What are You Reading?

Louisburg Library has started a new book club, "What are You Reading?" This book club meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month October - December at 10:30 am for 30 minutes during story time.

Below are some of the books we discussed.

Where is my Mummy? By Carolyn Crimi & John Manders (preschool)

One deep, dark night, as all of the monsters are preparing for bed, Little Baby Mummy bravely searches for his mother until he sees a truly terrifying creature. (Currently on order)

A to Z mysteries series by Roy Ron (Easy Chapter, ages 4-7)

The series starts with The Absent Author. Dink Duncan and his two friends investigate the apparent kidnapping of famous mystery author Wallis Wallace.

Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne (Easy Chapter & juvenile, ages 4-12)

This series starts with Dinosaurs Before Dark. Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.

William Allen White Books (3^rd – 5^th grade)

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

Kek, an African refugee, is confronted by many strange things at the Minneapolis home of his aunt and cousin, as well as in this fifth grade classroom, and longs for his missing mother, but finds comfort in the company of a cow and her owner.

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M. M. Blume

In the small town of Rusty Nail, Minnesota, in the early 1950s, musically talented ten-year-old Franny wants to take advanced piano lessons from newcomer Olga Malenkov, a famous Russian musician suspected of being a communist spy by gossipy members of the community.

Bravo Zulu, Samantha by Kathleen Duble

Decidedly unenthusiastic about spending part of her summer vacation with her grandparents, twelve-year-old Samantha is particularly upset by her prickly grandfather's secretive behavior and decides to find out what he is hiding.

Dexter the Tough by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A sympathetic teacher and her writing assignment help fourth-grader Dexter deal with being the new kid in school after he punches a kid on the first day.

One Thousand Tracings; healing the wounds of World War II by Lita Judge

The author describes her family's efforts to help their friends and others who were left homeless and hungry in the aftermath of World War II.

A Friendship for Today by Patricia C. McKissack

In 1954, when desegregation comes to Kirkland, Missouri, ten-year-old Rosemary faces many changes and challenges at school and at home as her parents separate.

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor

Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

Seeing Sky-Blue Pink by Candice Ransom

Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

Way Down Deep by Ruth White

In the West Virginia town of Way Down Deep in the 1950s, a foundling called Ruby June is happily living with Miss Arbutus at the local boarding house when suddenly, after the arrival of a family of outsiders, the mystery of Ruby's past begins to unravel.

William Allen White Books (6^th- 8^th grade)

Iron Thunder; the battle between the Monitor & the Merrimac: a Civil War Novel by Avi

Tom's job as an assistant to Captain John Ericsson, the inventor of the Monitor, makes him a target of Confederate spies.

Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Forced to attend a Catholic middle school because of her conduct, Abigail discovers a talent for theater and develops a true religious faith.

From Emporia: the Story of William Allen White by Beverley Olson Buller

Biography of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner William Allen White.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Curtis

In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who stole money to be used to buy a family's freedom.

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never watched television, tasted a pizza, or even heard of a wedgie. But when his grandmother lands in the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a guidance counselor and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about tie-dyeing and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of public school.

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller

At age twenty-one, partially-blind, lonely but spirited Annie Sullivan travels from Massachusetts to Alabama to try and teach six-year-old Helen Keller, deaf and blind since age two, self-discipline and communication skills. Includes historical notes and timeline.

Billy Creekmore by Tracey Porter

In 1905, ten-year-old Billy is taken from an orphanage to live with an aunt and an uncle of whose existence he was previously unaware. He enjoys his first taste of family life until his work in a coal mine and his involvement with a union bring trouble. He then joins a circus in hopes of finding his father.

Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury

In 1975, eleven Boy Scouts, their leaders, and some new friends camping at Halape, Hawaii, find their survival skills put to the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami.

Elephant Run by Roland Smith

Nick endures servitude, beatings, and more after his British father's plantation in Burma is invaded by the Japanese in 1941, and when his father and others are taken prisoner and Nick is stranded with his friend Mya, they plan a daring escape on elephants, risking their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

Leepike Ridge by Nathan D. Wilson

While his widowed mother continues to search for him, eleven-year-old Tom, presumed dead after drifting away down a river, finds himself trapped in a series of underground caves with another survivor and a dog, and pursued by murderous treasure-hunters.

Mark Twain Award Books

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (juvenile, ages 9-12)

After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great Wizard in order to return to Kansas.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (juvenile, ages 9-12)

After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull (juvenile, ages 9-12)

When fifth-graders Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon meet the owner of the new candy store in town and are given a magical candy that endows them with super powers, they find that along with its benefits there are also dangerous consequences.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (Young Adults)

After her older sister runs away, sixteen-year-old Caitlin decides that she needs to make a major change in her own life and begins an abusive relationship with a boy who is mysterious, brilliant and dangerous.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Young Adults)

In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity.

To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn (adults)

When Caroline Trent is kidnapped by Blake Ravenscroft, she doesn't even try to elude this dangerously handsome agent of the crown. After all, she's been running from unwanted marriage proposals. Yes, Blake believes she's a notorious spy named Carlotta De Leon, but for six weeks until her twenty-first birthday, when she'll gain control of her fortune, hiding out in the titillating company of a mysterious captor is awfully convenient -- and maybe just a little romantic, too. Blake Ravenscroft's mission is to bring "Carlotta" to justice, not to fall in love. His heart has been hardened by years of intrigue, but this little temptress proves oddly disarming and thoroughly kissable. And suddenly the unthinkable becomes possible -- that this mismatched Couple might be destined for love.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (adults)

Symbologist Robert Langdon returns in this new thriller follow-up to The Da Vinci Code.

Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber

When parenting authorities Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish sat down to write the national bestseller How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk , they found that they couldn't contain their chapter on sibling rivalry.No matter how much they tried to pare down their advice, they found the subject inexhaustible -- and their readers agreed! The result is this seminal book -- revised and updated after more than ten years of feedback from parents' letters, TV and radio talk shows, and Faber and Mazlish's highly successful parenting workshops. Siblings Without Rivalry guides the way to family peace and tranquillity with humor and compassion for both parents and children. Illustrated, action-oriented, and easy to understand, it's packed with sensitive yet sensible ways to turn quarreling siblings and frustrated parents into an open, communicative family.