Book of the Week: ‘Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World’
Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the WorldCraig Hatkoff with Juliana and Isabella Hatkoff2007, unpagedGenre: Children’s nonfiction This is the story of Knut, (pronounced K’-noot), a polar bear cub who was born at the Berlin Zoo on Dec. 5, 2006. His mother wasn’t able to raise Knut, so Thomas the chief bear keeper becomes Knut’s foster father. Thomas stays up at night to feed the tiny cub and takes care of his every need,...
Book of the Week: ‘The Secret of High Eldersham’
The Secret of High EldershamMiles Burton2016 (originally published in 1930)256 pagesMysteryThis book is one of the British Library Crime Classics and was originally published in 1930. It takes the reader to the years between the wars, a time when there were no cell phones or email and one had to write letters or telegrams, or go and find someone to ask them a question.Horrible things seem to happen to strangers in the East Anglian...
Book of the Week: ‘The Girl From Venice’
The Girl from VeniceMartin Cruz Smith2016, 308 pagesFiction It is 1945, and Cenzo is fishing in the waters off Venice when he comes across the body of a young girl in the sea. He can’t just leave her there. He takes her aboard, and covers her body up under a tarp. Then a gunboat of German soldiers stops him. They are looking for prisoners who have escaped from an institution on a nearby island. But when the boat is searched, the girl...
Book of the Week: ‘Hannah and Sugar’
Hannah and Sugar Kate Berube 2016 Genre: Children’s Every day when Hannah comes home from school, her dad is waiting for her at the bus stop. And Violet P.’s mom and her brown dog, Sugar, are waiting for Violet. Every day Violet P.’s mom asks Hannah if she would like to pet Sugar. And every day Violet says, “No, thank you.” But one day Sugar goes missing and is gone for a day and a night. No one can find her. Hannah wonders what it...
Book of the Week: ‘Dark Matter’
Dark MatterBlake Crouch2016, 340 pagesGenre: Science FictionBlake Crouch’s science fiction thriller, Dark Matter, is all about how every decision we make, big or small, can change the trajectory of our lives in ways unimaginable. When Jason Dessen, physics professor, leaves his wife and son at their Chicago brownstone for a quick obligatory beer with an old colleague and some ice cream for the family, he’s kidnapped. The last thing...