BOOKS TO BORROW

"Magic Tree House #28: High Tide in Hawaii" by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca, Random House, 96 pages

Read aloud: age 5, 6 and older

Read yourself: age 7 to 9

Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister Annie have been on many exciting adventures in their magic tree house, and this installment takes the two back in time to a Hawaiian island of long ago.

Hawaii is even more beautiful than Jack and Annie had expected, and they quickly make friends with a brother and sister who teach them how to surf. But when Jack feels an earthquake rumble the earth under his feet, he knows that a tsunami is close behind. Annie and their new friends are still out surfing. Will he be able to get to them in time?

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Groton Public Library, 52 Newtown Rd., Groton

Library Director: Betty Anne Reiter

Children's Librarian: Kim Balentine

Manager, Library Public Services: Jennifer Miele

Choices this week: "Bark, George" by Jules Feiffer; "Froggy Gets Dressed" by Jonathan London; "Too Many Pumpkins" by Linda White

BOOKS TO BUY

"I Survived: The Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79" by Lauren Tarshis, illustrated by Scott Dawson, Scholastic, 2014, 108 pages, $4.99 paperback

Read aloud: age 7 to 10

Read yourself: age 8 to 10

On August 24, AD 79, the residents of the city of Pompeii were used to an occasional tremble. Many shrugged them off, believing a great angry beast lived under the mountain. What they didn't know was that Mount Vesuvius was a volcano that would explode in a matter of hours and bury thousands of people under 30 feet of ash and stone.

A young slave, Marcus, had been reunited with his slave father, Tata, the previous afternoon. Tata was a firm believer in science, and he knew the tremors were something more dangerous than a mythical beast. When Vesuvius began it reign of terror, would Marcus and Tata be able to escape?

"Leroy Ninker Saddles Up" by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, Candlewick, 2014

Read aloud: age 6 to 9

Read yourself: age 7 to 9

More than anything in the world, Leroy Ninker wants to be a cowboy. He already has a cowboy hat, boots and a lasso. What he doesn't have is a horse.

Following his friend's advice to take his fate into his hands, Leroy acts upon an advertisement for an old but good, very inexpensive horse. When Leroy meets the horse Maybelline, his life is turned around for the best.

kendal@sunlink.net