River Readers

Little Girl Blue is an intimate profile of Karen Carpenter, a girl from a modest Connecticut upbringing who became a Southern California superstar. Karen was the instantly recognizable lead singer of the Carpenters. The top-selling American musical act of the 1970s, they delivered the love songs that defined a generation.

Rinn meets a real dragon in the woods while gathering supplies for her village. The dragon, Aedhan, was supposed to be the protector of the village but fell asleep for 80 years. Uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel arrive to find what has caused the sleeping spell. The village is also preparing for the tea dragon festival. This is a story of friendship and community and it is lovely.

Willow is angry and sad a lot but tries to hide it. After a rough day at school, she blows up at her big sister. She runs away to the woods and finds Pilu who has also run away. Pilu is mad at her mother. Willow is also mad that she made a promise to her mother she can't seem to keep. Together they figure out that the angry monsters following them are of their own making. It is a story of acceptance and forgiveness and family. Simply lovely.

Candice finds a letter in her grandmother's things. The letter leads to a treasure hunt through the history of Lambert, South Carolina and what happened to the Washington family in the 1950s. Candice is helped along the way by her new friend Brandon as they discover the dark history of racism in their town. 

Ben Coffin has had a hard life. His parents died when he was young and he spent several years in foster care. He was finally adopted by Tess whose partner died. Tess promises they are going to leave New Jersey and move to Florida one day, so Ben is careful about becoming attached to people. Then he meets Flip, an abandoned dog. Flip steals Ben's heart and the two become instant friends. Ben starts training Flip to be a therapy dog with the help of his friend Halley who he met at the library. Ben is bullied at school and spends a lot of time in the library reading scifi books.

Who doesn't love cocktails by the pitcher? I didn't try any of the recipes but there are a couple I might this summer. There are also a couple of alcohols that I need to look up because I didn't know what they were!

This was an interesting twist on the original story. A mixed race, blended family is at the heart of this rendition appropriate for a 150th anniversary. The graphics are good and the modernization doesn't take away from the original.

This was a nice story about a young girl's journey to find her place among her friends. Olive has lots of friends which is great for a fifth grader, but when a talent show is scheduled, relationship change quickly. At such an awkward age, finding the right spot is never easy, but when Olive does, she goes for it with a gusto.

A debut graphic novel about friendship and finding where you "click" in school.

This was an intriguing listen and nothing like the story I grew up hearing. However, with the "evils" of gold, this telling makes perfect sense. The fact that Red is tied in to this story too, makes it a nice addition to the series.

It was fun to re-listen to this additional book in the Heroes of Olympus series. I had forgotten how funny Hermes snakes were and I am still intrigued by the story that was written by Haley, Rick's son. I think it would make an interesting series of stories.

This story continues to flesh out the three Hudson sisters, their aunt, and the men who are crossing their paths. Des and her love for dogs, especially those who've been abandoned, plays a large part in this story. This connection leads to her reevaluating what she wants in life, where she wants to be, and most of all, who she wants to be with. The glimpses in to the past of the theater and how it's being restored are intriguing too. I can't wait to see how this all wraps up and especially what is going to break the destructive cycle that Allie is living in.

After Viji and Rukku escape their abusive father, they find themselves struggling to survive under an abandoned bridge in Chennai, India. They bond with two boys also on the bridge and together they eek out an existence pilfering the trash pits in and around the city.

Molly and her brother, Kip, are desperate. Their parents are gone and they are on their own. They have exhausted all their options save for the promise of work at an old English manor house. When they arrive they soon discover that all is not as it seems.

This book is wonderfully creepy, mystical and engaging. I don't usually like books like this book found myself riveted in Molly and Kip's story. This is the second of Jonathan Auxier's books I've read and loved. I am anxious to pick up another.

Hausmagic was the perfect book for me at the perfect time. I'm doing the Spring cleaning and organizing of the house and I saw this book on the New Books at the library and thought I would take a look at it. I loved this book from the start and I have incorporated ways to fill my home with more positive energy and out the negative. I really can feel the difference.

The team is despondent following the near apocalypse created by one of their own and the death of their beloved mentor Pogo. So it's a great time for another catastrophic event to rouse the team into action. Trouble is - each member of the team is distracted by some very real problems of their own. The White Violin is bedridden due to an unfortunate blow to the head. Rumor has lost her voice - the source of her power.