The Boy Who Lost Fairyland

The Boy Who Lost Fairyland

By Catherynne M. Valente

The Boy Who Lost Fairyland is an adaptation of the classic tale The Changeling. This is the fourth book in the Fairyland series but it does not follow the adventures of September like the first three books, this book can stand alone. Catherynne M. Valente has created a fantastical world with trolls and fairies and mischief and magic where rocks can tell tales and dragons exist. A young troll, Hawthorn, is whisked away to live on Earth in a strange place called Chicago. He is to live as a human boy. The fairyland folk have taken a young couples child and replaced him with a troll disguised as their boy, a changeling. We also meet Tamburlaine, a tree girl, who is living as a changeling. The two must hide their secret, come together and find their way back to Fairyland.
Valente has done a wonderful job of showing how strange and wonderful our world must look through the eyes of a troll.
Richmond Public Library has this title available in streaming audio through your Hoopla account as well as hard cover copies available at a branch near you. I especially enjoyed the vocabulary and descriptions that Valente uses and would recommend this series to both children and adults.

Rain Reign

Rain Reign

By Ann M. Martin

This is a heart wrenching story of love, friendship, family and courage.

Rose Howard is a little different from the other grade 5 students at Hatford Elementary.  For one thing, she loves homonyms. (Examples: isle and aisle, grown and groan.)  She has a list that she uses to keep track of any homonyms she comes across.  She is also a stickler for following rules – a trait that doesn’t always make her popular with other kids or even teachers, bus drivers or parents.

Also, she has Asperger’s syndrome, or high-functioning autism.

Rose’s father, her only parent, does not really understand her condition and isn’t always very accommodating.  In fact, he leaves her alone quite often and drinks regularly.  Luckily, her Uncle Weldon does everything he can for Rose, but still, she is lonely.

Then her father brings home Rain, a lovely little dog.  Rain is found wandering around with no collar, so she has no family, right?  With Rain around, Rose’s world begins to improve.  Even the kids at school become more friendly after they meet Rain.  But when Rain goes missing after a storm, Rose is tested.  She uses all her courage and resourcefulness to find her.  Will they ever be reunited?

This is a heart wrenching story of love, friendship, family and courage. 

Valentine's Day Is...

Valentine's Day Is...

By Gail Gibbons

I thought this would be a wonderful pick for this week. We are nearing Valentine's Day and many children have begun to ask us what is Valentine's day? Why do we celebrate it? Why do we give cards? This delightful book is filled with fun facts about this special day. Children will learn about the history, legends, traditions and symbols of Valentine's day. Learn about Saint Valentine, the tradition of giving cards and the delight of receiving sweet treats. This educational book is available at many of our branches as well as in eAudio form and eVideo streaming on Hoopla.

What is Valentine's day to you?

The Dark

The Dark

By Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen


Like many children, Laszlo is afraid of the dark.  The dark lives in his basement, where Laszlo does not go. Every morning, Laszlo opens the basement door, peeks at the dark and says, "Hi, dark."  Maybe this way he can keep the dark at bay.  

But the dark has other ideas.  One night, the dark visits Laszlo in his room and invites him downstairs… to the basement. Will Laszlo dare to follow?  Would any child?

Laszlo’s encounter with the dark enables him to work through his fear, and will help young readers do so as well.  Laszlo faces the dark and is rewarded by being brought back to the light.  Although The Dark ends on a positive note, this story may be a little too frightening for preschoolers.

Dr. Seuss's A B C

by Dr. Seuss,

Dr. Seuss is a classic in any library and a must in any child's literary repertoire. This adventure of the alphabet uses rhyme and alliteration to bring each letter to life. With whimsical illustrations Dr. Seuss makes learning your ABC's really fun. You can find this and other wonderful ABC books in the library's Basic Concepts section. If you are looking for ways to help your child with numbers, letters, shapes and colours come to your local Richmond Public Library branch and go straight to the Basic Concepts display. In this section of the library you will find fun stories to help introduce ideas like opposites and primary colours as well as great ABC books like Dr. Seuss' A B C.

Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories

Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories

  By R.J. Palaccio

Those of you who read Wonder will never forget Auggie – “the ordinary boy with the extraordinary face."  Auggie’s face was the subject of both ridicule and redemption; his unusual appearance led to bullying and victimization, but also to deep friendships.

Auggie & Me is the continuation of Wonder.  Each story is told from the perspective of someone in Auggie’s life: Julian, the bully; Christopher, his oldest friend; and Charlotte, a classmate.  Each one of these characters has been touched by Auggie, and each struggles with how to deal with him.  

Can Julian come to terms with his nasty behaviour towards Auggie and become a better person?  Can Christopher continue to be friends with Auggie despite the social gulf that exists between Auggie and his other friends?  These questions and more are addressed in Auggie & Me.  Given our culture's obsession with appearance and focus on anti-bullying, Auggie & Me is an interesting and timely follow-up to the original story.

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble

By Frank Cammuso

Little Salem Hyde is a witch. She hasn’t mastered her magic yet so sometimes her spells go terribly wrong. That’s where Whammy the cat comes in. He’s a familiar or better known as a magical animal companion who will help Salem refine her magic skills so she doesn’t continue to get in trouble at school. One of Whammy’s first tasks will be to help Salem prepare for her school's upcoming spelling bee. Not only will Salem have to spell the words correctly but use them in their original meaning to avoid causing any unintentional mayhem.