The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held February 21, 2019, at 6:30 pm in the entry foyer.

This book was our chosen community reads book for the 2019 On the Same Page.  Free copies were available at the library until supplies ran out.

Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel. But the ruthless French agent Chauvelin is sworn to discover his identity and to hunt him down.

book 1 in The Scarlet Pimpernel series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★ and said “I was surprised the book deviates quite a lot from the movie (or is it the other way around – hah!)? I can see how these Pimpernel stories became runaway best-sellers and could easily become addicting!

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

The Family Under the Bridge

by Natalie Savage Carlson

A combined Mother Daughter Book Club and Books for Boys meeting for this book was held December 13, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

This is the delightfully warm and enjoyable story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and one was better off without them.

But the children who lived under the bridge recognized a true friend when they met one, even if the friend seemed a trifle unwilling at the start. And it did not take Armand very long to realize that he had gotten himself ready-made family; one that he loved with all his heart, and one for whom he would have to find a better home than the bridge.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

by Judy Blume

The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held November 8, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Life with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing. Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing mashed potatoes on the walls at Hamburger Heaven, or trying to fly, he’s never far from trouble. He’s an almost three-year-old terror who gets away with everything, and Peter’s had it up to here! When Fudge walks off with Dribble, Peter’s pet turtle, it’s the last straw. Peter has put up with Fudge for too long. Way too long! How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change?

book 1 in the Fudge series

Bunnicula – A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe

Bunnicula – A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

by Deborah Howe

The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held October 11, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

BEWARE THE HARE!
Is he or isn’t he a vampire?

Before it’s too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits… and fangs!

book 1 in the Bunnicula series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

William rated it ★★★★.

Miranda rated it ★★★.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

by Louis Sachar

The Books for Boys Book Club meeting for this book was held on March 8, 2018, at 6:30 in the Community Room.

Book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Louis Sachar knows how to make readers laugh. And there are laughs galore in perennial favorite Sideways Stories from Wayside School. The the the rack-size paperback.

Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president, ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat.

More than nine million readers have laughed at the wacky stories of Wayside School. So what are you waiting for? Come visit Wayside School!

book 1 in the Wayside School series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Lorna rated it ★★★★★ and said “I read this out loud to my grandson, age 9. We were both entertained by the very clever stories. Favorite quote – ‘You need a reason to be sad. You don’t need a reason to be happy.'”

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Silas Marner

by George Eliot

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held September 20, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Embittered by a false accusation, disappointed in friendship and love, the weaver Silas Marner retreats into a long twilight life alone with his loom. . . and his gold. Silas hoards a treasure that kills his spirit until fate steals it from him and replaces it with a golden-haired founding child. Where she came from, who her parents were, and who really stole the gold are the secrets that permeate this moving tale of guilt and innocence. A moral allegory of the redemptive power of love, it is also a finely drawn picture of early nineteenth-century England in the days when spinning wheels hummed busily in the farmhouses, and of a simple way of life that was soon to disappear.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was on July 19, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

When a plane crashes on a remote island, a small group of schoolboys are the sole survivors. From the prophetic Simon and virtuous Ralph to the lovable Piggy and brutish Jack, each of the boys attempts to establish control as the reality – and brutal savagery – of their situation sets in.

The boys’ struggle to find a way of existing in a community with no fixed boundaries invites readers to evaluate the concepts involved in social and political constructs and moral frameworks. Ideas of community, leadership, and the rule of law are called into question as the reader has to consider who has a right to power, why, and what the consequences of the acquisition of power may be. Often compared to Catcher in the RyeLord of the Flies also represents a coming-of-age story of innocence lost.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★★.

Miranda rated it ★★★ and said “I had a hard time connecting with this one. It just seemed really emotionally flat to me.”

Patty rated it ★★★.

Book Trailer: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Book Trailer: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Book Trailer: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Carrie Ryan
In Mary’s world there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now, she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

book 1 in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said “This is really more of a 4 1/2 star rating. I will definitely read then next in the series.”

Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “This would actually be more of a 3.5 stars for me, maybe because it reminded me too much of that movie “The Village.” I kept waiting for them to step out of the forest and into modern times.”

Book Trailer: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Book Trailer: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Book Trailer: Life as We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all–hope–in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

book 1 in the Last Survivors series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★★ and said “Amazing! Every time I got up while reading this I felt like I should check my food storage and be impressed with the wonder of electricity. Can’t wait to read the next one.”

Patty rated it ★★★★.

Bekka rated it ★★★★.

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