Mercury Column

Sharing the Refugee Experience with Kids

By Jennifer Bergen, Program & Children’s Services Manager

Victoria Jamieson, author of “Roller Girl,” has written a new graphic novel for kids, “When Stars are Scattered.” It is co-authored with Omar Mohamed, and it tells Omar’s true story of living nearly his entire childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya. Jamieson’s humorous illustration style was toned down to a more realistic look that suits the experiences of refugees. Omar and his brother Hassan fled from Somalia to Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp. Omar’s story shows everyday life: getting water and making food, trying to attend school, studying without electric lights, as well as making family and friends with others in the camp. There are also nightmares, worries, and waiting, always waiting.

Jamieson’s graphic novel, which ends on an uplifting note, made me interested in learning more about refugee camps. Statistics from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, show that 79.5 million people were been forcibly displaced in 2019, and nearly half of them were children. Unrefugees.org includes some simple facts and photos good for younger kids interested in learning more. 2.6 million people live in camps, many of which are in West Africa where Omar’s story takes place.

I love to read true stories of people who have overcome huge barriers and lived through experiences vastly different from my own. Omar’s story is heart-wrenching and amazing, and the graphic novel style makes it very accessible to kids. It is not easy for any of us to read or watch footage of people living in refugee camps. It is so clear that we have so much, and they have so little. The unfairness of it is painful, and yet it’s important for us to learn about so we can seek ways to help.

“Other Words for Home” by Jasmine Warga, a 2020 Newbery Honor book, tells Jude’s story in poetic verse. Jude, a Syrian refugee, must deal with her feelings after leaving her father and older brother behind when she moves to the U.S. with her mom, in addition to trying to understand life in an American city and school. Also try “The Boy at the Back of the Class” by Onjali Q. Rauf about a Syrian boy’s school experience.

I also recommend some excellent books I’ve read in the past, including Alan Gratz’s “Refugee,” a powerful novel following three refugee families in different time periods on their difficult journeys, Linda Sue Park’s “A Long Walk to Water” which follows the stories of two children fleeing Sudan, and Thanhha Lai’s National Book Award winning novel “Inside Out and Back Again” about a girl from Vietnam whose family ends up in Alabama in 1975. Each of these novels puts us in the shoes of other children, seeing with their eyes and feeling their emotions.

Teaching young children about refugees can be especially difficult. Elise Gravel’s new picture book, “What Is a Refugee?,” provides a wonderful description that will open discussion between a parent or teacher and a child. Gravel’s straightforward text treads carefully and avoids being too scary, while still conveying the sadness and fear of having to flee from one’s home and country. I love the final pages where Gravel provides quotes from six refugee kids she interviewed, and brief bios of some famous refugees, from Madeleine Albright to Luol Deng.

“My Beautiful Birds” by Suzanne Del Rizzo tells the story of Sami beginning when his family flees Syria and walks for 2 days to reach a camp. Sami could not take his special pigeons with him and wonders if they escaped the smoke and flames. He grieves for his birds and slowly acclimates to his new home and school at the refugee camp, befriending some new birds and new friends.

“Mustafa” by Marie-Louise Gay is about a boy who is living in an urban setting and trying to understand his new world. He goes to the park and sees other children, especially one girl who says things to him, but he cannot understand her words. Mustafa feels invisible to others, until finally one day, he and the girl play and laugh together even though they still cannot understand each other’s language.

Tackling tough topics like this with children is hard, and not every child is up to it. Using books provides a safe window to look into someone else’s view. Kids can relate to the similar feelings they share with the main character, and begin to empathize with the feelings they’ve never had, such as the fear of leaving your home or family behind.

“Iron Lake” by William Kent Krueger

by Bryan McBride, LIS Librarian

What happens when a Windigo calls your name? Has Cork O’Connor heard the Windigo call his name? That is only one of the mysteries in this novel by Krueger. “Iron Lake” is the first book in the Cork O’Connor mystery series set in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. O’Connor is part Irish-Catholic, part Anishinaabe Indian. With red hair and pale skin, he doesn’t look like one of The People, and opinions on the reservation are divided about his loyalty to them. It dates back to when Cork was the local sheriff, in which a dust-up between the local tourist industry and the Anishinaabe tribe over fishing rights for Iron Lake leads to a shooting that has taken the lives of a protester from Chicago and a tribal elder. Cork is held responsible by many from both Aurora and the reservation. A recall election ousts Cork from his position as sheriff. Cork blames himself and doesn’t fight his recall.

Now Cork has a difficult time disentangling his current life from his past life as sheriff, partly because many residents of both Aurora and the reservation continue to turn to him for help with their struggles, especially those that bump up against the justice system of Aurora, Minnesota. Cork is also struggling with a recent separation from his wife, who has a well-earned reputation for offering legal aid to those on the reservation. Recently removed from his job as sheriff and with marital issues which have also created some separation from his children, Cork is struggling mightily.

Paul LeBeau is an exceptional boy of mixed blood who delivers newspapers in Aurora. An Eagle Scout, he takes great pride in the skills he has honed.  As he delivers the papers, he often thinks of all the ways he could handle various disasters that might befall Aurora.  “Be prepared” is a motto precious to him.

But now Paul has disappeared. School closed early for the day due to an impending blizzard but that only heightened Paul’s desire to carry out his delivery responsibilities, and he hasn’t returned home following his deliveries. At the request of the boy’s mother, Cork begins a search for the boy, which begins at the last stop on the boy’s route to first discover if Paul finished his deliveries. That is the home of the local judge, and the judge is dead.  And now Cork is first on the scene, just like the sheriff he once was.  His first call is to the current sheriff who brings in the medical examiner, which like in many small towns, is barely competent and part-time as an M.E. With his quick intuitive skills of observation honed as a Chicago cop, Cork begins to doubt the medical examiner’s opinion of a suicide. And where is the boy? Did Paul hear the Windigo call his name?

Just as he can’t seem to disentangle his time as sheriff, he can’t separate the death of the judge from the missing boy. His search for the boy begins to expose harsh local secrets, and soon threatens Cork’s life.

Mysteries against a Native American backdrop are my favorite books within the mystery genre.  For readers who enjoy the Walt Longmire mysteries by Craig Johnson, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee series by Tony Hillerman, or Charlie Moon mysteries by James Doss, this series by William Kent Krueger needs to be on the reading list.  For a long time, the James Doss books were my favorite from this genre for their mix of Native American mystic and humor.  Sadly, James Doss has passed away and the Charlie Moon series ended a few years back.  But Johnson and Krueger carry on, delivering mystic known to Native Americans while Walt Longmire and Cork O’Connor solve local mysteries.

The 19th Amendment for Kids

By Jennifer Bergen, Program and Children’s Manager

The 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, was ratified 100 years ago in August of 1920. Our unofficial history librarian in the Children’s Room, Ms. Rachel, has explored some great new titles for young readers on the topic. Here are some highlights from new publications this year.

“History Smashers: Women’s Right to Vote” by Kate Messner is a history of the fight for the 19th Amendment. It includes short comics and insets to give additional information and talks about the early fight for women’s rights leading up to the 19th Amendment, and how things changed (or didn’t) after it was ratified. Messner writes, “In the end, the story of women’s fight for the right to vote is a much messier one than history books like to share.” There’s a lot of information, but it’s a fast-paced book that will keep readers tuned in.

“Give Us the Vote! Over 200 Years of Fighting for the Ballot” by Susan Goldman Rubin is a more complete history of voting in the United States, from the earliest days of white male property owners through the fight for women to be allowed to vote, denial of citizenship (and voting rights) to Native Americans and Chinese People, up to recent voter suppression controversies. There is a lot of information crammed in to 120 fascinating pages.

“Lifting As We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box” by Evette Dionne covers women who are often overlooked in the popular understand of the suffrage movement. However, there were many Black women involved in those early days, fighting for both suffrage and abolition, and they continued to fight for civil rights after their white sisters had retired. Hopefully, through this book, many more fascinating women will receive the same attention as Susan B. Anthony.

“Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America” by Deborah Diesen is a picture book that walks children through the progression of voting rights in a short poem. While the text of the main portion of the book is brief, intended to inspire readers to find out more, in the back of the book is an extensive list of important people in the movement and a summary of all the voting-related amendments and legislation in America’s history. This list is fascinating for all age readers, reminding us that Native Americans weren’t granted citizenship until 1924, and some states still restricted their right to vote. Another interesting fact: Mabel Ping-Hua Lee campaigned for the 19th Amendment even though Asian-Americans were restricted from citizenship until 1952.

These books and more are featured on a board in the library’s Children’s Room, which is now open for browsing by appointment. Just call the library to set up a time to visit, or stop by and we will do our best to fit you in. The library is also the Ward 1 Precinct 1 polling site, and we will accommodate voting this November using our Storytime Room and direct outdoor entrance to keep the process as safe as possible. You can find your polling site by visiting rileycoks.gov or other county government websites. Find out if you are registered to vote at ksvotes.org, and get non-partisan candidate info at vote411.org, powered by The League of Women Voters Education Fund. However you choose to do it, we hope you will vote!

The epilogue from Lifting As We Climb leaves readers, young or old, with powerful words to consider:

“The battle for voting rights will—and should—continue long after all the celebrations of the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment. It is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Continuing to lift as we climb—by registering to vote, encouraging friends to register to vote, contacting congressional and state representatives to demand they take steps to protect voting rights, and keeping the universal suffrage conversation going—is essential. Voting is a hallmark of being an American citizen, and preserving the right to vote still matters—forever and always.” – Evette Dionne

International Mysteries

by John Pecoraro, Associate Director

There is nothing better than reading a good mystery. That is, unless you are reading a mystery that takes place in another country. International mysteries add to the mystery of the story with the flavor of another country’s culture, customs, and cuisine. The library’s collection of downloadable materials on Hoopla features hundreds of mysteries by authors from dozens of places around the world.

The first stop on our tour of world mysteries is Mussolini’s Italy of the 1930s. Maurizio di Giovanni introduces Commissario Ricciardi in “I Will Have Vengeance.” Commissario Ricciardi has the uncanny ability (gift or curse) of seeing the final seconds in the lives of people who have died violent deaths. It has helped him become one of the most successful homicide detectives on the Naples police force, but at a cost. Ricciardi drinks too much and doesn’t sleep enough. It’s March, 1931, when Arnaldo Vezzi, famous opera tenor, is found murdered in his dressing room. While adored by millions of opera fans, Vezzi, arrogant and bad-tempered, is also hated by not a few. As Ricciardi investigates, there doesn’t seem to be a want of suspects happy to see Vizzi dead.

Next we visit the Low Countries. The Belgian police force send veteran Walter Eekhaut, along with his authority problem, to Amsterdam to assist the Dutch security service in investigating the activities of a well-connected Russian oligarch. So begins Guido Eekhaut’s (no relation) “Absinthe.” While investigating the Russian, Eekhaut finds himself pulled into the case of a murdered young dissident who might have stolen a sensitive list from the Amsterdam offices of an ultra-right-wing political party. A list with the name of secret donors. The hunt for the killer leads to shady dealings that set the Russian mob, Dutch politicians, and business leaders against the police and anyone else who tries to get in their way.

Now travel further north to the Sweden of Camilla Lackberg.  In “The Hidden Child,” crime writer Erica Falck makes a shocking discovery. She finds a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. Digging into her family’s past leads her to the home of a retired history teacher who was one of her mother’s friends during the Second World War. He answers her questions with only bizarre and evasive answers, and two days later turns up dead. Detective Patrik Hedström, Erica’s husband, soon becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. Erica’s reading of her mother’s wartime diaries uncovers a secret that could endanger her husband and child. Light is shining on the dark past, and the truth will out.

Kwei Quartey is a writer from Ghana. His inspector Darko Dawson of the Accra police is investigating the ritualistic murder of a prominent, wealthy couple washed up in a canoe at an offshore oil rig. They are pillars of the community, mourned by all. The more Dawson learns about the case, the more complex it becomes. Real estate entrepreneurs and oil companies have been bribing the traditional fishing population to move out. Soon Dawson discovers an abundance of motives for murder from personal vendettas to corporate conspiracies in “Murder at Cape Three Points.”

When a woman’s body is discovered in the wardrobe warehouse of Israel Television, Chief Superintendent Michael Ohayon takes off on a tangled and bloody trail of detection in Batya Gur’s “Murder in Jerusalem.” While Ohayon has spent his career surrounded by perplexing cases, nothing disturbs him more than what this woman’s murder reveals. The media, so often where political tensions, and social and religious divisions come together, may indeed be at the root of an unspeakable evil.

From Cuba, Leonardo Padura, gives us “Havana Blue,” the first in his series featuring Lieutenant Mario Conde. His head bounding with a New Year’s Eve hangover, Conde is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a high-level business manager, Rafael Morin. Conde remembers Morin from their student days as the guy who always got what he wanted. That included Tamara, the girl Conde hoped would be his own. But there is something hidden beneath Morin’s rise from the barrio into his perfect, successful life. In his investigation, Conde is forced to confront his lost love for Tamara, along with the dreams and delusions of his entire generation of Cubans.

This is just a sampling of the hundreds of mysteries from around the world available 24/7 as downloadable ebooks and audio from Hoopla. As always free with your library card.

A Pirate’s Life is Not for Me

Jared Richards, Learning and Information Services Supervisor

A couple weeks ago was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Inspired by this, I started playing a video game about pirates. You get to sail the seas, find treasure, fight skeletons and krakens, and defend your ship against other players. Despite the theme of the game, it turns out I’m not terribly interested in being a pirate. It can take hours to complete quests and find treasure, and having that stolen from you can be frustrating. I don’t need that level of stress, so I spend my time fishing from the bowsprit of my ship, while reading and listening to books about pirates. I prefer my pirating to take place vicariously.

Joseph Bannister was a respected merchant captain, trusted to make transatlantic voyages between London and Jamaica, with expensive cargo. In 1684, he gave that up, stealing his ship, the Golden Fleece, and becoming a pirate. Over the next three years he was captured, escaped by stealing his ship a second time, and won a battle against two Royal Navy ships, before finally being captured again.

During the battle with the Royal Navy, the Golden Fleece was sunk, and seemingly lost to history for over 300 years. “Pirate Hunters” by Robert Kurson follows the story of two shipwreck hunters, John Chatterton and John Mattera, as they search for the final resting place of Bannister’s ship.

Kurson goes into great detail describing the increasingly expensive and technologically advanced process of searching for shipwrecks. He takes the same amount of care in telling the stories of Chatterton and Mattera, from childhood to professional successes, and the path that led them to this latest hunt. It’s written in such a way that pulled me in and made me stay up late because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The audiobook is narrated by Ray Porter, who is very easy to listen to, but the physical book has some neat pictures. You should probably just check out both.

I’d heard the terms before, but only recently did I learn the difference between a pirate and a privateer. That difference is a government issued piece of paper that says the latter is allowed to do all the pirate stuff legally, on behalf of the government. Privateers were basically used in place of a large naval force, which would be hard to maintain, in order to protect a foreign country’s interests overseas. “The Pirates’ Pact” by Douglas R. Burgess, Jr. goes into detail about the interesting, and precarious, nature of these relationships, focusing on colonial America.

Diving deeper into the history of pirates, and learning about the exploits of Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, and Edward Low, made me think of a pirate from my childhood, Captain Hook. I revisited him in “The Annotated Peter Pan” by J. M. Barrie, edited by Maria Tatar. Barrie developed the character of Peter Pan in the early 1900s. First mentioned in “The Little White Bird” in 1902, Pan took center stage in a successful play in 1904, with the novel following in 1911.

This annotated version is fantastic. Along with the insightful annotations of the story, it also includes a history of the story, the original pen-and-ink illustrations by F. D. Bedford, and a survey of the films, and much more.

My memory of the story had been obscured by the Disney film, which I watched countless times growing up. And then I kept growing up, despite my best efforts. As is often the case with old stories, the original story is a bit darker, including a lot more death than I remember. It isn’t anywhere on par with actual pirates, but I guess it’s fitting for a story featuring a fictional one, even if it’s a children’s story.

None of the books I’ve come across so far in the Manhattan Public Library’s large collection of pirate books, have made any attempt to capture a pirate’s speech. Luckily, we have Mango Languages, offering courses in over seventy languages, including Pirate. I like to mention this resource to the other players in my video game, who I can only generously assume are attempting to speak like a pirate. There’s little evidence they have listened to me.

I may not want to act like a pirate, but the library is a great place to learn about pirates. Being a few centuries removed from the Golden Age of Piracy (1650 – 1730), and their questionable behavior, has turned their incredible exploits into an intriguing curiosity, rather than a terrifying reality.

Falling into Magical Colors

By Stephanie Wallace, Library Assistant 2

Nights are officially growing longer, shadows are creeping farther, and a chill is rising on the back of your neck when you leave your car these days. Maybe it’s just leaves scuttling over the sidewalk or branches creaking in the wind, but our minds are telling us there are secrets waiting for us to discover them. Touches of magic that alight our imaginations and our fears, hoping to surprise us.

If you’re looking for titles that make you want to look twice at where you live, consider taking a peek at these books. They combine contemporary fantasy with mysteries rooted in diverse cultures to transform familiar locales into magical worlds.

Let’s start with “Shadowshaper” by Daniel José Older, which introduces us to Sierra Santiago, a Brooklyn native with a Puerto Rican family. She’s been painting a mural of a dragon on an abandoned construction project when tragedy strikes her family, and soon all of the murals in the city are starting to cry or fade away. It becomes up to her find out why, learn how to use the power her family carries, and stop the person responsible before the spirits of her neighborhood are lost forever.

“Pet” by Akwaeke Emezi is a story set in a near-future, utopian city called Lucille, where angels have eradicated all evils and monsters from the world. At least, that is what Jam thought. She’s a Black transgender girl who accidentally summons a creature made of horns and colors and claws. This creature, Pet emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, and has come with a goal – to hunt a monster hiding somewhere in her best friend, Redemption’s house.

In Maggie Stiefvater’s “All the Crooked Saints,” magic also runs in the Soria family, who came from Mexico to Bicho Raro, Colorado to perform miracles. Pilgrims travel from all parts of the country to ask the Saint of Bicho Raro to fix their lives, but miracles are a tricky business, and few are prepared for the cost it takes. Owls and current pilgrims who have yet to solve the riddle of their miracles haunt the ranch. When Daniel ends up in trouble trying to help one pilgrim in particular, it is up to his cousins Beatriz and Joaquin to learn how to work with the pilgrims to save themselves from their own inner darkness.

Twelve-year-old Sunny is also wishing for a miracle in “Akata Witch” by Nnedi Okorafor. She was born in America, but lives in Nigeria. She wants to play soccer and fit in with her peers, but her albinism makes her burn terribly in the sun. It’s only after a power outage that she discovers an incredible secret – she’s one of the Leopard People, a person with magical powers. Soon she’s called to join other students in magic, and when a serial killer goes on the hunt, Sunny and her friends are put to the test to stop him.

In each of these stories, a diverse cast must learn about their family’s roots in order to fight the darkness encroaching in their worlds. Sierra embraces the power of being a Shadowshaper, Jam unburies secrets with Pet, the Soria family works together with the pilgrims, and Sunny makes a new family with the Leopard People. Magic is woven throughout their lives, protected from outsiders who don’t understand. The fantasy elements in these stories can be viewed as metaphors or enjoyed as they stand. Either way, every one of these titles is sure to make you look twice at everything there is to be enjoyed this fall.

For more book recommendations, please contact Manhattan Public Library at 785-776-4741 ext. 200 or refstaff@mhklibrary.org. If you’d like personalized book recommendations, please fill out a request for a personalized reading list at https://mhklibrary.org/personalized-reading-list-2/.

New and Noteworthy Picture Books

by Laura Ransom, Children’s Programming Coordinator

I am a huge fan of children’s picture books! This is not surprising since I am a children’s librarian, but I contend that picture books are not just for kids. “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin and James Dean is one example. This popular blue cat has been sharing his groovy, optimistic attitude with readers since 2008. Pete even has his own animated show on Amazon Prime. The book features Pete walking along and singing about how much he loves his shoes. Throughout the story, however, Pete’s lovely white shoes start to get a little more colorful with each page. He steps in strawberries, blueberries, and more items on his journey, but he doesn’t let the messiness get him down. The best quote from the book is, “No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song. Because it’s all good.”

Though this book is not new, I chose to write about it this month to highlight a new activity called StoryWalk Downtown. Manhattan Public Library is partnering with Downtown Manhattan, Inc. to share this book in a different format: separated pages of the story are hanging up in business windows along Poyntz Avenue and nearby streets. After reading the story, children and families can receive a prize button, sticker, or bookmark from the library or Downtown Manhattan office. We will be featuring different picture books in October and November as well. Exercise your mind and feet at the same time!

Colorful illustrations can also be found in two new books by author and illustrator Grant Snider, “What Sound is Morning?” and “What Color is Night?” Garbage trucks rumble and breakfast sizzles in the morning, while the book’s pages gradually light up with splashes of orange and pink sunrise. Nighttime can be filled with color, as Snider demonstrates, with yellow car headlights lighting up a dark street. I was happy to discover that the author is a resident of Wichita, Kansas. It’s wonderful to have books in our library written by local authors.

“Prairie Days” by Patricia MacLachlan and Micha Archer transports us to the prairies of Wyoming, the author’s home state. She describes the slower paced life of her childhood in the 1940s. Her family plowed and harvested grain from their farmland, and she spent lazy summer days swimming in the pond and riding horses. Unique wildlife also pops up in the story, including prairie dogs, magpies, and other colorful birds.

“Goodnight, Veggies” by Diana Murray and Zachariah OHora captivated me with its colorful cover. Purple-red beets are snoozing underground next to a smiling worm and bright, green plants. A community garden is home to these sleepy beets, plus some cauliflower cuddling and potatoes closing their eyes. I had never contemplated what an eggplant might dream about, so thankfully the book lets me know that they dream of exploring outer space! The sparse, rhyming text is the perfect bedtime story.

The three little pigs join up with the wolf in “One of These Is Not Like the Others” by Barney Saltzberg. Children can recognize similarities and differences when they see the familiar pigs jamming with the wolf in a rock band. Other pages include three cows and one elephant, and they join together in a happy conga line. The dancing animals proclaim that being different is “just fine with us!” Embracing differences is a great concept for children of all ages to understand.

A top hat and a rabbit magician named Hattie are the stars of “Hat Tricks” by Satoshi Kitamura. Hattie magically pulls out several animals from her hat, including a squirrel, moose, octopus, and more. This story is definitely an exciting read-aloud choice, and who wouldn’t love the chance to shout along with magical Hattie, “Abracadabra, katakurico!”

For more excellent children’s book recommendations, please give us a call at Manhattan Public Library, 785-776-4741 ext. 400 or kidstaff@mhklibrary.org.

Books About Books

Rhonna Hargett, Associate Director of Learning & Information Services

It probably won’t come as any surprise to you that I love books. So, when I find a book about the importance of language and reading, it makes my heart skip a beat. Through reading, I have recently traveled to inland China and the hills of Kentucky, with characters that brave the elements and danger because they value books so much.

“Library of Legends” by Janie Chang is set in 1937 China. As the story starts, Japanese air raids have become a regular occurrence, pushing the Chinese population inland and making travel difficult at the same time. After a failed attempt to meet her mother, Hu Lian was forced to join the rest of her remaining classmates from Minghua University as they travel 1000 miles inland to set up a safe temporary campus. They were each charged with protection of one book from the “Library of Legends,” a 500-year-old record of myths and folklore, requiring them to guard each volume with their lives, and read and learn the stories along the way. They had to walk most of the way, sleeping on hard floors wherever they found them, and avoiding the occasional strafing from Japanese warplanes. Lian had always tried to blend into the background and remain unnoticed, but the common struggle and the close conditions forced her to interact more closely with her classmates, leading to new revelations about friendship. At the same time, the atmosphere was charged with political zeal. Some students discussed the rising Communist movement, and students from wealthy families saw poverty that they never imagined existed. “Library of Legends” is a detailed and captivating account of this historical event as it would have been felt in the lives of those who lived it. As we progress in the book, we see that the stories from the books they carry are interwoven with the world around them, and that there is magic even in the most forbidding of surroundings.

“The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes also takes place in the 1930s, as the United States was reeling from the Great Depression. The Appalachia area of Kentucky faced unique challenges with lack of electricity, transportation, and literacy. The WPA started a project of delivering books by pack horse, the only way to get to many of the homes in the area. Moyes brings the story alive for us, with Margery, Alice, Beth, Izzy, and Sophia, who came together to spread literacy, but ended up affecting each other and the entire town beyond what any of them could have anticipated. They faced brutal weather conditions, human ignorance, and challenges in their own lives to help children and adults learn to read. Their work helped the mountain people to better navigate the small world around them and imagine the possibilities beyond what they had ever known. “The Giver of Stars” is a heart-warming story about overcoming odds and taking care of one another, all with the help of books.

Both books are available in print by placing a hold from www.mhklibrary.org. “The Giver of Stars” is also available as a digital eBook or audiobook from Sunflower eLibrary, which you can access through our website.

It doesn’t seem right to discuss books about books without mentioning some of the greats. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and “The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George are both about how books can save us, even in the darkest of times. Go to our website at www.mhklibrary.org or call (785)776-4741, and let us help you find stories to join you in your journey, whatever road you take.

Art Is Everywhere, if You Just Look for It!

by Jan Johnson, Adult Programming and Outreach Librarian

Have you been downtown in Manhattan and noticed the faces in the Riley County Courthouse façade, the intricate metal work of the portico above Harry’s entrance or the new art installations on our downtown sidewalks and buildings?  With the new self-directed Art and Architecture Scavenger Hunt that we are offering from Manhattan Public Library, you and your friends or family can discover these and more objects d’art. Take a walk downtown with our scavenger hunt and look for the photo clues. You just have to match pieces of art and architecture to their location.

With the incredible changes in the Downtown corridor over the years, I focused on not just the unique, older aspects of some of the buildings, but also the new art installations that inspire the overall atmosphere and vibe of our community. With this activity, we really hope that people can  get out, maintain social distance and have fun (and maybe a little learning) while searching out these treasures just waiting for you in Downtown Manhattan.

If you’re an art and architecture buff like me — Thank you, mom, and your love of all things Frank Lloyd Wright— then enjoying the aesthetic of art and buildings isn’t quite enough for you. Even though the stacks are closed for browsing, you can still request and check out books, audiobooks, documentaries and digital resources for every aspect of art and architecture. You’ll find a small sample of what we offer to inspire and educate listed below.

“The Human Planet : Earth at the Dawn of the Anthropocene” by George Steinmetz looks at the changes that humans have made to the environment with our “quest to build shelter, grow food, generate energy, and create beauty through art and architecture”. Through beautiful aerial photographs and scientific writing, learn how our human footprint has changed the architecture of the earth.

Maybe something more mystical is where your interest lies. “Marcel Duchamp and the Art of Life” by Jacquelynn Baas looks at Duchamp’s life and all of the aspects of it that grew to be a part of his artistic life. From mathematics to philosophy, his art ”asks us to unlearn what we think we know, both about art and about life, in order to be open to it.”

“Frida in America: The Creative Awakening of a Great Artist” by Celia Stahr looks at how Kahlo’s time in the United States helped to shift and grow her style of painting and the way she looked at life as a young artist exploring a new country. This in-depth biography dives into the young formative years of her creative passions while living in a strange land, fueling an even stronger sense of her Mexican identity.

Of course, you know I’m going to mention Frank. We have several books, fiction and non-fiction, that look at the life of this influential American architect whose creative force has inspired generations to look at architecture and art as part of the environment that surrounds it. “Frank Lloyd Wright: in the Realm of Ideas” by Gerald Nordland is a collection of essays and illustrations that enlighten the reader to some of the aspects of creativity of the man and architect.

If you’re looking for something to inspire your future architect, check out “The story of buildings : from the Pyramids to the Sydney Opera House and Beyond” by Patrick Dillon. This children’s book looks at explanations of building concepts (what is cantilever?) and also how and why buildings have evolved with how we use them.

All of these books are available at Manhattan Public Library. Please check out more books, ebooks, audiobooks, and documentaries on Hoopla, Sunflower elibrary, Kanopy and more! Stop by the library atrium to pick up your Art and Architecture Scavenger Hunt or print it off from our Event Calendar on our website, now through November. When you bring it back for the answer, you will get a fun prize.

Happy Adventuring!

Teen Fantasy Fiction Novels with Strong Female Protagonists

Mary Swabb, Learning & Information Services Supervisor 

Fantasy fiction has always been a favorite of mine. Specifically, young adult or teen fantasy fiction. For those who may not favor fantasy fiction, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that it is, “imaginative fiction dependent for effect on strangeness of setting (such as other worlds or times) and of characters (such as supernatural or unnatural beings).” My passion for fantasy solidified after reading “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” when I was twelve. There was a huge fandom surrounding the novels at that time.  My siblings and I all devoured the first three novels in the series before attending a midnight release party, at our local Walden Books, for the fourth novel. It seemed like there was something in Harry Potter for everyone: adventure, mystery, magic, strong friendships, triumph over adversaries, etc. Perhaps this was why the books had mass appeal. Personally, I enjoyed reading Harry Potter and other fantasy novels because they allowed me to traverse worlds full of magic and wonder, meet characters with a variety of personalities and abilities, and experience the thrill of adventure. Two decades have passed since my passion for fantasy novels began, but I still enjoy them.

Currently, I favor reading fantasy with strong female protagonists who overcome insurmountable odds to achieve their goals. I find the strength within these female characters inspiring, and their stories of adventure thrilling. Take Kamzin in Heather Fawcett’s, “Even the Darkest Stars,” for example. Kazmin was selected to become her village’s shaman, but secretly desired to become one of the emperor’s royal explorers (elite climbers) who are responsible for mapping the Empire’s arctic mountains. Kamzin’s path was set until Shara, the greatest royal explorer, came to her village needing her family’s help. Kamzin is more than willing to help Shara if he would take her on his next expedition, a quest to retrieve a talisman from the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. And so, Kamzin’s journey begins amidst a chance encounter, a shocking betrayal, and a promising adventure that may just shed light on Kamzin’s family history. Kamzin’s story continues in, “All the Wandering Light.”

If you find the paranormal and supernatural interest you, in addition to non-linear narratives, then check out Rin Chupeco’s,“The Bone Witch.” A dark and captivating tale about Tea, a young girl from a small town who accidentally raises her deceased brother from the dead. This catches the attention of the empire’s asha, elemental magicians, who are revered and commodified for the wealth and health of the empire. Tea’s gift for necromancy is rare and makes her a bone witch, a witch who can raise the dead and battle daeva, monsters who terrorize villages. Tea follows Lady Mykaela, her new mentor and the only other bone witch in the kingdom, to the capitol to train as an asha for House Valerian. While training in the capitol, Tea begins to learn that not all asha are created equal and her experiences highlight the cracks in the foundation of capitol society. Tea’s ominous journey continues in, “The Heart Forger,” and culminates in, “The Shadow Glass.”

Historical fiction and fantasy pair well together in my opinion, and I find that I quite enjoy narratives that reimagine history or seamlessly blend the historical with the fictional. “Sky in the Deep” by Adrienne Young is such a novel. Young weaves elements of Vikings and seafaring Scandinavians with a fictional setting and characters to create a bold and beautiful tale of survival, discovery, adventure, family, and love. “Sky in the Deep,” begins on the battlefield following Eelyn, a seventeen-year-old Aska warrior as she fights with her father and best-friend against the Riki clan. The Aska and the Riki have a long running feud that leads to skirmishes every season. As an Aska warrior, Eelyn’s life seems straightforward, until she sees her deceased twin brother on the battlefield fighting for the Riki. Eelyn attempts to follow her brother, but is taken captive and enslaved. As she lives among her enemies, Eelyn is forced to question who she can trust, and ultimately how she can unite two clans to face an even greater enemy. Young continues the chronicles of the Aska and Riki clans in “The Girl the Sea Gave Back.”

For more book recommendations, please contact Manhattan Public Library at 785-776-4741 ext. 200 or refstaff@mhklibrary.org. If you’d like more personalized book recommendations, please fill out a request for a personalized reading list at https://mhklibrary.org/personalized-reading-list-2/.