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Drawn Together

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Drawn Together by Minh Lé
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Format: Book
Who’s It For: Kids

Who says art is optional?!! This wonderful story grabbed my heart on the first read. Drawn Together is an awesome book about the power of art, and its ability to bring all kinds of people together.

A boy is dropped off, much against his will, to visit with his non-English-speaking grandpa. Without words the distance between them couldn’t be wider! What will they do all day, when neither can understand or communicate with the other? They try television (nope), sharing a lunch (umm, no). Eventually the boy gives up and goes to get his sketchpad and markers to pass the time. Suddenly Grandpa reappears- with HIS sketchpad and brushes! As they begin to draw together, pictures without words let them see each other as they are for the first time, and they create adventures and worlds to express themselves that build a bridge to love and understanding.

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Girls on the Line

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Girls on the Line by Jennie Liu
Publication Date: November 1, 2018
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Teens

Violating Family Planning regulations by having a child out of wedlock sounds like something from a dystopian novel. In China, it is the reality for millions.

Luli has aged out of the orphanage at 16 and is forced into the world of adulthood. She connects with her friend Yun who aged out of the system the year before. Yun helps Luli to get a job at the factory where she works and promises to show her the ropes. Yun is energetic and precarious, spending her money on eating out with her friends, going to clubs, and spending time with her older boyfriend. Luli is shy, saves her money, and hopes to one day have a family. Luli soon hears the rumors about Yun’s boyfriend. He sells off young girls and women to men in the countryside, he is a bride trafficker. Yun refuses to believe these rumors and finds herself in a position that seems inescapable. She is pregnant with Yun’s child and doesn’t have the money to abide by the Family Planning regulations; get an abortion, or pay the fines for having a child outside of marriage. Luli wants to help her friend, but can she?

Yun and Luli live in a culture where superstition and appearances are vital to success in life. These beliefs impact personal relationships and employment prospects. Add to that the government’s Family Planning regulations, and life can be incredibly difficult for women in this culture. The harrowing experiences of these two young women leads them on a journey of self-discovery, selflessness, sorrow, and friendship that is worth reading about.

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A Gentleman in Moscow

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A Gentleman in Moscow
By Amor Towles
Who it’s for: Adults

Count Alexander Rostov appears before a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922 Moscow and is sentenced to house arrest. He will live out the rest of his days at the luxurious Hotel Metropol. If he sets foot outside the hotel, he will be shot on sight. Moved from his luxurious suite to a former storage room at the top of the hotel, the Count notes: “If a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.” And so Rostov sets about mastering his circumstances. The hotel is home to restaurants, a cocktail bar, and a barbershop, but also to a multitude of empty rooms, secret passages, and more that the Count explores with Nina, a nine year old girl living in the hotel temporarily.

Over the next 32 years, we follow the Count through his life at the hotel, including a love affair, a family life of sorts, and a new career. He maintains his aristocratic flair, but is not too proud to learn from those with whom he spends time. The novel also provides a view of the changes occurring in Russia in these years. An old friend of the Count weaves in and out of the story to describe the changing political environment, and the narrator describes physical changes happening outside the walls of the Metropol. The chilling events and atmosphere of Stalinist Russia are not the main focus of the novel, but they lurk in the background and certainly impact the Count and his friends (some more harshly than others).

Philosophical, witty, and lyrical, A Gentleman in Moscow is highly recommended. This isn’t a quick, action heavy read, but one full of memorable quotations and moments meant to be savored. Recommended for fans of Anthony Doerr, Kristin Hannah, and Muriel Barbery.

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Driving by Starlight

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Driving by Starlight by Anat Deracine

Publication Date: May 22, 2018

Who it’s for: Teens

Sixteen-year-olds Leena and Mishie are best friends. They delight in small rebellions against the Saudi cultural police—secret Western clothing, forbidden music, flirtations. But Leena wants college, independence—she wants a different life. Though her story is specific to her world (a world where it’s illegal for women to drive, where a ten-year-old boy is the natural choice as guardian of a fatherless woman), ultimately it’s a story about friendship, family, and freedom that transcends cultural differences.

This debut novel about friendship, being a woman, and having courage in a male dominant culture is full of unexpected twists and is sure to keep you turning the pages.

 

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Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam by Jawzia Gilani-Williams, with pictures by Chiara Fedele, is the story of two friends who live on neighboring date farms. Yaffa is Jewish, and Fatima is Muslim. They do a lot of the same things, they just do them a little different. For instance, they both love to pray. Yaffa prays in the synagogue and Fatima prays in a mosque. They both celebrate holidays. Yaffa celebrates Yom Kippur and Passover, Fatima celebrates Ramadan, and Eid. And they both wish each other peace. Yaffa says “Shalom,” and Fatima says “Salaam.” One year, there was very little rain, and so there were very little dates to eat or sell at market. Yaffa can’t sleep at night wondering if Fatima has enough, so she loads up her donkey and carries a supply of dates over to her friend’s home. Meanwhile Fatima’s been lying awake at night wondering if Yaffa has enough, so she loads up her donkey and carries a supply of dates over to her home! In the morning they both wake up to find more dates than they thought they had, and plan to repeat the scheme that night, which they do, but this time they run into each other in the field between their farms. They hug and laugh, and thank the other for thinking of them! This is a lovely story that shows we can be friends with people from different backgrounds as us. We may find we’re actually very similar in all the areas that count, like kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. See this book listed in our catalog

Yoga Bunny

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Submitted by Mr. Eric!

“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” – Dalai Lama. For many of us, this is easier said than done. As hard as we may try, in practice it’s extremely difficult to not let events in the news or the negativity of others affect our mood. This is, in essence, what Yoga Bunny is all about. Written and illustrated by Brian Russo, Yoga Bunny follows a bunny hoping to find someone to perform yoga with them, with very little apparent success. A fox running by in a huge rush, a passing bird that is overly critical of the bunny’s technique, and a lizard that hates everything about mornings (including morning yoga routines), all threaten to bring the bunny down. Bunny continues their routine despite the surrounding negativity and eventually two mice join in the yoga, followed by the bird, the lizard, and eventually the hurried fox. By focusing on the “now” and by maintaining their inner calm, Bunny is able to rise above the negativity surrounding them and even helps to bring some inner peace to their fellow animals. One of the final lines of the story, delivered by the often busy and irritable fox, perfectly encapsulates the idea of focusing on the “now”: “I know where I’m supposed to be,” said Fox, not so angry anymore, “It’s here.” Recommended for: Readers interested in animals, yoga, Zen, and finding inner peace. Pro-tip: The inside cover of the book shows Bunny demonstrating a variety of yoga poses. Try these out with your little one while focusing on how your body responds to each of the stances. Remember that there are no mistakes and have fun! See this book listed in our catalog