It seems like every year at this time, I assert once again that winter is the best time for slightly creepy stories — it’s cold outside, and we all like to huddle by the fire (or the radiator), feeling cozy and protected. A spooky mystery can add to that feeling of coziness — weird things are happening out THERE, but in HERE I’m nice and warm.
Greenglass House takes place right before a freezing cold, snowy Christmas. Milo is happy to have his loving innkeeper parents to himself for once, and planning to laze about over the school break. Unexpectedly, and at a time of year when this NEVER happens, the inn fills up with guests. And not just any guests: shifty guests. Shady guests. Guests who seem to be hiding something (or who are just plain unpleasant). It’s an open secret that Milo’s parents’ inn is friendly to smugglers, but do the guests know that? Is that why they’re there at such an odd time? Can anyone be trusted? And that’s before the mysterious thefts start, or the electricity fails due to sabotage Not to mention the ice storm! Milo’s parents and the cook are run off their feet, and Milo is either ignored or needed to help out. So much for Christmas!
Luckily for Milo, the cook’s younger daughter, Meddy, hitched a ride with her mom, so he has someone to talk to. She introduces him to the role-playing game Odd Trails, one that his father used to play when he was Milo’s age. Milo’s game character is braver (and tricksier!) than Milo himself, and their games are a great cover for an investigation into the thefts and sabotage. Do the guests have anything to do with the most famous historical owner of the house? What do they really want? And what significance is there in the guest that arrives on Christmas Eve itself?
Greenglass House is one of the best books I’ve read all year—it was enthralling, amusing, and emotionally affecting, with stellar, atmospheric prose. I’ve been able to recommend it to both adults and children, and everyone who has read it has loved it. If you love Greenglass House as much as I did, check out any of Kate Milford’s other books. None of them are as cold and wintery, but we have them all here at the library, and they’re all truly wonderful.
Posted by: Sarah
In the 2005 book Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth, Stillwater the giant panda moves next door to siblings Abby, Michael, and Karl. Stillwater becomes their friend – he plays with them, talks with them, lets them climb on him, and tells them stories that relate to their lives. The stories Stillwater tells are simple stories rooted in the Zen Buddhist tradition. In the book Zen Ghosts, it is Halloween, and Stillwater is helping the children decide what costumes to wear. He invites the children to meet him for a ghost story after they go trick-or-treating, and the story he tells is eerie and mysterious, yet gentle (and not exactly scary). Afterward, there is swapping of candy and quiet enjoyment of the moonlit Halloween night. 
As the daughter of a Jamaican father and a Mexican mother growing up in the middle of Iowa, Jewel’s life was never going to be the easiest. However, the fact that Jewel was born on the same day that her brother, Bird, died didn’t really help. Jewel’s grandfather stopped speaking after the tragedy and the rest of the family never fully recovered. Silence and avoidance permeate Jewel’s household as she constantly struggles to step out of her brother’s shadow. Then, one night in her favorite climbing tree Jewel meets a strange boy named John (Bird’s real name), and very quickly things begin to change. Is John a “duppy” – a Jamaican spirit the likes of which Jewel’s father and grandfather blame for the death of Bird? Or is he just a boy trying to find his own place in the world. Regardless of whether his appearance is merely coincidental or the work of stronger forces, John’s presence in the lives of Jewel and her family might be just the thing this family needs to break free of the pain of loss and silence. 
In the Children’s area we have a special section of picture books called K-3rd. This section contains books that would be great read alouds for children in Kindergarten through grade 3; especially in a large group like a classroom. Occasionally, we also have picture books that are more suitable for older children due to themes, complex language, or that do not work well as read alouds for a large group. Because there are not many books like this in the picture book collection, we do not have a designated area for them and they are shelved alphabetically with all of the other picture books. These books are often high quality literary works that deserve attention, but do not always find an audience because most people only look for picture books for young children. We recently acquired a book like this called A Lion in Paris that I hope does not get overlooked. This oversized picture book that reads vertically like a calendar rather than horizontally tells the story of a lion who is bored with life in the grasslands so he sets off to find “a job, love, and a future” in Paris. Through short sentences and expressive mixed media illustrations, Alemagna manages to paint a picture of a very despondent lion, a beautiful, yet aloof city and how to find your place in the world wherever you may be. The lion visits several famous Parisian landmarks including the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa smile at him, Monmontre where he helps an older woman down the many steps and the River Seine to look at his reflection. The lion goes from being stranger in Paris to loving the city so much that he decides to stay there permanently and becomes the famous lion statue at the Place Denfer-Rochereau. This book would be perfect to share with a child interested in Paris or planning a trip there, a child struggling to fit in, or anyone looking for something a little different in terms of format or storyline.
Some books are special. They have a plot description that sounds like many another book (girl finds herself in a fantastical situation and discovers that she must save the world), but are written in such a otherwordly, atmospheric way that even the adjectives that one might use to describe them aren’t magical enough.
Siena is not your typical 13-year-old. In fact, her differences are part of the reason that her family is moving from Brooklyn, New York, to a small coastal town in Maine. The other reason is that her three-year-old brother, Lucca, has not spoken in over a year. While Siena and Lucca’s parents are not sure what makes it so hard for Siena to make friends and Lucca to talk, they are hoping the new environment will help them both. Siena is eager to try to start over, but when the family arrives in Maine, the very thing that makes her odd kicks into overdrive. Sometimes, Siena can see the past. Generally, it only happens while she is dreaming, but increasingly she was getting glimpses of the past while awake in things like buildings that are no longer standing in New York or people in out of date clothing. The home the family purchased is right out of one of Siena’s dreams. She is familiar with the layout and can feel what has happened in this house before the family lived there. However, Siena decides this familiarity could be positive and decides to make a go of it in Maine even making some friends before school starts. Lucca loves the beach and the play group his mother found, but he still is not talking. When Siena finds a pen that belonged to one of the previous owners, the story of what happened in the house is reveled, complete with a young girl who also struggles with mutism and Siena begins to wonder if the family’s move really was the best thing for Lucca after all.
It started as a family Christmas card photo by photographer Per Breiehagen and his wife Lori Evert. In 2007, the Minnesota resident’s family dressed their adorable three year-old daughter Anja in traditional Norwegian clothing such as Stakk dress from Ål, where Breiehagen was raised, reindeer shoes from the Sami people in Northern Norway, and an elf hat and took a series of photos that would change their lives forever. Based on overwhelming positive feedback from friends and family who received the Christmas card, Breiehagen expanded the project. His vision was to stage scenes the evoked the traditional folklore of Norway that he had grown up listening to. In addition to Anja’s captivating costume, Breiehagen attempted to make the photos as authentic as possible. He took Anja to beautiful outdoor winter landscapes in both Minnesota and Norway. Anja posed with actual reindeer in Norway and held traditional Telemark skis from 1840 the Breiehagen had sought out to use as photo props. As the scope of the photos became more fantastic, Breiehagen incorporated digital compositing to create scenes of the “little elf” meeting a polar bear in Antarctica and other fanciful imagery that could not be created without digital enhancements. The photos continued to gain popularity and were featured in several holiday advertisement campaigns, including one for Chicco, a popular baby product brand. 
Halloween is quickly approaching, which makes this a great time to listen to a chilling adventure story revolving around three friends, a ghost, and a super creepy doll. Doll Bones (doesn’t the title alone just make you want to experience this story?) is the story of Zach, Poppy, and Alice – three best friends who have spent several years playing one ongoing game about a mythical land filled with mermaids, pirates, and an evil queen. However, at twelve years old some people, including Zach’s father, think it might be time to give up the game. After his father throws away all of his game characters, Zach is forced to tell Poppy and Alice that he is done with the game, but Poppy refuses to accept that the game is over. 
What would you do if you heard voices that no one else hears and saw ghosts? I’d be leaving immediately but it isn’t that easy for Jim. 
Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, is just about the coolest person I had never heard of before I read this book. Sylvia fell in love, hard, with the ocean as a child when her family moved to Florida. She immediately started investigating the life teeming there, and by the age of sixteen was using diving gear for the first time. She would go on to dive deeper and deeper, encountering life from the tiniest of creatures to the gigantic humpback whale. She even spent two weeks living underwater at a deep sea station fifty feet below, and holds a record for walking on the ocean floor at 1,250 feet under, deeper than anyone ever had before or since. A true lover of the ocean and all its inhabitants, Sylvia has dedicated herself to educating people about the wonders of the ocean. She feels that the best way to get people to care about the oceans and to take action on behalf of their stewardship is to educate them. 
Lillian lives a contented life with Aunt, deep in the forest, on a farm with chickens, cats, a cow, and the Apple Tree Man, and where Lillian has always hoped to see fairies. Her life is unexceptional–though full of delight–until a day when she is bitten by a snake in the forest. Almost dead, she is saved by the forest cats, who change her into a kitten! Lillian has always wanted to see magic, but she would rather not be a cat, especially since there’s no way for her to tell Aunt what has happened. Lillian embarks on an unbelieveable adventure, involving talking foxes, a possum witch, Lillian’s old friends the Creek boys and their frightening Aunt Nancy, spiders, bear people, and even the Father of Cats. 
Peace, by artist Wendy Anderson Halperin is a visual and poetic meditation on the subject of peace. The book is dedicated to our senses, and that dedication sets the tone for the book – peace is real, and it can be sensed with our whole bodies and expressed with our words, actions, and thoughts. There is a very short text which can be read aloud, along with quotes from famous peacemakers spread throughout, and panels of illustrations depicting scenes of peace.
“It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas.”
It’s the season for spooky books, and for kids who want a scare, ONLY a spooky book will do. Some children, though, want their creepy books to be creepy with a difference–not just cheap scares and cliffhangers, but something atmospheric that draws a reader fully into the world of the book. Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz is perfect for those readers. Schlitz takes us into the Gothic, foggy 150-years-ago world of Lizzie Rose and Parsifal, two children who work for Grisini, a not-at-all-nice puppeteer. When Grisini is hired to perform for the birthday party of rich Clara, a girl who seems to have everything (except siblings, all of whom have died), Lizzie Rose and Parsifal think their fortunes are looking up. Unfortunately, first Clara, and then Grisini disappear, and their lives take a turn for the desperate.
Joy Wells loves Spooking. It is a dark and spooky town built on a hill and her parents bought a house there because they could get a great big house for the price of a little boxy house in the neighboring bright and modern Darlington. Joy inherited a book when the oldest resident of Spooking died and became fascinated with the author, E. A. Peugeot, and his frightening tales about the Bog Fiend. Joy believes that the bog fiend lives in the bog next to Spooking and is horrified that the good citizens of Darlington want to drain the bog and build a water park. While investigating the bog, Joy meets Madame Portia, the only bog resident.
Hard times have come to the Florida forest where Calpurnia lives with her mother, father, and her dog named Buggy-horse. There are no fish to catch, so the people are weak with hunger and unable to work. Calpurnia can feel the hard times, but she isn’t worried. She is a loved child who feels a kinship with the world, and this helps her to feel safe and brave. Determined to help end the hard times, she follows her nose to a secret river deep in the forest, abundant with catfish. On her return home, laden with fish, Calpurnia encounters several dangerous (and obviously hungry) animals; because she knows there is enough to go around, she shares her catch and stays free from harm. When she returns home with the fish, her parents are overjoyed. Her father is able to sell the fish, the people in the forest are strengthened and able to go out and find work, and the hard times turn to soft times.
Poor Nini! She is confronted with a chaos of shoes and boots and hats and books and coat and suitcases. This can only mean one thing: her people are going away without her!
When Flory’s wings are crushed in an accident, she is separated from the rest of the night fairies and stranded in the garden of a human (“a giantess”). She is still young and only as tall as an acorn, and now she must learn to survive on her own. She defends herself, makes clothes out of cherry blossom petals, finds an ally in the greedy but lovable squirrel, and embarks on a dangerous journey to save a hummingbird. It’s ultimately a story about making a home for yourself in your own little corner of the world, even if you were born a night fairy and didn’t really plan on living in a bird house with a squirrel for your best friend.
This is a story which is reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. Three children, India, Finn and Mouse, are sent by plane to live with their uncle. Mouse is the youngest and she is an odd girl who has an invisible friend BING. India is the oldest and is a difficult teenager and Finn is the brother. Their dad died in a car accident before Mouse was born and now their mom is unable to keep up the payments on their house. The plane the children are on seems to have been diverted and they land in a strange town called Falling Bird. The taxi is covered in feathers and the driver is just a kid with a fake moustache. The people in the town welcome them with everything they could possibly want and tempt the children to forget their former lives and to adapt to Falling Bird. Each child has a countdown watch and they must make their decision before they run out of time. India loves it in Falling Bird. She loves the house and she fits in with the girls. She aspires to do well in Falling Rock and wants her best friend to come and join her. Finn and Mouse, on the other hand, aren’t going for it. They are trying to hold on to one another and extract India before they run out of time. This is an interesting fantasy and children will have fun figuring out what is going on. Recommended for children in 5th through 8th grades.
When 10-year-old Peter is sent to the market in Baltese he is meant to use the single coin in his pocket to purchase fish and bread. That particular day, however, there is a fortune teller’s tent at the market. Peter finds himself repeatedly walking past the tent and he finally decides to spend the coin on a fortune. He is allowed one question and without hesitation he asks about his lost, and perhaps dead, sister. He is told that indeed his sister lives and that an elephant will lead him to her. What a preposterous idea! Not only is it winter in Baltese, but there is certainly not a single elephant anywhere nearby. But life is always changing and sometimes remarkable things happen.
Giuseppe is a young busker, a boy plays music on the street for money that he gives back to his cruel Padrone. Hannah is a maid at an upscale hotel and at 13, supporting her family while her mother tends to her ill father and two young sisters. Fredrick is an apprentice clockmaker, saved from an orphanage by his Master recently. These three children’s lives intersect in intricate and delicate ways as they struggle in their own situations and find that they can help each other in unexpected ways. This book is part historical fiction, part fantasy and completely intriguing. I loved how the characters dire situations heightened as they came closer to meeting each other and how seamlessly their stories blended when they came together. It was like watching an intricate puzzle be put together and then taken apart, much like the gears in a clock. There is plenty of action to keep even reluctant readers going with this book. Posted by: Kelly
“Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad. My name is Felix. This is my story.”
Nathan’s two goldfish are so desirable to the little boy in this book that he offers to swap his dad for them! He brags that his dad is as big as 100 goldfish and can swim better than a goldfish – of course, dad is only seen reading the newspaper. Nathan agrees to the swap and all are happy. Well, little sister knows that her brother will get in big trouble with mom. And sure enough he does. He is sent to swap the goldfish back for dad. Unfortunately, Nathan has already swapped dad for an electric guitar. The little boy and his sister have promised to bring dad back home, so off they go to find him. As you might guess, he had been swapped again and again . . .
Sound easy and fun to read…