August 12, 2012: Family favorites

Join us as we revisit old classics with a strong sense of family. We'll talk about All Of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor and The Great Brain by John Fitzgerald, as well as any favorites you remember from your childhood.

September 9, 2012: Animal stories

~ The One and and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

October 14, 2012: Historical fiction

~ The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958. Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family. But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.

Sunday, November 4, 2012: Maurice Sendak tribute

Maurice Sendak's career in illustration spanned sixty-five years and nearly one hundred books.  He won nearly every major children's literature award including the Caldecott Medal, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal and the Astrid Lindgren Award. His iconic book Where the Wild Things Are is routinely mentioned as one of the greatest modern American children's books. Join us for a discussion about the many works of this legend in the children's book field.

Sunday, December 9, 2012: Non-Fiction

~ Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin

On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst into flames.  The factory was crowded.  The doors were locked to ensure workers stayed inside.  One hundred forty-six people—mostly women—perished. But the story of the fire is not the story of one accidental moment in time.  It is a story of immigration and hard work to make it in a new country.  It is the story of poor working conditions and greedy bosses, as garment workers discovered the endless sacrifices required to make ends meet.  It is the story of unimaginable, but avoidable, disaster.  And it is the story of the unquenchable pride and activism of fearless immigrants and women who stood up to business, got America on their side, and finally changed working conditions for our entire nation, initiating radical new laws we take for granted today. With Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Albert Marrin has crafted a gripping, nuanced, and poignant account of one of America's defining tragedies.

~ Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming