We are taught early on that we should give honor to whom honor is due. For decades, our country has been supported by men and women who protect our precious country, so that we may live. Their proven bravery, sacrifice, and strength continues to burn brightly in representation of Lady Liberty's symbolic torch. The freedoms [...]
There is no denying it, this title demands your attention. I probably would have read it even if I did not spend my formative years watching the author, Jennette McCurdy, co-star on the ultra-popular Nickelodeon show, iCarly. I was already familiar with her work, so I immediately recognized her on the cover. As soon as [...]
This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples, also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library. This month's pick for the Reading the Rainbow book group is a character-driven, darkly humorous novel about what keeps people in dwindling towns. 26-year-old Ojibwe man Marion feels tethered to his hometown of Geshig, a tiny [...]
Bo the horse and his friend Duke the pony visited the Galena Branch several times over the summer! Their owner Ashley took the time to educate visiting patrons about horse facts, care, health, and demonstrated how to saddle and ride. She also gave participants lots of hands on experiences with grooming, feeding, and listening to [...]
Does October put you in the mood for something witchy? If so, you're in luck! Check out one of these teen novels and let it cast a spell over you. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (2011). Also available as an e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library. Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino [...]
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danworth (recommended by Abby) This is a perfect book to sink your teeth into this spooky season: a creepy, queer, absorbing metafiction about a haunted boarding school. Dual narratives - one in the early 1900s at the Rhode Island boarding school and one in modern day Hollywood - weave [...]
Suddenly, an enticing, chocolatey goodness fills all of the surrounding space around you wafting towards your nose, pulling forth long forgotten childhood memories. You are taken on a journey through time and space, as a dearly beloved family member clatters around in the kitchen producing mixing bowls, spatulas, a mixer, cupcake pans, eggs, butter, cocoa, [...]
Ada Lovelace is known as a computer pioneer extraordinaire and the first ever computer programmer. She is celebrated for her efforts in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Here is a little bit more about Ada Lovelace. She was born on December 10, 1815 and was the daughter of the Romantic Poet Lord Byron. Her [...]
Today, October 1oth, is Indigenous People's Day! It is important that we as a nation take the time to acknowledge and honor the native people who founded our land. Historically, classrooms across America have not taught about indigenous cultures, prominent Native American leaders, or any of their values and traditions. Instead, Columbus Day has been [...]
October is an exciting month for many of us. The weather has changed, leaves are starting to turn, and the spooky feeling of Halloween is in the air. Did you know that October is also National Italian-American Heritage Month? This celebration was established in 1989 by a proclamation from both Congress and President George H. [...]