BOOKS TO BORROW

"Day of Tears" by Julius Lester, Hyperion, 176 pages

Read aloud: age 9, 10 and older

Read yourself: age 9, 10 and older

Through shifting first-person accounts, author Julius Lester recreates the largest slave auction in history and weaves what he imagines were some of the emotions that must have been felt by those who "did not have the opportunity to tell their stories for themselves."

One of the most extraordinary and powerful pieces of historical fiction I've ever read, this selection should be required reading. Deeply thought-provoking, "Day of Tears" excels in every way.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: The Stonington Free Library, 20 High St., Stonington

Library Director: Margaret Victoria

Children's/Teen Librarian: Maris Frey

Choices this week: "14 Cows for America" by Carmen Agra Deedy; "Being Teddy Roosevelt" by Claudia Mills; "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Bartoletti

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"The Kite That Bridged Two Nations" by Alexis O'Neill, illustrated by Terry Widener, Calkins Creek, 2013, 40 pages, $16.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 7, 8 and older

Read yourself: age 8 and 9

Young Homan Walsh loves to fly kites. Rather than his "studies" at school, Homan studies everything involved in flying a kite: the wind, calculated lift, gauged line length and more.

Winters were harsh in Niagara Falls, New York, but Homan doesn't mind. Homan flies his kite year-round, and in the winter of 1847, Homan enters a contest to try and be the first person to fly his kite over Niagara Falls, spanning the stretch from America to Canada. Homan knows his best chance is to fly his custom-made kite from Canada to America; not the other way around. Will Homan be the first one to span the falls and bridge the two nations?

Based on true events, this interesting story is well written, fast-paced, and beautifully illustrated.

"The Legend of the Jersey Devil" by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by Gerald Kelley, Sleeping Bear Press, 2013, 32 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 6 to 10

Read yourself: age 8 to 10

In 1735 the British Crown ruled New Jersey. It is said in that year in the Pine Barrens a woman known as Mother Leeds was about to give birth to her 13th child - a child she didn't want. It is also rumored that just before the child was born, Mother Leeds screamed, "Oh, let it be the devil!" And when the child was born, it was a monstrous creature that flew about the room and disappeared into the night.

The townsfolk argued among themselves about the creature's appearance, each more hideous than the other. From that point on, whenever something odd or terrible happened, the Jersey Devil was blamed. Many reported sightings, many were terrified, and some sought to profit from the elusive creature. Even to this day, the story continues to be told and sightings reported.

Is the Jersey Devil real, and if so, what exactly is it? Or, is this just a scary story that has been passed down for almost three centuries?

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