Authors in April 2019 Brief Book Summaries Josh Funk – K-1 Albie Newton When inventor Albie Newton enters a new preschool, he concocts the perfect plan for making friends… It involves stealing the hamster’s wheel, snatching the wings off of Dave’s toy airplane, and generally making a giant mess. Now everyone’s angry at Albie! Will his new invention delight the kids enough to make everything right and win their friendship? 32 pages – recommended 5-9 years The Case of the Stinky Stench There’s a stinky stench in the fridge and our favorite foodie friends must solve a smelly mystery! Sir French Toast’s nephew, Inspector Croissant, begs him and Lady Pancake for help in finding the source of the foul odor. Could it be the devious Baron Von Waffle? A fetid fish lurking in the bottom of Corn Chowder Lake? 40 pages – recommended 5-8 years Dear Dragon: A Pen Pal Tale George and Blaise are pen pals, and they write letters to each other about everything: their pets, birthdays, favorite sports, and science fair projects. There’s just one thing that the two friends don’t know: George is a human, while Blaise is a dragon! What will happen when these pen pals finally meet face-to-face? 40 pages – recommended 4-8 years How to Code a Sand Castle Pearl has been trying to build the perfect sandcastle, but Frisbees and puppies keep getting in the way! Pearl and her robot, Pascal, have one last chance, and this time, they’re going to use code to get the job done. Using fundamental computer coding concepts, Pearl and Pascal are able to break down their sandcastle problem into small, steps. If they can create working code, this could turn out to be the best beach day ever! 44 pages – recommended 4-8 years Its Not Jack and the Beanstalk Jack is not fond of the bossy narrator of his fairy tale! When Jack is told to trade his beloved cow Bessie for some magic beans, throw the beans out the window, climb the ENORMOUS beanstalk that sprouts overnight, and steal from a GIANT, he decides this fairy tale is getting out of control. In fact, he doesn’t want to follow the story line at all. Who says Jack needs to enter a life of daring, thievery, and giant trickery? He takes his story into his own hands—and you’ll never guess what happens next! 40 pages – recommended 4-8 years Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast A thoroughly delicious picture book about the funniest "food fight" ever! Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have a beautiful friendship—until they discover that there's ONLY ONE DROP of maple syrup left. Off they go, racing past the Orange Juice Fountain, skiing through Sauerkraut Peak, and reeling down the linguini. But who will enjoy the sweet taste of victory? And could working together be better than tearing each other apart? 40 pages – recommended 5-8 years Pirasaurs Meet the Pirasaurs, a ragtag team of seasoned pirate dinosaurs looking for adventure and treasure! There's fearsome Captain Rex, golden-toothed Velocimate, one-eyed Bronto Beard, and more fearsome, buccaneering beasts....as well as one new recruit who may be small, but who's eager to prove he can learn the ropes and find his place on the team. But when a trap is set upon the Pirasaurs while looking for buried treasure, it's up to the littlest recruit to show the team that there's more to a Pirasaur than meets the eye patch! 40 pages - recommended 3-5 years Kirby Larson – 4-5 AudacityJones#1 to the Rescue 224 PAGES AGES 8-12 Audacity Jones is an 11-year-old orphan who aches for adventure like the characters in the novels she loves, a challenge to break up the monotony of her life at Miss Maisie’s School for Wayward Girls. Life as a wayward girl isn’t bad; But, when the mysterious Commodore Crutchfield visits the school and whisks Audie off to Washington, DC, she knows she’s in for the journey of a lifetime. Soon, it becomes clear that the Commodore has unsavory plans for Audie that involve the president of the U.S. and a sinister kidnapping plot. Can Audie save the day before it’s too late? Audacity Jones #2 Steals the Show 192 PAGES AGES 8-12 Audacity Jones and her best friend, Bimmy, are setting off from Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls on an adventure in New York. The girls meet Harry Houdini, the world's most famous magician, who plans to make an elephant disappear from a crowded theater. Audacity and Bimmy discover a plot that puts Houdini's illusion in jeopardy. Who could be trying to sabotage the master magician? Duke 240 PAGES AGES 8-12 With WW II raging and his father fighting overseas in Europe, 11-year-old Hobie Hanson is determined to do his part to help his family and his country, even if it means giving up his German shepherd, Duke. Hoping to help end the war and bring his dad home faster, Hobie decides to donate Duke to Dogs for Defense, an organization that asks Americans to "loan" their pets to the military to act as sentries, mine sniffers, and patrol dogs. Hobie regrets his decision and tries everything he can to get Duke back. Dear America: The Fences Between us 320 PAGES AGES 8-12 When Pearl Harbor is attacked, America is finally unable to ignore the wars raging in Europe and Asia any longer. And one girl's entire life is about to change when everything she knows is turned on its head. After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, where her brother, a navy sailor, is stationed, Piper Davis begins chronicling her compelling journey through one of history's most tragic and unforgettable eras. Dash (Dogs of World War II) 256 PAGES AGES 8-12 Although Mitsi Kashino and her family are swept up in the wave of anti-Japanese sentiment following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mitsi never expects to lose her home -- or her beloved dog, Dash. But, as World War II rages and people of Japanese descent are forced into incarceration camps, Mitsi is separated from Dash, her classmates, and life as she knows it. Liberty (Dogs of World War II) 240 PAGES AGES 9-12 Fish, who suffered from polio and whose dad is away fighting in Europe, has a knack for inventing. His annoying neighbor, Olympia, has a knack for messing things up. When his latest invention leads Fish to Liberty, a beautiful stray dog who needs a home, he and Olympia work together to rescue her. At the Higgins boatyard, where the boats that just might save the Allied forces during World War II are built, the wartime workforce is integrated and includes women and the disabled. However, a friendship that crosses racial lines is not the norm in 1940s New Orleans. Code Word Courage (Dogs of World War II) 256 PAGES AGES 8-12 Billie has lived with her great-aunt ever since her mom passed away and her dad left. Billie's big brother, Leo, is about to leave, too, for the warfront. First, she gets one more weekend with him at the ranch. Billie’s surprised when Leo brings home a fellow Marine from boot camp, Denny. Denny, who is Navajo, or Diné, comes with something special: a gorgeous, but injured, stray dog they name Bear. HATTIE BIG SKY 304 PAGES AGES 12 - For most of her life, 16-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move by herself to Vida, Montana, to work on her late uncle’s homestead claim. Hattie braves hard weather, hard times, a cantankerous cow, and her own hopeless hand at the stove. Despite daily trials, Hattie works her uncle’s claim until a tragedy causes her to search for the real meaning of home. HATTIE EVER AFTER – Limited Availability 256 PAGES AGES 12 - After leaving Uncle Chester’s homestead claim, orphan Hattie Brooks throws a lasso around a new dream. She wants to be a reporter. Real reporters must go to Grand Places, and do Grand Things, like Hattie’s hero Nellie Bly. Another girl might be stymied by this, but Hattie has faced down a hungry wolf and stood up to a mob of angry men. Nothing can squash her desire to write for a big city newspaper. THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL – Limited Availability 208 PAGES AGES 8-12 In 1927, 57 doll-sisters were sent from Japan to America as Ambassadors of Friendship. This story will take you from New York to Oregon, during the Great Depression. This tale has been put to paper because from those 58 original Friendship Dolls only 45 remain. Someone who chooses this book is capable of solving the mystery of the missing sisters. Perhaps that someone is you. NUBS: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle 48 PAGES AGES 5-8 Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. But Nubs’s life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. The two formed a fast friendship. Nubs became part of Dennis’s human “pack” until duty required the Marines to relocate– without him. So began an incredible journey to find his friend and would lead Dennis on a mission that would touch the hearts of people all over the world.