The Thing About Luck

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

Summer is a twelve year old girl with a younger brother who is obsessed with legos. Her parents suddenly left for Japan to care for some aging relatives and so she and her brother will be traveling the Midwest with their aging grandparents as they harvest grain for a custom harvesting company.

Summer's grandparents are aging and speak broken English, but have a strong work ethic that they are trying to teach to their grandchildren.

This is a book intended for middle school aged kids, but the story is a little slow and some might give up before they reach the end.

Poetry Nominees for Beehive Awards 2014-15

Cat Talk by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest,  illustrated by Barry Moser
Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard, illustrated by David  Slonim.
Gone Fishing: A Novel In Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated  by Matthew Cordell
Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-tale Voices with a Twist by Jane  Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Matt Mahurin
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with  Photographs  that Squeak, Soar, and Roar! edited by J. Patrick  Lewis.
Poems to Learn by Heart selected by Caroline Kennedy, paintings by  Jon J. Muth
Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill
When Mermaids Sleep by Ann Bonwill illustrated by Steve Johnson &  Lou  Fancher

Born of Illusion

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Anna did not have a normal childhood, as the daughter of the renowned medium, Marguerite Van Housen, she has been traveling and performing in stage shows and seances for as long as she can remember. Finally, they have a home in New York and regular show, the future is looking secure and bright for Anna and her mother.

Magic tricks and sleight of hand seem to come natural for Anna, her biggest worry is trying to hide her real talent from her mother. Even though her mother's seances and powers may be a sham, Anna truly does have the ability to sense the feelings of those around her, and her abilities seem to be intensifying along with a reoccurring dream about her mother being in danger. Anna must now figure out who she can trust and if her mother is really in danger.

Informational Book Nominees for the 2015 Beehive Awards

Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss,  illustrated by Yuko ShimizuBecoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares
The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins.
The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible  on Schindler's List by Leon Leyson with Marilyn J Harran and Elisabeth  B. Leyson.
The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt,  John Muir,  and our National Parks by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by  Mordicai Gerstein
Island:  A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin
Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin
Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson
Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene  Barretta
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors: The Story of Elizabeth  Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Picture Book Beehive Nominees for 2014-15

Andrew Drew and Drew by Barney Saltzberg
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver  Jeffers
Journey by Aaron Becker
I Hate Picture Books!  by Timothy Young
I Need My Own Country! by Rick Walton, illustrated by Wes Hargis
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Joy Ang
Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon
Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park illustrated by Matt Phelan 

The Finisher

The Finisher by David Baldacci

This is the story of 16 year old Vega who lives in a dystopian world. She is on her own with the exception of her younger brother whom is reliant on Vega to ensure that he gets the care he needs. Her whole community lives in fear of the Quag, a dark forest filled with terrifying best and bloodthirsty  Outliers. One morning, she is awakened by the sounds of someone being chased into the Quag, someone she knows and admires. This is the story of her quest to find out what is beyond her small and isolated village known as Wormwood. As she tries to find answers to her questions, she is forced to question those that lead her community and all that she has ever known.

When I picked up this book, I had not read any of the blurbs and had no idea what it was about, only that I usually liked the author. David Baldacci strays from his normal area of expertise into dystopian world. It was a little confusing in the beginning because the people were called wugs and years were sessions, but other names were the same such as pub or ceramics. Even though it was not what I had expected, I did finish the book and I did enjoy it,

Children's Fiction Beehive Nominees for 2015

Here are the 2015 Beehive Nominees for Children's Fiction


Breathing Room by Marsha HaylesDuke by Kirby Larson
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein 
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (I Survived) by Lauren Tarshis,    illustrated by Scott Dawson
Of Giants and Ice (The Ever Afters #1) by Shelby  Bach, illustrated by Cory  Loftis
One Dead Spy: Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales by  Nathan Hale
Paperboy by Vince Vawter *
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Sky Jumpers (Sky Jumpers #1) by Peggy Eddleman
Wild Born (Spirit Animals #1) by Brandon Mull

YA Beehive Nominees for 2015

We should have these books out on the shelf in the next couple of weeks! Or you can go to our website and put them on hold.

Born of Illusion (Born of Illusion #1) by Teri Brown
The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
Guitar Notes by Mary Amato
Insomnia (The Night Walkers #1) by J.R. Johansson
My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve
The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson
Ship Out of Luck (Antsy Bonano #3) by Neal Shusterman
Skinny by Donna Cooner
Slated (Slated #1) by Teri Terry
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. 
 Smith *
The Testing (The Testing #1) by Joelle Charbonneau *

*mature readers

Sycamore Row

Seth Hubbard is a private man that no one really knows and his grown children will have nothing to do with. After two divorces that have left him broke and discouraged, he finds a way to build a small fortune, but no one really knows how much wealth he has really accumulated. When his doctor tells him he only has a few weeks to live, he writes a handwritten will and hangs himself from a Sycamore tree on an isolated piece of his property.

The new handwritten will creates a firestorm when the majority of his wealth is left to his black maid and his adult children are forced to fight for what they feel rightfully belongs to them. The new will also leaves a whole community wondering what would compel Seth to change his will at the last minute before he takes his own life.

As usual, John Grisham builds a suspenseful story that keeps you wondering and speculating throughout the story.

Voting for 2013-14 Beehive Awards ends on April 4th!

These are the books in the Children's Fiction category. If you have read any of them, make sure you vote and let us know if you like it.

You can vote on-line through our new website or come into the library and vote.