November is National Picture Book Month!
Check out some of the Children’s Staff’s favorite picture books over the years. Come back next month to see what we have chosen for this year’s Best of 2024 list!
Category: Uncategorized
Book Review: Little Witch Academia
Little Witch Academia by Yoh Yoshinari
Akko is a dreamer with no chance… but extreme passion!
As a young child, she experienced an extraordinary, beautiful display of magic from Luna Nova Academy’s own alumni, Shiny Chariot! Akko’s passion and childhood wonder is the driving force of her biggest dream, that is, to become a witch, graduating from the same academy.
There’s only one problem: she didn’t come from a family of witches, nor has she ever flown on a broom, or done any kind of magic in her life, while her peers are far ahead of her. Even with all the odds against her, she perseveres – finding her way through school life at Luna Nova with her strong will, despite being an object of ridicule from her elite classmates.
Although on her way there, Akko can’t seem to find the bus stop to Luna Nova. It appears that her first challenge is to find a way in, even if it requires that she flies a broomstick!
Reviewed by Teen Volunteer, 11/17/24.
Book Review: The True Meaning of Smekday
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
The True Meaning of Smekday is the novel that the movie Home was based off of. Not only does this story have incredible, humorous writing, it’s also filled with detailed and realistic drawings, along with comic strips! I love this novel because unlike its movie adaptation, it’s a much more humorous and extended version of the story, where the lore of the main alien species is more in-depth. Despite its movie adaptation, the original story is less tailored for young children. What I especially enjoy about this book is how you get to watch the flourishing friendship between a human girl and a “Boov” develop over the course of the story, and that the main alien and human characters find themselves having many “human” conversations. They talk about how different their lives are, their cultures, and their ways of perceiving the same experience. This story is extremely creative– the author put in a great deal of effort determining how realistically an advanced alien species would view our traditions as human. Even if you aren’t a fan of the sci-fi genre, it’s overall a very entertaining, hilarious, and engaging story!
Reviewed by Teen Volunteer, 11/16/24.
Library Latest- December 10, 2024
Spend some time learning a new craft or hobby this winter. Also check out our database Creativebug for more crafting ideas and lessons.
Check Out PressReader!
Belmont Public Library is delighted to offer PressReader, the world’s best digital newspaper and magazine coverage.
PressReader allows for unlimited access to over 7,000 titles from 120+ countries in 60 languages as soon as they are available on shelves and no limits on downloads. Titles include:
- The Economist
- The Guardian
- Newsweek
- China Daily
- Daily Mail
- Der Tagesspiegel
- Libération
- La Razon
Digital downloads are yours to keep forever, and accessible via your laptop, tablet or phone with the PressReader app. Get started with PressReader today by using your library card to gain 48 hours access here. (You can renew your 48 hour access as many times as you need/want.)
Library Latest- November 12, 2024
November is Native American Heritage Month! Check out these fiction and nonfiction books to learn about the history as well as experiences of the indigenous peoples of North America.
Library Latest – October 22, 2024
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month!
Check out some of our children’s books that either feature a dyslexic character or are written in dyslexia friendly font.
Book Review: The Kitchen God’s Wife
The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
Family relationships are always complicated. From siblings to parents, there are many times where you can feel as though the people living closest to you are actually really far when it comes to perspectives and opinions. In Amy Tan’s debut novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife, I saw a beautiful relationship between a mother and daughter who seem almost worlds apart, until they take time to see the world through each other’s eyes. Written in way that switches between the perspectives of the two main protagonists, I got to see so many aspects of family bond, experiences, and understanding.
To set the scene, the daughter has recently been diagnosed with a disease. Knowing that her mother is very over dramatic when it comes to these things, she avoids telling her, and instead tells her aunt. On the other side of this story, her mother hides along and deep past from before her daughter was born. These struggles involve her move from China to the US, her marriage with her daughter’s biological father, and the past that she left behind and that still haunts her to stay. The only person who knows this besides the mother is the aunt, who insists that they admit their past and their real identities.
The novel then moves to describe the mother’s life, including her success and struggles as she grew up before her daughter was born. We see the mother and daughters life side-by-side and compare their struggles, even though they live in two completely different time periods. To give some of my thoughts, I really enjoyed reading this novel. It surprised me a lot because when I first opened the book, I thought I’d mostly be seeing the perspective of the daughter. To be honest, I was also caught off guard by how much the daughter complained about her mother (although I can sometimes relate).
It was very surprising to see the novel take a sudden turn and to see the entire experience and story of the mother. The whole time, I was so immersed in her struggles, achievements, losses, loves, and heartache that the mother had to go through to get to that certain point of her life. It really put the definition in don’t judge a book by its cover! Moreover, I think this novel was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a slice of life, feel good novel that can bring you a different world and see it through someone else’s eyes.
Review by Teen Volunteer, 10/16/24.
Library Latest- October 8, 2024
September 15th to October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month. Explore some of these spooky books by Latinx authors leading up to Halloween and Día de los Muertos.
Library Latest – September 24, 2024
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th to October 15th) with a selection of children’s books by Latinx authors handpicked by the Children’s Staff.