Dragonwatch

Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull

In this sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens.  An uprising of dragons threatens to destroy the magical preserves, as well as overrun the nonmagical world.

As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge, as only they have the ability to function together to battle against the supernatural and magical forces.

It was fun to listen to this on audio, Kirby Heyborne, does an awesome job as the narrator.  Kendra and Seth are back in another great adventure.  A few new characters have been added, but the old characters are back too.  Just keep in mind this is fantasy, and Seth is back with all his crazy shenanigans.

I loved the Fablehaven series, so I was a little worried about a sequel to that story after all these years, but I jumped right back into it and I was not disappointed.

You can find Dragonwatch, in CD form in the audio section of the library, or in book form in the Young Adult section of the library.

Join us for Teen Scene Tomorrow Night!

Spring Puppet Show

Deadly Inheritance

Deadly Inheritance by Clair M. Poulson

Andi Buckner and her twin brother, Bolden, have had enough of the rough life of Detroit.  Coming from an abusive home, the twins make their escape.  Bolden to the military, and Andi to wherever the road takes her. Andi eventually finds herself in Spring Hollow, Montana, befriended by Louis "Gramps" Granger, a retired cop.  Gramps offers Andi a place to live, and she gets a job working at the local restaurant.  Life is wonderful and peaceful for Andi in Spring Hollow, and she develops a strong relationship with Gramps, who is like a grandfather to her. One day an enemy from Gramp's past comes to Spring Hollow and murders Gramps, and tries to murder Gramp's dog as well, but the dog escapes with a minor injury.

Andi is heartbroken that Gramps has been murdered, and vows to do her best to find the person responsible.  With the help of Andi's twin brother, Bolden, and Bolden's private investigator friend, Mason Crowther, the trio sets out to solve the murder. Andi is a tough girl, she knows martial arts, she is good with a gun, she has master driving skills, and nerves of steel.

The book starts out fast-paced, but kind of gets stuck in the middle, I would be caught up in the suspense one minute and then dragged down by inconsistencies the next minute, and some of the relationships just felt clumsy.  It's kind of weird that my favorite character was the dog.

You can find Deadly Inheritance in the adult fiction section of the library.

Come Join Us for Book Club.... Tonight!

How I Killed Pluto

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown

The astronomer who inadvertently triggered the "demotion" of Pluto in his effort to officially recognize the solar system's tenth planet, describes the ensuing debates and public outcry while revealing the behind the scenes story of discovery.

The world felt the shock of betrayal when it was announced that Pluto was no longer qualified to be a planet.  Among those who vehemently opposed this decision, astronomer Mike Brown is public enemy #1.  He is the man responsible for "killing" our ninth planet, and, surprisingly, he did it by finding a tenth one.  In this scientific memoir, Brown explains the process involved in discovering planetary objects, his own struggle with the definition of a planet, and the strange politics and contention that comes when trying to make changes in our solar system.

As someone who is not very scientifically minded, I love reading what scientists write.  Brown has a passion for his work that is apparent, and it makes the reader care about space as much as he does.  There is so much to learn about how the universe works, and Mike Brown did a great job at teaching concepts in an interesting and understandable way.  I really liked learning about the telescopes and how often they're used and how you have to schedule them, it's just something I'd never thought about until now.

Throughout the book, Brown also talks about his family.  While some people might not like that because they want to focus on the science, I thought it was very sweet how he loved his family, and it was funny how he seemed to approach being a father just like a scientist, using charts and graphs to track her growth and sleeping habits.

I started this book with skepticism, thinking there was no way he could convince me that Pluto wasn't a planet, and yet, here I am convinced.  My love for Pluto will never die, but I'll just have to mark it down as my favorite "dwarf planet".

You can find this book in the adult non-fiction section of the library.

Ranger's Apprentice Series

Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan

Fifteen year old Will has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice.  The Rangers have always scared him in the past, they wear dark cloaks and have shadowy ways.  The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic.  What Will doesn't know is that the Rangers are protectors of the kingdom. The Rangers are highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people, and as Will is about to learn there is a large battle brewing.

There are twelve books in the Ranger's Apprentice series.  These are fun adventure books that are easy to pick up and read, especially for boys who may not really love reading.  There's lots of action, but the violence is age appropriate and not disturbing.  One great element is that the narrative changes points of view so we get to see what's going on with all the different characters during the story.

Loyalty, honesty, and friendship are huge parts of the story, and relationships develop naturally - nothing feels too cliche or forced. Will and his comrades defend their kingdom from threats, and all through battle stratagem, politics and quick thinking.  They get into plenty of sticky situations, but they don't always come out without scrapes or serious injury.  Overall, these are fun books for older kids, teens, and anyone looking for a fun, easy read.

You can find the Ranger's Apprentice series in the Young Adult section of the library.

USU Extension Class Thursday Night!

Beehive Book Nominees

Here are the Beehive Book Nominees for 2017-18! 

After you have read some or all of the nominees, make sure to go to our library website and click on "Readers Corner" and vote to let us know which books you liked and which ones you didn't.