Rocky Road

Rocky Road by Rose Kent
Youth New Book Shelves - Lower Level - KENT

Twelve-year-old Tess Dobson is moving from sunny San Antonio, Texas to chilly Schenectady, New York in the dead of winter with her mom and eight-year-old brother, Jordan. She is not a happy camper, but she tries to make the best out of the situation. It seems her mother has decided that the answer to all of their troubles is a fresh start in a new town where they can open an ice cream shop. After all, "Ice cream warms the heart, no matter what the weather." Starting an ice cream business is one of Tess' mother's crazy ideas that she periodically gets before she crashes into "shooting stars." Unfortunately, Tess' mother suffers from bipolar disorder and when she has a new idea, she runs on little sleep and lots of hope. However, after awhile she will fall into a deep depression.

Once in Schenectady, Tess struggles with making friends, caring for her deaf brother, and keeping her mother in line. It is a lot for anyone to handle especially a preteen. Tess and the family move into a seniors’ housing complex and make some interesting friends: Winnie, a caring retired nurse, and Chief, a disciplined retired Navy officer. Both of these senior citizens help Tess to see the best in herself and her family. Further, Tess finds her niche at her new school by becoming a peer mediator who helps solve disputes between students. As time passes, Tess starts to feel more hopeful that maybe her mother’s crazy ice cream idea will be successful because her mother is doing such a meticulous job in planning the shop which is aptly named “A Cherry on Top.” Still how can everything be okay when your mother is sick with an illness?

Rocky Road by Rose Kent is a delightful novel that will leave you with hope and fuzzy feelings. While it does touch upon the serious issue of mental illness, it provides hope that anything is possible with the right help, love, and guidance. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys positive messages of perseverance.

The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters
CD Bins – Easy Listening - A

If you’re looking for some bright and cheerful music to match the spring weather (or maybe make it feel like spring even if the weather isn’t cooperating), look no further than the Andrews Sisters. Their two most famous hits are “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”, both great songs. The tight, three-part harmony and the swingin’ style carries through the whole album, though a hint of old-fashioned racial attitudes are unfortunately apparent in “Rum and Coca Cola.” This particular album could also be improved with some liner notes – I had to go to their web site for details such as the date of their first hit (1938, after six years of touring) and learning that they were the first female group to go platinum. This is brassy, upbeat World War II cheer on a disc.

After

After by Amy Efaw
Teen Zone Fiction Main Level - Efaw

Devon Davenport is smart and reliable – an A student with real talent for soccer. She trains and studies hard; a teacher’s and coach’s dream. The book begins with a newborn abandoned in a dumpster behind an apartment complex. How could Devon Davenport possibly be connected to this crime? As the police begin asking questions around the neighborhood, Devon is found bleeding and barely conscious in one of the apartments next to that dumpster. She is raced to the hospital where it is confirmed that she has given birth in the last 24 hours. This book is about Devon’s time in juvenile detention, her conversations with her lawyer, and her ultimate acknowledgement of the crime. It is emotionally intense, shocking, and heartbreaking – but an excellent read!

The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen

The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen
Youth Fiction-Lower Level - ANDERSON

This sequel to Whales on Stilts follows the adventure of Katie, Lilly, and Jasper who are forced to solve yet another mystery while attempting to enjoy their vacation at the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort. I personally enjoyed this book. It did a good job of both paying homage to, and poking fun of, all the various mystery series created over time. The narrator was silly at times, and often went on side tangents. As a result, the narrator almost became another character in the story. This, along with silly diagrams and footnotes, added depth to the story. Anderson did a great job of adding humor by making the characters take themselves seriously while encountering ridiculous people and situations. Similarly, the narrator often added to or pointed out this humor to the reader. I found this to be quite funny and kept me interested throughout the book. The ending, however, did get confusing and a little odd. I hope that some of the confusion was just to keep young readers looking for answers in the next book. On a whole, I found that this lived up to the expectations that a story by a great author like M.T. Anderson brings.

Magical Tales from Many Lands

Magical Tales from Many Lands Retold by Margaret Mayo. Illustrated by Jane Ray
Youth Non-fiction – Lower Level – J 398.2 M

I’m always on the lookout for good stories to read curled up with my six-year-old. Key features would include stories that work well read aloud, hopefully short enough to read at bedtime or before little sister becomes loses patience, and good pictures, as well as just the right blend of excitement without being too scary. I’ve loved Jane Ray’s work in Berlie Doherty’s Fairy Tales for years, but only recently found this earlier work. I still love Jane Ray’s style, folk-art like with lots of gold highlights. In this book, she blends her distinctive style with elements of the art of the culture she’s representing to create work that’s both cohesive throughout the book and reflective of the culture each story is from. The stories are Arabic (“The Lemon Princess”), Japanese, Chinese, Russian (a slightly less frightening “Baba Yaga Bony-Legs” than I’m used to), African (a version of “Unanana and the Elephant,” a story I remember from one of my favorite childhood storybooks of feminist folk tales.), African-American, Native American, French and more. It’s a good mix of cultures, and while the collection doesn’t feature all women, there are enough stories of strong women for balance. They are well told, with lots of the repetitive language that works so well for story-telling. Although perhaps less interesting to children, I really appreciated her notes on each tale, explaining the source or sources and her deviations from that version. This gem is now out of print, so enjoy it at your library!

Other favorite fairy tale collections:

Fairy Tales by Berlie Doherty – J 398.2 D

Mightier than the Sword by Jane Yolen – J 398.2 Y

Not One Damsel in Distress by Jane Yolen – J 398.2 Y

Ghost a la Mode

Ghost a la Mode by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Adult Mysteries- Main Level– Jaffarian

Ghost a la Mode is the first in the Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery series written by Sue Ann Jaffarian. Emma Whitecastle went with her friend Tracy to a séance. She was only going as a favor because Tracy needed to do research on séances for a class that she was teaching. During the séance a ghost tried to reach out to Emma. Emma does not believe in ghosts and being able to hear or see them. Well, after the séance she started hearing and seeing her great-great-great grandmother. Ish Reynolds (nicknamed Granny Apples) asks Emma for her help to prove that she did not kill her husband Jacob like the legend believes in their old hometown of Julian, California. Emma was looking for a distraction, she was in the middle of a divorce, her daughter was traveling for the summer and Emma did not have a lot to do. Emma decided to research her family and she started by going to Julian, CA. Once there she learned the mystery surrounding her great-great-great grandparent’s death. In doing so she put her own life at risk when she learned that there was gold still buried in Julian that belonged to her family. Emma just wanted to clear Granny Apples' name; instead she ended up in a game of cat and mouse with 2 gold thieves, some ghosts, and the handsome Phil Bower who currently owns Granny Apples' property. This is not your average murder mystery. It is a fun and quirky read if you enjoy mysteries but want something with a twist. Book two, Ghost in the Polka Dot Bikini, was recently released.