A squeaking sound outside her bedroom leads eleven-year-old Nell to a baby squirrel abandoned in her yard.  Nell and her younger brothers end up saving two wild squirrels that appear to be orphaned.  With the help of some online research and a new friend, Nell learns how to care for the squirrels, but she also learns that she should not try to do this on her own.  Still, if Nell has the time and devotion, why shouldn’t she raise the squirrels?  She loves them, and they need her—don’t they?  Nell is willing to do anything to save her new pets, even if it involves telling a few lies….

Join us on Sunday, October 10th at 2:00 to discuss this finely crafted debut novel.  Refreshments will be served.

One thing Darby has never dreamed of being – not until Evette suggests it – is a newspaper girl who writes down the truth for all to read. In no time, and with more than a little assistance from Evette, Darby and her column in the Bennettsville Times are famous in town and beyond. But is Marlboro County, South Carolina, circa 1926, ready for the truth its youngest reporter has to tell?

Join us on Thursday, July 29th at 6:30 to discuss this excellent book.  Refreshments will be served.

Girlfriends Read this summer will read and discuss the new novel written by Valerie Hobbs, THE LAST BEST DAYS OF SUMMER.  Set in present day California, 12 year old Lucy Crandall spends a week with her Grams at her Crescent Lake cabin.  Lucy’s week turns into a roller coaster of surprises!  Join the book club.  Get a copy of this book at the youth desk and register for the summer library program, too.  We’ll meet July 1 at 6:30 p.m.  Refreshments!

Our book to be discussed on March 21, 2010 will have great appeal to “horse-mad readers, girls like Lidie who have photos and drawings of horses tacked up on their bedroom walls,” writes Norah Piehl in her book review posted on Kidsreads.com.  Piehl goes on to say that WILD GIRL “shouldn’t be dismissed as merely another ‘horse book.’  It also provides an insightful glimpse into the immigrant experience, particularly for the large number of immigrants who come to America after immediate family already has been established here.  The difficulties of finding your place within a family that seems alien, of deciphering new norms at school, of holding on to the things that make you special–these topics greatly enrich WILD GIRL and will speak to anyone who has ever felt a desire to belong.”

Our next book for discussion on Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 2 p.m. is the heartfelt story of Betsy Elizabeth.  We meet her as she is about to leave her sheltered life to live in the wilds of Vermont with distant relatives.  Goodness!  There are so many adjustments poor Betsy must make.  Pets are allowed to sleep in the house!  Children are expected to do chores!  Follow Betsy along her path as she finds great happiness and a new outlook on life.

Hollis Woods’s search for a family is a perpetual journey, as she moves from one foster home to another until she meets the Regan family and two rather quirky elderly women who teach her a lot about love, friendship, and belonging.

Patricia Reilly Giff is the author of many beloved books for children, including two books Girlfriends Read readers have read and enjoyed:  Lily’s Crossing and Willow Run.

We hope you will join us for the discussion of her book pictures of hollis woods on Sunday afternoon, November 1, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

Ten-year-old Allie is nervous about moving to a new city with her family. Will she make new friends? Will she like her new school? Read this delightful book to find out how Allie likes living on Strawberry Hill, and then join us for our discussion of the book on Sunday, October 4th at 2:00.

Greetings!  Our first book this fall will be the wonderful Strawberry Hill written by Mary Ann Hoberman.  Pay a  visit to her website at www.maryannhoberman.com to learn more about this talented poet and writer.  I love the illustrations on her website.  They walk and run, swim and leap–almost right off the computer screen!

I hope you can join us for the discussion of this book on Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.  If you have any questions about this book group, please contact us.  We’d love to hear from you.

Greetings:

This summer we will be reading The Penderwicks written by Jeanne Birdsall.  The dicussion will take place Tuesday evening, July 14th at 6:30 p.m.  We hope you’ll find this a fun summer read!

The story takes place in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in the state of Massachusetts.   It will be a summer vacation the four sisters will never forget.

For our May 17th discussion, we are reading the book heartbeat by Sharon Creech.  Run, run, run.  That’s what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do.  Find out more about Annie and her family in this tenderhearted story.