Mandy and Jared and her church. That Mandy was her best friend was extraordinary as it was her parents Joe confessed to killing. Mandy’s home with her grandparents was Hanna’s second family.

Jared was her supporter, friend, and confidant. As they grew into young adults they came to love each other. But Jared wanted more than Dry Oaks and he broke her heart when he left town. Now Jared is back but Hanna has moved on and is dating Nathan, a deputy with the county sheriff’s department.

Things are quiet in Dry Oaks until one morning she hears the sputtering of an engine and watches as Scott Buckley’s plane crashes into a field. The plane is in pieces and Scott dead. The Buckley’s are a prominent family in the county and Hanna is not looking forward to delivering the bad news.

But the news gets worse when the autopsy reveals Scott died of cyanide poisoning. Hanna now has a murder to investigate and Scott’s family is elusive when she requests an interview, especially his brother Chad. Chad is the man who was injured in the incident with Hanna’s father. Always wild, Chad’s injuries have left him reclusive and angry.

Nathan has his own murder investigation going, he and his partner are investigating a possible serial killer. The killer contacts woman though dating websites and talks them into giving him money. When they finally meet in person, he murders them.

Almost overshadowing all this for Hanna is a visit from the Department of Corrections. Joe Keyes is dying. The prison is issuing him a compassionate release if Hanna will let him live his last days in her home. Her first thought is I don’t want a killer in my home but Mandy wants her to say yes. Maybe Joe will finally tell them where the bodies of her parents are buried.

Hanna is torn and with Nathan so busy with his case, Hanna turns to the one person she could always talk to, Jared. Jared has a way of clarifying things for her and arrangements are made for Joe’s release. But when Joe comes and Mandy asks her question, things become even more confusing.

Then a beloved member of the Dry Oaks community becomes the serial killer’s latest victim. Can Hanna, Nathan, and Jared figure things out before anyone else dies? What happened 30 years ago and is it tied to what is happening right now?

The genre for this title is Christian Romantic Suspense. Faith is definitely a theme and the romance is light. Suspense drives the story and the author uses her background as a police officer to good effect. If you like Lynette Eason, Elizabeth Goddard, DiAnn Mills or just want a good story, you should give this one a try.

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Review by Patty Crane, Reference Librarian

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

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In an effort to avoid being laid off from the video production company she works for, Katie Vaughn agrees to a month-long visit to Key West, Florida to shoot a recruiting video for the Coast Guard. The video will feature a rescue swimmer, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson. Katie has previously heard of Hutch because he took the internet by storm several years before, after he rescued Jennifer Aniston’s dog.  

The first problem with Katie taking this assignment, which she omits from her co-worker Cole, who gives her the assignment, is that she cannot swim. Plus, there is no way she is getting into a swimsuit or announcing her weight before boarding the Coast Guard helicopter, like the requirement lists.

Katie struggles with low self-esteem, especially as it relates to body image. During childhood her stepmother often placed her on a diet because she thought she was overweight, and several years ago, during her relationship with a boyfriend who had just become a famous musician, internet trolls said mean and hurtful things about her physical appearance. Years later, she still struggles to maintain a positive body image. So thinking about sporting a swimsuit, even as part of an assignment, or sharing her weight gives her major anxiety.   

But first things first, Katie arrives in Key West and is greeted by her landlord and Hutch’s Aunt Rue.  Rue is the most colorful person that Katie has ever met and it is thanks to Rue that she begins to step outside her comfort zone, at least a bit.

Katie soon meets Hutch at a swim class event hosted by Rue, but their first interaction does not go as smoothly as she would have hoped.  His giant Great Dane plows into her at top speed and she ends up getting about a million splitters in her backside from the wood floor. Since Hutch is trained in first aid, he ends up getting a firsthand look at Katie’s bum as he removes them. 

She neglects to tell him that she will be working with him, but once he finds out, he is not happy.  He had thought that her co-worker Cole would be making the video. Even though he is angry, the two are soon working closely together and Katie makes it her mission to make a great recruiting video that features him, and also to record him as part of her personal side project, A Day in the Life YouTube series.  

A wrench is thrown in Katie’s plan when two surprise visitors show up at Aunt Rue’s. She will has to decide whether to risk her closeness with Hutch or possibly lose her job.

Center’s romantic comedies offer so much in addition to a good love story.  They have relatable conflicts as part of each story and THE LOVER HATERS is no exception.  It deals with self-esteem, friendship, confidence, imperfections and healing in a funny and accessible way.

Also noteworthy is this book’s cast of characters are eclectic and add dimension to the story. Katie’s cousin and best friend, Beanie, is such a hype woman for her, and Beanie’s personality is confident and no-nonsense.  Rue gives Blanche Devereaux from “The Golden Girls” vibes, but less man-hungry; and her group of friends, affectionately called “The Gals” provide Katie a circle of women who help her through several tricky situations.

If readers are looking for a summer beach read, this one would be perfect for most! 

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

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Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

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It’s 1909 and Emily Wilde is a professor of dryadology at Cambridge University. A scholar that excels in her area of all things faerie, Emily is meticulous, devoted to her interests, logical, intelligent, and introverted, preferring the company of her dog Shadow, books, and the faerie folk she meets while pursuing her studies. People perplex her, and she finds social interactions very difficult. As part of her scholarly studies Emily has decided to create the world’s first Encyclopedia of Faeries, a source book for all things fair folk. 

Emily has been working on this project, traveling around the world to visit locations with different types of faeries. She frequently interacts with those she meets, although carefully and thoughtfully, as not every faerie is the same. What might entice one faerie to approach her could enrage another. This is one of the inspirations for Emily’s encyclopaedia, learning these things about faeries and recording them for other scholars and interested individuals. 

To her chagrin, Emily isn’t as isolated as she might prefer because of her office neighbor and friend Wendell Bambleby, although I highly doubt Emily would be pleased to label him as a friend. Wendell is Emily’s opposite: loud, lazy, dashing, energetic, and worse yet for Emily, very social. He is her scholarly rival and often reviews her papers for her, whether she wants him to or not, but something Emily cannot fault Wendell on is his deep knowledge of the folk. More so, Emily has a sneaking suspicion that Wendell himself might be fae, although she is yet to prove it. 

As part of her research for her encyclopaedia Emily sets off to the fictional village of Hrafnsvik. Its description is similar to rural Norway, and its people have what they call Hidden Ones, or faerie, living in their surrounding area. Emily arrives with bad luck after bad luck: her cabin is cold and dirty, she cannot chop the wood to warm it, sheep frequently find their way inside and destroy her belongings, and worst of all Emily unintentionally angers the village leader on her first day there. But silver lining: Emily immediately finds evidence of faerie, even befriending a brownie she names Poe. 

To her shock, her bad luck seemingly continues when Wendell unexpectedly shows up. It’s pretty clear to the reader that Wendell has a thing for Emily, and she for him, but Emily herself has no idea. Even though Emily is put out by Wendell’s appearance he arrives just in time, as citizens of Hrafnsvik are going missing and disturbing faerie things are afoot. Even though Emily attempts to observe simply from a research perspective her kind nature and knowledge of faerie culture pulls her into helping the villagers, Wendell at her side. Emily finds herself deeper and deeper in the faerie mystery at hand, Poe, Wendell, and the townsfolk contributing to save their village and ultimately Emily when she digs herself too deep into the mystery. 

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is a fun historical fantasy with captivating world building. It’s magical to read with great descriptions, settings, fantasy, and characters. Emily is a bit of a curmudgeon, independent, and a lovable character that I really enjoyed. The story feels magical, like many of its faerie characters, and the budding romance between Emily and Wendell is cute to read. This novel is the first in a trilogy, with the final novel released earlier this year. After reading the trilogy I will say the first was definitely my favorite, as the independent spirit I so admired in Emily seems to take a slight backseat to her romantic life in the following novels. Overall, I fell into this cozy novel and enjoyed wandering the faerie-filled pages with Emily.

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Review by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

Children’s Art Books for Summer Reading 2025

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Summer reading is well under way at Joplin Public Library. In the world of Youth Services, we have been reading lots of books, having a lot of fun, and making a lot of art. As you may recall, the theme of JPL’s 2025 summer reading program is “Color Our World.” In my last review, I shared Lian Cho’s picture book Oh, Olive! about a little girl who paints outside of the lines (literally and metaphorically).

We still have plenty of time left in summer break and it will likely only get hotter outside. For this month’s review, I want to share about a few art books that will entertain young readers and provide restless kids with some fun activities during the dog days of summer.

How To Be a Color Wizard: Forage and Experiment with Natural Color Making by Jason Logan combines art and nature activities for upper elementary and middle school-aged kids. The photographs are nature-based and aesthetically pleasing and the activities are fun and actually achievable for the target demographic. This book was published by mitKids Press, a publishing house affiliated with MIT that focuses on STEAM-based titles. Activities include making colors from natural materials such as berries and leaves, looking at colors in the world like a mantis shrimp, and making a paintbrush wand. Logan suffuses the book with magical language befitting a book a Hogwarts student might purchase from Flourish and Botts. I love that this book treats learning and experiment as serious work for kids, even when the actual experiment tasks the reader with pretending to be a shrimp.

The artwork and photos in the book are aesthetically pleasing, and the activities range from silly and easy for a preschooler to more challenging and appropriate for an upper elementary or middle school-aged reader (or even an adult reader). How to Be a Color Wizard is a beautiful, useful, and inspiring book to come back to over and over again.

Speaking of artistic inspiration, I first heard about the artist Alma Thomas through the picture book Ablaze With Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas. The 2022 biographical picture book was created by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art docent Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrator Loveis Wise. Ablaze with Color tells the story of African American artist Alma Thomas beginning with her childhood in Georgia. Growing up in the early 1900s, Thomas experienced significant racial injustice. The author does not delve into the specifics of those injustices, though she does acknowledge how it impacted Alma’s family and how they responded. Her parents surrounded Alma and her sisters with art and culture, fostering a love of art in their daughters. At fifteen, their family moved to Washington D.C. so the girls could go to school. Alma taught art to local African American children, who were not permitted to attend segregated classes. Throughout her life, Alma taught and fostered art in her community. At age seventy, she began creating her own art. Loveis Wise does Thomas’ art justice through the use of patterns and bright colors, honoring, but not imitating, Thomas’ circular designs made up of colorful dashes and stripes. The writing is poetic without being overly sentimental, and it captures Alma Thomas’ aspirations and ability to see color and make art of her surroundings. The book begins with a quote from President Barack Obama that he made during Black History Month in 2015. Michelle Obama selected Alma Thomas’ painting Resurrection to hang in the White House, making Thomas the first African American woman with that honor. Ablaze with Color would be a great read aloud for early elementary-aged students and would provide many craft opportunities. Thomas’s use of patterns and colors lends itself well to creating with collages, painting with Legos or Blocks, printmaking, coloring, mosaics, and stamping. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas is home to Alma Thomas’ Lunar Rendezvous–Circle of Flowers, which is well worth the drive. Happy reading and creating!