Looking for you next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
If you like animals, I think you will enjoy this book. One of our regulars mentioned this book to me and it sounded like fun so I borrowed it on Inter Library Loan from the library in Litchfield. I’m glad that I did!
Sherman is a donkey. Chris and his family rescue Sherman from an “animal hoarder” in the “Southern End” of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which is the most Amish area of PA. Sherman is in sad shape and in desperate need of rescuing. Since Chris and his family have recently moved to Lancaster County from the city, rescuing Sherman brings on yet another needed adjustment for everyone involved. Rescuing Sherman starts a series of events that brings Chris, his family and some friends to competing in one of the strangest athletic events ever—burro racing in Colorado. The story’s cast includes Amish running clubs, goats, long distance women truckers and others. And, I think you will enjoy the description of rural life in the “Southern End”—one of the most rural parts of Lancaster County, PA.
Making Sherman into a competitive burro racer forces Chris to slow down and meet this lovable donkey on Sherman’s terms. I think you will end up rooting for Sherman (Chris and his troop too) while you laugh and cry at the various escapades. I encourage you to give Running with Sherman a try.
-Carl H., Director
A 2011 Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner
I chuckled my way through this endearing book with its delightful illustrations and spot on dialogue. Papa Rooster is trying get his cheeky daughter, Little Red Chicken to sleep but she keeps interrupting the stories to save the characters from unnecessary stress. Frustrated, Papa Rooster decides she should tell him a story, which she does with great enthusiasm.
The story’s charming characters and clever conclusion will leave you looking forward to reading Mr. Stein’s next book Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise.
-Cori C.
From the author of Truths I Never Told You, Before I Let You Go, and the The Warsaw Orphan, Kelly Rimmer’s powerful WWII novel follows a woman’s urgent search for answers to a family mystery that uncovers truths about herself that she never expected. -Amazon
This is a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and family. The book switches perspectives between modern-day Alice in America and her 17-year-old grandmother Alina during WWII in Poland. Alina, now in her 90s is dying. But she has one last request for Alice—”Find Tomasz. Poland.” But her husband Tomasz died the year before—why did she want Alice to go to Poland? What would she find there?
As Alice travels to Poland, she learns there is far more to her grandmother than she ever knew.
I loved this book. The characters are well developed and the two perspectives are masterfully woven together as the reader goes along with Alice to figure out her family secrets. The story is intense—set in World War II Poland as young Alina grapples with the cruelty and horrors of the Nazi invasion. The bravery and sacrifice everyday people like Alina, Tomasz, and her family endure is powerful and emotional. I couldn’t put it down. -Brittney T.
