BOOKS TO BORROW

"My One Hundred Adventures" by Polly Horvath, Schwartz & Wade,260 pages

Read aloud: age 8 to 12

Read yourself: age 10 to 12

Twelve-year-old Jane lives by the sea in Massachusetts with her younger siblings and mother. Their life is modest but the family is rich in the things that matter most - their love for one another, the sea, and their small community and friends. But suddenly Jane feels herself changing, and she longs for adventure and excitement.

As if a magic genie has heard her request, adventures find their way into Jane's life. An unlikely friendship, hot air balloons and fortune tellers are just the start of Jane's summer.

The sea, a a great cast of characters and wild events form the framework of this wonderful novel.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Public Library of New London, 63 Huntington St., New London

Executive Director: Suzanne Maryeski

Children's Room Supervisor: Julie Holzworth

Choices this week: "The Empty Pot" by Demi; "The Pink Refrigerator" by Tim Egan; "Treasure" by Uri Schulevitz

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"The Mermaid and the Shoe" by K.G. Campbell, Kids Can Press, 2014, 32 pages, $16.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 4 and older

Read yourself: age 8 and 9

King Neptune has 50 mermaid daughters who are his pride and joy. Each of them possesses a special talent; however, the youngest daughter, Minnow, doesn't seem to have any of the talents her sisters have. What she does do is ask endless questions, for she is curious about everything.

One day a beautiful object Minnow can't identify floats into her life. Minnow is determined to know what this object is and travels far in her pursuit of knowledge. Upon her return, Minnow not only shares her knowledge of the object but also of the other things she learned along the way.

"Ferry Tail" by Katherine Kenah, illustrated by Nicole Wong, Sleeping Bear Press, 2014, 32 pages

Read aloud: age 4 and older

Read yourself: age 7 and 8

Walter is a ferry dog, and he loves his job greeting the cars as they come on board and posing for pictures with families. Walter also knows the captain, cook and engineer depend on him. He loves everything about the ferry except for the Captain's cat, Cupcake.

One day Cupcake works her way into Walter's territory in a way that Walter can no longer stand. Feeling dejected, Walter decides he has to leave the ferry and does just that when it docks. But life on land is not welcoming to Walter. People shoo him away, and cars honk their horns at him. Walter realizes his life is on the ferry, but now he is lost. How will he find his way back before the ferry leaves?

kendal@sunlink.net