Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As usual, I am fascinated that books in poetry form, when done well, seem to be able to convey twice the emotional punch with less than half the text. The story of a young girl's experiences during the fall of Saigon, and her family's immigration to America has a lot of punch, even though she seems to be on the fringe of events. You may need to insert your own historical knowledge into the story, as the protagonist is sometimes unaware of what is happening. Still, the books brings a great perspective to a piece of history whose ultimate outcomes are often missed.



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Comment on this review, and join the discussion today.

Rave Reviews

Ever want to be a book critic? Or want to spread the word about an awesome book you have read? Or maybe a terrible one? The whole family can participate in this new easy program with a great prize!

1. Pick a book from our Juvenile Fiction Section that was published in 2011 and read it, either by yourself, with a parent or together as a family.
2. Post a review here as a comment to this post, OR you can e-mail your review to me at chrissybraun@newtonfalls.org, OR stop by the children's room and fill out a form and we will post your comment for you. Your review will be moved to its own post so others can comment on it.
3. Keep reading. For every 2011 book you and/or your family reviews or posts about, we will enter your family in a drawing for a grand prize. (To be eligible for prizes, you name and contact information must be included in your review. This information will NOT be posted on this blog, even if you include it in your comment.)
4. Keep following the discussion. Defend your favorites, comment on other reviews and campaign for your picks. (This blog's comments are moderated, so inappropriate or mean comments will NOT be posted.)
5. Attend our wrap up party on December 15th and vote for your favorite book of the year.
   

Harvest Season

The library garden is producing more and more vegetables every day. So far, we have delivered 18 pounds of produce to the Church Mouse Food Pantry. Our members have also taken quite a bit of produce home to taste as well.

More Harvest

Our garden is now producing yellow zucchini, green peppers, and our very first tomato. Happy summer days!

How our garden grows

The Library Sprouts met today to weed their garden and harvest their radishes. The garden has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few weeks, and it is keeping our gardeners hard at work.

To join us for garden club, contact the library today, and check back here for more pictures and updates in the coming weeks.

Energy Island: How one community harnessed the wind and changed their world by Allan Drummond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Join a young guide on a tour of the world's first island that is completely dedicated to renewable energy. This true story about an island in Denmark that took on the challenge of freeing themselves from nonrenewable energy. The emphasis is on how big and small things made a difference once everyone took part. See what you can do to change your own island, no matter its size.



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First Harvest

While the gardening has not been great this year, (too much rain and weird weather), we have harvested our first veggies from the garden.










A few radishes and some mixed greens. Check back and see how our garden is growing.