Kidzspacethe digital space for kids @ the library

How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O’Connor
Call number: J OCO (on the Bluestem shelf)

Georgina is desperate. First her dad moved out. Then her mom lost the apartment. Now, Georgina’s living with her mom and little brother in their car. She tries to keep it a secret at school, but her dirty hair and grubby clothes make it hard for people not to know she’s homeless. Then, Georgina gets the idea: if she steals a dog, the owners will offer a reward to get it back. Maybe it would be enough money for her mom to rent an apartment again!

She and her brother find a perfect dog in a fenced yard: he seems friendly, the gate’s not locked, and it seems like he’s got an owner who would pay anything for his return. But after they snatch the dog, things don’t work out as Georgina had hoped.

Georgina is a pretty sad character; she’s frustrated and mad that she can’t have her old life back, so she does something terrible that she wouldn’t normally want to do. She ends up meeting a few people, including another homeless person – a bicycle-riding man named Mookie – who helps her start thinking differently about her decision to snatch the dog.

I finished all the Bluestem books! Don’t forget to vote for your favorite.
Bluestem books left to read: o!
Days left: 4
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Oggie Cooder, by Sarah Weeks
Call number: J WEE (on the Bluestem shelf)

Do you ever charve? It’s a combination of chewing and carving, and it works best with those single-wrapped slices of American cheese. Oggie Cooder is a charving expert. He’s definitely not your ordinary fourth grader: he wears mismatched clothing, he prefers to say “yeppers” instead of “yes,” and he enjoys more than anything creating shapes of various states - like Texas - out of American cheese slices. When wannabe-superstar and classmate Donnica Perfecto finds out about Oggie’s talent, she thinks it’s just the thing for her to become famous. Oggie is surprised when Donnica suddenly wants to hang out with him and learn about charving! Will Donnica get away with stealing Oggie’s hidden talent? Read this fun book to find out; who knows? You might be inspired to start charving, too!

Bluestem books left to read: 1
Days left: 10
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Boys of Steel, by Mark Tyler Nobleman, illustrated by Ross MacDonald
Call number: J 741.5 NOB

Jerry and Joe are best friends. They both feel like outsiders in high school; they’d much rather read the stories about amazing characters in comic strips than play ball outside. Soon, they start working on their own comic strips: Jerry writes stories, while Joe draws the characters. They dream of having their own strip in a newspaper. Jerry has the idea of a new hero, one who has the superpowers Jerry wishes he had. Joe draws a man as strong as steel. Many newspaper editors turn them down, until finally they find a magazine company creating a new format: comic books. Finally, Superman is born!

This true story about the creation of one of the most famous comic book characters is really inspiring; Jerry and Joe felt kind of powerless in their world, so they created an amazing hero who could do things they couldn’t. The illustrations are styled just like old comic strips and books to give you a sense of the time and the characters.

Bluestem books left to read: 2
Days left: 13
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

The BFG, by Roald Dahl, pictures by Quentin Blake
Call number: J DAH (on the Bluestem shelf)

Little Sophie wakes up late at night. Peering out her bedroom window, she sees a frightening sight: an enormous man with ears as tall as her, creeping from window to window with a huge horn. When he catches her spying on her, he grabs her from the window and she’s sure she’s finished. But the giant takes her to his cave home and reveals that he won’t hurt her; he’s the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant! The BFG collects good dreams in jars and blows them gently into children’s heads as they sleep. But there are other giants in Giant Kingdom; giants who eat humans every night! Together, Sophie and her new friend the BFG hatch a plan to stop the other giants from their evil devouring.

The BFG is a quite funny and silly book. The Big Friendly Giant always mixes up his words and says the funniest things. You’ll definitely get a kick out of the things this character says. This is the oldest book on the Bluestem list, definitely a classic! I remember reading this when I was much much younger. I loved it then and I love it now! Hope you love it, too.

Don’t forget: you can vote for your favorite book anytime before the end of February! Just fill out a ballot and drop it off at the Youth Desk. I’m dying to find out which book will win!

Bluestem books left to read: 3
Days left: 18
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Omar helped me with my challenge for this book. Thanks, Omar, for this review!

Kenny & the Dragon, by Tony Diterlizzi
Call number: J DIT (on the Bluestem shelf)

Kenny is a young rabbit who tends to stand out due to his love for the stars and books. On one magical morning, his dad arrives to tell him that he just spotted a dragon on the hill where their sheep were grazing. Kenny is immediately excited about this news and can’t wait to meet the dragon. After befriending the dragon, Kenny must find a way to keep him a secret. There is news that the town has a dragon slayer who has been ordered by the king to exterminate the dragon. Kenny is now faced with losing his best friend forever if he does not think of a way to make the town see the error of their ways.

Bluestem books left to read: 4
Days left: 21
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin
Call number: J LIN (on the Bluestem shelf)

Happy New Year! Every winter, Grace and her family celebrate the Chinese New Year with special candy, food, clothes, and gifts. Each year has an animal that represents something; in this story, they celebrate the Year of the Dog. Grace’s parents tell her that in the Year of the Dog, Grace can find herself: she can discover what she wants to be when she grows up. But throughout the year, Grace can’t seem to find her special talent. She and her friend mess up their science fair project. She doesn’t get the part of Dorothy in the class play, The Wizard of Oz. When other Taiwanese kids in summer camp mock Grace for not knowing how to speak Chinese or Taiwanese, she’s not sure she will ever figure out who she really is. Finally, Grace discovers a hidden skill: she is a writer!

 This book is perfect for today, because today is the Chinese New Year (not the year of the dog, but the year of the rabbit!). The author, Grace Lin, put a lot of her own childhood experiences into this story, so it’s almost like an autobiography. She writes a note at the end of the book explaining what really happened to her and what she wrote as fiction. The story is a really great look at the life of a girl who’s a little bit different from other kids: something we can all relate to, in one way or another!

Bluestem books left to read: 5
Days left: 25
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen, illustrations by Brian Biggs
Call number: J VAN (on the Bluestem shelf)

Nolan is fed up with the school bully “Bubba.” Thanks to Bubba, every other kid has an awful nickname: Nolan is “Nerd,” not just to Bubba, but to his classmates, too. When the class gets an assignment to create a newspaper front page, Nolan jumps at the chance to expose Bubba for the cruel troublemaker he is. Thanks to his mad computer skills, Nolan can complete the task through a website under a pseudonym: Shredderman! 

 I thought this book was great. Nolan is totally believable through his frustration with the jerks of the world and his dedication to do something to fight back. Besides Nolan, I also loved Mr. Green, his teacher. Bubba calls him “Happy Hippie” because of his ponytail, guitar playing, and positive attitude, but Nolan (and the reader) thinks he’s cool. It’s from Mr. Green that Nolan gets the name “Shredderman”: on a perfectly scored math test of Nolan’s, Mr. Green writes, “You totally shred!” Well, this book “shreds” too!

Bluestem books left to read: 6
Days left: 28
Think I’ll finish on time? We’ll see!
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Stand Tale, Abe Lincoln, by Judith St. George, illustrated by Matt Faulkner
Call number: J 921 LIN (on the Bluestem shelf)

Every American learns about what kind of president Abraham Lincoln was. But what was he like as a young boy? This book shows you what Abe’s life was like as he grew up in Kentucky and then in the woods of Indiana. Abe loved to read with his mother more than anything. But shortly after their move to Indiana, Abe’s angel of a mother tragically died. Abe, his sister, and his father struggled to move on without her. Abe’s father remarried, though Abe couldn’t warm up to his new mother, Sally, very quickly. Sally wins Abe over slowly by making sure he has time from chores to read, go to school, and pursue his dreams. Sally could never replace Abe’s real mother, but she was exactly what the Lincoln family needed and they all grew to love her.

I didn’t know about Abe Lincoln’s childhood story, so this was an interesting biography to read. The author shows you little glimpses of how his early life experiences would influence his later presidency: for instance, Abe was troubled growing up when he saw Black slaves in chains being marched down a turnpike road. Anyone interested in learning more about Abe should check out this book.

Bluestem books left to read: 7
Days left: 31
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building, by Deborah Hopkinson and James E. Ransome
Call number: J HOP (on the Bluestem shelf)

Imagine: the tallest building in the world is rising right before your eyes. In the early 1930s, the Empire State Building was built metal beam by beam by hundreds of strong, brave fathers and sons who were happy to find work, even fifty feet about Manhatten in the open sky! This book’s illustrations will show you how these men did some of the tasks necessary to create such a beautiful and impressive building. The book also gives you a sense of how exciting and hope-filling this project was to the people of New York City, many of whom were suffering  from losing their jobs during the Great Depression. The author includes some interesting facts about this landmark building in the back of the book, too. Make sure to check out this book!

Bluestem books lefts to read: 8
Days left: 33
-Allison, Youth Services Associate

Dodger and Me, by Jordan Sonnenblick
Call number: J SON (on the Bluestem shelf)

Willie’s life could be better. He’s the worst hitter on his baseball team. There’s a British girl in his class who’s sort of obsessed with him. And his mom is super overprotective and won’t let him do anything fun or interesting. But things get even worse when he finds a mysterious fast food bag that – presto! – releases a rather unconventional genie. He’s big, he’s blue, and he’s a talking chimp. Dodger claims he can solve all of Willie’s problems, but Dodger seems to cause more trouble in Willie’s life.

Bluestem books left to read: 9
Days left: 37
-Allison, Youth Services Associate