Janet likes historical fiction, humor, realistic stories, adventures.

May 12, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the biography, "Who Is Jimmy Carter" by David Stabler. The first presidential election that she could vote in was between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. This book gives the reader a great sense of this genuine civil rights supporter and peace minded man from his birth on a peanut farm, to governor of Georgia, to President of the United States, to recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and to his continued work with Habitat for Humanity. Jimmy Carter is a humble person that identifies with the poor and continues to serve the people of the U.S.

MAY 5, 3022: Janet's pick this week is "My Own Lightning", the sequel to the Newbery Honor Winner "Wolf Hollow" by Lauren Wolk. Learning to cope with Toby's death and the guilt she feels as well as dealing with the anger and hurt she suffered at the hands of the bully, Betty, and her accomplice, Andy;.Annabelle must move forward with her life. She gains a superpower after being hit by lightning or did she have it all along? Enjoy learning how this amazing young lady thinks and more importantly acts -- a feel good story amongst the sadness.

APRIL 29, 2022:  Janet's pick this week is the middle grade novel, "Meant to Be", a companion book to "Where the Heart Is" by Jo Knowles. Well Ivy and Rachel's family did lose their house and now live in a very small apartment. While Rachel is unhappy about having to share a bedroom, Ivy is so happy to have made 2 friends that she cooks with every Saturday. She has also become a helper to the building maintenance person, Donnalyn. Ivy is very good at fixing "things" but not so good at saying the right things and may lose her friends! This is an emotional story about fitting in and feeling secure. This story also acknowledges poverty and how people act and respond to people that struggle financially.

 APRIL 22, 2022: Janet's pick this week in honor of Earth Day is a Boxcar Children book, "The Big Spill Rescue". In this first book of the new series, Endangered Animals, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny along with Kayla, a member of the Protectors of Animals Worldwide (PAW) organization help animals caught in an oil spill. The Ardens try to find out why the lighthouse light went off during the night causing a tugboat to go aground which resulted in the oil spill.

APRIL 15, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the middle grade novel, "Healer & Witch" by Nancy WTerlin. Sylvie is just learning that she has what she believes are healing powers when her grandmother who has such powers dies. Sylvie tries her new abilities on her mother and makes a terrible mistake. She must find a "teacher".  Will she learn to use her powers as a healer or will she be seen as a witch? Can she find help while avoiding greed and the inquisitor? Whom should she trust? You will fall in love with this brave and resourceful 13 year old girl and her spunky 9 year old companion, Martin. #candlewickpress

APRIL 8, 2022: Janet's pick this week is "A Discovery Disappears" by Pip Murphy, the first book in the series, Christie and Agatha's Detective Agency (think Agatha Christie!). The two twin detectives, Christie, a gadget and science oriented adventurer, and Agatha, the quiet author want-to-be, solve fictional mysteries set in the early 1900s. Meet Alexander Fleming, the inventor of penicillin. Did Agatha eat his scientific evidence? Also meet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Are the twins better detectives than the great writer of Sherlock Holmes? This book is a fun historical mystery for 7 to 10 year olds that is set in England.

APRIL 1, 2022: Janet's pick this week, in honor of Poetry Month, is the poetry anthology, "How to Eat a Poem: A Smorgasbord of Tasty and Delicious Poems for Young Readers" edited by The American Poetry & Literacy Project and the Academy of American Poets. This book of seventy poems by such famous poets as Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, and Nikki Giovanni, will make you laugh, cry, admire, and ponder. Just what good poetry should do!

MARCH 25, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the middle grade/young adult novel, "Rescue", by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Figuring out codes is a pastime Meg shares with her dad who has been called to England from France to be part of the war effort. Meg, who with the help of the resistance,  and with the help of a coded note from her dad, will have an adventure she labels the "Rescue", as she must help 3 people posing as a family escape out of German occupied France into safe territory. Her dad's life depends on her success. Who does she trust? This suspenseful adventure with lots of close calls with the Nazis will keep you reading to its conclusion.

MARCH 18, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the middle grade novel, "Those Kids from Fawn Creek", by Newbery Award winning author, Erin Entrada Kelly. Take a small town, Fawn Creek, and add a new seventh grader, Orchid Mason who has been to Paris, to a seventh grade classroom with 12 kids who have known each other their whole lives; and you get a study in social dynamics. So how does this new girl fit into this class which has been grouped into the cliques, "God Squad", "Fawn Creek Royalty"', "The Jocks", and 2 uncharacterized main characters, best friends Dorothy and Greyson? And why is this class still suffering from or under the influence of a bully who moved one town away a year ago? Orchid is the "change" that the kids from Fawn Creek need in order to emotionally grow.

MARCH 11, 2022:  Janet's pick this week is a debut novel by a retired professor of developmental biology, Janet Wylie.  "Menance in the Mist" is a middle grade novel starring sixth grade cousins, Cally and Giles.  On a vacation together in Maine, their adventrues lead to some discovery of things that are putting the environment and people at risk.  Their new friendship also helps them each deal with their own personal challenges and decisions.  This is a good book for Earth Day and for dealing with grief and change.

MARCH 4, 2022:  Janet's pick this week is the middle grade novel "A Comb of Wishes" by Lisa Stringfellow.  What would you wish for if you were granted a wish?  Kela, while searching for sea glass to make jewelry, is magically drawn to a box with a beautiful comb.  This comb belongs to a sea woman/mermaid who has the power to grant a human a wish in order to retrieve her comb.  Kela's mother has recently died in an accident.  What would be wrong about wishing her to be alive again?  This book explores Caribbean folklore, grief, and consequences of actions.  "Every rope's got two ends."

FEBRUARY 22, 2022: Janet's pick today is the adult historical fiction novel, "The Girl in His Shadow" by Audrey Blake. Nora Beady, rescued by a doctor during a cholera epidemic in London as an 8 year old, grows up in the 1840's doctor's house complete with surgery in the basement. She learns by watching, reading, and coaching and becomes an excellent artist and physician's assistant. Dr. Croft is always experimenting and learning about new things such as ether. Unfortunately, Nora can't share her talents openly because women cannot be licensed. They must be proper ladies. Learn how she copes with her secret abilities and courtship and her own self worth in this male dominated time.

FEBRUARY 15, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the novel, "Love in English" by Maria E. Andrew. Ana, a new Spanish speaking immigrant from Argentina, is trying to fit in in a new country but also as a junior in high school. If you have ever been in a situation in which everyone is speaking a language you don't know you can understand Ana's frustration. This book also explores friendship and dating. Ana gets her heart torn between the American boy she feels attracted to and helps him with math and the Greek immigrant boy in her ESL class that she is learning English with and can truly be considered a friend. This is a sweet romance - what will Ana do?

FEBRUARY 11, 2022: Janet's pick this week is "Cold" by Marino Tamaki. This mature teen novel is a rather disturbing murder mystery. A high school boy, Todd, is found dead in the park and his ghost tells a part of the story as he follows the detectives assigned to the case. A high school girl, Georgia, is curious about the murder especially after she realizes that she has seen this boy before. Bullying, LGBTQ issues, and peer pressure are all a part of this unnecessary death.

FEBRUARY 4, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the mystery book for young readers aged 6 to 10, "Just Harriet", by Elana K. Arnold.  Harriet's mom is pregnant and needs to finish her pregnancy on bed rest. Harriet will be spending her summer vacation on Marble Island with her Nanu, her dad's mother, who owns a B & B on the island.  The story is told by Harriet herself who tells you right away that she sometimes lies -- and yes she does! Have fun finding out about Harriet as she learns about her dad as a child and tries to find the treasure in the "Gingerbread House". 

JANUARY 28, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the middle grade novel, "Hide and Geek" by T.P. Jagged.  Take one drepressed town that was once the home of a famious toymaker and a toy factory; and one group of four children, The Geeks, wo care about their town and each other; and add a secret clue that leads to a scavenger hunt to find treasure that can revitalize the town; and you have an enjoyable mystery story!

JANUARY 21, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the first book in the Teeny Houdini series, "The Disappearing Act" by Katrina Moore. This beginning novel  stars Bessie Lee, a very active first grader (think June B. Jones) who wants to win "big" in the talent show to show that she is not just "teeny" but a magician who can really make things disappear! Book 2 is also available, "The Super-Secret Valentine".

JANUARY 14, 2022: Janet's pick this week is the 75th anniversary edition of "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown which includes two-sided milestone cards to photograph with your baby at various stages of their first year. What a great addition to a timeless classic.

JANUARY 7, 2022: Janet’s pick this week is the young adult fantasy “The Ivory Key” by Akshaya Raman.  Four siblings, all with the desire to find the Ivory Key, a source of lost magic, but with different agendas, must overcome obstacles and figure out clues to find the key that has been hidden for hundreds of years but also protected by the Kamala Society.  Viva, the new queen of Ashoka, needs the magic to save her kingdom.  Riya wants to gain the magic to help the “Ravens,” a group that steals to help the poor.  Ronak wants to sell the key so that he and his brother can escape his castle life.  Kaleb needs to clear his name and prove he did not participate in his mother’s murder. Can they look beyond their conflicting interests and work together for the betterment of Ashoka?

DECEMBER 31, 2021: Janet's pick this week is the middle grade novel, "Playing the Cards You're Dealt", by Varian Johnson. This book was also highly rated by Luca C., a Storybook Cove reviewer. Anthony Joplin, known as Ant, learns to deal with family and friendship issues (boy and girl) as he tries to continue the legacy of winning at the card game, spades, by his brother, father, and grandfather before him. He has to navigate the images of "weak" and "strong" and do what is best for his family when his father's addictions are a part of the problem.  

DECEMBER 24, 2021: Janet's pick this week is "Across the Desert" by Dusti Bowling. Meet Jolene, a 12 year old budding cartographer who has become friends with a 12 year old aviator of an ultralight plane. Jolene watches Addie livestreaming her flight and sees her disappear and hears her scream. Without the support of the grownups in her life she realizes that she is the only one who can save her new friend who was flying hundreds of miles from Phoenix where Jolene lives. You cannot help rooting for Jolene as she tries to save Addie, make a lasting friendship, and save her mom from her drug dependency. This is a book that will make you cry and cheer.

DECEMBER 17, 2021: Janet's pick this week is "The One Thing You'd Save" by Linda Sue Park. This book is written in the structure of ancient Korean poetry of sijo. The homework assignment given the class is to decide what one thing you would save, knowing that your family and pets are all safe, if your home was on fire. This short book can spark a lot of discussion.Janet's pick this week is "The One Thing You'd Save" by Linda Sue Park. This book is written in the structure of ancient Korean poetry of sijo. The homework assignment given the class is to decide what one thing you would save, knowing that your family and pets are all safe, if your home was on fire. This short book can spark a lot of discussion.

DECEMBER 10, 2021: "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh is Janet's pick this week. By interviewing her Korean grandparents for a school project and learning of their real-life experiences of courage and hardships during the Korean War, Junie learns about her past and gains the strength to face racism at her school proactively. This book will make you cry and cheer at the same time!

DECEMBER 3, 2021: Janet's pick this week is "Amos McGee Misses the Bus" by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Do you remember "A Sick Day for Amos McGee"? Well this new book by the Stead's is also about the hardworking zoo caretaker who upon staying up most of the night thinking about an outing with his zoo animal friends ends up oversleeping and thwarting his own plans. However the animals once again come to the rescue. This is a sweet story by a Caldecott winning team.

NOVEMBER 26, 2021: Janet's pick this week is "The Dynasty" by Jeff Benedict. Newly out in paperback, this nonfiction accounting of the New England Patriots and the impact of the relationship of Kraft, Belichick, and Brady is detailed and riveting. Benedict combines extensive research and interviews with his own observations shadowing the 3 men and the team for 2 years to tell the tale of the transformation of the lowly Patriots to a championship dynasty. Signed copies available and make the perfect gift for the fan in your life. #thedynasty #jeffbenedict #shop small #shopindie

NOVEMBER 12, 2021: Janet's pick this week is the picture book, "The Luckiest Snowball" by Elliot Kreloff.  Learn about the seasons starting with winter with a snowball named Larry. Once he starts melting, Larry spends most of his time in the home freezer until young Izzy introduces him to spring, summer, and fall and it becomes winter again! #holidayhouse #childrensbookweek #shopindie

NOVEMBER 5, 2021: Janet's pick this week is "Mary Chilton Winslow: Survivor of the Mayflower Voyage" by the author, Joyce A. Prince , a descendant of Mary Chilton, and the illustrator, Tara L. Harvey. This nonfiction book about Mary Chilton Winslow is an account of what life was like on a crowded small ship in 1820. Many people died on the ship, her father, and during that first year in America, her mother, but Mary survived. The book starts with her birth in England, life in Holland, and her voyage at 13 years old on the Mayflower. It ends with her death in Boston after marrying John Winslow and having 10 children, 9 who survived. Joyce A. Prince will be at Storybook Cove to sign copies on Saturday, Nov. 6th at 2:00 p.m.