Young Jenna’s Favorite PICTURE BOOKS
Library Director Jenna Dauer reminisces about five memorable books from her childhood. Giving Tree | Shel Silverstein Summary: A young […]
Sightseeing in Europe? Going on a road trip? Bring a friend.
The Elephant to Hollywood | Michael Caine Summary: There’s a generous helping of curses throughout this work so be wary
Stunning Picture Books
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi | Chris van Allsburg Summary: When the dog he is caring for runs away from
Dark Horses–Books that will surprise you
I am the Messenger | MarKus Zusak Summary: Meet Ed Kennedy – underage cabdriver, pathetic card player, and useless at
Beach Reads
A Princess of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs Summary: In the spring of 1866, John Carter, a former Confederate captain
Books that surprised me from the very beginning.
A Man Called Ove | Fredrik Backman Summary: Ove is a recently widowed grumpy old man who doesn’t feel the
Strength of Character
Cyrano |2021 Summary: This is a romantic historical musical version of the same classic story made completely attainable by Steve
Fantastical Adventures
The Disasters | M. K. England Summary: Like many science fiction stories, this one has the main character facing an
Reinventing the Past
Etiquette & Espionage | Gail Carriger Summary: Sophronia is 14, a member of the gentry, and “a cracking bother” as
Books I recommend if, like me, you enjoy reading about historical events, travel or epic novels.
Still Life | Sarah Winman Summary: Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young
Nonstandard female leads:
Ava (2020) Summary: I tend to like well-done spy and espionage movies, but can get bored with the heavy politics
Traditional female roles who rocked:
The Help (2011) Summary: Skeeter just graduated college and is hoping to find a worthy job as a journalist or
Kids, Parents, Teens
2022 Award Winners
2022 Illinois Bluestem Award Winners 2022 Monarch Award 2022 Rebecca Caudill Award Winners Check out our Google Sheets document (linked
Little Kids, Big Emotions
The Spy Kid franchise (2001) -or- Little Nikita (1988) Note/Summary: I wanted to review Little Nikita, the story of an
One of These Things is Not Like the Other
It Ends With Us | Colleen Hoover Summary: Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from
Adults, General Info, NEW items Added, Non-Fiction
A Few Interesting LinkedIn Learning Authors/Presenters
We added a few new databases this year, with one of them being LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning is an award-winning
Last Minute Book Gift Ideas, as suggested by Smithton PLD Staff Members
Scroll down for suggestions for the following ages. The links will jump you to that section of the blog post.
Jenna suggests…
Jenna shares her favorite reads from the last year (or so) [2021], including print and audio formats. These would make
Winning Anthologies
Old Venus | by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois (eds.) Summary: This collection of short stories visits Venus
Donna Recommends This Fictional story based on true facts of the early 1900’s.
The Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes Summary: It is a fictional story based on the true history of the