Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots written and illustrated by Sharon Lovejoy
Gardening Collection – Upper Level – 635.083 L

I know summer is in full swing, but I confess that I haven’t gotten my garden in yet. Get inspired yourself if you’re in a similar situation, or save some ideas for next year if you’re already caught up. This is a book so lovingly written and illustrated that I found myself wanting to try everything suggested. Lovejoy gardened with her own child as he was growing up, and also opened a public children’s garden which has operated for a very long time now. She starts with 20 favorite plants for children, and goes on to garden plans, including the best pizza garden plan I’ve seen (calendula or marigold planted throughout to look like cheese and fend off predators! Plus a slice cut out for path for weeding access.), a fragrant moon garden, a sunflower house, a butterfly garden, a garden of giants, tiny water garden, window boxes, a maze, and more. Each garden comes with a plan, list of materials, instructions for planting and maintenance, and a two-page spread of what to do and look for on your daily walk through the garden. I have seen several of the garden types she talks about in other books, but hers seem to have the extra details that bring a garden up to extraordinary. She’s writing from California (though I see from her website that she now lives in Maine), so her instructions will say things like “sow seeds when temperatures remain above 70”, which would be August for us, even though I know those plants can grow here. Lovejoy wrote and assured me, though, that these plans were tested in Maine as well. This is a book both (mostly) practical and beautiful in its own right, the one of all of these that I’d be most likely to want on my own shelf rather than fetching it from the library as needed. Try also her book Sunflower Houses, which is less garden plans and more child-friendly plants to put in the garden and fun things to do with them.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Youth Fiction - Lower Level - ATWATER

Can you imagine owning a penguin as a pet? The Popper Family in Mr. Popper's Penguins get to own 12 of these unique birds!

Mr. Popper is a painter who works many hours during the warmer seasons. Once cool temperatures hit, Mr. Popper spends most of his time studying about the North and South Poles which he finds fascinating. He specifically enjoys learning about penguins and writes a letter to Admiral Drake who is on an expedition in the South Pole.

One day, a big box arrives at the Popper address on 432 Proudfoot Avenue. Mr. Popper opens the box and much to his surprise, there is a shiny black penguin staring right back at him! Mr. Popper names him Captain Hook. At first Captain Hook seems happy with his new home, but as time passes it becomes obvious that Captain Hook is lonely. Thus, the Poppers decide to adopt a female penguin named Greta, and before long Captain Hook and Greta have 10 little penguins! What do you do with penguins that are used to living in freezing cold temperatures and cost quite a bit of money? Find out in the hilarious and delightful tale, Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater.

Steamed

Steamed by Katie MacAlister
Adult New Books - Upper Level - MACALISTER

Jack is a computer-ish engineer in the modern era, at work a bit tired from going to a concert by the steampunk* band Airship Pirates the night before. His sister Hallie drops by to inform him that she’s auctioned off a date with him and manages to do something very bad with the materials in his lab. Shortly thereafter, Captain Octavia Pye is quite shocked when her first mate reports two apparently unconscious people in the hold of her airship. Naturally, there is instant attraction between Jack and Captain Pye. There is shock on her part and on that of her crew that he is wearing a shirt that proclaims him to be a pirate. There is disappointment on the part of Jack that, despite the beautifully tailored uniform, Captain Pye insists on wearing her corset underneath her blouse. There are a good number of explosions, chases and escapes relating to Octavia’s secret involvement in an organization trying to overthrow the Empire, all of which is somewhat trying to Jack’s Quaker beliefs. The point of view alternates between Jack and Octavia, Jack speaking in rather foul-mouthed modern vernacular and Octavia in formal Victorian-era language. This is a humorous and light, yet steamy romance, suitable for fans of steam of both the romantic and, um, punk variety.

*I confess to being a bit puzzled as to why the “punk” in steampunk – but for fans of the genre looking for less in the passion department, I recommend Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn and Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series, both appropriate for older elementary and up.

The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes

The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes by Rod Townley
Youth Fiction-Lower Level – TOWNLEY

In the front window of the shoemaker’s shop in the village of Aplanap sat the most wonderful looking shoe. Not a pair of shoes, just one shoe. The shoe was glorious, made up of different blue gems. Everyone longed to have that shoe since it was so beautiful but Grel the shoemaker refused to sell the shoe. Grel made the shoe when a gentleman came into the shop with a bag full of blue gems and special ordered the single shoe. The man said that he would come back for the shoe. Grel reluctantly made the shoe, he was nervous because the dimensions that he was given to work with was nothing like he has ever made before. The man specifically requested that every blue gem that Grel was given would be used. Grel did what he was told and once the shoe was done he set it aside for when the man came to pick it up.

Hap Barlo was a young boy that Grel took in to be his apprentice. Hap used to steal and beg and in the village of Aplanap if you were caught your punishment was banishment to the far side of the mountain Xexnax. Hap discovered the shoe and convinced Grel to put it on display in the front of his shop. By doing that the village thrived. Visitors came from all over to get a look at the magnificent blue shoe. Through a series of events Hap gets banished to the far side of Xexnax and the blue shoe was ruined. Hap told himself that being banished was a good thing because now he can rescue his father who was banished a long time ago. As a result of the blue shoe being destroyed the village of Aplanap fell on hard times and everyone blamed the poor shoemaker and his apprentice. Hap finds an unexpected visitor on the way to the far side of the mountain and together they have an adventure of lifetime. They uncover something dark and sinister while on the far side of the mountain and it is up to them to stop it.

Will Hap be successful in finding and freeing his father as well as saving the once thriving village of Aplanap? This book has everything and more right down to the blue ink on the page!

The Lost Hours

 Lost Hours by Karen White
Adult Paperbacks - Main Level - WHITE

Piper Mills was a world-class equestrian with Olympic hopes when tragedy struck. A near-fatal fall from her horse took her away from all she knew and loved and left her with a broken body and spirit. When her grandparents, who raised her from childhood, passed away, she found some clues to their lives that surprised her. She followed the clues - a charm necklace, a scrapbook, and a knitted baby sweater and blanket - to a horse ranch in Georgia named Asphodel. Undercover there, she meets a childhood friend of her grandmother's. Will she uncover the dark secret in her grandmother's past? Will she get over her fear of horses and move forward with her life? What a great book!

Wall and Piece

Wall and Piece
By Banksy
Currently on Order

Typically when one thinks of graffiti they think of gang tags, urban decay, and vandalism. While this axiom remains true for a great deal of the works that get plastered on train cars and alleyways, the works of Banksy have an altogether more complicated nature. Instead of simply tagging an area with a name, Banksy uses his stencils to produce social commentary. An example of this can be as crude as two policemen making out or as inspiring as a crack in the West Bank wall between Israel and Palestine displaying a beautiful beach on the other side.



While a good portion of Banksy’s work is by definition vandalism, it provokes a myriad of questions regarding the nature of art.

Is something only considered art when it is hung on the walls of a museum? How much power does an artistic piece lose when it becomes sanitized, mounted, and hung with a price tag? Art among other things is supposed to challenge those who view it and break the rules. Banksy himself tests this concept by creating his own variations of masterpieces and hanging them on such hallowed halls such as the Louvre, The Brooklyn Museum, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In an age where a person can’t walk down the street without being inundated by billboards telling you how to dress, what to buy, or how to act without asking for permission, it makes one wonder who the real vandals are. Ironically, with the continuing interest and popularity of Banksy his works are finding acceptance and some pieces are even being protected and “commissioned.” One wonders if this will end up being counterproductive with regard to his intentions. Regardless, “Wall and Piece” is a fascinating collection detailing Banksy’s philosophy and some of his most interesting work.

For more information on Banksy, and the street art culture keep an eye out for the film "Exit Through the Gift Shop"