October 14, 2021, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe.

When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention.

book 1 in the Scary Stories for Young Foxes series

November 18, 2021, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one thing’s for sure: Sam Westing may be dead … but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!

December 9, 2021, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements

For Hart Evans, being the most popular kid in sixth grade has its advantages. Kids look up to him, and all the teachers let him get away with anything — all the teachers except the chorus director, Mr. Meinert. When Hart’s errant rubber band hits Mr. Meinert on the neck during chorus practice, it’s the last straw for the chorus director, who’s just learned he’s about to lose his job due to budget cuts. So he tells the class they can produce the big holiday concert on their own. Or not. It’s all up to them. And who gets elected to run the show? The popular Mr. Hart Evans.

Hart soon discovers there’s a big difference between popularity and leadership, and to his surprise, discovers something else as well — it’s really important to him that this be the best holiday concert ever, and even more important, that it not be the last.

January 6, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?

To the Gregg family, hunting is just plain fun. To the girl who lives next door, it’s just plain horrible. She tries to be polite. She tries to talk them out of it, but the Greggs only laugh at her. Then one day the Greggs go too far, and the little girl turns her Magic Finger on them.

When she’s very, very angry, the little girl’s Magic Finger takes over. She really can’t control it, and now it’s turned the Greggs into birds! Before they know it, the Greggs are living in a nest, and that’s just the beginning of their problems…

February 3, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

For generations, the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen have delighted readers with their originality, whimsy, and humorous treatment of such human foibles as vanity, snobbery, and greed. This collection of thirteen of the author’s most popular stories is no exception.

In “The Little Mermaid,” the youngest of six mermaid princesses falls in love with a human and longs to live an ordinary life. “Great Claus and Little Claus” tells of a clever young man who turns a series of misfortunes into a windfall. Andersen’s masterpiece about self-discovery, “The Ugly Duckling,” is accompanied by the magical “Red Shoes,” “Thumbelina,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Little Match Girl,” “The Snow Queen,” and four others.

Among the most frequently translated works in literary history, these children’s classics invite readers of all ages to enjoy and rediscover the pleasures of time-honored tales.

March 3, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

book 1 in the New Kid series

April 7, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

Samurai Kids: White Crane by Sandy Fussell

Niya Moto is the only one-legged Samurai kid in Japan, famous for falling flat on his face in the dirt. The one school that will accept him is the Cockroach Ryu, led by the legendary sensei Ki-Yaga. He may be an old man overly fond of naps, but Ki-Yaga is also known for taking in kids that the world has judged harshly: an albino girl with extra fingers and toes, a boy who is blind, a big kid whose past makes his loath to fight.

A warrior in his time, Ki-Yaga demands excellence in everything from sword-fighting to poetry. But can the rag-tag Cockroaches make the treacherous journey to the Samurai Trainee Games, never mind take on the all-conquering Dragons?

In a fast-moving, action-filled tale that draws on true details of feudal Japan, Niya finds there’s no fear they can’t face as long as they stick together – for their friendship is more powerful than a samurai sword.

book 1 in the Tales of Magic series

May 5, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza thought she’d always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico–she’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers.

Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances–Mama’s life, and her own, depend on it.