This week I read the picture book Bark Park! by Trudy Krisher. This is a book the library got as an advanced reader copy in the mail before the quarantine, and I thought it was so cute, I decided to take it home to read it on the day we closed! This book has a really nice rhythm and rhyme scheme to it. As your local songwriting children's librarian, I appreciate a book that can be rhyming while being subtle, and having the dedication to rhythm not take away from the plot of a story! The cute illustrations in the book feature a diversity of people and dogs coming together to play in the dog park. At the end of the book, the muddy dogs wash their paws and fall asleep to dream about playing together again soon. For readalikes for you and your pup pals, I would recommend Harry The Dirty Dog, a classic by Gene Zion which is available as an audiobook in English or Spanish from Hoopla! I would also recommend Whistle For Willie by Ezra Jack Keats, available on Overdrive. | |
For my teen review, I read The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. This is one of Yancey's older titles, before he wrote his more famous post-apocalyptic Fifth Wave series, which was adapted into a blockbuster film (if you're interested in that series, incidentally, the first book is available as an audiobook from Hoopla!). The Monstrumologist is the first in his series about a young man who, after being orphaned, become apprenticed to a monster hunter in a setting presumed to be Victorian-era New England. The story reminded me a lot of the Miss Peregrine series, a lot of real life problems are mixed in with the supernatural ones! And, unlike a lot of series about fantastical creatures, the monster hunter in this book, Dr Warthrop, is much more of an analytical scientist than a dramatic character. These unique features helped the series not feel campy and made it stand out in a department flooded with supernatural novels of all kinds. The whole series are available as e-books here, and the first is available as an audiobook, which I may just check out myself...I can imagine it would sound like an old-school radio drama! Don't forget to follow our teen Instagram page for more teen content posted weekdays! And, while you're there, if you have a teen at home who would like to participate in our weekly virtual book club with myself and Brandon, we are currently doing a weekly reading Aristotle & Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe. You can find all the information on the book club so far on the Instagram! Wishing health and happiness to you and your family...We look forward to visiting with you again online soon! All The Best, Miss Katie | |
