Welcome to the Public Libraries of Saginaw

GOOD LITTLE WOLF BY NADIA SHIREEN

lbryant — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:39:49 +0000

Rolf’s best friend old Mrs. Boggins says that he is a good little wolf. However, when Rolf bumps in to the Big Bad Wolf in the woods, the question of whether or not Rolf is a real wolf is brought up. Rolf humorously fails each of the tasks the Big Bad Wolf gives him. Much to the Big Bad Wolf’s surprise, Rolf shows him that a proper wolf can also be a good wolf when the Big Bad Wolf makes the mistake of threatening Mrs. Boggins. Maybe Big Bad Wolf will change his ways now that he has seen a different path…

This story would make a great giggly wolf storytime when paired with Emily Gravett’s Wolves and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

Reviewed by Jennie Tuttle, Wickes Library

Recommended for ages 4 and up

Silly Goose’s Big Story by Keiko Kasza

lbryant — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:44:47 +0000

Goose always has a good story to tell his friends. One day though, they tire of Goose always getting to be the hero in the story. As they argue, a hungry wolf comes and captures Goose while his friends escape. Goose then comes up with his biggest tale ever about a Wem (wolf eating monster) and his friends pitch in and save Goose from becoming lunch. Goose is so happy his friends are there to play the role of hero today! This is a very cute book about friendship.

Review by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library

Recommended for ages 3 and up

The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

ktesdell — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:31:37 +0000

When Paula Wittmore returns to her hometown of Haven Woods with her daughter, Rowan, she thinks she’s just visiting her sick mother. But odd things are happening all over town, her mother lies in bed in a hospital that is virtually empty, and the women of the town, who had previously had such easy and successful lives, all seem to be having crises of their own.

Paula, who left town secretly pregnant by a boy who had a tragic and fatal accident, has huge emotional issues of her own to deal with, but she gradually realizes that things are very wrong in the idyllic town where she grew up. When she discovers that Sanderson Keyes, a former classmate, has recently moved back to Haven Woods, she is drawn to him as an ally in finding out what secret the women in town are hiding.

This is a dark, disturbing novel, and not for the squeamish. If you’re seeking a somewhat light-hearted approach to the occult, look elsewhere. It is seriously creepy.

Reviewed by Kate Tesdell

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

ktesdell — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 14:00:03 +0000

When a bus carrying the headlining band for Eden Lake’s Weekend Jazz Festival overturns, it appears that the big star, keyboard player Buddy Neiman, has escaped with only a sprained wrist. When he is later found murdered in the hospital, Hannah gets involved with trying to solve the murder. Along the way she discovers that Buddy may not have been exactly who everyone thought he was, and that his life is entwined with hers in a way that has surprising results.

Meanwhile, Norman’s wedding looms, and no one but the bride seems very happy about it, including Norman.

As always, Fluke has delivered an engaging mystery. The inhabitants of Eden Lake are always a joy, the continuing saga of Hannah, Norman and Mike takes some satisfying turns, and everything is discussed, dissected and resolved around such mouth-watering recipes as Peaches and Cream Cookies and Janet’s Texas Jalapeno Pimento Cheese. The recipes for each dish are included.

If you like this series, you’ll love this one!

Skeletons at the Feast Online Book Discussion

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:16:25 +0000

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

One Book One Community Book Pick 2012

In the chaotic months before the final collapse of the Third Reich, the Germans living in the eastern part of Hitler’s empire fled their homes to escape the onslaught of the Soviet Army. In Skeletons at the Feast, Bohjalian draws on an unpublished World War II diary to re-create the fitful westward flight of a Prussian aristocrat, her children, and a Scottish POW in the waning months of the war. As this unlikely group desperately flees the advancing Russian troops, they befriend an even more unlikely protector: a young Jew who somehow had escaped from an Auschwitz-bound train. Bohjalian counterpoints this tense trek with a parallel narrative about hundreds of Jewish women struggling to survive a pitiless forced march from a death camp. The strength of the human spirit despite adversity is what Chris Bohjalian brings vividly and powerfully to life in Skeletons at the Feast.

Question 1

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:14:41 +0000

Both of Anna’s parents are members of the Nazi Party–though it is clear that they are not die-hard believers. Living on their farm in rural Prussia, they are largely sheltered from the atrocities perpetrated against the Jews. As Germans, do you think they share responsibility for the Nazis’ actions even if they didn’t know the full extent of what was happening? Why did they join the party? Did they have a choice? Consider Helmut’s teacher who questions the boy about his father’s loyalty to Hitler and the consequences of resisting. If failure to join meant death for you, what would you have done?

Question 2

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:13:45 +0000

We meet Uri on the train to Auschwitz. What kind of man is he? How does he behave on the train? Imagine yourself in those deplorable conditions. Do you think you would seize the opportunity for freedom and jump as Uri did, leaving behind your family to an uncertain future?

Question 3

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:12:52 +0000

Although the world is essentially collapsing around them, Anna and Callum fall in love, Theo cries over leaving his beloved horse behind, and Mutti carefully drapes the furniture in sheets to protect it before they flee their home ahead of the Russians. What do these simple, ordinary actions reveal about them as people? About . . . → Read More: Question 3

Question 4

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:11:51 +0000

Describe Cecile. What kind of woman is she? What keeps her going in spite of the cruelty and degradation she suffers every day? How is she different from her friend Jeanne? Do you think you would act more like Cecile or Jeanne in the same circumstances?

Question 5

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:10:38 +0000

In Chapter Eight, Helmut and his father, Rolf, try to convince Uncle Karl to leave his home along with the Emmerichs. He refuses, keeping his daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandson with him in spite of the danger. Why won’t he evacuate? Why won’t he let the women and the child leave? On page 118 he . . . → Read More: Question 5