The following list can also be found at www.hclib.org [1] under “Books & Reading,” then “Find a Good Book.”
http://www.hclib.org/pub/books/FindABook.cfm
All titles are in the Hennepin County Library collection. To access the catalog, go to www.hclib.org [2] For more “good reads,” check the “Books & Reading” pages or “Ask a Librarian” on the Web site, or call or ask at your local library.
Children’s Fiction
* “Noah’s Mittens” by Duluth author Lise Lunge Larsen. Maryann Weidt, senior librarian at the Champlin Library, says this is “a new children’s title I dearly love. What could be more perfect for holiday gift giving than a book about mittens? According to this delightful tale, Noah--THE Noah, of Ark fame--actually came up with the first mittens, in a most unusual way.”
* “Winter Is the Warmest Season” by Minneapolis children’s author/illustrator Lauren Stringer. Suggested by Pat Palahniuk, senior librarian, Maple Grove Library. In a story with vibrant illustrations and minimal text, “a child describes pleasant ways to stay warm during the winter and will have you agreeing that winter is not a cold season at all.”
* “Whittington” by Alan Armstrong. Suggested by Southdale Library Youth Services librarian Laura Krentz: “When Bernie’s grandchildren, Abby and Ben, come to the barn one winter to help feed the animals, they meet Whittington, a talking cat, who tells the story of his famous ancestor, another Whittington’s cat, in this great family read-aloud tale.”
* “Gossamer” by Lois Lowry, also author of “The Giver” and “Number the Stars.” Katherine Debertin, librarian at the Minnetonka Library, says it’s “just one of the sweetest stories I have read this year…Dream-givers collect happy memories and use them to bestow sweet dreams to a lonely elderly woman and her troubled foster son, changing the course of their lives forever. This enchanting story reads like a dream, and readers will delight in its creative and comforting premise. Suggested for ages 9 and up.”
* “Antlers Forever!” by Frances Bloxam. Suggested by Heather Peterson, librarian at the Eden Prairie Library. “Orville, a young moose proud of his first set of antlers, looks for help when they start to come loose in spite of his efforts. Additional moose FAQ at the end of the book to help answer and questions that may come up.”
* “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. Suggested by Jody Wurl, librarian at the Maple Grove Library. “Percy Jackson gets kicked out of school (again), is sent to a ‘special’ summer camp for demi-gods, and goes on a quest to prevent a war between the Greek gods. First in a series.”
* “The Gingerbread Girl” by Lisa Campbell. Suggested by Holly Rakocy, Youth Services librarian at the Westonka Library. The Gingerbread Girl plans to escape her sibling’s fate and “be the mistress of her own fate!”
* “Ton” by Taro Miura. Suggested by Ali Turner, Youth Services senior librarian at the Eden Prairie Library. “Gorgeous picture book for the young child who thinks watching a construction site is good entertainment.”
* “Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding” by Lenore Look. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill, senior librarian, Collection Management Services. “Jenny has a busy few days preparing for her favorite uncle’s traditional Chinese wedding. Will Uncle Peter’s wife replace her as his center of the universe? Ages 4 to 8.”
* “Little Lost Bat” by Sandra Markle. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill. “Astonishing facts about Mexican free-tailed bats are revealed in this charming story of a newborn bat who is adopted by a female bat after its mother is killed. Ages 4 to 8.”
* “Ivy and Bean” by Annie Barrows. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill. “Seven-year-old Bean likes jumping in puddles and playing tricks on her family. When prissy Ivy moves in across the street, Bean ignores her until Ivy helps her get out of trouble. Ages 8 to 12.”
* “Clementine” by Sara Pennypacker. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill. “Junie B. Jones has met her match in Clementine, who is a spunky, funny third grader who has a penchant for getting into trouble while helping others out. Ages 8 to 12.”
* “The Case of the Missing Marquess” by Nancy Springer. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill. “Enola, the talented and perceptive younger sister of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, sets off for London to find her missing mother and on the way solves the case of the missing marquess using her powers of deduction. Ages 8 to 12.”
Children’s Non-fiction * “Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems” by Kristine O’Connell George. Suggested by Ed Anton, associate librarian, St. Anthony Library. “For 2 glorious months, a family gets an intimate peek at the daily activities of a mother hummingbird and her babies. Share the experience through this journal of poems filled with funny observations, fascinating hummingbird facts and beautiful illustrations by Barry Moser.”
* “Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini” by Sid Fleischman. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill, senior librarian, Collection Management Services. “This fascinating and heavily illustrated biography is chock full of interesting details of Houdini the man as well as Houdini the magician.”
* “To Dance: A Memoir” by Siena Cherson Siegel. “A ballerina’s graphic novel” Suggested by Wendy Woodfill. “The hard work and joy of studying to become a prima ballerina is described by Siegel, who lived this life until an injury halted her career.”
Teen Fiction
* “Avalon High” by Meg Cabot. Suggested by Stephanie Wyman, Youth Services librarian, Champlin Library. “When Ellie Harrison transfers to Avalon High, she discovers that the name is not the school’s only connection to Arthurian legend—modern reincarnations of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot are the three most popular students at school, Merlin teaches history, and Ellie herself may be the key to averting a repeat of the Arthurian tragedy.”
* “Alphabet of Dreams” by Susan Fletcher. Anne Johnson, librarian at the Penn Lake Library in Bloomington, says it has particular relevance to the upcoming holiday period. “Mitra and her brother Babak are exiled royals living on the streets as orphaned beggars. Babak possesses a strange gift of seeing someone’s future in his own dreams, and soon they find themselves on the road to Bethlehem in this biblical saga. It’s a wonderful retake on an old, old story, filled with redemption and grace, well-told and a pleasure to read.”
* “Blood Red Horse” by K.M. Grant. Suggested by Katherine Debertin, librarian at the Minnetonka Library. “Set during the Third Crusade, this is a story of war, love, sibling rivalry, honor, and a most memorable horse called Hosanna, who changes the lives of everyone she meets. Chapters alternate between the English home front and the battlegrounds of the Middle East, making this a compelling and unforgettable tale sure to satisfy horse lovers and war story buffs alike. Suggested for ages 12 and up.”
* “Dairy Queen” by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Suggested by Stella Ryker, librarian at the Maple Grove Library, and Wendy Woodfill, senior librarian, Collection Management Services. Ryker says the story features “a Midwestern girl with grit who tries out for the football team and learns about friendship, first love, and reliance.”
* “Hit the Road” by Caroline B. Cooney. Ryker says it is “the funniest book to be shared between grandmother/mother/daughter. It’s the grandmothers from the ‘Ya-Ya’ club meets the ‘Princess Diaries,’ for a slapstick cross-country kidnapping and chase with 16-year-old Brittney, her grandmother and her grandmother’s old college roommates.”
* “Hoot” by Carl Hiaasen. Suggested by Bernie Farrell, librarian at the Oxboro Library. “The audio book…is wonderful. Chad Lowe is the reader, and he does a fabulous job. Especially since the movie was kind of a dud, the audio book is such a delight.”
* “The Looking Glass Wars” by Frank Beddor. Suggested by Wendy Woodfill, senior librarian, Collection Management Services. “After her evil aunt takes over Wonderland, Alyss escapes to London and relates her fantastical story to an aspiring author with the name of Lewis Carroll.”
Adult Fiction
* “Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson. Suggested by Maureen Millea Smith, librarian at the Edina Library and a novelist (“When Charlotte Comes Home”). “Private detective Jackson Brodie gets drawn into three unsolved cases in Cambridge, England. Literate, moving, and great crime fiction, this novel was chosen by Stephen King as the best book of 2004 and it is deserving of this accolade.”
* “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith. Suggested by Sarah Garbis, librarian at the Eden Prairie Library. “The journal of 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain reveals her views on life with her impoverished and eccentric family in a ruined Suffolk castle, ending with the discovery that she is deeply in love. A modern classic.”
* “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer. Suggested by David Lane, librarian at the Southdale Library. “A powerful and intriguing story of 9-year-old Oskar Schell’s journey to come to grips with the loss of his father in 9/11. Winner of the National Jewish Book Award.”
* “The Historian: A Novel” by Elizabeth Kostova. Suggested by Susan Cooper, associate librarian at the Osseo Library. “Fans of historical fiction, Dracula, and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ will all be drawn to this fascinating debut novel. It begins in Amsterdam in 1972, when a young woman discovers an ancient book in her father’s study, within which is hidden a series of letters that begin, ‘My Dear and Unfortunate Successor ...’“
* “Anansi Boys” by Neil Gaman. Suggested by Jody Wurl, librarian at the Maple Grove Library. “The audiobook is particularly good and is read by the British actor/comedian Lenny Henry. When sly old Anansi dies, his befuddled son Fat Charlie discovers his family history is more complicated than he thought in this delightfully dark story.”
* “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. Suggested by Jane Stein, librarian at Excelsior Library. “A feisty 90-something man recovering from a broken hip relives his career as a vet with the circus.”
Adult Non-fiction
* “Minnesota Eats Out: An Illustrated History” by Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky. Suggested by Andrea Stelljes, librarian at the Maple Grove Library. “A fun look at Minnesota dining history. Food lovers and history buffs will delight in this unique collection of Minnesota memorabilia and favorite recipes from restaurants across the state.”
* “Barns of Minnesota” with photos by Doug Ohman and text by Will Weaver. Suggested by Champlin Library senior librarian Maryann Weidt. Weidt gave copies for holiday gifts last year and says she’d give it again. “Not only are the photos of the barns exquisite but the story by Will Weaver is top-notch. It’s a story about a barn and the significance of the barn to the early homesteaders. More than that, it’s a story of the people who work the land. Read the story first, then go back and study the pictures of the barns. It all fits together in one beautifully heart-wrenching package.”
* “Minnesota Byways” series by Doug Ohman. Suggested by Judith Bortscheller, associate librarian at the Edina Library, as a great gift for the armchair traveler and history lover. “Ohman has photographed barns, schoolhouses, churches and my personal favorite, ‘Courthouses of Minnesota.’ Well-known author Mary Logue provides the narrative for these beautiful books and includes information on not only the buildings and statuary but also trials, lynchings and ghost sightings.”
* “Beauty,” an audio CD read by Irish author John O’Donohue, is beautiful and inspiring, according to Amy Parenteau, librarian at St. Bonifacius Library. “The book is written and read in sections or lecture format…When we awaken to the call of beauty, we become aware of new ways of being in the world. The beautiful unites your feelings, your thoughts, and your dreams, it brings together all the different dimensions of your life.”