Last Page! The Desperate Adventures of Zeno & Alya

The Desperate Adventures of Zeno & Alya

by Jane Kelley

I fell in love with Zeno, the African grey parrot featured on the cover of this wonder filled book.  

Speaking his 127 words as he awaits his next Banana Nut Muffin, this resilient Brooklyn bird will soon face a most troubling time when his trainer, Dr. Agard, turns up dead! D-E-A-D! (yes, another dead body book)

Meanwhile on the other side of Brooklyn, Alya, a young girl with cancer, faces her own desperate fight for survival. (Look close and you will see her up there in that window)

Will these two find each other?

Will Alya fight for a future free of cancer?

How will Zeno survive in the big wide world?

Will he ever enjoy another banana nut muffin? 

Will lives be saved? Will friendships be formed?

Check out this title today!

Last Page! The REAL BOY by Anne Ursu

The Real Boy

by Anne Ursu

Let me know when you are holding this book in your hands, so that I can tell you that you are holding a gem. A magical, captivating gem of a book. 

I savored every word of Anne Ursu's fantastical adventure of Oscar, the magician's hand.  You see, I like these kinds of fantasy books - the narrative of a single boy, reminiscent of JINX by Sage Blackwood, Goblin Secrets by William Alexander, 

and The Brixen Witch by Stacey DeKeyser.

This gem holds magic, mystery, friendship, a lot of cats (which I happen to like) and a rich, textured landscape worth exploring.  

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Don't miss it.  

Here's a great Read Aloud - Electrical Wizard How Nikola Tesla Lit Upthe World

Electrical Wizard How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World

by Elizabeth Rusch

Do you have a science kid in your house? A kid who is fascinated by how things work? 

A kid who watches Modern Marvels and MythBusters?  

Well, I do.  And what I loved about this great book by Elizabeth Rusch, is how she tells the story of Nikola Tesla with such passion and such zest, that it begged to be read again and again.  

And not only did we learn about alternating currents, Thomas Edison, and the awesome raw power of Niagara Falls, but we read how one boy's curiosity over something as simple as a spark of static on his cat's back - would one day change the world.  

Experience the electrical genius of Nikola Tesla.  

p.s. if you really have a science kid in your house take a trip here:

The Vintage Radio and Communication Museum of Connecticut, I-91 exit 37

Explore the wonderful collections of all things tech and electric!! It's low-key wonderful. 

The Last Page ! - All My Noble Dreams and then what happens

Small Acts of Amazing Courage

by Gloria Whelan

What I loved about this book was that I learned something.  

Not really knowing much about Imperial India in the 1920's, I relished the story of Rosalind, a British teenager growing up in India.  

Her father is a major in the British Indian Army. 

Rosalind begins to question the India she sees: poverty, injustice, British rule.

Then, she hears about a man named Gandhi and her 2 worlds collide.

You will find this title in the Middle Reader Section.  

And please do not miss the sequel:

All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens

by Gloria Whelan

Did You Find all the Flags?

Hey did you know that 

the Avon Library Children's room

is still celebrating its

Olympiad flag hunt?

How many did you find?

Tell us about it....

Here's a Great Read Aloud ~ "Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library"

Thomas Jefferson Builds A Library

 by Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by John O'Brien

One cold winter's evening, I sat huddled with my two children ( a 6th grader and a 2nd grader ) and read Barb Rosenstock's wonderful story about Thomas Jefferson and his obsession with books.  A delicious telling of how he built his own library, and then the nation's library and how those few hundreds of books became the Library of Congress.  

Gorgeous illustrations and humor and informative captions kept everyone turning the page and marveling at the thousands and thousands of books our 3rd president read.  

That Thomas Jefferson sure was one smart guy.